Strategy Simplified

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

Send us Fan Mail

Bain interviews have different rules, and Abi Chen spent 6 years at the firm learning them from the inside.

As a former Bain manager and now an MC coach, she interviewed candidates and helped decide who got an invite. So she knows where strong candidates lose ground.

In this episode, she walks through 4 of those mistakes – and what to do instead so you can get your offer.

Resources:

• Practicing cases but can’t tell what’s holding you back? See how Black Belt coaching works – 1-on-1 with former MBB consultants who find your gap areas and help you close them
• Not sure Black Belt is the right fit? Book a free 15-minute consult with Katie – bring your questions and leave knowing if it matches your goals and timeline

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

Almost every large consulting firm has a healthcare practice. Far fewer have a healthcare position.

In this episode of The Briefing, Namaan breaks down our 2027 healthcare consulting research.

The big finding is that healthcare consulting splits into two sides, care delivery and life sciences, and a firm that’s excellent at one is often absent from the other.

So the question for any practice leader is which side your firm has built a position on.

McKinsey, BCG, and Bain take the top three spots. See where every firm lands, and who leads each segment, in the full ranking.

Resources:

• See the free 2027 Top 10 Healthcare Consulting Firms ranking – 10 firms plus the segment map showing who leads each part of the market
• Want to compare notes on what you’re seeing in the market? Email our research team: [email protected]
• Want your firm’s perspective in future rankings, research, and podcasts? Schedule a conversation with Namaan

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 need to start prepping for the online assessment now, because it's the hardest part of getting an interview."

Katie hears some version of this on her calls all the time, and it's easy to see why. The test can feel like a weird game you have no way to practice for, and it's the first thing standing between your application and an interview.

So in our first episode of Case Busters, Katie puts it to the test. Should you really be grinding practice tests months before you apply? And what actually happens if you bomb one?

Myth or fact? Hit play to find out.

Resources:

• Not sure what to work on first? Book 15 minutes with Katie – she'll help you map out what to prep and when
• Doing the prep but can't tell what's holding you back? See how Black Belt coaching works – 1:1 help from ex-MBB coaches on cases, networking and your resume, plus practice tests for each firm's online assessment

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

In most cases, your interviewer already knows how they'll score you by the time you reach the closing. But when it's a close one, the closing is the tiebreaker, and it can rescue your score.

Namaan breaks down the 3 parts of a closing that works: the recap, the recommendation, and the risks and next steps.

Practice it in every case, so the closing is ready to rescue your score when you need it.

Resources:

• Start my free Case Foundations course – it covers all 5 core components of a case, including a deeper look at the closing
• Doing the cases but can't tell what's holding you back? See how Black Belt coaching works – 1:1 with an ex-MBB interviewer who finds your gap areas and helps you close them

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

Big 4 interviews are around the corner – and most candidates need 6–8 weeks of prep to be ready.

Mitali Jalan spent years at Deloitte and Bain, then coached 400+ candidates. She sees one gap sink strong applicants again and again: they practice 1-on-1 cases and never practice the other formats the Big 4 use.

Think group cases, written cases, presentations, and AI-assisted or Excel cases.

And behavioral prep matters just as much – at some firms, it carries equal weight to the case.

So if your interview is coming up, this episode shows you where to start.

Resources:

• Black Belt builds your prep plan around your gaps and your interview dates, with feedback from coaches who've sat on the interviewer side of the table
• Not sure how much time you have or whether Black Belt fits? Book 15 minutes with Katie and she'll tell you straight

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

80% of AI projects fail.

Only 10 to 20% of enterprise AI pilots reach production, and 2 firms break down why.

Ugo Philippart of Emerton Data calls his firm the fire squad companies phone after an AI project has failed. Damien Chan of Adastra says over 75% of its pilots make it.

Both measure performance from day 1. Most teams wait until a system is underperforming. That gap turns a pilot into a failed project.

And if you want a career in consulting, this is what the work looks like. 80% of Emerton Data's people pair technical depth with strategy skills, and Damien expects analyst work like slide building to look very different soon. 

Useful context if AI consulting is on your shortlist.

Resources:

• See the 2027 top enterprise AI transformation consulting firms ranking
• Want your firm's insights featured in MC's next ranking, podcast, or research piece? Book time with Namaan
• Browse open AI 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

Midway through a practice case, one of George Cary's clients did the math and said 90,000 when he meant 900,000. George didn't care.

After 5 years and 100+ interviews at McKinsey, George will tell you the right answer is the bare minimum.

The offer comes from how you got there and what the answer means for the client.

In this episode, he walks through the 3 case math mistakes that cost strong candidates the offer, even with the math right. If case math is the part you dread, all 3 are fixable with the system George lays out.

Resources:

• If you struggle with mental math, Black Belt pairs you with an ex-MBB coach who drills it with you until it's automatic
• Not sure what you need? Book 15 minutes with Katie and she'll tell you straight
• Build the recap, structure, solve and insight habit on your own with Case Foundations, MC's free case prep course

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

Divya spent 8 years at McKinsey. She sat down with Sanya, a senior at Penn, and ran a case with her, live.

Divya told her afterward it would've passed a McKinsey Round 1. 

Listen to learn how Sanya did it – built her structure, worked the math, and landed on a recommendation. 

Then Divya breaks down what worked and what she'd tighten up.

Resources:

• Bates White is hiring undergrad summer consultants for 2027 and economists for PhD candidates – apply here
• Want this type of feedback from an ex-McKinsey expert coach? Join the Black Belt program

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