What should consulting aspirants do before joining a B-school?
Consulting aspirants should master Excel, PowerPoint, and case frameworks before joining a B-school, since these skills directly determine summer and final placement outcomes at firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Kearney.
Build Core Consulting Tools Early
Most consulting work revolves around data analysis and client presentations. Excel proficiency (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, basic macros) and PowerPoint storytelling (slide structure, data visualization, executive summaries) are non-negotiable. From Reddit, we learnt that first-year consulting club selections at IIMs often test these skills through live case competitions, and students who arrive unprepared struggle to catch up during the intense first trimester.
AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are now standard in consulting workflows for research, draft generation, and scenario modeling. Familiarity with prompt engineering and output validation will set you apart during live case rounds and summer internships.
Master Case Interview Frameworks
Case interviews account for 70-80% of consulting placement outcomes. The frameworks (profitability, market entry, pricing, M&A) are learnable, but fluency requires 40-50 practice cases minimum.
Start with "Case Interview Secrets" by Victor Cheng and "Case in Point" by Marc Cosentino, then move to IIM casebooks (IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta publish excellent collections annually). Practice with peers or use platforms like PrepLounge and CaseCoach for timed drills.
Guesstimate questions (market sizing, revenue estimation) appear in 90% of consulting interviews. Daily practice with real-world problems (number of cars in Mumbai, revenue of Zomato) builds the structured thinking consultants value.
Understand the Consulting Landscape
Research which firms recruit at your target B-school.
Top IIMs see McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Kearney, EY Parthenon, and Accenture Strategy on campus, while newer IIMs and tier-2 schools attract Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and boutique firms. Check placement reports on compare colleges to see firm-wise offer counts and average packages.
For example, IIM Ahmedabad's Class of 2024 placed 47 students in MBB (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) at ₹35+ LPA, while IIM Lucknow placed 38 in consulting overall at ₹28-32 LPA.
| Firm Tier | Examples | Typical Package Range |
|---|---|---|
| MBB | McKinsey, BCG, Bain | ₹32-40 LPA |
| Tier-2 Strategy | Kearney, EY Parthenon, Oliver Wyman | ₹28-35 LPA |
| Big Four Advisory | Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG | ₹18-26 LPA |
Read Industry Publications
Subscribe to Harvard Business Review, McKinsey Quarterly, and BCG Perspectives. Interviewers often reference recent articles or frameworks during case discussions.
Following consulting Twitter accounts and LinkedIn thought leaders (partners at MBB firms) gives you conversation starters and demonstrates genuine interest.
Network with Alumni
Reach out to consulting alumni from your target B-school on LinkedIn. Ask about their preparation timeline, common interview mistakes, and firm culture differences.
Most are willing to share casebooks, mock interview tips, and referral advice. Use run an eligibility match to identify schools with strong consulting placement records before finalizing your admission decision.
Pro Tip: From Reddit, we learnt that joining your B-school's consulting club in the first week is critical since senior members run mock interview bootcamps, share firm-specific casebooks, and often influence club selections that lead to pre-placement offers from Accenture and Deloitte.