Strategy Simplified
Strategy Simplified is here to demystify the consulting industry and help you land your dream job in management consulting. Hosted by the expert team at Management Consulted - the world's largest resource for consulting news and interview prep - each episode covers topics related to the consulting world, from interview preparation and case study techniques to networking strategies and industry trends. Whether you're just starting your career or looking to make a transition, Strategy Simplified is the go-to resource for anyone looking to break into the consulting industry. With actionable advice, insider tips, and real-life success stories, this podcast is the ultimate guide to simplifying your career strategy and landing your dream consulting job.
Episodes
Most 2nd-year MBA candidates have 2 to 4 weeks to get case interview-ready this cycle, not the usual 6 to 8.
More cases won't close that gap for McKinsey, Bain, and BCG.
Former Bain interviewer and LBS MBA Mitali Jalan compressed her prep into under 4 weeks and landed her offer. This session is her plan for doing it on a short runway.
The fix isn't more volume. It's knowing what to drill, and when. Listen for:
- Mital...
McKinsey screens candidates with a video game – McKinsey Solve – before they ever see a case interview. Most candidates either try to copy other people's answers or panic because they don't know what it's measuring.
So here's the breakdown: what Solve is, what McKinsey is testing for inside it, and how to approach it.
The answer isn't Solve-specific prep. It's the same problem-solving fundamentals that car...
George Cary spent five years as a McKinsey EM. In this live case, he coaches candidate Harvey through a real McKinsey market entry study: should a diesel truck manufacturer build and sell electric trucks.
Harvey builds a framework, runs the full cost-of-ownership math, and lands a final recommendation. George pauses after every section to break down good vs. great in real time.
You'll learn:
- Why McKinsey calls it "...
Sharon had everything going for her. Top-tier MBA. MBB interview invites across the board.
She'd done 50–60 cases – but didn't make it past a single first round.
What held her back wasn't her profile. It was her approach.
So she came back the next year when the stakes were even higher. This time, she did it differently – and landed McKinsey and Bain.
Katie breaks down what shifted and what re-rec...
"Any other objectives?" sounds polite. But in a case interview opening, it costs you points.
Namaan breaks down the 3 questions that kill candidates in the first 2 minutes of a case.
The case opening is the first section that gets scored. And it's nearly identical every single time.
So if there's one part of the case you can walk in ready for, it's this one. Get the opening right, and the rest of the case gets easier.
R...
You can nail every case you practice and still get rejected.
That's because firms aren't grading you on vibes. McKinsey scores you piece by piece – opening, structure, math, brainstorming, closing. Other firms use 3 buckets instead: structure, problem solving, communication.
Either way, a 4 out of 4 in math won't save a 1 out of 4 in brainstorming. Firms want you solid across the board.
In this episode, Namaan br...
McKinsey is making 12% more hires this year than last. But the jobs aren't going to the same profile of candidate.
Energy and utilities is projected to grow 11% in 2026 – one of the least sexy practices in consulting, and one of the hottest right now. Healthcare, private equity, and consumer/retail are all shifting too.
If you're aiming at the wrong sector or the wrong skill set, you're competing for the smalles...
Consumer and retail consulting used to be one market. Now it's 4.
Each lane pulls a different lever – growth, margin, or talent. Firms that used to compete on "we do consumer and retail" are getting picked apart by specialists who can prove which lever they actually move.
In this episode of The Briefing, Japheth sits down with Namaan to break down the 4 lanes reshaping a $70B market, why AI stopped being enough ...
Building business judgment is learnable – most candidates just go about it the wrong way.
Tauseef Charanya spent 10 years at BCG, conducted over 300 case interviews, and coached hundreds of candidates through the process.
In this episode, he explains what business acumen actually looks like in a case interview, why work experience alone doesn't build it, and the 4 layers you need to hit to get an offer.
Res...
Using AI for case prep? For most candidates, it's costing them the offer.
McKinsey and Bain are already grading how you use AI in interviews this cycle.
Most candidates ask AI for answers, skip the hypothesis, and accept whatever it hands back. That skips the exact skill firms are testing: how you think through a problem, not just the answer you get to.
In this episode, Namaan breaks down the 3 AI case prep mistakes, a...
This episode is presented by Bates White, one of the world's top economic consulting firms. If you're an undergraduate rising junior (Class of 2028), Bates White internship applications open in August. Learn more.
Consulting firms are moving towards non-traditional cases. They want to see if you can think, not just if you've memorized a framework.
This one is a BCG-style case built around two universities launch...
Everyone assumes AI is eating consulting alive – demand shrinking, firms pulling back. That's the narrative.
The data from our July Consulting Market Outlook says something else entirely.
In this episode of The Briefing, Japheth sits down with Namaan to unpack what's actually happening in the market right now.
Demand is up. The bottleneck isn't leads or RFPs – it's delivery. And that changes who...
BCG's HireQuotient Online Assessment is the Online Case – same test, new platform.
Katie – MC's Black Belt Advisor and ex-BCG – breaks down what's on it, how it's scored, and the thing that fails candidates outright.
We walk through a live demo so you can see the mechanics before BCG sends you the real thing. Finish in time, prioritize fast, rule things out. And when you get to the final video rec &n...
The consumer and retail consulting market is fragmenting. Specialists are winning deals that used to go to the big firms – and the clients driving that shift aren't going back.
2 partners from this year's Top Consumer & Retail Consulting Firms ranking break it down.
Keith Fogerty from Advancy and Shikha Jain from Simon-Kucher share what's actually happening in the market – revenue growth pressure...
Bruno had every disadvantage on paper: international student, non-target school, three internships that didn't add up to one clear story.
He didn't let it hold him back, landing a full-time offer at BCG.
In this episode of Recruiting Reality Check, Katie – MC's Black Belt Advisor – breaks down what got Bruno there. Spoiler: it wasn't more cases. It was a plan he stuck to even when it felt too "boring" to w...
Every McKinsey interviewee last year got at least 1 non-traditional case. Most candidates are still only prepping for standard business cases.
Namaan breaks down what's actually different about case interviews in 2026, and it's not just the case types.
McKinsey is piloting an AI-enabled interview round. Bain's also adding one this summer.
The bar on communication and presence just went up too, because AI raised t...
Energy consulting grew in line with the market for a decade. Flat. Unremarkable. Nobody paid attention.
That changed.
The market's now projected to grow 11% in 2026, and leverage for candidates with ops or technical backgrounds is higher than at any point in recent history.
In this episode of The Briefing, Japheth sits down with Namaan to break down what's driving the boom. Spoiler: it's not just the data center ...
The reality of MBB recruiting: 100 candidates apply. 15 get an interview. 1 gets the offer.
Most of the 99 who don't get it aren't underqualified. They just had a bad plan.
Kabreya Ghaderi, who coached hundreds of candidates and spent time at McKinsey, PwC, and Bridgespan, sees strong candidates still miss because their prep plan has a hole in it they can't see from the inside.
In this episode, Kabreya walks through th...
Ish Mawla ran a BCG case in front of a live audience. Real candidate, real pressure.
The case: a solar company in an emerging market watching its revenue fall while the broader market keeps growing. Aditya has to figure out why – and what to do about it.
Then Ish breaks down the whole thing – what Aditya did well and where he left points on the table.
Here's what stood out:
- Why your framework can work ag...
5 people just landed offers at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, and L.E.K. We got them all in one room and asked them the same question: what actually worked?
The real stuff – how many cases they did, how they networked, what they wish they'd done differently, and the misconceptions that almost cost them.
Aisha did 50 cases her first recruiting cycle and didn't get the offer. She did 25 the second time and got it....
Popular Podcasts
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.