Improving my math logic? Help!

Logic Math Math improvement
New answer on Dec 13, 2021
2 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Dec 12, 2021

Hi all,

 

I have been preparing for interviewer-led cases, and have made great strides in improving my overall casing ability. However, the main area in which I struggle is math. I am able to do calculations quick and easily, but I seriously struggle with actually being able to logically understand and structure a problem effectively to solve it. I end up often times blanking out and having to ask for a hint from my case partner to get started. I feel like this is a hard skill to train unlike math drills. Does anyone have recommendations on how to improve my mental sharpness/logic when it comes to structuring math portions of the case?

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Florian
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replied on Dec 13, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

A couple of tips:

  1. Enroll in a case interview math program
  2. Focus on math drills (university case books, PrepLounge case database, specific products)y
  3. Write down all practice examples you struggled with. After a while, you will have your own database with the common issues
  4. Focus on areas you feel weakest based on your database
  5. Rinse and repeat. After having done 100s of case math examples, you will see a common thread and will be able to solve any future case example with much more ease. After a while, it is just more of the same.
  6. Work with a coach for a shortcut on all of the 5 points.

Cheers,

Florian

 

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Ian
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replied on Dec 12, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

My first genuine instinct is you could use 1 to 2 coaching sessions. This sort of logic is really really hard to just learn on your own. Having someone talk you through it (and take you through some exercises) is immensely helpful.

In terms of improving/practing this, rocketblocks has fantastic resources for this.

Ultimately, case math all comes down to objective, objective, objective. What are we trying to answer and what will help us answer that? If we have some numbers, what do we need to calculate and why?

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Anonymous A on Dec 12, 2021

Thanks so much for this deep response. I have Rocketblocks, but have only really been doing the actual quant math drills (I.E. multiplication/division, etc.). Am I missing a tool on the website that might be more tailored toward this topic?

Florian gave the best answer

Florian

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Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets
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