Trouble with brainstorming

My answer will not help the person who asked this question. But for the benefit of all who are reading, I feel I can not stay silent here.

What breaks my heart about questions like this isn’t the lack of effort. It’s the misunderstanding of the craft.

If you’re “cramming frameworks” before a case interview, you’re not learning to think like a consultant, you’re training yourself to imitate one. And imitation fails the moment the problem doesn’t fit the template - which is every real problem that matters!

Frameworks are not answers. They are scaffolding for judgment. A structure to help you ask better questions, not to supply them.

If you struggle to brainstorm, it’s not because you lack ideas. It’s because you’re trying to recall, not reason!

Consultants don’t memorize frameworks. They build them live, from a set of rigorous principles. 

They ask:
– What is the client actually trying to achieve?
– What drives or constrains that goal?
– How would I break that down into controllable parts?

That is brainstorming: structured curiosity, not flashcard recall.

So stop cramming.
Start thinking.

Pull apart real business problems. Build issue trees from scratch. Ask “why” until you reach a root cause.

The best interview prep isn’t about storing frameworks. It’s about training your mind to create them under pressure.

In consulting, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 > 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.
Always.

___________________

Dr. Sidi S. Koné

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

Hi,

Ultimately this is a test of your structuring ability (i.e. are you able to break things down in a structured manner) and a little bit of creativity. 

I need to point out 1 important misconception and challenge your self assessment - you mentioned "i do pretty well in frameworks since I have a good amount of industry knowledge" -> this is actually the opposite of what is being tested. Consulting interviews are not testing you for industry knowledge. Even for expert roles, what is more important is still the problem solving fundamentals. 

Therefore, what is needed is the ability to break things down - which applies both for 'frameworking' as well as brainstorming. It is not actually any different. A brainstorming in the middle of the case also requires you to come up with a structured response. The only difference is in the level of depth you are expected to have (definitely less deep than the upfront framework) because you have less time to think/respond. 

Technically, if you are good at structuring at the start of the case, you should also be good at structuring a brainstorming question. 

So what are the implications for you? 

• Building up fundamental skills and ability to think on the spot takes time - 2 days is not alot of time
• Therefore I suggest the most practical thing you can do in 2 days is get familiar with several different 'lenses' or common 'frameworks' that you can try and refer to during the interview (e.g. internal/external, financial/non-financial, carrot/stick etc)
• However, if you are going to refer to these 'stock' frameworks for a brainstorming, you MUST still think on the spot and make sure it is fully logical and relevant.. there is no getting around this

There isn't a quick fix to this, IMO. I've seen many coachees struggle with this too. If it were that easy, then consulting wouldn't be so difficult to get in as well. :)

All the best!

Hi! The best way to structure any creativity or brainstorming question, or for that fact, any part of your case is to remind yourself to be MECE. What broad areas, if you were to analyze them, would cover most (if not all) aspects of the problem? The more you challenge yourself to encounter these questions in the mocks, the more this muscle is built. The benefit of structuring is that it 1) makes things easy to understand from the interviewer's perspective and 2) gives you the room to share multiple sub-ideas while still sounding cogent. Practicing and putting yourself in the shoes of an actual consultant will be your best friend here. 

Hey there :)

Totally normal at this stage, the key is to stop memorizing frameworks and instead train your thinking structure. Practice brainstorming by forcing yourself to group ideas into 2–3 logical buckets (e.g. customer, product, operations) and speak out loud as you build them. Also, after each case, reflect on what angles you missed and how you’d bucket them next time. It improves fast once you practice with intention.

best,
Alessa :)