Every top consulting candidate knows that without acing both interview rounds, you won’t get a job offer

Interviews are the critical hurdle between having a strong resume and landing a job at top consulting firms around the world. If you can’t impress consultants with your stories of leadership and teamwork, and if you can’t deconstruct case studies and demonstrate your business acumen, you won’t get far.

One thing we learned after job-hunting successfully at the world’s top consulting firms, and from insider experience at McKinsey and Bain, is that if you’re a good interviewer, you can land jobs anywhere.

We’ve helped prepare hundreds of undergraduates, graduate students, and experienced professionals for conquering consulting interviews – many received offers from companies and offices like McKinsey in London, Boston Consulting Group in Spain, Bain in San Francisco, Accenture in New York, Deloitte in Sydney, Navigant in Los Angeles, and many more.

You have alternative interview options – but none will have the focused practice, the specific consulting questions, and the detailed feedback that we provide. We’ll share the secrets behind how interviewers score your performance, and the specific traits they look for in responses.

In short – we’ll help you develop the exact qualities that separate top interviewers from the rest.

Here are some examples of the types of questions we’ll answer:

Before the interview:

• Should I wear business formal, or is it ok to go with business casual?
• Should I wear cologne/perfume or is that inappropriate?
• What do I need to bring besides my resume – pen? paper? calculator?
• Are there any news sources I should read that morning before I walk into the room?

During the experiential and behavioral interview:

• What’s the right way to walk through my resume – chronologically or important experiences first?
• When they ask about an example of leadership, can I talk about my personal life?
• Is it okay to talk about things I want to do after consulting?
• It’s difficult to come up with a believable “greatest weakness” that doesn’t make me look bad. What should I do?
• Can I talk about travel and salary when discussing why I want to be a management consultant?
• How do I sound believable and yet unique when I discuss why I want to work at McKinsey/Bain/BCG?
• The interviewer asked how far along the process I was with other firms. How much should I reveal?

During the case interview:

• How do you even start to figure out how many baseballs fit into a Boeing 747?
• I keep hearing that I need better “structure.” How do I do this?
• I’ve memorized 10 frameworks. Is this enough to guarantee my success?
• What does 80/20 mean? Hypothesis-driven problem-solving?
• I’m scared of the “elevator test”! How do I synthesize and effectively communicate findings?
• I’m not creative enough with my answers. How do I show that I’m an out-of-the-box thinker?

And in general:

• Help! I have a phone interview and am not sure what we’ll be talking about.
• I don’t know the right questions to ask when my interview wraps up.
• Is it ok to mention that I’ve applied to other firms? Should I tell them how far I’ve gotten?

Here’s what we can offer you:

A consulting-focused mock interview service that will improve your communication skills, responses, and ability to conquer the toughest case studies. You’ll be able to…

• Handle any behavioral/personality/experiential question they throw at you – sounding natural, articulate, and insightful
• Avoid the “disaster answers” that will make an interviewer cringe
• Craft great responses to the toughest of questions. No longer will you worry about what to say when they ask about a time where you showed leadership even when you haven’t been an “official leader”
• Calmly walk through the most ambiguous sizing questions – you will know exactly how many baseballs fit into a Boeing 747, impressing even the most experienced interviewer!
• Conquer case studies with business acumen and creativity. You’ll know the right frameworks to use for any question; have structured, comprehensive responses; and even add insightful responses that will energize and surprise interviewers

Here’s how it works:

1. When you’re setting up your mock interview with us, send us any feedback you’ve received from other experienced interviewers so we can jump right in.
2. We set up and conduct the interviews via Skype – you can choose to be on or off camera.  For one hour, we recommend 15-20 minutes on fit interview questions and 40-45 minutes on case studies and fit interview questions, with question-by-question feedback.
3. We give you advice and case study resources so you can practice until you’re perfect.
4. We provide you with unlimited feedback through email for 14 days – you can get our advice on the “right” answers as you compose them!
5. We’ll share the secrets of how interviewers score your performance – and in particular, the specific skills you must demonstrate to ace the interview and land an offer.

The session will be intense and as similar to the real interview as possible. You’ll know your strengths, weaknesses, and most importantly, exactly how to improve (in some cases, we’ll create the right responses together).

Finally, this is for you – you can customize this time to your needs. We can spend 40 minutes on cases only, or just focus on fit questions. We can even use the time to discuss other topics, from networking strategies to finding consulting firms with the right fit.

How much does all this cost?

The total cost for a 1 hour mock interview is $225 – which includes 60-minutes of live interview simulation and feedback.

We also have 4-hour ($700; includes free copy of The Consulting Bible) and 10-hour  ($1600; includes free copy of The Consulting Bible) packages for customers who are starting with little-to-no business or interview background.  If this is you, we’d recommend that you start at least 3-4 weeks before the anticipated interview, and that you begin working with us before you develop bad habits elsewhere, but of course we’ll work with you if you’re in a pinch too.

Based on customer feedback, we’ve added a discount if you’re also interested in resume and cover letter editing. Just try the “Consulting Job Hunt” or “Consulting Bootcamp” packages!

Why choose our service over others?

Here’s where we think those other prep services (read: Vault) come short:

• Generic interviewer services don’t know how consulting interviews are scored. They don’t know what Bain thinks is a great response versus a poor one, and the exact questions that McKinsey or AT Kearney will ask.
• They charge very high prices without our level of attention to the details that matter (trust me, you’ll appreciate our focus on the little things).
• They provide generic, unactionable feedback – with remarks such as “I really like that response” or “Your answer could be better. Perhaps tell a better story?”
• You can’t ask followup questions. Once the hour is over, you never talk to them again. If you come up with the perfect story to explain your greatest failure, you’re out of luck.

This sounds great. How do I get started!

Before you pay, let me say one thing: just like with resume editing, our offer is only for people who are serious about breaking into consulting. It’s going to take a lot of work, but we don’t want to work with readers who are flaky or just plain lazy.

Click the link below to learn more. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns!

More frequently asked questions:

My interview is in 4 days. Can you accommodate my schedule?

We’re flexible, and can typically accommodate tight timeframes, even over the weekend if needed. Email us before making your payment to confirm. Guaranteed 48-hour turnaround costs an extra 100 USD; otherwise, you can expect that we need 3-5 business days to schedule the interview. (The extra 100 USD is only charged once, no matter what services you order.)

I found your simulated interview incredibly helpful. It helped me ace my first round, and now I have a final round interview to prepare for! Can you give me a discount?

Definitely. We’re willing to offer the same service for $200/hour (or bulk discounts for more sessions) to repeat clients. Just email us.

I’d like your help on my resume, cover letter, and the interviews. Can I get a discount?

Of course.

If you’re interested in resume and cover letter editing + interview prep, we have 2 discounted options:

• Consulting Job Hunt – Resume/Cover Letter editing + 1 Hour of Interview Prep (includes free copies of The Consulting Bible and The Consulting Resume and Cover Letter Bible); discounted from $775 to $475
• Consulting Boot Camp – Resume/Cover Letter editing + 4 Hours of Interview Prep (includes free copies of The Consulting Bible and The Consulting Resume and Cover Letter Bible); discounted from $1550 (a la carte) to $975.

I ordered the 10-session package because I really need help.  How would you recommend breaking down the sessions to use our time together?

Great question.  Of course, we’ll tailor the sessions to your specific situation, but here’s a common approach that has worked with other clients who got offers at Bain, BCG, McKinsey, Oliver Wyman, and more:

• 2 sessions on business basics, including 3 case frameworks you absolutely must know, why profitability always matters, and lingo that all consultants expect you to use casually
• 1 session on case basics, including the anatomy of a case, how to open and close a case effectively, and how to structure mini-cases (like market sizing questions)
• 3 cases with real-time feedback, where we catch you immediately when you make mistakes and help you correct them
• 2 sessions grilling you on fit questions, working together to craft answers that display confidence, poise, and content that interviewers will love
• 2 hardcore mock sessions to test what you’ve learned, tweak your approach, and put the finishing touches on before interview day

Because we spend so much time together, we also work with you (on the calls or via email) to personally help guide you end-to-end through the networking and resume drop processes.

Can I get a refund on the interview service if I cancel it after making a bulk order for multiple services?

Yes, but the refund will be decreased by the amount of the bulk discount. (E.g. your net payment after receiving the refund will be as if you purchased services separately.)

What if I’m an international student, or applying to offices overseas?

As with the resume editing service, the interview process for each firm is largely identical globally. Firms standardize their recruiting methods, so our advice and critique for your interview will be the same whether you’re in Boston, Massachusetts or Barcelona, Spain.

I have 15 years of work experience and now want to transition into consulting. Can you still help me?

We find that these clients often need the most help – particularly in crafting the right stories, preparing for the right types of interview questions, and knowing exactly how to tackle common consulting cases. After all, it’s usually been awhile since you’ve been interviewed at all, and our service is a great way to dust off those cobwebs and find out what today’s consulting firms look for in candidates.

I feel like I’m a good interviewer and am comfortable with cases. Is your service worth the price in a situation like mine?

Absolutely. We guarantee that in an hour with us, you’ll confront important questions you’ve never heard before. We’ll share secrets behind how interviewers score your responses, and the keywords and phrases that they look for in your answers. We’ll also be brutally honest about your chances and the work you need to put in to get an offer.  After that hour, you’ll approach cases with increased confidence and feel that you can handle any case-question thrown at you.

Do you offer discounts if I purchase your services separately? For instance, if I pay full price for resume editing now, can I get the package discount if I choose to purchase the interview later?

Unfortunately, we can’t offer the discount if you purchase separately. It wouldn’t be fair to the people who pay for the packages upfront. However, the discount for multiple interview sessions would still apply if you’d like more than one follow-up. Hope that makes sense!

Fully prepare for your consulting interviews NOW and fast track your way into a management consulting career!