As a former McKinsey consultant and now a career coach, I have prepared hundreds of candidates for their consulting interviews in recent years and run through more than 2,000 practice cases. I have been closely observing the consulting market since 2013 and, in particular, the recruiting machinery of the top firms: first as a candidate…
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Smart but Shaky Most candidates walk into their case interviews armed to the teeth: cases drilled, math shortcuts memorized, every Victor Cheng quote tattooed on their brain. And then the interview starts. Suddenly, all that prep turns into polite hesitation: “Uh, maybe we could… possibly… look at market share?” The voice drops, the eyes search…
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Updated June 2026 · By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant One mistake in a case interview will not cost you the offer at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain. Interviewers expect slips under pressure. What they actually score is how calmly and quickly you recover, because resilience and coachability matter more than a flawless answer. Perfectionism…
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The Bain TestGorilla assessment is a roughly 45-minute, multiple-choice online aptitude test Bain uses to screen applicants between the resume stage and interviews, testing numerical reasoning, critical thinking, data interpretation, and business judgment under tight time pressure. Bain began using the TestGorilla assessment in 2024. If you are applying today, there is a real chance…
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Will AI Reshape Consulting? The Future of Hiring at McKinsey and Beyond For decades, consulting firms like McKinsey have thrived on a tried-and-tested model: hire the best and brightest, train them rigorously, and deploy them to solve complex business challenges. But with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, this model is on the brink of…
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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.
