Strategy Simplified

S24E29: Bain Interviews Have Different Rules – Here’s How to Prep

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 coac

S24E28: Top 10 Healthcare Consulting Firms and Who Leads Each Segment

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

S24E27: Busted: The Online Assessment Isn't the Hardest Part of Recruiting

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

S24E26: The 3-Part Case Interview Closing That Can Rescue Your Score

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

S24E25: Ex-Deloitte and Bain Coach: Big 4 Interview Formats You Haven't Practiced

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 co

S24E24: 80% of AI Projects Fail. These 2 Firms Explain Why.

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

S24E23: 3 Case Interview Math Mistakes That Cost You the McKinsey Offer

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

S24E22: Ex-McKinsey Coach Says This Case Passes Round 1

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 pa

S24E21: Why Consulting Demand Is Outpacing Every Firm's Hiring Plan

Send us Fan Mail Over half the firms in our latest consulting industry survey said demand is outpacing their ability to hire and deliver. Healthcare, energy, PE – the sa

S24E20: Case Competition Applications Close Sunday at Midnight

Send us Fan Mail Applications for the Case Competition World Cup close this Sunday, September 13, at 11:59pm PT.  APPLY NOW More information: Undergraduate Track, pre

S24E19: Why BCG Is Racing to Hire Forward Deployed Engineers

Send us Fan Mail BCG is racing to hire forward deployed engineers – and the application window closes September 17. This year's pay range for campus hires is $110,

S24E18: Deloitte, PwC, and 4,500 Firms Can't Find Adobe Talent

Send us Fan Mail Deloitte, PwC, IBM, and 4,500 other companies use Adobe Experience Cloud products. And they can't find enough people who know how to implement the

S24E17: 3 Weeks Before McKinsey and BCG – How Not to Burn Out

Send us Fan Mail Langston got callbacks from McKinsey and BCG. His first instinct: 10 hours a day of studying for three weeks straight, a fast route to burnout. He&apos

S24E16: AI Took the Grunt Work – Consultants Are Getting Promoted Faster

Send us Fan Mail Paul Edwards has led more than 1,000 private equity deals. AI took the grunt work, and now Stax consultants are getting promoted faster. He leads the P

S24E15: McKinsey's Cases Are Interviewer-Led – Most Candidates Practice the Wrong Way

Send us Fan Mail Most consulting interviews let you drive the case. McKinsey doesn't. McKinsey is one of the only firms that runs interviewer-led cases – the inter

S24E14: Why McKinsey Asks up to 25 Follow-Up Questions in the PEI

Send us Fan Mail Most candidates prep for the McKinsey PEI like a regular behavioral interview. McKinsey built it to do more than that. One story, and up to 25 follow-u

S24E13: Top 10 AI Consulting Firms and the Hire They All Want

Send us Fan Mail Every firm on our new 2027 Top Enterprise AI Consulting Firms ranking wants to hire the same person right now. And none of them can find them.  Namaan

S24E12: A McKinsey Coach's Playbook for Winning Case Competitions

Send us Fan Mail Last year, 500 students on 100 teams competed in the Case Competition World Cup. Before they saw the case, coach Divya – 8 years at McKinsey – taught th

S24E11: Inside Private Equity Consulting: AI Bets, Harder Exits, and Real Diligence

Send us Fan Mail A private equity firm bought a paint company. Turned out their sales reps were handing out 50% discounts to any contractor who asked nicely. That'

S24E10: The Toothbrush Test: Why Most Case Frameworks Fail at MBB

Send us Fan Mail If your case framework doesn't pass the toothbrush test, it's too generic for McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. Ex-Bain coach Abi Chen walks through t