Is practicing a case/day for 3 weeks enough for MBB interviews?

Hello,

As you rightly point out, the true answer here is “it depends”! Though I will say that I agree with the general tone of feedback you are getting. 

I wouldn't count the cases you are doing as an interviewer as part of your case “count” - it's a fundamentally different role. So my understanding is that you would then do 15 cases. I would say that 15 full cases is on the lower end, but if you are well-prepared already and understand how the case process works, you would certainly be able to improve quite a bit. I would recommend doing fewer cases as interviewer and more as interviewee, if possible. Working with coaches could be a great way to ensure you are getting the chance to practice + get good feedback, but you could also ask your friends or family to help you practice.

I also agree with everyone who emphasizes the importance of getting some rest, particularly in the week immediately leading up to the interview! Over-casing is a very real issue, so make sure you are taking care of yourself.

My overall advice is to take it day by day. You have three weeks to prepare for the interview, and instead of worrying about what is too much or too little, I would focus on getting in as much good practice in as possible (you as the interviewee, try behavioral questions too, etc.). However many hours you spend, make sure that those hours are effective, that you are not burning out, and that you have sufficient time for rest, schoolwork, and all your other responsibilities.

Hi there,

I agree that the cases are not the only aspect that matters. Of course, if you bomb a case, it will be very hard to get an offer. 
At the same time, if you come across like a robot in the personality part of the process or as someone who doesn't have a “good” (meaning genuine and credible) reason for wanting to pursue consulting, you might also be deemed not a good fit. 

The danger of busting out cases one after another is you ending up trying to “force-fit” everything into frameworks you've come across. Being aware of the most common frameworks is good to help you structure your thoughts of course but don't think you need a specific number of training cases before you are ready for the interview. Think from a business perspective and be pragmatic. Be ready to take an interviewer's hints and pivot in your approach if need be. 

Make sure you use the remaining 3 weeks to also practice your mental math skills - it's a matter of little effort but helps to avoid a common pitfall in case interviews.

Good luck in your preparation and the interview

Hi there,

Q: I should finish 30 cases by the time of the interview ( 15 as interviewer, 15 as interviewee) + Occasional 3-4 mock interviews with certified coaches. Do you think this is enough usually?

It might be enough. It depends on a few variables:

• Your current level
• The type of cases / feedback you will receive

If you have doubts, it is totally fine to ask to reschedule. There is no penalty if you ask – worst case they will say it is not possible.

If you are planning to take coaching, I would recommend to do one session at the start, so that you can define a plan with the coach. I am fully booked before your interview, but if you need help please feel free to PM me, happy to direct you to a few resources which I believe are good.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

Instead of working solely on full cases, I would suggest you work on specific case drills for each area of the case. This is a much more effective and efficient way of 

• elevating strengths to create spikes (that secure your offer)
• building your weaknesses to an acceptable level (minimum criteria to be considered for an offer)

On top of that work on full cases alone and with peers/coaches + prepare and rehearse your PEI stories.

Please reach out for more guidance on that approach and have a look at the articles I authored for PrepLounge on McKinsey interviews:

McKinsey case interview

McKinsey PEI interview

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

A few thoughts:

1. You will finish 15 cases, not 30 (you are double-counting)
2. Please take a break. Consider doing 2 in one day, but then taking 1-2 days off every so often
3. Optimize everything. Get a wide range of cases given to you. Case others in cases you struggled in. Review old cases. Use the best materials. Etc.

You can be ready in this time. But ultimately it's quality over quantity. I might do 2 cases some days but then none other days.

Good luck! 

Here are some cases to get you started:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/hot-wheels-186

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/beginner/hot-wheels-part-2-254

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/sky-china-191

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/yodaphone-195

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/cutting-carbs-divestiture-in-the-electrical-power-market-228

Hi there, 

From my point of view, this is a rather tight timeline and on the lower end of the preparation scale. 

Ideally, what I've seen with the average successful candidate is about 6-10 weeks of practice, doing about 60-90 cases. 

Of course, it really depends on how good you are at learning from each case and not so much how many you do. Here coaches can be really helpful with accelerating the process. 

Aside from this, don't get stuck on the idea that you need to abide by the proposed interview date. You can always ask them to move it. 

Best,

Cristian

It's not enough. Not because it's not enough cases, but because it's not enough of everything else. 

You need time to prepare yourself. Do drills (for example, for market sizing, you can do a lot of alone practice). Reanalyze the cases you did. Think on your own about alternative structures.

Additionally, some of the cases you'll get won't be great cases. The material out there is not always great. Some of those cases you could just go and do alone on your own and learn as much or even more.

Don't get me wrong - doing live cases is mandatory! But if you only do cases, it's not going to be targeted practice. And that is more important than doing a lot of cases.

Mindset in consulting is fundamental, and your question shows you have the wrong mindset at the moment.

The number of cases, provided you have at least 10-15 cases, is irrelevant. 

You need to aim for high-quality cases, feedback, and review. 
It is important that your cases cover the most relevant type of cases and that they are balanced between analytical analysis and structuring exercises. 

I strongly recommend that you should use a case coach to drive you through the process.
Feel free to reach out.

Best,
M
 

I’m more worried about your ability to remain sane in that process than whether you’ve done ’enough’! 

At the end of the day the interview is in 3 weeks - so you are time limited. Do what you can and make sure that your whole life doesn’t become about casing - you’ll put way too much pressure on yourself and that can be incredibly damaging.

Just be smart about how you prep. Learn a couple of high level frameworks so that you have some buckets to pull on when it comes to the framework, then focus on doing a variety of cases and applying those buckets in different scenarios, rather than just trying to get through cases like numbers. 

Good luck!