Updated October 2026. By Dr. Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant An issue tree is a diagram that breaks one question into smaller, non-overlapping sub-questions, layer by layer, until each branch is small enough to answer with a single analysis. Consultants at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain use issue trees to split up client work and to structure…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated November 2026 The Bain case interview rewards one thing above all: answer first. You lead with a hypothesis (a clear, early point of view), then build a tight framework to prove or disprove it. McKinsey and BCG let you explore before you commit; Bain wants the…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Last updated July 8, 2026 Every candidate walks into a case interview terrified that one wrong number will cost them the offer. So they freeze, chase a flawless run, and make worse mistakes than the ones they feared. After my time at McKinsey and delivering 2,200+ mock…
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Updated July 2026 · By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant The 80/20 rule in consulting means roughly 80% of business impact comes from 20% of the available actions, so consultants at McKinsey, BCG, and Bain deliberately concentrate their analysis, recommendations, and client effort on the highest-impact 20% rather than analyzing everything. In practice, this…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated September 2026 Case interview brainstorming asks you to generate ideas (usually the causes of a problem or the options to solve it) out loud, and it tests structured creativity: the interviewer grades whether your ideas are broad, deep, organized into MECE buckets, and insightful, not how…
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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.
