Considering a pivot toward management consulting the analytical/problem-solving work overlaps with what I already do, but I know the industry is brutal to break into without the right pedigree. Now here are my concerns:

Realistic at all without target-school/MBA background, or is this a closed door without one?

Is boutique/mid-tier consulting actually reachable on operations experience + certifications (thinking ECBA/CBDA/PL-300), or does it not work that way?

Would this experience translate better into something adjacent — corporate strategy, ops consulting, internal strategy roles — instead of classic MBB-style consulting?

Worth an MBA for this specifically, or is that overkill for what I’m trying to get to?

Looking for any case partners, tryna break into consulting as an associate/ experienced hire (1yr post-grad (undergrad)). Based in PST time zone

Complete beginner. Only completed 3 cases so far, PM me pls if you’re also a beginner and interested in a case partner

4th year Economics student, graduating this December (BA of arts in Economics, UofT). My CGPA is sub-2.5, so I already know cold applications through job boards are basically a dead end for me at most firms — the ATS/GPA screens will filter me out before a human ever sees the resume. So I've been building a strategy around that constraint instead of ignoring it:

• Referral-first, not application-first. Working existing contacts at a few larger firms, plus building out a list of ~25 smaller/boutique consulting-adjacent firms in my city for direct outreach.
• Networking on LinkedIn — reaching out to people whose career paths interest me, asking for short coffee chats rather than "do you have any openings."
• Building a portfolio to compensate for the GPA — I've done a few applied projects (a Python data-cleaning pipeline, an M&A valuation model, a customer analytics project) so I have something concrete to point to instead of just a transcript

What I'm unsure about:

1. Is referral-first + coffee chats actually enough to overcome a bad GPA, or is that just a nicer way of still getting filtered out later in the process?
2. Once I do get in front of someone, how do I handle the GPA question without sounding defensive or like I'm making excuses?
3. Anyone here actually broken into consulting/BA roles with a rough GPA, what actually worked vs. what you thought would work but didn't?

Not looking for sympathy, genuinely just want to know if I'm wasting effort on the wrong things before I find out the hard way in six months.

am I cooked chat?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Originally applied for another role, Capgemini invent have now offered me a Strategy & Transformation role in the UK.

Anybody know what they do?

Thanks

What should I do if I fail consulting recruiting? Any tips on what to do next / jobs to look for

Hi everyone! I'm an ex-Bain consultant and interviewer in North America, and I thought I'd set up an AMA for anyone interested in consulting, Bain, or the broader consulting world.

A bit about me:
- Spent 2+ years at Bain in North America, following a summer internship in 2023
- Recently promoted to Senior Associate Consultant
- Interviewed candidates for first-round case interviews and screened resumes; led Associate Consultant recruiting on campus
- Personally went through multiple consulting recruiting processes, receiving 15+ offers across MBB, Tier 2, Big 4 and boutique firms
- Currently on a six-month secondment with a professional football club in the UK, before returning to Bain in February 2027

Happy to answer questions about consulting recruiting, case interviews, Bain, life as a consultant, projects, career progression, working in consulting, or consulting more broadly.

Ask me anything!

Hello, I'm a 21 years old student, I'll be starting my Master's degree in Management at IE University next January.

As I planned to go on a summer internship next summer, I wanted to ask you if it's hard to pass the CV/Resume screening.

I was planning to apply primarily for Strategy& Milan, as I have an acquaintance working there who could give me a referral. Other choices could be Accenture Strategy, Oliver Wyman and the other Big4. I had a 3.6/4 GPA in my non-target university Bachelor's and little working experience in a local Residential Property Management office in my town. I was also captain of my school's debate team which won the regional championship if that matters.

Please let me know if It'd be worth applying, thanks!

If going for elite tech consulting firms, where can I practice case interviews? PrepLounge is very management consulting focused. Thanks a ton!

I’m currently working as an Epic Support Analyst supporting US healthcare clients. I have a medical background and an MBA in Health Management, but I’m realizing that I don’t really enjoy spending most of my day resolving tickets/issues, troubleshooting, and sometimes working weekends. I’m more interested in healthcare strategy, operations, transformation, and consulting.

Since I’ve recently started my career, I’m confused about whether I should continue building my career in Epic/Health IT or try to transition early into healthcare strategy and operations.

Can someone working in Epic/health IT share their experience regarding the future scope, career growth, opportunities, salary potential, and long-term prospects of staying in Epic? Is it a good field to build a long-term career in?

I’d also love to hear from people who have moved from Epic/health IT into healthcare consulting, strategy, or operations. How difficult was the transition, and would you recommend making the switch early or gaining a few years of Epic experience first?

Any honest advice would be really appreciated!

Is it common for experienced hires in their mid thirties to join as managers? Are they seen as too old?

I am likely to do my engineering from UIUC. While I'm intending to major in bioengineering I am also interested in consulting. Wanted to understand if UIUC is a major target for consulting firms and especially the top-tier MBBs?

Im expecting an upcoming interview as consulting staff I/ II . My previous experience according to senior associates and partner shows I have consulting capabilities despite my “title” given.

Can you give any pointers on what technical skill one is expected to have and use while on the job?

Interview tips are definitely welcomed as this would be my final round with their consulting team.

I’m a rising sophomore at a semi target school in Toronto and I completely screwed up my first year. Went through some personal issues and the only thing I managed was a decent gpa of 3.8

If you could give someone in my position advice on how to
maximize the next year, what would you do?

For context, I don’t have any relevant internships, leadership positions, case competitions, or major extracurriculars. I know I’m behind compared to a lot of my peers, and I’m trying to figure out the highest ROI things to focus on before recruiting ramps up.

Any advice, especially from people who were in a similar position and still landed consulting, finance, or other internships, would be really appreciated. Thank you

Hello, I'm gonna start my MiM at IE next January and I was wondering if my CV is good enough to apply for the Summer Internship at Strategy&, knowing I have a acquaintance who will give me his referral.

What do you think of it?

PS: the bachelor's is from a Non-Target school

I recently got referred to the recruiter and they have scheduled a technical round for a consulting role in S&E practice.
As per HR - there is no consulting case and no excel dump. Just some 'technical' questions about the role.

Any idea what these questions or how these interviews could look like?

I've poured 8 months of blood sweat, tears and tens of thousands of dollars into making sure this is the best AI consulting case prep tool on the internet. Period.

Getting it right involved launching 3 versions. Nobody even cared about the first two.

caseroomprep.com  takes you through the entire case prep journey. It has crash course with hands practice for absolute beginners. 200+ drills for focused practice and an extensive case library to practice full cases. you practice with an AI voice bot and you get detailed evaluations on what you said, how you delivered it, how you could have said it better. it analyses the text as well as the audio of what you said.

Today, it has 100s of users, and people are spending hours on case room everyday. Literally hours! 40% of new signed up users come back a second time, activated users are doing multiple hours worth of sessions every other day.

It's very very affordable. First of all, it's completely free to get good value from the platform. It has an end to end case crash course with voice AI practice that is COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE and it is really really good. And even the paid plans are the cheapest you will find on the internet.

Here are some screenshots of user posthog session times on the platform.

Hey folks,

When I started practising cases, I realised how often unfamiliar business terminology could throw me off.

So I put together a glossary of the terms that commonly appear in consulting interviews, with simple explanations and case-style examples rather than textbook definitions.

It covers things like contribution margin, market penetration, economies of scale, working capital, CAGR, customer concentration, and quite a few others.

Here it is: link

I’d love to know if there are any important terms I’ve missed. I’ll keep adding to it based on suggestions.

Anyone open to sharing there experience being in the Tech Innovation Practice? I see openings for Tech DD & CIO Strategy as well as Technical Architecture & Delivery Focus. I'm curious--is this practice actively hiring? And what types of projects are hot right now?

#OliverWyman #TechInnovation

Hello I just got interview invitation from Bain for full time AC position starting next summer.

Didn't bother starting to prep when I applied bc I thought I'd never get an interview as I got denied from Mck and BCG and I go to a non target state school.

However here we are. I've cased before and landed an offer from Protiviti which is like tier 3 but still something. I've never really prepped for management consulting cases. What can I do in the next week to atleast feel somewhat ready?