Firm Insights
How MBB, Big 4, and tier-2 firms actually run their interviews — and what each one is really screening for.
BCG Interviews: Format, Online Assessment, and What They Look For
A candidate-reported overview of the BCG process: the stages, the pre-interview steps that vary by office and cycle, what the case tends to reward, and how to prepare for each stage. Hedged, because offices and years differ.
LEK and OC&C Case Interviews: How to Prepare for Number-Heavy Cases
Candidates commonly describe LEK and OC&C interviews as heavier on numbers and faster than MBB-style practice cases. What that means for your prep, with a worked example of a calculation chain built on an exhibit.
Consulting Online Assessments Beyond Solve: The Formats You May Meet, and How to Prepare
Solve gets the attention, but candidates report a wider set of online screens: game-based tests, reasoning tests, situational judgement, one-way video and chat-style cases. What each measures and how to prepare for it.
The Bain Interview Process, Round by Round: What to Expect and How to Prepare
A stage-by-stage look at how Bain recruiting typically runs, from the application screen to the final round, what each stage is built to test, and how to prepare. Confirm every detail with your own office.
McKinsey Solve in 2026: Red Rock, Sustainable Future Lab, and What Actually Improves Your Score
McKinsey's digital assessment got a third module in late 2025. The good news: the underlying skills haven't changed. The bad news: most of the prep advice on the internet hasn't caught up.
Consulting Compensation in 2026: MBB, Tier-2, Big 4, and Boutique
Entry-level pay is flatter than it has been in a decade. The MBB premium is intact but the gap to tier-2 has narrowed at the top of the band, and Big 4 advisory has quietly closed a lot of ground at the post-MBA level.
Big 4 vs MBB Case Interviews: Where the Bar Actually Differs
Deloitte, PwC, EY-Parthenon, and KPMG run case interviews that look similar to MBB on the surface and are scored against materially different rubrics underneath. Here's where the gap lives.
Your First Year in Consulting: What Actually Matters and What Doesn't
The bar shifts on day one. Most of the skills that got you the offer are not the skills that get you a strong year-end review. Here is what actually matters in the first twelve months, from people who have run those reviews.
The Interviewer's Perspective: What MBB Partners Actually Look For
The case is a vehicle for assessment, not the assessment itself. From the interviewer's side of the table: the mental model partners use, what 'above-bar' actually means, and why being technically right can sometimes be wrong.
Choosing Between Offers: A Decision Framework for Picking Your Firm
If you have multiple offers, the wrong question is 'which firm is best.' The right question is which firm fits your specific 5-year arc. Five dimensions, with the underweighted factor most candidates miss.
Tier-2 vs MBB: How the Pay Gap Looks at Undergrad and MBA Entry
The salary spread between MBB and tier-2 firms is real but smaller than candidates assume — and it behaves very differently depending on whether you enter as an undergrad analyst or a post-MBA associate. A path-by-path comparison.
McKinsey vs Bain vs BCG: How Cases Actually Differ
All three firms run case interviews, but they screen for different things. Here is what each one is really testing — and how that should change the way you prepare.
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