Was my preparation a waste?

Question

Quick summary of my case preparation.

Started six months ago.
Spent two months studying theory alone and doing a few cases alone.
Spent four months doing about a case per day with other people, with multiple cases on weekends.
In total, I have done between 70 and 80 business cases as candidate (and the same amount as interviewer, so all in all I was exposed to around 160 cases).
I had a relatively equal distribution of profitability, market entry, acquisition, growth and pricing cases. I estimate that a good 10% of cases were “weird“ ones, like nonprofits and stuff like “there is a dinosaur on this island, can you tell me if it will survive 50 years?”.
I have done around 50 market sizing exercises, with a good distribution of durable goods, expendable goods, economic value and unitary amount.

I always thought my preparation was above average. However, as of recentl, I have realized that so many people in my country (Italy) only practice on “real cases” given by actual firms as opposed to what I did, which was taking cases from casebooks. In total, I probably did 4 or 5 real cases and I didn’t find them to be excessively different from what I saw. Still, this made me terribly anxious and made me reevaluate just how well I actually prepared.

So:

Was my preparation good? Be honest, I still have 12 days to my MBB interview so I can correct course.
What should I use these 12 days for? More cases or perhaps focused drills?

Answer 1

Hey there,

I believe you are using the wrong metrics to track your performance.

How many cases you performed is meaningless unless you saw tangible improvements across all skills required for the interviews (e.g., problem-solving, communication, quantitative reasoning, etc.).

Figuring out the right habits, then solving 20 high-quality cases properly and working on the individual skills in-between to improve is worth 10x more than solving 100 mediocre cases without taking time to reflect on your performance and take the necessary measures to improve.

Now that you have 12 days left I would approach it in the following way:

Take stock of the status quo: What are your strengths, and weaknesses? Look at the core skills evaluated and needed for case interviews; don't forget the fit / PEI.
Make sure that you have covered your weaknesses to a level that is ‘’good enough'' for MBB. This covers the base.
Make sure that your strengths are developed to such an extent that you are ‘’offer-worthy''. This gets you the offer.
Work on drills, and full cases; find some good practice partners to work on the above while continuously tracking your performance along the way. Focus on improvement.
Reach out to a good coach to fast-track this process and make sure you are ready to go.

If you are working towards your McKinsey offer, have a look at the two articles I wrote:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-pei

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/mckinsey-interview

All the best!

Florian

Answer 2

Hi there,

Frankly, other people in your country who practiced only ‘real cases’ might be thinking the same thing about themselves when they read the above about you. To answer your first question, I would say you have practiced much more than an average candidate does in preparation for their interviews. You will always feel that there is something more that can be done, but that is general human nature. As long as you feel confident about your casing skills and that you can crack any case thrown at you, you will be good

To your second question, I would say focus more on your soft skills to handle the case discussion during the interviews. Fit is also an important component if you haven't refined your skills there. Try to see if you can find an experienced coach who can help you refine your skills in preparation for the final battle.

Happy to help if needed.

Good luck

Answer 3

Hi there,

Congrats! It sounds like you put a lot of work in and I wish you the best of luck with the interviews!

‘Real’ cases and cases from casebooks can be virtually the same, so I wouldn't be too worried about that.

More importantly, is whether you feel and know whether you are actually ‘ready’ for your upcoming interviews. What sort of feedback are you receiving from peers? How are your confidence levels and your reflection over your own performance? Have you received expert feedback from any coach to give the green light for the interview?

Best,

Cristian

Answer 4

Great question, and it sounds like you have done a lot of preparation!

It sounds like you have done the work to have a great foundational understanding of cases and how cases work and what type of answers your interviewer will be expecting.

Rather than focusing on more and more drills and trying to cover every possible type of case, I would rather focus on having the right mindset going into the interview.

The wrong mindset is trying to rote learn cases and regurgitate in the interview. This is the approach that most schooling systems reward and so what many high achievers like yourself are used to.

The right mindset is excitement and curiosity at potentially encountering a new problem to solve that you haven't seen before. Remember that if you are successful, this will be a career of solving new and unusual problems rather than just a one off interview.

If you do want to have some additional preparation, the only thing I would recommend is having a session with a coach on here that you trust and getting honest feedback about any improvement areas you should resolve.

Answer 5

Hi there,

You probably prepared more than you needed to. You could likely have succeeded with 20-30 cases done well. 1 per day for 4 months is crazy!

That said, it's only a “waste” if you don't pass the interview.

There is a chance that you have over-cased and that you are too rigid/generic.

Remember that more than 50% of cases in interviews nowadays are unconventional or “weird” ones.

If you truly want this to not be a waste, invest in a single coaching session with a top tier coach. Get them to give you a tough “weird” case and assess you. They will let you know if you are truly ready or not.

Answer 6

Hey there!

Good luck with the interviews.

Do not stress on your level of preparation. Your level of preparation is a lot more than mine and I had multiple offers. Almost all my prep was from case books and they are roughly the same as real cases.

You have been diligent and been working hard and that should bear fruit. Continue on, but do not do too much more. Refine what you have, do a few more cases and drills just to stay sharp.

The fit part of the interview is also very important. If I were you, I would also spend some time on your fit, the why consulting, why MBB, and your own stories.

Happy to help with anything if you need any more support. Please reach on message.

Best,

Answer 7

Hello!

I don´t think that the question that you should ask yourself is whether your prep was good, since you have a lot of time and for sure you benefited. The question is, what should I do with the other 12 months?

Have you considered working with a coach? With just a few sessions she/he could identify what you are lacking and lay out a prep plan, as well as give you exposure to real cases.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 8

Nothing goes waste! Everything helps to build your muscle memory for case practice.

Get practicing with some very experienced peers/friends or a coach of your choice. That's the best way to target your weak spots and polish off your final preparation.

All the best.