Strategy Simplified

Send us Fan Mail

McKinsey and Bain internship applications close as early as March of sophomore year. If you miss that window, your next shot is a full year away.

How many hours a week does prep really take? And does it matter whether you start now or after winter break?

Katie and Mark Di Giorgio – a non-target grad who went on to McKinsey – answer both, and walk through the 3 mistakes Mark has watched sophomores make before these deadlines, including the one that costs them the most time.

If you’re ready to start practicing, here’s where to begin.

Resources:

• Start my free Case Foundations course – it gets your case prep started on the right foot
• Ambitious but not sure where to start? See how Black Belt coaching works – you get paired with an MBB coach who helps you find your gap areas and close them before applications and interviews

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Send us Fan Mail

If you lead an operations practice or want to work in one, the 2027 ranking has a surprise at the top: Kearney beat McKinsey.

What put Kearney on top starts with what clients are paying for.

Firms told us the biggest misconception about operations consulting is that it’s all about cost cutting. But those same firms said cost is one of their top two sources of demand. So which is it?

Namaan shares what our research with firm leaders found, and what those findings mean for you. If you lead a firm, you’ll see what operations clients now expect to pay for. If you’re a candidate, you’ll see which firms are growing.

Hit play to find out what put Kearney on top, then see where all 10 firms landed in the full ranking.

Resources:

• Read the 2027 operations consulting ranking – who leads each of the 10 operations segments, plus what each top firm is best for
• Find my next role on the MC Job Board – thousands of openings at hundreds of top firms
• Lead a consulting firm? Book time with Namaan – see how to get your firm’s perspective featured in MC’s rankings, podcasts, and research

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Send us Fan Mail

Quince pays for retargeting ads to reach customers it already has.

That’s the retargeting problem 50 teams of graduate students took on in the Case Competition World Cup, presented by Adobe. 5 made the final round, which you're listening to now.

Each finalist had 5 minutes to pitch a fix using Adobe Customer Journey Analytics. And the answers went in very different directions.

Judges scored how clearly each team told its story and how well the numbers backed it up. The best story won – and the finals show you what that sounds like.

Resources:

• Start learning Adobe Customer Journey Analytics for free – the platform every team used. Students get 50% off certification exams with a student email
• Save my spot on the early list – be first to hear about the next Case Competition World Cup
• Want a case competition on your campus – a one-day event where MC coaches and judges mentor students as they compete? Book a free consultation with MC

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Send us Fan Mail

“I’ll start casing once I get an interview invite. No point prepping for an interview I might not get.”

Katie hears some version of this from candidates on her calls, and it’s easy to see why. The invite is uncertain, interviews feel far off, and your schedule is already packed with classes, club events, and coffee chats.

So in this episode of Case Busters, Katie puts it to the test. Should you really hold off on casing until the interview invite lands? And what if the invite never comes?

Myth or fact? Hit play to find out.

Resources:

• Not sure what’s holding back your interview chances? See how Black Belt coaching works – 1:1 with coaches who’ve been through MBB recruiting, who find your gap areas and help you close them
• Not sure if MC support is right for you? Book 15 minutes with Katie – you’ll find out if Black Belt is the right fit

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Send us Fan Mail

Whether you’re targeting McKinsey, BCG, Bain, or Tier 2 / Big 4 strategy firms, your evaluation can start before interview invites even go out.

Many firms bring MBA candidates in for a group case or a 1-on-1 session first – the sessions are evaluative.

Maile Dyer, a former Bain manager and Chicago Booth MBA, went through one of these sessions as a first-year and later helped decide who got interviewed.

She joins the podcast to share how to prep for an evaluation that happens before the invite, and the mistakes she sees first-year MBAs make all the time.

Hit play to get the full plan. If you want help running it, check out the resources below.

Resources:

• Check the free consulting deadlines tracker – MBA internship dates for MBB, Big 4, and boutique firms in one place
• Practicing cases but can’t tell what an interviewer would catch? See how Black Belt coaching works – you get 1-on-1 coaching with an ex-MBB coach who finds your gap areas and helps you close them
• Not sure if MC support is right for you? Book 15 minutes with Katie – you’ll find out if Black Belt is the right fit

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Send us Fan Mail

AI was supposed to kill junior consulting jobs. Then McKinsey, BCG, and Bain raised starting pay to $120,000 for pre-MBA hires and $200,000 for post-MBA hires.

So why would 3 firms lock in higher base pay for junior consulting jobs?

And is the raise as big as it looks? Namaan shares his take, plus what it means if you’re an undergrad, an MBA, or an experienced hire.

The pay data behind it comes from candidates who shared their offers – listen, then add yours below.

Resources:

2027 Consulting Salary Report

• Share my pay for the 2027 Consulting Salary Report – anonymous, and it helps the next class of candidates know what they’re worth
• Read the full MBB salary breakdown – base pay by firm and level, plus what the raise means for undergrad, MBA, and experienced-hire candidates

Free guides

• Read the complete case interview prep guide – how a case runs, the core frameworks, and a prep timeline for your candidate type
• Read the complete consulting resume guide – the 5 key sections, 10 tips, and examples
• Read the consulting networking guide – who to contact, outreach and follow-up email templates, and when to start

Work with the team

• Not sure what’s standing between you and an MBB offer? See how Black Belt coaching works – 1-on-1 with ex-MBB interviewers who find your gap areas and help you close them
• Not sure if MC support is right for you? Book 15 minutes with Katie – you’ll find out whether Black Belt is the right fit

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Send us Fan Mail

Ben van der Schaaf of Arthur D. Little and Stephane Budel of DeciBio land in the same place on AI – it makes everyone faster, but the experience to know which questions to ask is what clients still pay for.

Ben’s example: a colleague with 25 years in quality systems built a 17,000-line model over a weekend. Someone without those 25 years couldn’t have built it.

And that idea runs through the rest of the conversation: specialists are winning work against firms 50 times their size, clients want measurable outcomes over slide decks, and both partners explain what they look for in the people they hire.

It’s all from the research behind our 2027 ranking.

Resources:

• Read the 2027 Top Healthcare Consulting Firms ranking – see where Arthur D. Little and DeciBio placed, the full top 10, and who leads each segment
• Want your firm’s insights featured in MC’s next ranking, podcast, or research piece? Book time with Namaan
• Not sure what’s holding you back in consulting recruiting? See how Black Belt coaching works – 1-on-1 with an ex-MBB interviewer who finds your gap areas and helps you close them
• Browse open healthcare consulting roles on the MC Job Board

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Send us Fan Mail

Juliane Hoss spent 3 years at Bain, and she’s interviewed plenty of candidates since. In this live Bain case interview, she coaches Abhirav after every step.

The case: a UK healthcare consulting firm wants to double its revenue in 3 years. Abhirav, an engineer turned DJ turned finance student, solves it from clarifying questions to recommendation while Juliane coaches him.

But the moment that sticks isn’t a framework. Juliane says the question she and other interviewers keep coming back to is whether they’d want you on their team. She says that matters more than being impressive.

Juliane says if she hears the perfect answer 5 times a day, she can’t remember who you were at the end. So see how your own cases compare.

Resources:

• Doing the cases but can’t tell what’s holding you back? See how Black Belt coaching works – 1-on-1 with an MBB coach like Juliane who finds your gap areas and helps you close them
• Not sure if MC support is right for you? Book 15 minutes with Katie – you’ll find out if Black Belt is the right fit

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Send us Fan Mail

Mini case interviews are often the first test you face at McKinsey, Bain, and BCG.

And if you’ve heard them called market sizing questions, you’ve already met the most common version.

But a mini case interview plays by different rules than a full case, and the interviewer isn’t going to guide you through it.

Namaan breaks down what to expect, how mini cases are scored, and how to finish one the right way.

Resources:

• Want to know how you’d handle a mini case under time pressure? Run timed mini case drills with MBB coaches in Black Belt – you get feedback on structure, math, and communication
• Not sure if MC support is right for you? Book 15 minutes with Katie – you’ll find out if Black Belt is the right fit

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Send us Fan Mail

Most case interview prep is written for US interviews. If you’re recruiting for a European office, you’ll walk into a different interview than the one you practiced.

Laura Ackerman worked at McKinsey and BCG and has coached European candidates for 4 years. She breaks down where US prep falls short in European consulting interviews: the case formats, the case topics, and how conversational the fit interview gets.

And she shares how one client with a diplomacy background landed a McKinsey London offer after 10 coaching sessions in 1 month.

Resources:

• Check my firm’s deadline in the free application tracker – dates vary by country and firm, and they’re all in one place
• Worried your prep won’t match what a European interviewer expects? See how Black Belt coaching works – 1-on-1 with a former MBB interviewer who finds your gap areas and helps you close them
• Not sure if MC support is right for you? Book 15 minutes with Katie – you’ll find out if Black Belt is the right fit.

Connect With Management Consulted

• Create a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep today
• Schedule a free 15min consultation with the MC Team
• Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
• Join an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more