Hello!

Coaching is a great tool, but not the only one.

If you cannot afford it, is truly not the end of the world. You can find much more affordable methods that are less tailored, and practice a lot with candidates -which is for free-.

Furthermore, programs like High Bridge have the fees based on success that you have mentioned.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Kill two birds with one stone. As you network with MBBs, you hopefully should be able to find a few consultants who are happy to give you coaching (for free). Many of them will not actually be interviewers who can give you full insight in terms of what their firm is looking for but should already make a huge difference. It's also worth noting that many successfully obtain an MBB offer without any paid coaching. You need to think about whether it's really the most suited approach for you (e.g., to save time, augment lack of network, motivation and focus, etc.)

Some coaches may disagree but as much as many of us are fully committed to helping you succeed, performance payment makes no sense as there is a lot that is completely outside the coach's control. At the same time, it's also worth thinking about coaching as an investment not an expense. If you were to join an MBB, your sign-on bonus or first pay check would be more than enough to cover a few coaching sessions. If you truly believe you are suitable profile to be working in an MBB then it's worth 'investing' in yourself early than late.

Good luck!

(edited)

100% agree with Ken!

Hi there,

Totally understand your situation. While coaching obviously dramatically improves your chances (and reduces the time + effort you have to spend on prep), you absolutely can get ready on your own if you're naturally talented, smart, and ready to put in a lot of time!

A few thoughts:

1) There are some programs that offer an ISA. They do require applications and a big time committment but may fit for you. Shoot me a message and I can provide you more info!

2) I agree with Ken - some consultants as you network may offer to help

3) Here is a great Q&A on free/cheap resources to use: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/cheapestmost-efficient-way-to-prepare-for-mbb-interviews-6775

Hi there - I'm not a coach, and I didn't use any paid coaches to get my MBB offer last year (starting this fall; I've already been an interview buddy for folks going through the process).

I advise that you explore every free opportunity you can first. For example, I found the free fundamentals course on the CraftingCases.com site to be the best preparation resource out there. I say this as I tried many others including RocketBlocks (paid, but there's a free trial), tons of websites, forums with Q&A including here, and a lot of practice with different partners. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, I just find the website very helpful and unlike any other case prep resource.

I'd also encourage you to find people who currently work at the firms you're applying to and who recently got offers but haven't started yet. They may be able to help and aren't able to charge money to give you feedback as that would likely violate their firm's policies. For example, I've done this for colleagues and other applicants since receiving my offer, similar to my interview buddy role at my MBB firm.

Good luck!