A Cornell MBA Student practiced 150 cases before his McKinsey interviews. He knew every framework, nailed every calculation, and structured problems perfectly. He got rejected in the first round.
His feedback: “Technically proficient but mechanically rehearsed.”
Meanwhile, a philosophy major with 30 cases under her belt got offers from all three firms. The difference? She practiced differently, not more.
Most candidates practice cases like actors memorizing lines. They collect frameworks, drill calculations, rehearse standard answers. They become case-solving robots.
But interviews aren’t performances. They’re live problem-solving sessions. Your interviewer throws curveballs, changes direction, adds constraints. Your rehearsed perfection becomes a liability.
Watch what happens when over-practiced candidates hit unexpected questions:
Interviewer: “Forget profitability – what if the client only cares about environmental impact?”
Candidate: [Frozen] “But… the framework says to analyze financial metrics first…”
Months of practice, destroyed by one deviation from script.
Stop solving cases alone in your room. Start solving them in conditions that mirror interview stress.
Real interviews have:
Your practice should too.
Find partners who’ll interrupt you mid-calculation with “Actually, I gave you the wrong number. Revenue is $300M, not $30M. How does that change your recommendation?”
That’s not unfair. That’s Tuesday at McKinsey.
Solving 200 cases alone is like practicing free throws blindfolded. You have no idea what’s working.
After coaching hundreds of candidates, I see the same pattern: people practicing mistakes until they become habits. Wrong emphasis. Poor structure. Weak conclusions. Repeated 200 times until it feels natural.
One candidate practiced saying “various factors to consider” before every answer. He thought it sounded thoughtful. Interviewers heard hedging.
Get harsh feedback early. One mock interview with brutal honesty beats 50 cases in isolation.
Most candidates find one practice partner and solve 50 cases together. By case 10, you’re finishing each other’s sentences.
That’s comfortable. It’s also useless.
Interview success requires adapting to different styles:
Practice with different partners weekly. The discomfort is the point.
Candidates claim they practice with timing. Then in real interviews, they spend 15 minutes on structure and rush through analysis.
Here’s what works: Set phone alarms. Not timers you control, alarms that interrupt.
When the alarm rings, you stop. Mid-sentence if necessary. That pressure teaches economy.
Everyone wants to practice their strengths. If you’re great at structure, you solve strategy cases. Good at math? Bring on the calculations.
Wrong approach.
A former Navy SEAL with perfect analytical skills kept failing interviews. We discovered why: he couldn’t brainstorm. Years of military precision made creative thinking uncomfortable.
We spent three weeks on nothing but brainstorming cases. No structures allowed. Just idea generation. He hated every minute. He also got into Bain.
Find what makes you uncomfortable. Live there for a month.
Weak practice focuses on getting correct answers. Strong practice focuses on understanding why.
After every case, ask:
One candidate revolutionized her performance by reviewing recordings of mock interviews. “I never realized I said ‘kind of’ before every recommendation. It destroyed my authority.”
Document every mistake. Not to punish yourself to recognize patterns.
After failing three mock interviews, a candidate noticed he always struggled with government/nonprofit cases. He’d been avoiding them because “they’re not real business.”
Those were exactly the cases McKinsey gave him. Because they test whether you can think beyond traditional frameworks.
Practicing eight hours daily doesn’t make you better. It makes you exhausted.
Peak performance requires recovery. Three focused cases beat ten sloppy ones.
A candidate preparing while working at Goldman Sachs could only practice 45 minutes daily. She made every minute count:
Quality over quantity. Always.
Seven days before interviews, stop learning new frameworks. Stop solving new case types. Stop adding complexity.
Instead:
I’ve seen too many candidates cram until midnight before interviews, then underperform from exhaustion. The final week is about consolidation, not expansion.
Some candidates need confidence boosting. Others need humility injection.
If you’re psyching yourself out, solve five cases you’ve mastered. Remember what success feels like.
If you’re overconfident, find someone who’ll destroy you in a mock interview. One candidate thought he was ready until a former MBB partner made him realize he couldn’t handle basic pushback.
Both extremes kill performance. Calibrate accordingly.
Your practice doesn’t end with the interview. Every real interview teaches something.
Immediately after, document:
This isn’t dwelling on failure. It’s accelerating learning. Each interview makes you stronger for the next.
Perfect practice doesn’t exist. You’ll never feel completely ready. The partners interviewing you solved thousands of cases, you’ve solved dozens.
That’s fine. They’re not comparing you to themselves. They’re assessing your potential to learn their craft.
Show them you can think clearly under pressure. Adapt to new information. Learn from mistakes. Build logical arguments. Communicate with precision.
Those skills come from deliberate practice in realistic conditions, not from memorizing frameworks in solitude.
Stop practicing like you’re preparing for a recital. Start practicing like you’re training for combat.
The interview isn’t a test of what you’ve memorized. It’s a test of how you think when nothing goes as planned.
Practice for that reality, and the offer follows.
As a former Bain recruiter, I’ve helped countless candidates navigate this path successfully.
Book a free intro call with my team today, and let’s craft a strategy to make your consulting recruiting journey a winning one.
Good luck and enjoy the ride!
As a coach with consulting experience, I can provide you with more tips and one-on-one practice to sharpen your estimation techniques. Book a intro session with my team to know more.
