Time for case preparation - experienced hire

Hi! Congrats on progressing through the process with the firm. I would recommend understanding where you are today in order to decide how much time might be required. Perhaps practice a couple of cases with different interviewers and make a decision based on feedback. Wishing you the best! 

Hi,

Congratulations on being selected for an interview! Thanks for reaching out.

I second the responses you have received so far with the additional steps to assess where you are and where you need to be.

Step 1: Figure out where you are currently with case prep by doing a few cases with different level of candidates in preplounge. Since you have not worked in strategy consulting before, it would be difficult to say how prepared you are for these types of cases.

Step 2: Estimate how much time you will have to devote to prep every day.

Step 3: It is difficult to say how long you will need to be there since that depends on where you are starting. But at an average I would suggest ~50 hours of practice which would include doing 15 to 20 cases with peers or coaches and at least 10 hours of self study. Remember for peer interviews, you will have to allocate at least 2 hours to give and take cases and you may also find it difficult to get good partners who can improve your level.

With these factors in mind 4 weeks seems to be a reasonable time frame assuming you can devote 10 -15 hours a week for prep. You may be able to expedite the process by working with a coach initially to up your game.

Keep in mind, outside of this, you will have to dedicate time for fit interview prep.

I think at the end it boils down to buying as much time as you can. Since you will only get one chance, at least in this year, you want to give it your best. So the more time you can buy the better, as long as you are disciplined with prep in the time you have.

Thanks,

Soh

Congrats on progressing this far! But let me be very direct with you.

Most people underestimate case prep, especially experienced hires. You already have consulting exposure, but digital consulting and MBB problem-solving are different animals. The interviewer doesn’t care how many projects you’ve delivered. They care if, under pressure, you can structure chaos in real time and communicate it with bulletproof logic. That’s the test.

Here’s the truth:
If you prep like most candidates - skimming “Case in Point,” doing a handful of peer cases, relying on intuition - you’ll get crushed. Not because you’re not smart, but because the bar is precision, not potential.

So what does serious prep look like? Three pillars:

1. Foundation Building (Week 1–2)
   • Internalize first-principles structuring. Not generic “profitability trees,” but logic tailored to any problem thrown at you.
   • Drill math under pressure until it’s second nature. No pauses, no shaky arithmetic.
   • Start learning to communicate like a consultant: top-down, crisp, client-ready.
2. Deliberate Practice (Week 2–4)
   • Do 15–20 high-quality cases, but focus on depth of feedback, not volume. Ten sloppy cases with peers won’t help. Three cases with someone who knows exactly how MBB evaluates will change everything.
   • After each case, spend as much time debriefing as solving. That’s where growth happens.
3. Simulation & Edge (Final stretch)
   • Replicate interview conditions. Time pressure, unfamiliar cases, cold start.
   • Don’t just aim for “getting through a case.” Aim for controlling the conversation - guiding the interviewer, not being guided. That’s the difference between a pass and a “fast-track hire.”

Timeline:
If you can invest 10–15 hours a week, then 4–6 weeks is realistic for becoming interview-ready. But remember, this is not linear. Your growth depends on quality of prep and precision of feedback. I’ve seen candidates transform in 3 weeks with the right guidance. I’ve also seen candidates spin their wheels for 3 months with random peers.

One thing to lock in now:
Don’t just prepare for the case. MBB interviews are 50% case, 50% fit/PEI. Experienced hires especially get grilled on leadership, influence, and drive stories. I’ve seen brilliant case solvers fail because they couldn’t convincingly explain how they led a team through hell or convinced a senior counterparty to change course. Start prepping those stories now.

Bottom line:
Buy yourself as much time as you can, then use it with ruthless focus. Average prep = average outcome. Precision prep = MBB offer.

If you want this, don’t dabble. Prepare like your offer depends on it. Because it does. :)

Hope this helps!
Sidi

___________________

Dr. Sidi S. Koné

Former Senior Engagement Manager & Interviewer at McKinsey | Former Senior Consultant at BCG | Co-Founder of The MBB Offer Machine™

Hi there, 

I'd recommend trying to at least set aside 4 weeks before your first interview. You could start now, even in parallel while you are preparing for the online assessment. When you pass the assessment, usually they would be quite fast in scheduling the interviews in like 2 weeks' time, but you can still negotiate to extend the timeline a bit. 

Best,

Emily

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, I would advise you to block at least four weeks for focused preparation. With 10-15 hours per week, that may give you enough time to build up both case study and personal fit skills.
• Moreover, I would advise you to start now with parallel preparation for both the pre-interview assessment and case studies - don’t wait until after the test to begin.
• Lastly, I would strongly advise you to practice with an experienced coach like me early in the process to receive the required acceleration.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming pre-interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Congratulations on being identified to interview!

In terms of preparation the minimum would be about 4-6  weeks and this also needs to take into account how much time you can set aside for case prep. Ensure that you're not just frantically doing cases but rather that you take time to digest what you're learning.
Have the call with HR/Recruitment -  you're not the first to ask for some time in order to put your best food forward. They would much rather you be ready instead of missing the opportunity.

Good luck! 

Hi,

Plenty of responses already shared by other coaches on the timeline needed.

I'd like to share another, but important perspective also - it's important to be aware of several common pitfalls that cause experienced hires to fail:

5 reasons why Experienced Hires fail the consulting interview

All the best!

Hi there,

Congrats on being invited to move forward! 

Since you already have a consulting background, you’re not starting from scratch so you just need to sharpen the “MBB-style” casing muscle. Most people usually set aside 4–6 weeks of consistent practice to feel fully ready, but if you’re already comfortable with problem-solving and client communication, you can probably ramp up faster with focused prep.

When you talk to the recruiter, be honest about wanting enough time to prepare properly and they'll usually accomodate. It’s totally normal to request a few weeks. Just frame it as wanting to put your best foot forward. 

In the meantime, I’d suggest mixing live practice cases with brushing up on mental math, structuring, and PEI stories.

Good luck!

Thanks for the clear problem statement. 

First of all, don't take it as a given that because they approached you then you can't negotiate the interview timeline. They want you to be prepared and do well, and if time is what you need, and assuming they don't have any timing constraints on their side, they should give you this extra time. 

Typically, and this is a rough average, candidates invest around 100 hours of prep stretched across 2-3 months. 

If you have a consulting background and work with a coach it's significantly less. Needleess to say, you need 'high-quality' hours, which is why it's virtually impossible to cram it all in a week. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi,

congrats on getting the process started.

If you can dedicate about 10-15 hours of quality time to the prep per week. With your background you might be able to do with 4 weeks.

However, I would ask for an interview date that is even further out but prepare with the intensity as if the interview was in 4 weeks.

Furthermore, having professional support is ideal but you can also get by without it.

Best,
Lukas

Hey there :)

With four years of consulting experience, you likely need focused, intensive prep rather than starting from scratch. For an experienced hire first round, 4–6 weeks of consistent case practice is usually sufficient, especially if you do 3–4 live cases per week and review frameworks and math. You can ask the recruiter for flexibility, explaining that a few extra weeks will help you perform at your best.

You can reach out if you want a prep plan tailored to your background!

best, Alessa :)

Ideally, you would have one month until the interviews. No less than 3 weeks / weekends. 

Be aware that you should be preparing for both Case Interviews, but also for PEI/FIT type of questions. Happy to provide you support if you need to accelerate your preparation.