Updated September 2026 · By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant The MBB target schools for McKinsey, BCG, and Bain in 2026 fall into three tiers: the core MBA target schools (Harvard, Stanford GSB, Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, Columbia, INSEAD, LBS, plus Tuck, Yale SOM, Ross, Stern, Darden, Haas, Duke Fuqua), the core undergraduate…
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By Dr. Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant. Updated September 24, 2026. People leaving McKinsey, BCG, or Bain go in all different kinds of directions. A 2025 LinkedIn analysis of 1,644 former MBB consultants found the largest groups moved into other consulting and advisory roles (16.6%), financial services (13.7%), and software companies (13.1%). Private equity and venture…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant. Updated July 2026. Up or out in consulting is the principle that you either get promoted to the next level within a set window, usually two to three years, or you leave the firm. It sounds brutal, and the phrase scares almost every new joiner at McKinsey, BCG,…
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Updated October 2026 · By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant Bain & Company has six career levels: Associate Consultant, Consultant, Manager, Associate Partner, Partner, and Senior Partner. A first-year Associate Consultant in the US earns roughly $140,000 total compensation in 2026, climbing to $230,000 as a post-MBA Consultant, $360,000 as an Associate Partner, and…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated June 2026 A case interview is a job interview, used by consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain, in which you solve a realistic business problem out loud while the interviewer scores your structuring, problem-solving, analytics, math, business judgment, and communication. A single case runs about…
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Florian spent five years at McKinsey as a Senior Consultant and is a highly experienced consulting interviewer and problem-solving coach. Having conducted interviews with hundreds of candidates, he understands exactly what top-tier firms look for in successful applicants.
He founded StrategyCase.com to make top consulting careers more accessible by providing tailored, up-to-date insights into the recruiting process. Recognized as the most successful case and fit interview coach, Florian has helped his clients secure 700+ offers at MBB, Tier-2 firms, Big 4 consulting divisions, in-house consultancies, and boutique firms over the past four years.
He is the author of “The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview,” “The 1%: Case Interview Workbook,” and “Consulting Career Secrets”, all available on Amazon.
