Updated May 12, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant Strong MBB-prepped candidates fail at L.E.K. with surprising frequency. Not because the firm is harder than MBB — the bars are different but comparable — but because L.E.K. tests for a specific mindset that doesn’t show up automatically in candidates trained for general…
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Updated May 11, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant Most fit interviews at major consulting firms test across many dimensions — leadership, conflict, achievement, weakness, motivation, intellectual depth. L.E.K. is unusual in collapsing the fit evaluation around three specific questions that map directly to whether you’d succeed at commercial due diligence work.…
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Updated May 11, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant The standard L.E.K. salary article gives you base, bonus, signing, and a level-by-level table. All of that exists below. But the more honest analysis — the one that affects whether L.E.K. is the right firm for you — runs the comp numbers per…
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Updated May 11, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant L.E.K. case interviews are unusual among major consulting firms in this specific way: they’re not abstract business problems designed to test consulting skills in the abstract. They’re compressed simulations of the actual work L.E.K. does on commercial due diligence engagements. The format, the…
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Updated May 11, 2026 | By Florian Smeritschnig, Former McKinsey Senior Consultant L.E.K. Consulting isn’t really competing in the same race as McKinsey, BCG, or Bain. The MBB business model runs on long-cycle strategy engagements measured in months. L.E.K.’s flagship work runs on private equity deal cycles measured in 2-4 weeks per engagement, with hard…
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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.
