Usefull courses to do whilst preparing for MBB?

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, I would highly advise you to assess, either on your own or with an experienced coach like me, whether your profile needs further improvement. Depending on the outcome of this assessment, you may want to consider putting some additional effort into this or that aspect.
• Moreover, the case study and personal fit preparation is not something you can do too early, although you may not need to start at top speed. But working through PrepLounge's  Case Interview Basics, for example, is always worth the time.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi friend, I hope your day is going well. 

For MBB interview prep, 5 months go by relatively fast, many times faster than it looks.  Before engaging in creating certifications that would look brighter on your resume, I suggest you to make sure you have what is needed for the application itself. So, before looking for any certification, let me ask you the questions below: 

1- Is your resume MBB ready? - Do you have reviews from people who can give a proper evaluation (e.g., consulting club on your school, alumni from your school currently in MMB or former MBB)? Only 10-15% of candidates get invites for interviews, and although there are other tests (Such as McKinsey Digital Assessment), your CV is the key part.  

2- Do you have the basic skills to do well in an MBB interview? Communication and basic math are essential for an MMB interview. I have met candidates within 2 months of their interview that didn`t reach the required level in math to get an offer. Same for language barrier problems (especially if you are applying in a place without your native language).  Each person has their own learning curve and experience, but some skills take months to be constructed. 

3- Are you connected with the MBB network? - At this point, connecting and getting to know the culture of each firm can help you in differentiating yourself for interviews. Each company thinks they are different, and when you talk about real connections you had with them, it counts more than a 2-3 months certificate. 


If you feel good about all of those points, there are some 2-3 months certifications that you could complete and add to your resume. As you expect, do something that connects with your story, and therefore you will mention and make your whole profile (candidate-brand) stronger. Here suggestions for each of three different profiles: 

 Analytical Profile
-Google Data Analytics Certificate (Coursera)
-Tableau Desktop Specialist (Tableau)
-Microsoft Excel Certification (Microsoft)
-AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (Amazon)
-Six Sigma Yellow Belt (various providers)
-Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA) (CFI)

Communicator Profile
-HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification (HubSpot Academy)
-Digital Marketing Certificate (Google Digital Garage)
-Agile Fundamentals Certification (Scrum Alliance or other providers)

Entrepreneur Profile
-Project Management Professional (PMP) (if prerequisites are met)
-Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) (PMI)
-Business Strategy Courses (various platforms)
-Entrepreneurship Certificate Programs (various universities and platforms)

Hope it helps. 

Good luck in your journey! 

Work with a coach, at least for an initial session to craft a tailored preparation plan.

Lots of reasons for that:

• Courses are standard and every candidate starts at a certain level and learn at a different pace
• You will know how close or far you are from being ready
• You will identify the exact areas you need to improve to make your preparation more efficient
• You will exactly know what interviewers are looking for (and what they are not looking for, I work with candidates everyday taking some myths as facts)

Happy to keep talking about that in private.

Hi there,

I have created courses for all parts of the case interview and also specialized resources for specific consulting firms with hours of up-to-date and effective theory videos and thousands of practice questions. Among other things, they cover

• Structuring for Frameworks and Brainstorming
• Exhibit Interpretation
• Case Math

Feel free to reach out for more information.

Cheers,

Florian

Hey there!
You have a great timeframe of five months for your MBB application preparation, but you probably won’t need to spend all that time on formal courses. Instead of investing heavily in expensive courses, focus on practical interview practice and talk to people in the industry to gain insights. There are many free resources available on platforms like YouTube that can provide valuable information on case interviews. Consider taking a coach for personalized feedback and to assess your current standing. Remember, effective casing comes with practice, not just coursework!

Good luck! 

Alessa :)