The logo on your invite is not a prestige ranking. It is a format switch: who drives the case, whether a screen sits before any human, how many rounds you will sit, and how hard fit is weighted relative to math. Candidates who train one generic "consulting interview" and then swap firm names in a cover letter leak points on the first gate that firm actually scores.
This hub is CoachNed's curated map of firm-by-firm guides. Use the tables to open the pages that match your invitation. Use the paragraphs under each tier to decide what to practice first. For the business models behind the logos, start with types of consulting firms and what is MBB.
How to use this hub
Pick the firm, then pick the column that matches the email you just received. Case guides teach the room. Assessment guides teach the gate. Fit guides teach the story probes. Pay guides teach how to read a posted band without confusing entities (Deloitte core vs Monitor; PwC Advisory vs Strategy&).
Ned's rule. Build a firm shortlist by interview format, not by brand rank. If McKinsey owns the agenda and Bain expects you to own the next move, the same "structure" drill will not score both rooms.
Worked allocation (my estimate for a 60-hour prep window once you have a live invite): McKinsey — 15 hours Solve/practice cases, 20 hours PEI story probes, 25 hours interviewer-led cases. Bain with SOVA — 8 hours aptitude, 12 hours fit, 40 hours candidate-led cases. Deloitte UK early careers — 20 hours immersive assessment and job simulation, 15 hours values stories, 25 hours scenario cases. Wrong allocation is the most common silent fail I see.
MBB
McKinsey states that for most client-facing roles you sit a Personal Experience Interview and a problem-solving case; the case is interviewer-led, and PEI is scored on named dimensions, not warm-up small talk. BCG publishes a multi-step process with skills, case, and team interviews, and for many US Associate routes a Consulting Career Assessment plus a ~35-minute online case (Casey) before live rounds. Bain requires a digital assessment (Sova or TestGorilla by office) when invited, then case interviews that reward owning the next move. Fit is heaviest at McKinsey; Bain and BCG still score behavioral hard, but the case clock usually dominates prep time.
| Firm | Case | Assessment / test | Fit | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKinsey | Case guide | Solve · Sea Wolf · Red Rock · SFL | PEI · PEI questions | Salary |
| BCG | Case guide · Practice | Casey · CCA · Pymetrics | Fit · Behavioral | Salary |
| Bain | Case guide · Practice · Vector | SOVA · TestGorilla | Fit · Behavioral | Salary |
Also useful: McKinsey vs BCG, BCG vs Bain, MBB case calendar, interviewer- vs candidate-led, why McKinsey, why BCG, why Bain, assessment simulators.
Big 4 and their strategy arms
Big 4 processes are member-firm machines: UK early careers often run immersive online assessments and job simulations before a final day; US consulting routes lean behavioral plus case or scenario. Deloitte UK documents an immersive online assessment, job simulation, then final-stage discussion and skills interview. Strategy arms (Monitor Deloitte, Strategy&, EY-Parthenon) interview closer to strategy boutiques: more unstructured or slide-pack cases, less "next steps for the service line." Do not prep Deloitte core and Monitor on the same clock. Compare entities in Big 4 consulting firms and Big 4 vs MBB.
| Firm / arm | Case | Assessment / test | Fit | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deloitte | Case · Practice | Assessment · Immersive · Job sim | Cover letter · Resume | Salary |
| Monitor Deloitte | Case | — | Behavioral | — |
| PwC | Case | Assessment · SHL · Career Unlocked | Behavioral | Salary |
| Strategy& | Case · Practice | — | Behavioral | — |
| EY | Case | Assessment · Job sim | Behavioral | Salary |
| EY-Parthenon | Case · Practice | — | Behavioral | — |
| KPMG | Case | Assessment · Launch Pad | Behavioral | — |
Strategy& UK publishes first-round pairs of unstructured behavioral-plus-case and structured slide-pack cases (Strategy& UK FAQs). That is a different muscle from a Deloitte next-steps scenario. Also: Big 3 vs Big 4, free EY resources, free KPMG resources, free Strategy& resources.
Global strategy firms
Kearney, Oliver Wyman, L.E.K., Roland Berger, and similar global strategy shops sit between MBB and Big 4 on prestige folklore and closer to MBB on case intensity. Oliver Wyman describes cases as collaborative client work and publishes practice cases on its interview preparation page; some regions add an online test and a short fit screen before two case rounds. Expect fewer branded game assessments than MBB, more partner-led math, and fit that rewards implementation texture (Kearney) or diligence endings (L.E.K.).
| Firm | Case | Assessment / test | Fit | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kearney | Case · Firm | — | Behavioral | Salary |
| Oliver Wyman | Case · Practice | Assessment | Fit | Salary |
| L.E.K. | Case · Practice · Firm | — | Fit | Salary |
| Roland Berger | Case · Practice | — | Behavioral | Salary |
| Arthur D. Little | Case | — | — | — |
| OC&C | Case | — | — | — |
| Accenture / Strategy | Case · Practice | Assessment | Strategy behavioral | Salary |
Context: MBB vs boutique vs tier 2, why Oliver Wyman, strategy vs management consulting.
Boutiques and specialists
Boutiques score the product they sell. Turnaround shops want cash and the fix. Pricing shops want elasticity. Delivery shops want a buildable plan. An MBB profit tree that never names working capital or stakeholder adoption will die quietly. Rounds are often shorter; fit may be lighter than McKinsey PEI but the case is narrower and less forgiving of generic frameworks.
| Firm | Case | Assessment / other | Fit / related | Pay / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlixPartners | Case | — | — | Cash-first |
| Alvarez & Marsal | Case | — | — | Margin / BS |
| Simon-Kucher | Case | — | Fit | Pricing |
| Altman Solon | Case | — | — | TMT |
| PA Consulting | Case | — | — | Trial logic |
| Slalom | Case | — | — | Local delivery |
| West Monroe | Case | — | — | Delivery path |
| FTI | Case | — | — | Cross-exam |
| Huron | Case | — | — | Institutions |
| Korn Ferry | Case | — | — | Org / talent |
| WTW | Case | — | — | Fiduciary |
| Bridgespan | Nonprofit | — | — | Mission |
Also: top consulting firms, nonprofit consulting firms, manufacturing firms.
Economic, public-sector, healthcare, and tech consultancies
These interviews often replace the classic profit case with a different unit of analysis: expert memos, appropriations clocks, prevalence vs revenue, or a buildable delivery plan. Booz Allen and Guidehouse hire to contracts and missions. Economic consultancies (Analysis Group, Cornerstone, CRA, NERA, Compass Lexecon, Bates White) score research craft and written rigor. Healthcare and life sciences shops (IQVIA, ZS, Huron) punish MBB frameworks that ignore payer mix or sales-force math. Capital One is not a consulting firm; its Power Day still uses case math many candidates confuse with MBB.
| Firm | Case | Assessment / other | Fit / related | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booz Allen | Case | — | — | Contract hire |
| Guidehouse | Case | — | — | Appropriations |
| Analysis Group | Case | — | — | Research project |
| Cornerstone | Case | — | — | Answer key style |
| CRA | Case | — | — | Economic reasoning |
| NERA | Case | — | — | Expert drafts |
| Compass Lexecon | Case | — | — | Written audit |
| Bates White | Case | — | — | Antitrust craft |
| IQVIA | Case | — | — | Prevalence ≠ revenue |
| ZS | Case | — | — | Sales-force math |
| IBM Consulting | Case | — | — | Buildable |
| Capital One | Case | Power Day | — | Bank case math |
| Public sector | Case type | — | — | Four clocks |
| Healthcare | Case type · Life sciences | — | Salary | Payer mix |
| Data / tech | Data science · Tech case | — | — | Unit economics |
Sector maps: healthcare firms, pharma firms, financial services firms, IT firms, energy. Geography: Singapore, UK, India, Dubai.
Practice this on today's invite
Open the assessment or case column for the firm that emailed you. Run one timed gate if there is one (Solve, Casey, SOVA, or aptitude overview). Then sit one live case in the matching lead style at /interview or start with three scored typed turns at /start. Everything is open for seven days, no card; then $120 for a recruiting season or $49 a month.
Frequently asked questions
Should I prep MBB the same way as Big 4?
No. MBB is usually case-plus-fit after a firm-specific digital screen. Big 4 early careers often front-load immersive assessments, job simulations, and values interviews; strategy arms inside the Big 4 are closer to global strategy formats. Start from the entity on the letter, not the parent logo.
How many firm guides should I open before applications?
Three formats is enough: one interviewer-led (McKinsey-style), one candidate-led (Bain/OW-style), and one assessment-heavy member-firm route if you are applying Big 4 UK or similar. Prestige lists without format maps waste weeks.
Do boutiques use the same case frameworks as MBB?
They use the same math habits and a different closing number. Pricing, turnaround, economic, and delivery shops score the unit their clients buy. Generic issue trees without that unit leak points.
Where do salary figures in these guides come from?
From posted ranges and public filings where available, labeled as of the post date. Do not blend core consulting bands with strategy-arm or specialist bands. See consulting salary guide and salary report 2026.
Is CoachNed affiliated with these firms?
No. CoachNed is independent practice. We are not affiliated with McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, or any firm named here.
Sources
- Interviewing at McKinsey — PEI plus problem-solving case for most client-facing roles. Checked 2026-09-24.
- BCG consulting interview process — skills, case, and team interview steps. Checked 2026-09-24.
- BCG US Associate opportunities — CCA timing and online case (~35 minutes). Checked 2026-09-24.
- Bain digital assessment — Sova or TestGorilla by office; ~30–40 minutes. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Deloitte UK early careers assessment — immersive assessment, job simulation, final stage. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Strategy& UK FAQs — unstructured plus structured slide-pack first round. Checked 2026-09-24.
- Oliver Wyman interview preparation — collaborative case guidance and sample cases. Checked 2026-09-24.