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Experienced Hire | Preparation period for interview @T1/T2

1st round interview preparation
New answer on Mar 10, 2021
9 Answers
1.3 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Mar 08, 2021

Hi all,

I am currently working at T2/T3 consulting firm having experience 3.5 Years. However I am currently thinking and planning to apply at the well-known T1 and T2 consulting firms for Senior Associate / Senior Consultant positions.

At the moment, I am struggeling because my project is super busy and I do not know how to prepare my interviews as I only could have time during the friday evening and during the weekend. Do you have any advise how to cope with that? Happy to hear some guidance and probably some of you had the same problem :)

Thank you!

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Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 09, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

To stay on the safe side, you can assume 100 hours of prep without coaching to get an MBB offer if you are starting from zero (it depends on your level though).

If you put 5 hours per week on Friday night/weekends, you should be offer-ready in 20 weeks – 5 months.

If you want to accelerate, you may consider the following:

  • Take vacations
  • Increase productivity hiring a coach

In terms of the second option, I developed a program exactly for that. You can find more at the link below:

https://u.preplounge.com/63phuq

After this program, you will know exactly what to expect in your interview, what to work on, and how to focus on the real differentiators to land an MBB offer.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 08, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on getting an interview! That's the first step and a hard one :)

Note: If you're short on time, the #1 option for you is to hire a coach. They are your time lever.

Note 2: Experienced hire interviews are more or less the same as "non-experienced" hires...you should prepare in much the same way. Higher level interviews (project lead and above) are NOT the same and should be prepared for differently.

I recommend the following:

1) An initial planning session with a coach: 1 hour with a coach now will have a productivity multiplier effect on all your efforts moving forward. They will figure out what materials are best for you, guide you towards the best ways to learn, and come up with a preparation plan with you.

2) Leverage free resources first: PrepLounge Q&A and case library, Poets and Quants, SpencerTom, Google, etc.). Leverage these options, read-up, and over time you'll get a feel for what you really need and where you really need to invest your hard-earned $

3) Case with other PrepLoungers: Casing with other PrepLoungers is free. Not only do you get to practice casing, but you get direct feedback. Additionally, you learn a lot just from casing others. Finally, from other PrepLoungers you'll learn which materials/coaches are helpful.

In summary, while free options don't beat paid options, you can use them for a while to get a feel for what works for you. Have an initial coaching session to get you on the right track, then go the paid route when it's clear either 1) You are stuck or 2) It's clear the paid route will improve your productivity/progress

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Anonymous B replied on Mar 08, 2021

Hi there,

I am in the same situation : consultant from Tier 2 company, targetting T1, and currently between round 1 and 2. I leveraged end of year vacation (2 weeks more or less) to train. Otherwise, I try to do 4 or 5 hours a day during the weekends (and sometimes 1h or 2 in the evening after work) and it seems enough for now. I alse did a few coaching sessions with experienced coaches, it is helpful but not necessary. For me, it was mainly helpful for McK PEI stories (I struggled a little bit building mine).

Hope it helps :)

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Anonymous A on Mar 09, 2021

Thank you for your response.

Anonymous A on Mar 09, 2021

So did you apply first and then prepare or you started preparing in advance for a few weeks before applying?

Anonymous B on Mar 09, 2021

My application was sent mid / end of november. I was very quickly contacted by HR and I asked to have my first rounds in 3 months to prepare ! Which they perfectly understandand given the nature of my current work ! So my preparation really started in November but with an acceleration during the 2 weeks of vacation (5h a day x 10 days I would say) :)

(edited)

Anonymous A on Mar 09, 2021

Happy to hear that they are flexible :) Just out of curiosity - have you applied to all 3 T1 firms?

Anonymous B on Mar 09, 2021

Yes :)

Udayan
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 08, 2021
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /6 years McKinsey recruiting experience

Your best bet is to take time off to prepare. Yes you can work extra hard in the evenings and weekends but these are hard to plan for and you do not have any control over it. Since you are already in consulting, use the time now to brush up your skills as much as possible and then closer to the interviews I highly suggest taking time off as needed to be fully prepared.

Udayan

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Adi
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 08, 2021
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

Completely agree with Denis. If you are serious about this you must allocate the time.

In addition, think about getting 2-3 sessions with a coach of your choice to speed things up.

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Denis
Expert
updated an answer on Mar 08, 2021
Goldman Sachs Investment Banker NYC | Ex-Bain 5 yrs| MBA Chicago Booth | Passed > 13 MBB > 20 IB interviews

Depending on how important it is....

I d ask for vacation, if not granted, I d call in sick. Although many ppl would never admit, quite common. If you say the change is Prio 1 in your life, treat it like that.

Seriously training for T1 and T2 interviews while working full-time, as anything in life certainly possible, but just at a higher risk. If you are willing to take that higher risk, fine, if not, get time off. I am not speaking for right now, but certainly 2-3 weeks before the major interviews.

Best,
Denis

(edited)

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 10, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I get your feeling, it can be challenging! I had the same issue with GMAT nad McKinsey back in the day. As you know as a consultant, you have 2 main workstreams ahead:

1. FIT INTERVIEW

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.

You can see plenty of reviews from candidates who purchased it already.

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

Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes, since we still have some left from the launch! :)

2. BUSINESS CASE

You don´t have any more time to the classics of Viktor Cheng, "Case in point" book, etc. You need to get hands on asap:

1. Practice cases with partners asap, as many as you can do.Find experienced partners who can provide a good feedback

2. Practice your math skills, both in your cases and with ad hoc exercisess, such as:

1. ​Multiplying double digit numbers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ndkkPZYJHo

2. Leveraging math tools (Mimir math for iOS), Math tool on Viktor Cheng website to practice

Furthermore, you should practice as much as you can, and ensure that you cover:

1. Profitability cases- basic profitability framework.

2. Idea generation cases: for any specif issue

3. Growth cases: market penetration, new product launch, product mix change, etc.

4. Pricing cases

5. M&A cases

6. Valuation cases

7. Value chain cases

Given you are under this much time contraint, consider working with a coach to foster speed and ensure you have a tailored plan to be very targeted. PM me interested!

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 09, 2021
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hi there,

I agree with what was said above. If you are really willing to do that, put the preparation first. But be careful about your decision and think well before taking that risk.

If you need any help, let me know
GB

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Florian
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Content Creator
replied on Mar 09, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

There are 3 ways to boost your efforts here.

1. Use weekends wisely. Since you are actively staffed on a project, weekends will be dedicated to rest, which should be the case. Take out a few hours Saturday and Sunday to prepare nonetheless.

2. Take time off. If your project permits, take short bursts of breaks (2 days up to a week every now and then). Once your project ends, block 3 weeks of full-time preparation.

3. Work with a coach and start early on. You want to make sure to maximize what you get out of your preparation efforts early on to not waste any time.

The latter covers several points:

  1. Establish a baseline score of your performance, which should be the guiding principle throughout your preparation journey
  2. Create a tailored plan to elevate bad areas to good areas and good areas to excellent areas (with dedicated exercises in-between sessions and tailored case and personal fit sessions) based on the actual evaluation criteria of MBB
  3. Teach you the correct habits and mindset right from the start so you can practice to internalize proper methods early on (and avoid learning wrong habits or faulty thinking that you would need to unlearn later on)
  4. Set you up effectively for practice with peers as well as alone to strengthen your performance right from the start
  5. Focus on what really matters, leaving out the noise that is floating around that once was relevant but no longer is, materials created by people who never saw an MBB office from the inside, perpetually repeated wrong advice that will hurt your performance, etc.

Happy to help. I developed this program to fast-track your MBB interview preparation and elevate your chances to pass significantly (it's named after McKinsey, but I am coaching for BB and T2 as well in this program):

https://www.preplounge.com/en/profile.php?id=337437#coaching-package

All the best!
Florian

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