how much time does it take to prepare for the interview cases, right now I study and I want to join a consulting firm next year. Can you you advise me to better organize myself?

Hey there 😊,

The time needed to prepare for consulting case interviews really depends on where you're starting from and how familiar you are with structured problem-solving, business frameworks, and mental math.

1️⃣ General Timeline for Case Prep

✅ If you're a complete beginner → 3-4 months of consistent practice
✅ If you have some experience (e.g., business background, internships, case club experience) → 2-3 months
✅ If you’ve already done cases before & just need polishing → 4-6 weeks of intensive prep

Since you plan to apply next year, you have plenty of time to structure your prep efficiently without rushing.

2️⃣ How to Organize Your Prep?

🔹 Step 1: Learn the Fundamentals (1-2 months)

• Get familiar with case structures, frameworks, and market sizing techniques.
• Practice mental math & business intuition.
• Start with basic profitability, market entry, and operations cases.

🔹 Step 2: Practice Live Cases (2-3 months)

• Do 30-50 cases with partners (either case study groups or online platforms).
• Focus on weak areas (e.g., structuring, brainstorming, data interpretation).
• Improve chart reading & quantitative analysis.

🔹 Step 3: Personal Fit & Behavioral Questions (1 month, alongside case prep)

• Prepare strong PEI stories (McKinsey) or behavioral answers (BCG/Bain).
• Align your answers with leadership, impact, and problem-solving skills.

🔹 Step 4: Company-Specific Prep (Last 4-6 weeks before applications)

• Research the specific consulting firm’s case style.
• Focus on industries or topics they specialize in.
• Adjust your personal fit answers to match their culture & values.

3️⃣ Final Advice & Support

If you’re unsure where to start, I’d be happy to help you structure your preparation plan, refine your case-solving approach, and guide you on personal fit answers tailored to your target firms.

Let me know if you need 1:1 support or coaching—I can help you navigate this process efficiently so that you’re fully prepared when applications open! 🚀

Best, Alessa 😇

Hello there,

There are different factors that contribute to a final answer. Your education background (business related vs non-business related), current skills (communication, familiarity with math concepts), your ability to focus and study efficiently, your mental state when doing mocks, the quality of the materials you use and (very important) the quality of the people you train with.

I have seen people using 6 months to prepare that failed, and others that in some weeks were able to secure an offer.

That being said, you want to apply next year, so you definitely have time to get to a top performance by using the right materials and receiving appropriate guidance from good partners.

If you would like to evaluate your current state and craft a solid study plan, feel free to DM me, will be happy to support you!

Best,

Mari

Hello there,

Short answer regarding time required: 
It depends on your starting point, but typically 2–4 months of structured practice is enough—less if you have prior experience, more if you're new to case interviews. Since you’re applying next year, the key is to pace yourself and integrate prep into your schedule without burnout.

• Start light: Dedicate a few hours per week now to learning fundamentals (frameworks, mental math, structuring).
• Gradually increase intensity: In the final 4–6 months before interviews, ramp up live practice (30–50 cases), focusing on weak areas.
• Balance with studies: Avoid overloading yourself—quality > quantity. Even one structured case per week now will build a strong foundation.
• Avoid burnout: Starting too early with heavy practice can lead to fatigue. Keep it sustainable and ramp up closer to applications.

If you’d like help assessing your level and crafting a study plan that fits your schedule, feel free to reach out!

Best wishes,
Johannes

Hi there, 

It depends on many different factors. E.g., how familiar you are with case interview, how much basic business / finance knowledge you have, how much time you can spend on learning and practicing case etc....

Typically I'd say 4-6 months for someone new. But it really depends on the individual. The better way is to get on a call with a coach to go through in more details about your starting point / situation. 

Best,

Emily

This really depends on where you are right now, the materials and support you use, and how much time you are willing to devote per week.

In general, if you have time, I suggest you start 3-4 months before. That gives you plenty of time so you can prepare without rushing, and "taking your time" in the process without having to stop everything else to focus on your preparation. Most importantly, it ensures that 4 months before you start understanding what it will take to be prepared.

Having said this, it is possible to prepared in 6 weeks if you are reasonably focused (or less... but then it will be quite intensive).

Here's a realistic timeframe for case prep:

For serious MBB preparation, you're looking at 2-3 months of consistent practice. This means:

• 1-2 hours daily on frameworks and case fundamentals
• At least 20-30 live practice cases with partners
• Regular review of business concepts and mental math

If you're still in school, start now with 5-7 hours weekly to build gradually. Intensify during breaks. By your final semester, aim for consistent weekly practice.

Don't underestimate the importance of finding good case partners - this makes or breaks your preparation. Join consulting clubs or find online matching platforms.

Most people who fail interviews either start too late (2-3 weeks before) or practice alone without feedback. The quality of your practice matters more than total hours.

Balance your prep with maintaining strong academics, as consulting firms still screen heavily on GPA.

Hi there, 

short answer would be 2-4 months but it really depends on your background and how familiar you are with business etc. 

Try to structure your preparation as much as possible, i.e., case part vs. personal fit part and get good help quickly so you do not waste time trying to figure out what is most efficient. 

Best, 
Sebastian

Hi there,

I would say in total, you would need to spend around 100 hours if you are starting from scratch (can be adjusted down if you have a business background, very high raw intellectual ability, or work with a good coach.

Focus on building a strong foundation!

• The key reason why candidates fail their case interviews and don't improve with practice is because they never learn the right approach and techniques to begin with. They might go through 30-40 cases, just repeating the same mistakes over and over again. There is often no strong baseline.

• Make sure you understand and learn the basics for each part of the case (structuring, charts, math), which is

  • A replicable step-by-step for each part of the case interview

  • The right thinking techniques around the individual parts (e.g., what's a framework, what is evaluated, how can I ensure I think about it the correct way, what are some shortcuts to get to the answer quickly, etc.)

  • Simple communication templates to help you communicate your insights as well as ask for data in the right way to drive the case forward

• There are several approaches you can take, such as hiring a skilled coach, reading the right materials, or enrolling in relevant courses. For example, my book provides direct guidance tailored to modern case interviews. It covers all the essential points mentioned here, and more, while also offering a detailed preparation plan. You can find it on Amazon

• Avoid generic advice and framework memorization approaches. This will only hurt your performance and waste a ton of time (why -> check out the first post here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-goodrelevant-is-the-case-in-point-book-for-case-prep-1984)

• Once you have that baseline it's time to practice and internalize the skills to create the right profile, polishing your strengths and lifting your weaknesses to a robust-enough level

• Practice drills alone (structure, chart, math) and practice full cases with other excellent candidates that know the right habits and approach. It is crucial that you are practicing with really good peers, otherwise, it's a waste of time. Practicing drills on your own is a huge effectivity and efficiency booster since you can go over many more questions in a shorter amount of time compared to practicing with peers. Do both in parallel! You want to spend your time where it is most useful, e.g., if you struggle with math focus on math drills, etc.

• Focus on quality over quantity. Doing 50+ cases does not mean much if you are not applying the right habits to score high and do a detailed debrief after every case to improve. You want to move from bad to good for your weaknesses and good to great for your strengths --> use the feedback from your previous experience and tailor your prep accordingly

• Consider booking at least an initial coaching session to get a detailed and objective evaluation of your performance + learn the right habits for every case regardless of context and framework + get a tailored preparation plan out of the session that will set you up for an effective and efficient prep.

• Don't forget the fit interview part. Prepare answers for all the typical fit questions and stories (3-5 hours) and rehearse them a couple of times (5 hours)

All the best,

Florian