Updated September 2026 · By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant McKinsey vs BCG vs Bain. They pay within a rounding error of each other, recruit from the same schools, and open nearly identical doors. Pick McKinsey for brand and global staffing, BCG for AI and technology work, and Bain for team culture and private equity…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant. Updated July 2026. The future of consulting is a shift in how the industry operates, not whether it exists. Under AI and client pressure, firms move to smaller and faster teams, value-based rather than hourly pricing, fewer entry-level hires, and a growing line of AI-strategy work. The core…
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Updated August 2026 · By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant Update, August 2026: McKinsey has raised US undergraduate base salary from $112,000 to $120,000, effective January 2027, covering summer interns and candidates who had already signed. Bain has matched. BCG has told offer holders that revised lettersare coming. The increase is a US adjustment…
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McKinsey has more than 130 offices in over 65 countries, and the office you pick on your application shapes the rest of your candidacy more than most applicants realize. Same firm, same logo on the offer letter — but the recruiting timeline, industries you’ll work in, interviewer pool, and even your recruitment difficulty shift office…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated September 2026 McKinsey has rebuilt the Sustainable Future Lab. The new version runs 30 minutes and splits the work across three project days, and candidates who get it receive a 95-minute Solve invite instead of the 85-minute one. That matters because almost every guide online, including this…
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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.
