S24E7: MBA Case Prep in 2–4 Weeks: An Ex-Bain Interviewer's Plan

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   S24 · E10 · 19 Aug 2026 · 44 min

   S24E10: The Toothbrush Test: Why Most Case Frameworks Fail at MBB

   Send us Fan Mail If your case framework doesn't pass the toothbrush test, it's too generic for McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. Ex-Bain coach Abi Chen walks through the toothbrush test, the 3 mistakes that cost most candidates their offer, and the 4-step process to build strong frameworks. Finally, she walks through two full framework examples – an M&A case and a pharma product launch. Resources: If your frameworks keep failing the toothbrush test, Black Belt is how you fix the processWant to bui...

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   S24 · E9 · 14 Aug 2026 · 59 min

   S24E9: Inside a Bates White Economic Consulting Case Interview

   Send us Fan Mail Bates White let us inside a real economic consulting case interview. Annie Olecki, a senior consultant in Bates White's antitrust practice, ran a live case interview with a volunteer from the MC community. And economic consulting cases don't look like the strategy cases at McKinsey or Bain. The case: a phone manufacturer suing its battery suppliers for price-fixing. The candidate has to size the damages, then revise the number - twice - as new evidence shifts the picture. Tha...

3. 

   S24 · E8 · 12 Aug 2026 · 23 min

   S24E8: Top 10 Private Equity Consulting Firms and the Sameness Problem

   Send us Fan Mail Namaan talked to dozens of PE practice leaders for our 2026 ranking. Almost every one said the same three things: 1) Cross-practice integration. 2) Strategy through execution. 3) Deep sector expertise. Strip the logo off 7 of 10 firms and you can't tell them apart. That's the sameness problem. And it's expensive. Sponsors stop evaluating and default to relationships, brand, and price instead. On this episode of The Briefing, Namaan breaks down what the standout firms di...

4. 

   S24 · E6 · 7 Aug 2026 · 10 min

   S24E6: McKinsey Solve Game 2026: What It Is and How to Prepare

   Send us Fan Mail McKinsey screens candidates with a video game – McKinsey Solve – before they ever see a case interview. Most candidates either try to copy other people's answers or panic because they don't know what it's measuring. So here's the breakdown: what Solve is, what McKinsey is testing for inside it, and how to approach it. The answer isn't Solve-specific prep. It's the same problem-solving fundamentals that carry you through the entire McKinsey recruiting process. We cover: What t...

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   S24 · E5 · 6 Aug 2026 · 47 min

   S24E5: McKinsey Case Interview Example: Electric Truck Market Entry

   Send us Fan Mail George Cary spent five years as a McKinsey EM. In this live case, he coaches candidate Harvey through a real McKinsey market entry study: should a diesel truck manufacturer build and sell electric trucks. Harvey builds a framework, runs the full cost-of-ownership math, and lands a final recommendation. George pauses after every section to break down good vs. great in real time. You'll learn: Why McKinsey calls it "problem solving," not casing – and the vocabulary that signals...

6. 

   S24 · E4 · 5 Aug 2026 · 18 min

   S24E4: She Bombed MBB Her First Try – Then Landed 2 Offers the Next Time

   Send us Fan Mail Sharon had everything going for her. Top-tier MBA. MBB interview invites across the board. She'd done 50–60 cases – but didn't make it past a single first round. What held her back wasn't her profile. It was her approach. So she came back the next year when the stakes were even higher. This time, she did it differently – and landed McKinsey and Bain. Katie breaks down what shifted and what re-recruiters (and first-timers who want to avoid the same trap) can take from Sh...

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   S24 · E28 · 9 Oct 2026 · 34 minNew

   S24E28: Top 10 Healthcare Consulting Firms and Who Leads Each Segment

   Send us Fan Mail Almost every large consulting firm has a healthcare practice. Far fewer have a healthcare position. In this episode of The Briefing, Namaan breaks down our 2027 healthcare consulting research. The big finding is that healthcare consulting splits into two sides, care delivery and life sciences, and a firm that’s excellent at one is often absent from the other. So the question for any practice leader is which side your firm has built a position on. McKinsey, BCG, and Bain take ...

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   S24 · E27 · 7 Oct 2026 · 8 minNew

   S24E27: Busted: The Online Assessment Isn't the Hardest Part of Recruiting

   Send us Fan Mail "I need to start prepping for the online assessment now, because it's the hardest part of getting an interview." Katie hears some version of this on her calls all the time, and it's easy to see why. The test can feel like a weird game you have no way to practice for, and it's the first thing standing between your application and an interview. So in our first episode of Case Busters, Katie puts it to the test. Should you really be grinding practice tests months before you appl...

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   S24 · E26 · 2 Oct 2026 · 6 min

   S24E26: The 3-Part Case Interview Closing That Can Rescue Your Score

   Send us Fan Mail In most cases, your interviewer already knows how they'll score you by the time you reach the closing. But when it's a close one, the closing is the tiebreaker, and it can rescue your score. Namaan breaks down the 3 parts of a closing that works: the recap, the recommendation, and the risks and next steps. Practice it in every case, so the closing is ready to rescue your score when you need it. Resources: Start my free Case Foundations course – it covers all 5 core components...

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    S24 · E25 · 1 Oct 2026 · 26 min

    S24E25: Ex-Deloitte and Bain Coach: Big 4 Interview Formats You Haven't Practiced

    Send us Fan Mail Big 4 interviews are around the corner – and most candidates need 6–8 weeks of prep to be ready. Mitali Jalan spent years at Deloitte and Bain, then coached 400+ candidates. She sees one gap sink strong applicants again and again: they practice 1-on-1 cases and never practice the other formats the Big 4 use. Think group cases, written cases, presentations, and AI-assisted or Excel cases. And behavioral prep matters just as much – at some firms, it carries equal weight to...

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