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Great recent casebooks/resources to practice McKinsey case math?

McKinsey
New answer on Aug 29, 2020
4 Answers
2.1 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Mar 17, 2020

Hi,

I had round 1 interviews with McKinsey, and one of the feedbacks is that I could improve my quantitative/maths

I'm getting better at raw calculations but still having trouble with the context and knowing which logic to use

Are there any good casebooks you recommend to help work through these quatitative problems?

I've used the Stern 2018-19 but it's really confusing as it's not laid out in an easy way if you want to tackle that part of the case solo

Also, this is for a McKinsey business analyst role so I think cases with valuations/NPV/DCF would not be relevant

Thanks!

(edited)

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
updated an answer on Mar 25, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

To strenghten your case math (not only for McKinsey, this applies to all MBBs), I would recommend you:

  • Use PrepLounge´s Mental Math Tool
  • Work with a coach to focus on this particular part of the cases, with multiples cases they have. Hence, having a math-centered session reviewing their top 2-3 math-intense cases
  • Leverage free online materials, such as > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ndkkPZYJHo)
  • Practice leveraging GMAT materials -particularly the Integrated Reasoning section, that has multiple graphs, etc.-There are free exams in the internet that you can use for practice (the one of LBS MBA page, Verits prep, as well as some free trials for courses such as the one of The Economist (https://gmat.economist.com/)

The key to success here is not only get practice, but learn techniques.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

(edited)

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Daniel
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replied on Mar 19, 2020
McKinsey / ex-Interviewer at McKinsey / I will coach you to rock those interviews

Hi!

McKinsey math question essentially consists of two main blocks:

  • Figuring out the logic – the best way to practice this is to solve simple algebra tasks (apples and oranges, train going from point A to point B), just buy the middle school algebra text book in your country and practice. Honestly, there is nothing better than this – because in the end McKinsey math is basic algebra, it’s just apples and oranges are substituted by revenues and costs. If you are from Germany, I have a few good German books I can recommend, DM me :) Also, you can use Preplounge Math Quizzes, they are actually built around apples and oranges as you will see.
  • Calculating the numbers – this is just technic, essentially it’s like training a muscle. Download a few good apps, like “Mental Math Practice” or “Brain Booster Games” and practice 20 min a day, already in a week you will feel a huge difference. Also, those apps usually don’t have long divisions, so practice them separately yourself (here is a good youtube video on it, but there are plenty out there https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlEx1TN-dqY&t=157s )

Hope this helps! DM if you have more questions!

Best,
Daniel

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Anonymous replied on Aug 29, 2020

Dear A!

  1. If you want to practice mental math fractions and percentages, use the app 'Case Math' on the iOS store. https://appshttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/case-math/id1507653375?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4.apple.com/us/app/case-math/id1507653375?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
  2. Also, tests that usually are for investment banks (with graphs analysis) are useful. Free resourced can be found online, for example: https://www.tptests.com/Candidate/practice/Instructions

Also, you can find a good number of PST tests online

Best,

André

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Antonello
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Content Creator
replied on Mar 23, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching
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