Case Interview Hub Blog

In 1926, an accounting professor started a firm. 100 years later, it designed the White House, invented the barcode, produced 70 Fortune 500 CEOs — and paid $1 billion for the opioid crisis. Former McKinsey consultants tell the full story.

How much does it actually cost to hire McKinsey, BCG, or Bain? Former McKinsey consultants break down the three fee models, actual per-diem rates by seniority level, and what a typical 8-week MBB project costs — with numbers from real proposals.

GenZ demands work-life balance, flexible hours, and meaningful work. Consulting demands 12-hour days, all-nighters, and results for $150K a week. Former McKinsey consultants break down where the cultures clash — and whether it can actually work.

Many people wonder what the difference in corporate culture at McKinsey, BCG and Bain. There are many wild claims out there that each MBB firm hires specific types of people. Or that they uses certain approaches unique to their: for example BCG uses adaptive problem solving and McKinsey is more structured. But this is all nonsense. In reality, the culture at McKinsey, BCG and Bain is very similar. This is driven by the fact that the MBB firms serve teh same clients and hire t

Regular trianing is a staple at McKinsey especially in the first year on the job. McKinsey offers many world-class trianing programs with the goal of speeding up the development of the juniors. Besides the mandatory training in the first year, there are many optional offerings like excel and powerpoint training. But there are also offerings to develop soft skills like team room presence and giving & getting feedback.

Consultants at the MBB firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) get fired for several reason. Some firing can be explained by the up-or-out principle. It means that if you don't climb the hierarchical ladder and progress in your career, you are fired. This is closely linked to bad performance. Later on as a consultant gets more senior, a reason for being fired can also be that they don't have the backing of partners. A partner is filling the project pipeline and if she doesn't bring you a

All major consulting firms, ranging from MBB (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) ot the Big 4 (Deloitte, EY, PwC, KPMG) have on thing in common and that is a bad repuation. This is driven by multiple factors. Consulting firms are taking the blame if a project fails - this comes as a service to the clients/customers. But there are also many scandals in the consluting world.