Most candidates treat a free calculator like the interview. It is not. The room grades whether you can write the equation out loud, defend the assumptions, and say the so-what before the partner moves on. Ned built the free kit on CoachNed so you can learn the arithmetic at the kitchen table; the scored product exists for the part that still fails people who know every formula.
After this guide you will know what is actually live on /tools and the free resources page, when a free tool is enough, and when the seven-day open week is the rational next spend.
What ships free, as of this check
I checked the public pages. The hub at /tools is the leftover-hour kit: calculators, trees, graders, and the drill rooms they feed. The parallel kit on the free landing page and at /resources is the recruiting paperwork: salary PDF, resume and cover-letter PDFs, application tracker, networking follow-up, PEI bank. Both are free to open. No affiliate relationship with McKinsey, BCG, Bain, or anyone else named below.
Here is the confirmed map. If a page is not on this list, I have not verified it for this article.
| Surface | What it is | Confirmed path |
|---|---|---|
| Market size calculator | TAM / SAM / SOM with editable filters; equation-first copy | /tools/market-size-calculator |
| Breakeven calculator | Contribution, units, revenue at target | /tools/breakeven-calculator |
| CAGR calculator | Compound rate plus implied multiple | /tools/cagr-calculator |
| Case structure builder | Five templates; grade MECE on branches you can say | /tools/case-structure-builder |
| Issue tree examples | Ten worked MECE trees | /tools/issue-tree-examples |
| Market sizing questions | Ten worked estimates plus ten practice prompts | /tools/market-sizing-questions |
| CCA simulator | Eight original numericals, 12:00 clock, forward-only | /tools/bcg-cca-simulator |
| Resume grader | PDF / Word / paste; free preview is score plus one strength | /consulting-resume-grader |
| Five-minute first rep | Three typed turns of CopperCup; instant scores, no account | /start |
| Quick math | Free forever after the week (per /pricing) | /drills/quick-math |
| Drill rooms on the hub | Structure, brainstorming, math, market sizing, charts, synthesis | linked from /tools |
The drill rooms on the hub are the same muscle rooms as /drills/structure, /drills/math, and the rest. Calculators run as public tools. The CCA page states two questions without an account, then Mock 1 after signup. The resume grader gives a free score preview; the full fix list unlocks separately or with Pro.
Why firms still ban the calculator you just used
McKinsey's own practice cases say it plainly. On Electro-Light, the coaching note is that calculators are not allowed; write the steps on paper and talk through them. The same instruction appears on other McKinsey sample cases. BCG's case interview preparation page stresses structure, clear communication, and business judgment over a single right answer. Neither firm is grading your ability to open a browser tab.
So the free CAGR and breakeven tools are homework answer keys. Use them to check a path you already wrote by hand. If your first move in practice is to click fields, you are training the wrong reflex.
Ned's rule. A free calculator is legal only after you have said the equation out loud. If you cannot narrate contribution or CAGR without the screen, you are not ready for the room.
Worked example: HarborLeaf juice, by hand then by tool
Invented company. HarborLeaf sells cold-pressed juice boxes to office caterers. Revenue was $4.2m three years ago and $6.8m last year. Fixed costs on a new bottling line are $180k. Price per box is $3.40. Variable cost is $1.90. The CEO wants two numbers before approving the line: the three-year CAGR, and units to cover fixed cost with zero target profit.
CAGR by hand. End / start = 6.8 / 4.2 ≈ 1.619. Over three years, that is roughly 17–18% compound. Rule of 72: a ~1.6× multiple in three years is a bit under 17% if you squint, closer to 18% if you punch carefully. The free CAGR calculator uses (end / start)^(1/years) − 1. Punch 4.2 → 6.8 over 3 and you should land near 17.4%. The interview grade is not the fourth decimal. It is whether you say: "Category grew roughly mid-single digits in my base case, so HarborLeaf took share; I would ask for volume versus price mix before celebrating."
Breakeven by hand. Contribution = 3.40 − 1.90 = $1.50. Units = 180,000 / 1.50 = 120,000 boxes. Revenue at that volume = 120,000 × 3.40 = $408,000. The breakeven calculator defaults to a different stack ($40 price, $18 variable, $120k fixed) and shows contribution first, then units, then revenue. Same order I want from you in the room. Usual miss I see: a clean unit count with no capacity check. If HarborLeaf's plant tops out at 90,000 boxes, you do not breakeven on this cost stack, and saying so is the point.
Reproduce both paths with a pen. Only then open the tools to confirm. That is the entire pedagogy of the free math surface.
Builders and worked examples: steal branches, then customize
The case structure builder starts from a decision metric—profit, NPV, go/no-go—not from a framework name. Five templates: profitability, growth, market entry, M&A, operations. Grade MECE flags thin trees and "and" buckets. It is not an official MBB packet; the page says so.
The issue tree examples give ten worked trees you can steal and rehang. Fuel and crew on an airline cost tree. Payer mix on a hospital profitability tree. Synergies with a year-1 versus year-3 split on a PE ingredients deal. The pattern is the same: start with the largest dollar line, not the loudest complaint.
Market sizing questions pairs ten worked estimates with ten practice prompts. Mattresses in France as households × replacement × ASP. US coffee visits as adults × weekly rate / 7. Then prompts like golf balls in flight on a Saturday morning. Pair a prompt with the market size calculator, which forces penetration as a percent (type 40 for 40%, not 0.4) and separates TAM, SAM, and SOM. Usual miss on that page: typing 40 into a 0–1 field and inventing a market 100× too large.
These pages are enough when your gap is "I do not know what a good tree looks like" or "I freeze on the first filter." They are not enough when your gap is "I collapse when someone interrupts my second branch."
When free is enough, and when the free week is the move
Demand for management analysts is not shrinking. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 9% employment growth for management analysts from 2024 to 2034, with roughly 98,100 openings a year on average. That is the labor-market backdrop. It does not mean every free PDF gets you hired. It means the interview filter stays tight while the occupation grows.
Use this table as a decision rule, not a marketing funnel.
| Your situation | Free tool is enough | Spend the free week |
|---|---|---|
| Learning contribution, CAGR, TAM math | Calculators + worked sizing prompts | Not yet |
| Need a first structure you can say out loud | Structure builder + issue tree examples | After you can recite one tree without looking |
| Need one scored case turn before booking a coach | /start five-minute first rep | Then /interview for the full voice case |
| BCG online numericals on a clock | Two CCA questions without an account | Full mocks inside the week |
| Resume is one page but soft on verbs and numbers | Free grader preview | Full report if the preview names a real risk |
| Four weeks to first round, weak under interruption | Daily free drills if available on your account | Live cases + seven-score debriefs for volume |
Access, stated honestly from the pricing page: everything is open for seven days, no card; then $120 for a recruiting season (Season Pass) or $49 a month (Pro). After the week, quick math stays free forever, along with a few sample walkthroughs and early courses. Your history stays either way.
The free week is worth it when you need scored pressure at volume—forty reps before a first round, not four. It is not worth it if you have never written a contribution equation by hand. Fix that with the calculators first.
Assessment sim and resume: separate rooms
The CCA simulator is not a case. It is eight original numericals on one 12:00 clock, forward-only: scheduling, reallocation, percentages, patterns. Circle the asked-for unit, write the operation, estimate, then punch. Independent of BCG. Two questions without an account; Mock 1 after signup.
The consulting resume grader takes PDF, Word, or paste under 4 MB. Free preview: score plus one strength. Unlock the rest for fixes, risks, and likely questions. Pair it with the free resume and cover-letter PDFs on /resources if you are still drafting.
McKinsey's interviewing page says the firm sees responsible AI use for polishing a resume and practicing interview questions as fine, and bans fabricating achievements or generating live answers in the assessment. That is the ethical line. Use the grader to find soft bullets. Do not invent numbers the tool did not see on the page.
Practice this week: one hour, no card
- Pick HarborLeaf or invent your own three-year revenue pair. Write CAGR and breakeven on paper. Check with the calculators.
- Open one tree from the issue tree examples. Rebuild it in the structure builder for a different industry. Grade MECE once.
- Sit the /start five-minute first rep. Three typed turns. Read the scores. If the leak is math or structure, run the matching drill room from /tools.
- If a first round is inside three weeks, start the free week the same day and book a full voice case on /interview before you open another PDF.
That sequence is the point of the hub: equations first, then a scored room.
Frequently asked questions
Are CoachNed's free tools really free?
The calculators, structure builder, issue tree examples, market sizing questions, resources PDFs, and the five-minute first rep at /start are public tools you can open without buying a plan. CCA gives two questions without an account. The resume grader gives a free score preview. Full scored mocks, unlimited live interviews, and the full resume report sit inside the seven-day open week or a paid plan.
Can I use the calculators during a real interview?
No. Firm practice materials tell you calculators are not allowed; McKinsey's Electro-Light coaching note is explicit. Use CoachNed's calculators only to check homework after you have written the path by hand.
What stays free after the seven-day week?
Per the pricing page, quick math, selected sample walkthroughs, the AI lesson, and the first two courses stay free forever. History and debriefs remain on the account. Live cases and the broader drill stack require a Season Pass or Pro after the week.
Is the CCA simulator an official BCG product?
No. It is an independent CoachNed tool with original numericals. It is not affiliated with BCG and is not a substitute for whatever assessment your recruiter actually sends.
Where should a complete beginner start on the hub?
Start at /start for one scored turn, then the CAGR and breakeven calculators for the arithmetic you will say out loud, then one issue tree example plus the structure builder. Add CCA or the resume grader only when that specific gate is next on your recruiting calendar.
Sources
- Management Analysts — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook — 2024–34 growth rate, openings, and median pay for management analysts. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Electro-Light practice case — McKinsey Careers — official note that calculators are not allowed in the case interview. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Case Interview Preparation — BCG Careers — firm description of case interviews as structured problem-solving with clear communication. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Interviewing at McKinsey — McKinsey Careers — firm guidance on responsible AI use in prep versus disallowed fabrication and live-assessment AI. Checked 2026-09-24.