Florian Smeritschnig

Founder of | Ex-McKinsey | Author of The 1% Case Interview Books | Helping 1M+ future consultants succeed in careers & interviews

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

1/
I’ve seen hundreds of candidates spend tens of thousands of hours preparing for consulting interviews.
Here’s the hard truth: most of that prep is wasted. 🧵

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

McKinsey’s Technical Expertise Interview is not a casual experience chat.

It is a deep-dive into one technical project, with follow-ups on context, choices, trade-offs, outcomes, and lessons learned.

Here is how it works and how to prepare:

https://t.co/SyRPU9bNPF

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

Coming from Big 4 and aiming for McKinsey, BCG, or Bain?

Your challenge is not “lack of experience.” It is overcoming the “not a strategist” discount.

Here is how to position your background, choose the right stories, and case well:

https://t.co/QKNsoUXkib

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

Case interview frameworks fail because candidates memorize templates instead of building structures from first principles.

Strong frameworks are not generic. They are broad, deep, tailored, and tied to the client’s problem.

Learn how to build them here:

https://t.co/Xd62luMlHl

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

Most consulting resumes are rejected in seconds.

A strong review does not just fix formatting. It checks whether your CV shows consulting-relevant impact, structure, leadership, and problem-solving.

Here’s when a consulting resume review is worth it:

https://t.co/dBYMXnDzMK

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

BCG cases reward one core instinct: you drive.

Not the interviewer.
Not a memorized framework.
You.

The strongest candidates structure from first principles, steer the analysis, show business creativity, and close with a top-down recommendation.

https://t.co/A58gHSXBiP

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

Most candidates don’t need a prettier consulting resume.

They need one that survives the 10-second screen.

A resume review is worth it when screening is your bottleneck, not when case prep is.

My take as a former McKinsey screener:

https://t.co/dBYMXnDzMK

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

Bain’s AI interview is not a test of whether candidates can outsource the case to AI.

It is a test of whether they can direct the tool, challenge outputs, and own the recommendation.

New tool. Same consulting standard: structure, judgment, synthesis.

https://t.co/vwffpiUlpf

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

McKinsey EDAD is often misunderstood.

It can give selected Arabic-speaking candidates something extremely valuable: a guaranteed place in McKinsey’s assessment process.

But it does not guarantee an offer.

You still need to pass Solve, cases, and PEIs.

https://t.co/oTnVFWXZrY

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

MBB MBA sponsorship is not something you negotiate at the offer stage.

You earn it inside the firm: 2-3 years of strong performance, internal sponsorship, MBA admit, then a 2-year post-MBA return commitment.

The financial upside can be massive.

https://t.co/sR5OxVm9aj

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

MBA vs direct-entry consulting is not a prestige question.

It is a $400-500K career capital question.

Direct-entry wins if you already have MBB access.

The MBA wins if you need a brand reset, career pivot, or long-term optionality.

Full ROI breakdown:
https://t.co/jaUF4kyQwX

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

The MBB summer internship is not the prize.

It is the final round.

Win it by:
• Owning workstreams
• Speaking up
• Asking for feedback
• Improving every week
• Delivering fast

The interview gets you in.
The summer earns the role.

https://t.co/bVh6p58aaW

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

Consulting to Big Tech looks like the dream exit.

Brand-name company. Better lifestyle. Product-adjacent work. Strong pay.

But the real question is not “Can consultants enter Big Tech?”

It is “Which roles actually value consulting skills?”

Breakdown:
https://t.co/BLzSqMooN3

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

Consulting exit opportunities are not equal.

PE offers upside. Corporate strategy offers stability. Startups offer ownership. Big Tech offers comp and optionality. VC/HF exits are narrower and hard to land.

The best exit is the one you plan for.

https://t.co/6LL6AsmO7h

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

4/ I broke down how to approach consulting brainteasers, the main types you might face, common mistakes, and how to practice them effectively here:

https://t.co/DX1CsZKSOj

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

1/ Brainteasers are no longer the core of most MBB interviews.

McKinsey, BCG, and Bain rarely use them today because they are less tied to real consulting work than business cases.

But they still show up in tier-2, Big 4, boutique, and industry interviews.

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

3/ A strong brainteaser answer usually has 4 traits:

• Structured problem breakdown
• Logical reasoning under pressure
• Creativity without randomness
• Clear, concise communication

Getting stuck is not fatal.
Getting stuck silently usually is.

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

MBB target schools matter, but not in the way most think.

Your university can open doors, but it does not replace the real screening factors: GPA, resume spike, networking, and interview performance.

Here’s how U.S. target schools actually work for MBB:

https://t.co/6cvdMy1sre

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

Consulting travel exposes weak bags fast.

The right bag needs to survive airports, client sites, trains, packed schedules, and still look polished in the room.

I broke down 6 strong options for consultants in travel-heavy roles:

https://t.co/ypJFF3MLQe

[Florian Smeritschnig @StrategyCaseCom]

LEK’s numerical reasoning test is not just about being “good at math.”

It tests whether you can process data quickly, stay calm under time pressure, and make accurate business judgments from numbers.

Here’s how to prepare:

https://t.co/v7gKH7utOI