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“The 1% Case Method” coaching program by Dr. Florian Smeritschnig, ex-McKinsey. Chess-themed visual promoting custom prep for top consulting offers.

The 1% Case Method

5.0
67 Reviews
Intuitive Case and Fit Mastery
Unparalleled Offer Rates
$1,877 Bonus Practice Materials
USD 1,849
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Please note:

This page is currently only available in English. A German version will be available soon!

The 1% Case Method, Applied to You

Five untimed 1:1 sessions with me, plus the full preparation suite and a place in my private client group.

More cases build motion, not mastery. This program replaces volume with a diagnosis: we find what is holding your performance down, I teach you the fix, you drill it between sessions, and we test that it holds under interview pressure. Every session is with me. (The story behind the method is on my profile.)

What Sets This Program Apart

Please read the review attached as an image above, and keep in mind that the offer was for the most competitive McKinsey office in the world, during a recession, for a candidate with a non-business background who outshone MBAs and business professionals.

  • Get a top consulting job from a non-target school?
  • Get into McKinsey, BCG, and Bain with no business background?
  • Make interviewers wonder how quickly you were able to solve a case?
  • Skip interview rounds and move directly to the offer?
  • Dominate a whole interview round as a peer group?

These are not outlier cases; with my clients, this is the standard. It's also why my clients have left 1,600+ 5-star reviews across platforms.

Why This Program

  • Everything in one place: coaching plus a full suite of courses, guides, drills, and test simulations, so you stop juggling conflicting sources.
  • More than the sum of its sessions: five single sessions with me cost EUR 1,995. The program costs EUR 1,849 and adds $1,877 of materials and services.
  • No risk: if session one doesn't deliver, tell me within 48 hours and the remaining four sessions are refunded in full (details below).

Outline of the Program

The program includes five adaptable, untimed sessions tailored to your needs: real top-tier, consulting-style cases, feedback against real interviewer evaluation standards from a former McKinsey consultant, fit interview simulations, detailed debriefs, teaching in problem solving, communication, and storytelling, and detailed preparation plans with progress tracking.

You also receive 20+ hours of self-study video courses, guidebooks for every major consulting aptitude test, high-quality courses and drills for structuring, exhibit interpretation, and case math, and nearly 1,000 practice cases.

Throughout, you get my mentorship before, between, and after our sessions, and a place in my private coaching group of equally motivated candidates. The guidebooks and video courses included are some of the most sought-after and realistic practice materials on the market.

The Value of the Program Rests on 7 Pillars

You get everything crucial from the very first session. There's no slogging through basics and no waiting until session three for a key topic: you learn to work through a whole case right away, because the sooner you can, the more effective all your practice becomes. That's also why sessions usually run well past 60 minutes. Everyone starts from a different baseline, so I meet you at your level and lift you to one most candidates never reach in their preparation.

Let the numbers speak, and compare offers with sessions and active coaching time. Someone with 300 offers over 10 years averages 30 a year. Time in this market and pure session count mean nothing if they don’t translate into consistent results. My coaching clients have secured 700+ offers, 340 of them at MBB and 190 at McKinsey.

No more endless searching or practicing with questionable materials (been there, done that). I've built the most realistic, up-to-date practice materials on the market, so every hour of self-practice counts. They're so sought after that other case coaches use them to train their own students.

I watch your progress, not the time. Sessions last until every question is answered and every topic is covered, and the same goes for ad-hoc support between sessions.

I introduce you to my community of top-tier aspiring consultants, so your practice partners keep you challenged and improving.

Straightforward and honest: the real interviewer's perspective, based on MBB evaluation criteria and scoring sheets, focused on what will move your performance, not empty praise.

I am very engaged in the global top-tier consulting community: hundreds of candidates, thousands of customers through StrategyCase, a direct line to top recruiters and three books on case interviews and consulting careers, including the Amazon bestseller The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview. If something changes in the market, my clients hear it first. PrepLounge selected me to write its McKinsey Interview and McKinsey PEI guides, and my website guides and books have reached over 1 million consulting candidates and early career consultants.

This Program Comes With $1,877 in Bonuses

When you join, you get one year of access to a full suite of resources for your applications, tests, and interviews:

  • Coaching Inner Circle: a priority email address for all your questions (value: $399)
  • Cover Letter and Resume Guides: two guides (24 and 29 pages) with ready-to-use templates for interns, graduate hires, and experienced hires (value: $48)
  • Personal Cover Letter and Resume Screening: I fine-tune your documents to get them past both the algorithms and the human screeners, so your time goes into preparation (value: $198)
  • McKinsey Solve Game Guide and Simulations: fully playable simulations of the current Solve games, a video course, a 142-page guidebook, an Excel solver, and more. The first guide on the market, continuously refined since (value: $99)
  • BCG Casey Chatbot Guide: a 123-page guide plus 5 interactive sample tests (value: $54)
  • BCG Cognitive Test Practice: 80 questions on the latest addition to BCG's recruiting process (value: $10)
  • Bain Aptitude Test Guide: a 105-page guide covering SOVA, Pymetrics, and HireVue, plus 560+ online practice questions (value: $54)
  • Kearney Recruitment Test Guide: a 76-page guide with insights, strategies, and test-taking tips for Kearney's test (value: $14)
  • Case Interview Math Mastery Video Course: 29 videos and 2,000+ practice examples (value: $89)
  • Structuring and Framework Course: 36 video lessons and 100 structuring and brainstorming exercises (value: $69)
  • Exhibit and Chart Interpretation Course: 17 video lessons and 50 realistic drills (value: $29)
  • Fit Interview Masterclass: 27 video lessons on every aspect of fit and behavioral questions, the most comprehensive fit preparation for consulting you'll find (value: $64)
  • McKinsey Interview Academy: 40 videos of simulated McKinsey case and PEI interviews, with best practices and feedback (value: $99)
  • Practice Case Library: nearly 1,000 cases for practice and reading (value: $99)
  • Industry Deep Dives: overviews of 27 industries: business models, trends, financials, and more (value: $24)
  • Brainteaser Course: 155 practice drills to sharpen your analytical thinking (value: $29)
  • My Client Network: motivated, high-performing case partners (value: $499)

What Clients Say (More on this page and among the success stories on my profile.)

Already a strong candidate: "I had already a good amount of case study knowledge and pretty high floor in my performance [...] he can take me from a fairly good candidate to an excellent one, and that's exactly what happened. Because of that I thankfully was able to get the offer at Mckinsey."
Five weeks to go, as a medic: "I applied for a McKinsey as a medic with very little knowledge about case interviews. [...] With Florian's help I was able to maximise the little time I had left to prepare and secure an offer with McKinsey."
What the interviewers said: "Your performance was way above average. Your creativity and business sense really stood out."

100% Risk-Free Coaching Guarantee

Joining a coaching program is a big decision, so I've made it risk-free:

  1. Introduction call: Before you commit, we have a no-obligation call to answer your questions and check the fit, from both sides.
  2. Your pace: Finish all sessions in four days (I've done that with a client, who got the offer) or spread them over three months or longer.
  3. Tailored to you: No one-size-fits-all. Every session is built around what you need at that moment.
  4. Value guarantee: If the first session didn't give you significant value, tell me within 48 hours and you can cancel the rest of the program, with the remaining four sessions refunded in full, no questions asked. No one has cancelled since the program started, and I work hard to keep it that way.

Your career is too important to leave to chance, and with this guarantee you can start without risk.

Availability

To keep sessions long, mentorship close, and support between sessions reliable, and to handle requests from other platforms, I take on a limited number of clients each month here on PrepLounge. Your application matters, and so does the trust you place in a coach, so please message me first and we'll set up an introduction call to answer your questions and sketch a plan.

Before You Book

  • Quick replies: Message me anytime.
  • Try one session first: Not sure yet? Start with a single session. If a slot is available, you can move to the program and the session fee is credited.
  • Message me first: Because I take only a few packages each month, please message me before booking with your target firms, your timeline, and ideally your CV or LinkedIn profile, so I can confirm a slot.
  • McKinsey DACH: Für deutschsprachige Kandidat:innen habe ich spezielle Tipps für McKinsey Deutschland und Österreich.

The Program Includes 5 Sessions and Continuous Mentorship

Highest Success Rate
I’m the highest-rated McKinsey case coach on the web, with the most coaching sessions, the most offers across firms, and more glowing reviews than any other McKinsey coach. That gives me a unique ability to guide you through the maze of consulting interviews and set you up for success in a highly competitive field.

Tailored to Your Requirements
In our sessions and beyond, we cover everything you need: diverse, up-to-date consulting cases, market sizing, fit and PEI interviews, and more, always measured against real evaluation metrics and scoring criteria. Every session ends with detailed feedback and a clear action plan built around your needs and your performance.

Everything You Need in One Offer
Stop worrying about conflicting sources, sub-par preparation advice, and questionable materials. Get everything you need in one place, and put your energy where it matters most: preparing and practicing effectively.

Sample Program Outline (tailored to each client)

In our first session, you get everything essential for your situation: how to work through a complete case and what to change first. Every later session then refines your performance instead of introducing basics, and if you book only one session, you still leave with the full method.

Think of it like sculpting: the first session carves the basic shape, and each session after it refines the detail until your performance is polished. You also don't need separate sessions for each case type. Every session trains the same replicable problem solving consultants use, on realistic cases.

  1. We start with the questions that came up since last time.
  2. We work live: a case, drills, or fit, depending on your plan.
  3. You get feedback against the MBB evaluation criteria, with the levers that take you from development need to good, and from good to distinctive. Every session also covers common mistakes that more than 80% of candidates make, so you learn to spot the typical failure patterns.
  4. We update your preparation plan and homework together.
  5. We don't finish until your questions are answered and you know exactly what to do next.
  6. Afterwards, you receive my written feedback and interviewer notes in an Excel file.

Objective: Transform your casing from the first session and set the direction for your preparation.

  • If we haven't had an intro call, we start with your case experience, goals, and ambitions.
  • We simulate a real interview with a real firm-specific case, candidate-led or interviewer-led depending on your target firms, following official interviewer guidelines. It runs longer than a first-round case, so you get more practice and I collect more observation points.
  • Feedback against the real MBB evaluation metrics and scoring sheet.
  • My universal case approach: the right steps and habits for every part of the case, techniques for strong frameworks and brainstorming answers, insightful exhibit interpretation, effective approaches to quantitative questions, and the key communication phrases.
  • You see where you stand on every element of the case and every evaluation metric, with a plan to lift each score to the next level and a stretch goal for the maximum.
  • Together we build your preparation plan: the exercises and homework that close your gaps fastest.

You leave with: a 6-to-9-page Excel file with my feedback and interviewer notes, your scoring sheet, alternative math approaches, and curated guides on your development needs; access to my courses and drills for structuring, charts, and math (2,100+ practice questions) and almost 1,000 practice cases; and an introduction to my client network for high-quality case partners. 

Outcome: You know where you stand, how to ace every element of a case, and you have a clear roadmap and all the practice materials to move forward.

Objective: Build on the right case habits and show the quality of your thinking.

  • A different, creative top-tier case, chosen based on your first performance and full of new twists, following official interviewer guidelines.
  • Each case covers different interviewer tricks, so by the end of the program you've seen the typical MBB ones and know how to handle them.
  • Feedback against the MBB evaluation metrics, focused on the levers with the biggest effect.
  • Your progress against session one, tracked for every question and every skill.
  • We adjust your plan and homework based on what has worked best for you.

You leave with: a 2-to-4-page Excel file with my feedback and interviewer notes. 

Outcome: You know the typical MBB interviewer tricks and how to avoid common mistakes, and you start showing performance spikes.

Objective: Cement the right habits and handle the unexpected.

  • A new case, focused drills where you lag most, or a different format (market sizing, brainteasers, candidate-led vs. interviewer-led) to show what changes and what doesn't.
  • Feedback against the MBB evaluation metrics, focused on moving from good to distinctive.
  • Progress tracked against session one for every question and skill, with your plan and homework adjusted.

You leave with: a 2-to-4-page Excel file with my feedback and interviewer notes. 

Outcome: You're bulletproof in your approach and communication, whatever the interviewer throws at you.

Objective: Craft and deliver the right fit and PEI stories.

  • For McKinsey: you prepare four stories, one per dimension (Leadership, Connection, Drive, and Growth), using my guidelines and the McKinsey Interview Academy videos you receive at the start of the program. We simulate the real PEI story by story, with opening and probing questions, following the real interviewer guidelines. After each story, you get detailed feedback on structure, content, and delivery, so you hit every point on the interviewer's scorecard.
  • For other firms: a real fit interview with firm-specific questions from my repertoire of 150+ fit questions and strong sample answers, focused on content, structure, and communication. I have a detailed list of typical questions for each firm, and we go through it together.

You leave with: a 3-to-5-page Excel file with my feedback and interviewer notes. McKinsey candidates also leave with four polished PEI stories and my 4-page PEI template for every story that follows. 

Outcome: You know how to choose the right content and structure and deliver your answers so you stand out and keep your interviewers engaged.

Objective: Polish your performance and set your interview game plan.

  • A new case, a full mock interview, or drills where you still lag most.
  • The mock interview runs end to end like the real thing: icebreaker questions, one fit or PEI interview, one case, and your questions for the interviewer.
  • We cover a winning interview mindset, the dress code, and the practical details that get the last 5% of performance out of you on the day.
  • You leave with a plan for the last hours and days before your interviews.

You leave with: a detailed Excel file with my feedback and interviewer notes. 

Outcome: You're ready, confident, and able to take on multiple top-tier interview rounds and get the offer.

This is just a sample of how the process can unfold. Your final plan is always built together with you, around your needs. If you have questions about the program, message me or book a free introduction call.

Let's work together on your offers!

As one of my clients here on PrepLounge put it: "I just got an offer from McKinsey! Florian's instructions are the MOST constructive ones that I have ever seen in my 100 + case practices. I institutionalized his advice into my practice and reached a new level. [...] I will give Florian a 10/10 rating!"

FAQ

You can, but I'd rather talk first. A free introduction call lets us align on your goals and get to know each other, so your first session starts with work instead of introductions.

I don't see myself as just a case coach. I teach clients to think and communicate like consultants, so interviewers see an equal problem solver and storyteller, not another case interviewee. The method is built backward from how interviewers actually evaluate candidates (the full story is on my profile), and it worked well enough that other case coaches have bought my courses to learn it.

Yes. My background is McKinsey, but the method is built to the MBB standard and works across firms. Clients who land a McKinsey offer and target other firms usually receive offers there too.

Over 95% of my clients on the 5-session program secure an offer. No honest coach can guarantee one, though: the performance on the day is still yours.

Coaching is a real investment of your time and money, and I take the responsibility that comes with your application seriously. So please message me with your questions, and we'll set up an introduction call to answer them and discuss a plan.

About Florian

Coach
Ex-McKinsey | 700+ offers for my clients | 1,600+ 5-star reviews across platforms | Top case interview book on Amazon

Discover the problem-solving and storytelling approach I developed at McKinsey: I built my method backward from how top-tier interviewers score candidates. It has helped my clients secure 700+ consulting offers, 190 of them at McKinsey.

In a nutshell:

  • Every month, I coach several candidates to offers at MBB and other firms. You can check this in my verified reviews and success stories here, and in 1,600+ 5-star reviews across platforms, not just in claims.
  • I’m the author of three books: the Amazon bestseller The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview, The 1%: Case Interview Workbook, and Consulting Career Secrets, which helps new consultants build a sustainable career at top firms. PrepLounge also selected me to write its McKinsey Interview and McKinsey PEI guides.
  • Our sessions combine continuous mentorship and the courses and drills I built for StrategyCase.com, a full consulting interview preparation system.

Reviews and Success Stories

5.0
67 Reviews
5
100%
4
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Dominic
Mar 19, 2026
Verified Purchase
Florian is both a fantastic coach and incredibly friendly person to speak to. My casing has progressed significantly as a result of my time working with Florian, and I feel significantly more confident than I did when I started with him (and have seen casing with others drastically improve in the progress). He is flexible to your needs and has a pretty open calendar to suit the timings that work for you (very helpful given different timezones). Highly recommend Florian to anyone looking towards MBB/T2 companies.
H
Oct 16, 2026
Verified Purchase
Florian is an exceptional coach! Even after just one session, I'm thoroughly impressed by how well structured and thought-out his programme is. His feedback is incredibly detailed, insightful and actionable, and his commitment to helping candidates succeed is clear.
S
May 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
I got an offer!!! Florian has been really helpful for this achievement. He explains in detail each part of the case and tells you what you have to improve and some ideas of how you can do it. I recommend Florian to anyone who wants someone to rock their interview
R
Jan 18, 2026
Verified Purchase
Florian was a very detailed instructor that provided constructive feedback throughout my entire casing journey. I was able to secure offers from all 3 MBB firms - I'd highly recommend his services to anyone taking case prep seriously.
Fiza
Aug 8, 2025
Verified Purchase
I was fortunate to receive offers from McK and BCG, and while the entire experience has felt surreal, one thing I know for sure is that working with Florian and using his 1% methods was one of the best decisions I made. His PEI coaching is genuinely flawless. The guides he provides are PEI bibles. Even when interview prompts shifted slightly, I stuck to Florian’s structure and my stories landed cleanly every single time. Across all my interviews, one of the most consistent pieces of feedback I got was how strong my personal stories were, and that’s 100% thanks to how thoroughly Florian helped me prepare. For case interviews, Florian didn’t just teach me how to solve cases, he helped me build a mindset. His approach sharpened how I think and gave me a structure I could apply to almost any problem. His practice cases were spot-on, and the drills we did were eerily similar to the ones I got in my actual interviews. Honestly, if you work through all the drills in the 1% modules, chances are you’ll end up practicing at least one real case you’ll get asked. That’s how accurate and useful the content was. Thanks to Florian, I walked out of interview already feeling like I’d been there before. After both rounds, I asked for formal feedback and the response was basically: “Keep doing what you’re doing.” That’s because Florian made sure I was airtight on every front. But what really sets Florian apart is how he shows up as a coach. I had dabbled other coaches before I found him, and after just one session with Florian, it was clear he was on another level. His process around cracking this is incredibly structured and optimized for success. He gave me his full attention in every session, focused precisely on what I needed to improve, and never made me feel rushed or like I was just another appointment on his calendar. He always made time for follow-ups, and struck the perfect balance between honest feedback and encouragement. Florian is world-class. If you’re serious about landing an offer, work with him. It truly changed everything for me.