50+ cases, performance still not good. What can I do?

Hi,

Thanks for sharing this. I understand it is very frustrating to experience what you're going through, but hang in there. Sometimes all it takes is 1-2 good cases to get your confidence and the correct rhythm going. It's on it's way! :)

I used to feel unprepared with case struturing as well. I started structuring 5 cases each day from various casebooks. I would read the prompt and just draw out a detailed MECE structure to the best of my ability. It would take 2 mins to make the structure, 5 mins to read through the solution and 1-2 mins to re-create it with the fundamental things I was missing. Overall, 45 mins each day and it helped me boost my confidence significantly. I'm happy to share case books from top bschools separately with you. Please send me a DM if interested.

Thanks,

Nirmit

Hi there! Let me preface this by pointing out that I'm nowhere near your number of practice cases, so please take everything with a grain of salt. However, I have plenty of experience with long, drawn-out processes (and the frustration that comes with them), so I've decided to add my 2 cents.

First off, being frustrated is not a good mindset. Yes, you need to know a lot for a case interview, but ultimately every case interview comes down to being creative, and that just won't work while frustrated. It sounds like you might have gotten more and more stressed and anxious while preparing, and that can really get in the way of growth. Further, while frustrated/stressed we tend to grasp at things we know - in this case, it might cause you to lean on pre-existing frameworks, and to pursue branches irrelevant to the case in front of you.

Second, you already adress some aspects you're aware of and which you can easily work on. If you need to practice drawing conclusions from graphs, look at reports by consulting firms and try to come up with the conclusions they draw. You'll find plenty available on the internet. Likewise, if you're perceived as unstructured looking at some more case types (M&A, pricing, new product, ...) and the existing frameworks might help. And if you need to practice structuring a framework, I'd recommend downloading case books. Those will give you plenty of prompts you can practice with.

Third, your BGOT approach sounds too cookie-cutter, like a catch-all that will take up too much time and have you ask too many questions, thereby making you seem unstructured. This is something you can fix by acquiring background knowledge, and I'd recommend looking at a few big markets - notably the one of the country you're applying in, but also China, the US, ... I'd also recommend looking at different industries and the challenges they face right now. This should help you ask more directed questions.

Lastly, please keep in mind that you can reschedule the interview. No one wins if you're not ready - you will have wasted time, and so will BCG. It doesn't seem to be any issue to reschedule. I did not, also with BCG, and I really wish I had. Don't make that mistake.

Hope this helps! Don't worry - you'll get there.

Hi A,

Keep your chin up! You will master the structuring skill, it just comes with practice.

What I proactively suggest doing are three things

1. Book a coaching session with a coach and

• Define your preparation schedule for an interview with checkpoints
• Ask for a best-practice approach for cases,so that you can learn about it and try to replicate it

2. Take the cases you have already solved and try to solve them from scratch. Then compare to the model answer and your previous solution and work out the best structure. Then draw it in a neat way.
By completing this exercise you will have 5-10 ideal structures to follow.

3. Cases are not the only wat to practice structuring. I suggest reading articles and books and then structure them. Ideally if you read articles about industries, you should draft a structured understanding of them (https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-prepare-for-cases-on-industries-where-you-have-zero-knowledge-in-3792).

I am sure you will make it. You should remember that it is not about the talent, but a practice.

All the best,
Egor

My guess is, that you think too much within the mindset of getting the right framework.

Try to think more in a way - what would I say if a friend of mine asked me this? What are the points I am really interested in?

I have to agree with Vlad: there are just 2 options in my mind: Either you are not smart / talented enough, or you are making obvious cases that a coach is here to fix.

Let's get rid of the first option, which I hardly ever see: if you have a solid resume, the intellectual power is there.

The only other option is you are making fixable mistakes. Just like even the pros and CEOs have coaching, so should candidates: It is our job to spot them and give you the actionable feedback you would need to fix them. There are a number of us here with significant coaching (vs. interviewing) experience and the skills to zero in on the gaps you still have.

Yes, like Vlad, I have a bit of a conflict of interest. Remember what the upside is however. A change to work at MBB is worth it. I didn't get there on my own, very few MBB consultants did: we all had help at one point or another. Your fellow applicants (i.e., competitors) are getting coaching help... perhaps you should.

Hi,

It's not promoting the service here, but I would recommend taking a session with a coach who can identify all the gaps in your performance. You are currently seeing your performance through your lens / lens of other candidates, which is not necessarily the full picture or source of truth. I believe you can identify all problems and discuss the approaches only after the full diagnostics.

Best

Hi A!

In my experience, practicing 15-20 cases is sufficient, if you do it strategically. My recommendation is as follows:

• Read up on the typical approaches and standard frameworks to get the concept.
• Then, do 5-6 cases to get a practical feeling for what a case is like. Start with easier ones - e.g. market size mini cases, simple profit tree cases, etc. This will help you develop a rudimentary sense for how cases work
• The next 5-6 cases should cover cases from all major types and help you gain the experience and comfort with standard frameworks and the thinking required for solving the cases.
• Lastly, you will want to do 6-7 cases to hone your skills. Practice with people who understand what they are doing - experienced interviewers, coaches, etc. that can give you 1-2 main items of feedback after each case that you can then practice to apply and improve on in the next case. During this time, you should also practice to move away from off-the-shelf frameworks and tailor, or - even better - develop your frameworks specifically during the case.

The further you move towards the final interview, the more important it is to practice with experienced interviewers. While you can easily ask any friend or practice with peers for the first few cases, you should aim for qualified, professional feedback as you approach the finishing line.

However, keep in mind, that this requires a strong plan and strategic approach to the preparation. I regularly see people doing 30-40 or even more cases. While this can also lead to success, in my eyes, it is a bit of a waste of time, especially for experienced hires that often also have a regular job to do while preparing for the consulting interviews.

Let me know if this helps. I'm also happy to elaborate any of the above in more detail. DM me if you like.

Dear A,

I have 2 options for you here:

1. You keep practicing with yourself. More and more. In my tima I've made around 150 cases. So it's not a final stage.

2. You ca ask a coach for a few sessions to have a real mock up interview practice and get the real and structured feedback on your level and the ways how to improve it.

Hope it helps,

Best,
André

Hello!

On top of the insights already shared in the post, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Furthermore, you can find 2 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:

• Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200
• Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch!

This might not be the answer you want to hear, but you may want to look into another career outside of consulting. This isn't a jab at you, or trying to tear you down, I'm sure you're a great person. But the sort of person that would make a great consultant is the kind where these sorts of things come somewhat naturally. If it's difficult and stressful, then you're not going to enjoy consulting and it would be an unfulfilling, unproductive career if you don't enjoy it. If I were you, I would really focus on what your strengths are, catalog them, and then look for a career that allows you to leverage your strengths.

If you can, you should get access to some Victor Cheng interview transcripts where he guides the interviewee step by step on how to approach each challenge in a case. Also, having a preplounge interviewer put pressure on you for you to think fast and get used to fast thinking goes a long way too. You're almost there, you just need that final push to reach your final destination!