1. Yes, up or out is still 100% on.

2. To become a manager, 100% ownership of the deliverable, client management and team leadership is expected. Quite demanding. It doesn't mean you do it alone, but that you own it 100%, meaning it is YOUR responsibility to make sure the project is successful.

3. Strategy Consulting career path is already fast track. Sure, one can skip 6months here and there (usually at the analyst / consultant level), but in the grander scheme of things, it doesn't really make much of a difference. And yes, you have evaluation cycles every 6 months.

Hi there, great question, here's what I saw:

- Yes, up or out is still a core principle;

- To be promoted from Associate to EM, you basically have to do the work of an EM, thus demonstrating that you are capable of successfully fulfilling that role. This is the key to success in consulting: always perform at the level that's at least one step up from your current level;

- Reviews are semi-annual regardless of your track. Fast track exists - for instant, for PhD candidates - but is very rare and has to negotiated at the moment of offer letter signing (before your onboarding)

Hope this helps!

Hey there,

1. Yes, but in practice, it is much less of a big deal than what people make it out to be. For instance, in McKinsey, the whole hiring process should already test if people are fit up to the level of EM. That shows in practice as most people who leave at or before EM level leave because they want to and not because they are asked to. I only met a handful of people that were asked to leave and that was usually very early after a couple of weeks to months, way before it was time to be promoted.
2. Asc>EM: On top of being a ‘perfect consultant’, there is a shift from being able to manage and direct your own analysis to managing other people (team, leadership, client) as well as having the final responsibility for the whole team and their output. This also includes elements such as caring for the team members. Additionally, you would need to be engaged in other firm initiatives besides client work. From EM > AP, your role changes dramatically as you need to oversee several teams and projects at work, as well as drive firm initiatives, as well as manage current and create new senior client relationships. Most people decide not to take this step and leave before AP. Additionally, it's the hardest position and the biggest bottleneck as all APs work towards making equity partner of the firm.
3. It is rare by the very nature of how consultants' performance is measured (a bell curve). I would say about 5-10% of consultants are promoted early (before the official promotion window).
    

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

- Is up or out culture still in place? 

100%. Nothing has changed.

- What are the main criteria firms are looking for to promote an individual from i) associate to EM ii) from EM to AP (for e.g. with McK example, assuming same applies to BCG and Bain).

You're overcomplicating this a bit by coming to this Q&A. Each company has an exact grading sheet/series of metrics. They don't hide what matters. You will get reviewed periodically and told exactly where you need to improve.

Nothing you hear here will help as much as just literally looking at your review sheet, listening to your managers advice/feedback and working on what they tell you do.

- Is fast track a rare occasion? Heard that reviews happen on semi-annual basis.

It's pretty rare and it moreso happens if you've been told before joining that you will be fast-tracked. It has more to do with your past experience/expertise.

I would focus much more of your efforts on “surviving” rather than fast tracking, otherwise you risk burnout.

(edited)

Dear candidate,

- yes up or out is still in place, however note that, next to performance, it really matters a) to be with people who support you so you are also evaluated well and b) get great client feedback → choose projects wisely not just by your topic interest but also by whether or not you will find mentors who support you

- the biggest change from EM to AP is moving from managing 1 project to being responsible for at least 2 just before your promotion and of course becoming active in business development and start building your knowledge niche

- fast track is possible

best regards

Hi,

Up or out sounds a lot harsher than what the culture is. At the end of the day they want to make sure you are progressing every year, learning and growing and not just doing the same role for many years. That is why there is a reasonable timeframe for promotions at MBB. Other firms (like big banks for example) are okay with keeping people at the same roles for ages with no growth because of a very different culture and mindset, plus they are not client facing.

In terms of what they are looking for - these are communicated very clearly during reviews and the expectations on what you need to work on are also clearly defined and not made ambiguous at all.

• For Associate to EM - largely driven by mastery of the consulting toolkit and the ability to lead workstreams end to end. In addition to being able to manage client and internal leadership expectations
• EM to AP - here you need to be able to manage multiple projects, be good at client management as well as team management and there is a requirement to build world class expertise on certain topics as well so that you are known for something.

Of course there are many additional criteria as well. Fast tracks do happen but is quite rare and also not at all necessary in order to progress. Most people encourage you to take the requisite time so you build the foundational skills for each role before taking it on.

Best,

Udayan

According to the analytics, All evaluation criteria ensure fairness. So there aren't many use cases for all of the above.