Curriculum Outline, Built by [Anonymous Analyst]., McKinsey & Co.
This curriculum highlights the most important concepts and practice areas to focus on to prepare for your management consulting interviews. We’ve worked with consultants and interviewers from top firms to help you prioritize where to spend your time and how to practice most effectively.
This curriculum will help you learn the core technical skills in case interviews: structuring, math, data interpretation, creativity, and synthesis. In the process, you’ll work closely with your mentor to refine your responses and case performance until they feel structured, confident, and conversational.
Over the next two months, you will cover the following concepts in the table below. After an introductory meeting, you will complete assigned readings and practice exercises each week, then bring them to your sessions for feedback and mock interview drills.
This is our suggested structure, but if you and your mentor find a more effective approach — such as skipping a topic you’ve already mastered, slowing down to focus on a weak area, or compressing the program into fewer weeks — feel free to adjust accordingly.
| Week | Topics Covered | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Introductions | Getting to know each other, Overview of the next ~8 weeks |
| 1 | Case Interview Foundations | Case format, hypothesis-driven thinking, interviewer-led vs. interviewee-led styles |
| 2 | Frameworks & Problem Structuring | Classic frameworks, custom frameworks, and adapting to different case types |
| 3 | Case Math & Market Sizing | Mental math, breakeven, ROI, growth rates, estimation and sizing drills |
| 4 | Data Interpretation & Synthesis | Reading charts, extracting insights, top-down synthesis, pyramid principle |
| 5 | Profitability Cases | Profit trees, revenue vs. cost drivers, root cause analysis |
| 6 | Market Entry Cases | Market attractiveness, entry strategies, sizing, risks |
| 7 | Growth Strategy & Private Equity | Growth levers, creativity in brainstorming, PE investment criteria, synergies and risks |
| 8 | Final Mock Interview | Full-length mock interview integrating all skills, both McKinsey-style and BCG/Bain-style |
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A note on curriculum
We know everyone comes into case interviews with different levels of background.
Some students may already have experience from consulting clubs or prior practice, while many are starting fresh. This curriculum is our suggestion for most students who want to build from the ground up. If you and your mentor feel like skipping a week, adding in an extra case type, or adjusting the order will be more valuable, that’s fine. You and your mentor can adapt this to make it work for you.
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This case prep program will follow a 1-on-1 structure with a Wall Street Guide mentor who will serve as your guide throughout the eight weeks. You will be required to complete pre-readings and drills before each session. Each session will be divided into two key components:
Each week, we expect you to put in at least 5 hours of work outside of the session, including framework drills, math practice, and case practice with peers.
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A note on timing
If needed, you can compress or stretch this program. For most people, we suggest 8 weeks with at least five hours of practice each week. But you could also complete it in 4 weeks (two sessions per week) or extend it longer if you prefer more spaced practice. Unless you have a specific reason to adjust, we encourage sticking to the 8-week structure.
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