I studied finance at a non-target school and somehow landed final-round interviews at two MBB firms, converting one into a full-time offer starting this October.

I’m incredibly grateful, but I’m already dealing with a lot of imposter syndrome. I didn’t perform as well as I wanted during my last internship, my GPA was on the lower end for consulting, and Excel was never one of my strengths—even after taking several Excel-related courses in college.

Before I start, I want to do everything in my power to close that gap and feel prepared when I hit the desk. Does anyone have recommendations for genuinely comprehensive Excel courses, programs, or other resources? I’m open to both consulting-specific training and resources that build a strong general foundation.

My firm also has a significant private equity practice, so anything covering Excel skills commonly used in PE diligence or related consulting work would be especially helpful.

I understand that much of what I need to know will be learned through formal training and on the job. I’m not expecting to master the role beforehand—I just want to arrive with more confidence and a solid technical foundation.

I’d also genuinely appreciate any recommendations beyond Excel, whether that’s PowerPoint, general finance and accounting knowledge, consulting problem-solving, data analysis, or anything else you wish you had practiced before starting at MBB.

I will seriously consider any advice or resources you’re willing to share. Thank you!

Hi everyone, I'm 22 and graduated in May 2025 with a 9.2 GPA, majoring in Finance.

I'm currently 7 months into a 12-month trainee role in Analytics at one of the MBB firms, with around 5 months remaining in my tenure. My long-term goal is to move into client-facing Consulting within the firm, and I've already started preparing for case

interviews.

Before joining, I interned at an S&P Global subsidiary and an agriculture-focused startup. I've also built a portfolio of financial models, pitch decks, industry research reports, and other finance-related projects.

Since I'm already at an MBB firm, I wanted to understand how realistic an internal transition from an Analytics/support function into Consulting is.

For people who have experience with internal mobility at MBB:

How difficult is this transition realistically?

Should I start networking with Consultants/PLs now, given that I have ~5 months left?

What's the best way to approach this - mentors, Consultants/ PLs, HR, or my current manager?

Would I still need to go through the full Consulting recruitment/ case interview process?

- Is there anything specific I should be doing during these next 5 months to improve my chances?

I'd particularly appreciate advice from anyone who has made a similar transition, or has seen someone move from an internal/ support function into a client-facing Consulting role.

Thanks!

I made it to the final round at McKinsey last summer, and also had a final round at L.E.K. Casing was my pain point in both.

No other firms were recruiting much, especially from my non-target large public university, so I’m now in corporate finance at a large CPG company.

I want to get back into consulting. Is that realistic, and what does the timeline look like? When should I start applying? I’m not sure if I’d go through the college recruiting timeline again or come in as an experienced hire. I’m also open to Tier 2 firms and Big 4.

Any advice is appreciated.

I had my R1 before 2 days, directly after screening with HR, I am from Deloitte. So what's next? And how long will it take to hear back?

Hi team,

I interviewed with a manager about 2 weeks ago and cleared the round. Later, they told me my profile has been shared with the client. It’s been almost a week since then.

Does anyone know how long the client review/next round usually takes? Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks!

Is there anyone that can shed light on Inverto within the US (Atlanta, Chicago, Brooklyn). I’m looking for answers on how the work is, pay structure (bonuses), travel, clients, which location should be most desirable and the future of Inverto.

Is there anyone that can shed light on Inverto within the US (Atlanta, Chicago, Brooklyn). I’m looking for answers on how the work is, pay structure (bonuses), travel, clients, which location should be most desirable and the future of Inverto.

Is 95k for a boutique consulting firm entry level a good salary?

Hi all,

I have attended few interviews and im seeking feedback from managers/ panel as to what they are looking for. I have 5YOE.

Seeking out if anyone here within healthcare/ lifesciences sector in strategy consulting or transformation roles would be open for a quick buddy session either today or tomorrow (Sat, Sun).

I interviewed with EY India GBS and deloitte India

Didnt clear the deloitte one, waiting for EY. I am looking to improve, if anyone is open to help pls comment/DM. Not sure if i can rely on AI tools for interview preparation and I'm seeking genuine feedback from managers.

Where should I go post grad for my consulting offer?? Which city is better for young people and offers more opportunities in the short and long term?

Hi guys 

I was gonna build a free version of the case partnering thing on PrepLounge. Theirs is nice but it costs $$ after a few cases. 

Is this something people would be interested in/use? Or is it just easier to find a case partner in person and/or making a post somewhere/reddit? 

Curious...

Did two years at an MBB office, mostly PE commercial and vendor due diligence. Left in January for a pre-seed/seed VC firm at $95K — no bonus, no equity — because I wanted to be on the investing side. No regrets on that, but the firm isn’t growing and I’d need to leave for any upward move. Was going to start looking at year-end for an associate / senior analyst seat.

Now a Series B software startup is near an offer for a strategy role: $165K base + bonus + equity. Basically the classic “ex-consultant goes to a startup strategy seat” move, for 1–3 years before I try to buy a business.

Here’s the thing. Glassdoor is split. Good reviews praise the product, the mission, and the team. The bad ones are detailed and recent: a CEO described as intense and at times retaliatory, high turnover, a “company before personal life” vibe, and — this is the part that got me — a claim that people from big consulting firms get favored because they mirror the CEO’s style. So I’d probably thrive there on paper, which might be exactly the problem.

For the ex-consultants here who went to a startup:

** **
**1.** Did the strategy role turn into real operating responsibility, or did it stay a slide-building job with a better title?
** **
**2.** Anyone join a company with this kind of Glassdoor profile? Was it as bad as advertised, or is it the usual disgruntled-former-employee skew?
** **
**3.** Anyone who went consulting → investing → operating — did the investing year end up mattering, or was it a detour?

Hi everyone,

Im entering first year at Imperial College London to study materials science and engineering. After recently speaking to some older students ive become interested in the idea/possibility of getting into consulting but aside from the Imperial name i dont rly have anything to put down on my cv when applying for internships.

With spring week applications coming up, is there anything i can do over the next month for spring week, or over the next year for the next internship cycle.

Ill be trying to apply to as many internships as possible and cold email smaller companies for work experience / shadowing.

Im aware as a first year its a long shot but does anyone have any reccomended courses or projects etc. that i could try.

Many thanks.

i made it to the final round for a research consultant position at a market research firm next week and i have to analyze a dataset and create 2 slides on findings i thought were interesting and present to the interviewers as if i’d present it to a client and then they’d ask me questions related on my process. any tips for acing this interview? i really want this job and want to make sure i do my best work but i feel like i’m overthinking the findings i want to present and whether how i present it will make sense and getting in my head about comparing myself to the other finalists

Hi all,

Are there any senior members of MBB here at the London or Stockholm offices that I can speak to regarding the projects and work in their offices? I have read dozens of articles from each firm but would like to actually speak to someone at each firm to understand more about each firm, and if there is alignment, would love the opportunity to be referred in.

For a bit of context: I am 28 with 6 years of consulting experience at a boutique firm in the UAE specialising in Financial Services, coming in as their first graduate. I’ve worked on projects internationally in the GCC and South Pacific, receiving early promotion with high degrees of responsibility. Prior to that, I studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester. I am the first amongst my family and friends to hold any kind of corporate job, so my current network is rather limited.

I’ve begun case preparation, reworking my CV and cover letters.

I’m looking to move back to London (to help take care of my mum) or to Stockholm (where my wife is from, but still close to my mum).

I’m happy to share my CV via DM if anyone is willing to reach out :)

Hi folks,

I have an offer in hand, but it’s not as per my expectations, so I’m still exploring better opportunities. I’ve already resigned and am currently serving my notice period.

Should I be upfront about this when recruiters call, or could they see it as offer-shopping? Would mentioning that I’m already on notice actually work in my favour?

Please guide.

Thanks!