The job, as the BLS defines it
Management analysts, often called management consultants.
- Core job
- Recommend ways to improve efficiency
- Goal
- Lower costs and higher revenues
- Where
- Their office and the client's site
- Hours
- Some work more than 40 a week
What is management consulting, and what do consultants do?
Management consulting is expert advice for hire. Companies and governments bring in outside teams to solve a problem they can't or don't want to solve alone, from where to grow to how to cut costs. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says consultants gather information, interview staff, analyze data, recommend changes and check that the changes work. Large firms such as McKinsey, BCG and Bain hire through case interviews plus interviews about your experience. To see what the work feels like, Soreno, an AI voice app for case interview practice, runs MBB-style cases and fit questions with follow-ups and scored feedback.
Updated
- Outside help on one problem. The BLS calls consultants management analysts, who recommend ways to make an organization run better.
- The work is a loop. Gather facts, interview people, analyze data, recommend, then check the change is working.
- Four kinds of work. Our grouping: strategy, operations, technology and people or organization. BCG and McKinsey both list work in all four.
- Projects, not a desk job. Teams form around one client problem, often on site, then move to the next one.
- You get in by interview. A case interview tests how you solve a business problem. A fit interview tests your stories.
What types of management consulting firms are there?
Our grouping, for a first look. Firm names are examples, and each firm's own pages describe it best. For tiers and rankings, see our consulting firm tiers guide.
| Type | What they focus on | Examples | Interview | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy-led generalists Senior leaders' biggest questions, across many industries and functions
| Senior leaders' biggest questions, across many industries and functions | McKinsey, BCG, Bain (MBB) | Case and fit interviews | Bain sums up management consulting as being a company that helps other companies address their biggest challenges. |
| Specialist strategy firms Strategy work, often with a focus on certain industries
| Strategy work, often with a focus on certain industries | Oliver Wyman, Kearney, L.E.K., Roland Berger | Case and fit interviews | Often grouped as Tier 2. Our tiers guide covers each firm's interview. |
| Big 4 consulting arms Strategy, operations, technology and people work inside large professional services firms
| Strategy, operations, technology and people work inside large professional services firms | Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG | Case and behavioral interviews | Deloitte uses case interviews for its consulting roles. |
| Boutiques One industry or one function, such as healthcare or pricing
| One industry or one function, such as healthcare or pricing | Many small firms | Varies, often a case | The BLS expects growth to be strong at smaller firms that specialize by industry or function. |
| Internal and government Consulting inside one company or agency
| Consulting inside one company or agency | Corporate strategy teams, agencies | Varies by employer | The BLS says some analysts work for the organization they analyze, and 18% work in government. |
Grouping is ours. Facts in the last column come from the BLS and Deloitte pages linked on this page, read October 28, 2026.
What do management consultants actually do?
A management consultant is hired to solve one problem for one client, then moves to the next. Here is the work as the BLS and the firms themselves describe it.
The job at a large firm
How McKinsey describes its entry roles.
- Most join as
- Business analysts or associates
- Day one
- Part of a client team
- The work
- Analyze data, present ideas
- Who leads
- An engagement manager
A consultant's work, step by step7 duties
The BLS lists what management analysts typically do. Read in order, it is the life of one project.
1
Gather the facts
Gather and organize information about the problem to be solved or the process to be improved.
2
Talk to people and watch the work
Interview staff and observe on site to see what methods, equipment and people the fix will need.
3
Analyze the numbers
Work through financial and other data, including revenue, spending and employment reports.
4
Find options
Develop solutions or alternative ways of working.
5
Recommend
Propose new systems, procedures or changes to the organization.
6
Present
Make recommendations to management through presentations or written reports.
7
Follow through
Confer with managers to make sure the changes are working.
What a junior consultant's day looks likeOur outline
No firm publishes a fixed schedule. This is our outline of a typical day for a first-year consultant, built from the duties above and from how McKinsey and Bain describe entry roles.
Morning
Team check-in
The team agrees what each person owns that day. McKinsey says associates lead their own workstreams and business analysts work on the client team from day one.
Midday
Analysis and interviews
Building a model, cleaning data, or interviewing client staff and experts. Bain says its interns learn to conduct research, run analyses and interview.
Afternoon
Client working session
Walking a client manager through a finding and testing it against what they know.
Evening
Turning findings into slides
Writing up the day's work as slides or a short memo for the manager or partner to review.
The hard parts, from the BLSTravel and hours
The BLS is plain about the downsides.
Travel
Often on the road
Analysts split their time between their offices and the client's site, and travel frequently because they spend a lot of time with clients.
Hours
Long weeks
Analysts often work many hours under tight deadlines. Some work more than 40 hours a week.
Stress
Client pressure
The BLS says analysts may feel stress, especially when meeting a client's demands on a tight schedule.
The four kinds of consulting work4 kinds
Large firms sort their work by function as well as by industry. The four groups below are our summary of BCG's capability list and McKinsey's list of role types.
Strategy
Where to compete and how to grow
BCG lists corporate finance and strategy, M&A, and pricing among its capabilities. The BLS says organizations hire consultants to develop strategies for entering markets and staying competitive.
Management vs strategy consultingOperations
Running the business better
BCG describes its operations work as procurement, service operations and supply chains. McKinsey's Implementation team helps clients improve performance and transform processes.
Operations consultingTechnology
Data, AI and digital products
McKinsey's Tech & AI roles blend data science and human-centered design to build technology and products. BCG lists artificial intelligence as a capability.
People
Organization, talent and change
BCG lists organization strategy and people strategy, covering leadership, culture, talent, reskilling and HR. McKinsey's Transformation roles lead major change inside client organizations.
How a consulting project runs5 stages
The BLS describes how contract work is won and staffed. The stages after that are our outline, and every firm runs them its own way.
Win
The proposal
The BLS says an organization that needs help often requests proposals from several firms. Each explains how the work will be done, the schedule and the cost, and the client picks the one that best fits its needs and budget.
Staff
The team
The BLS says some projects use a team of analysts, each covering one area, while on others an analyst works alone with the client's managers. At McKinsey an engagement manager leads the project and mentors the team.
Diagnose
The first weeks
Our outline: interviews, data requests and a first answer to test, sometimes called the hypothesis.
Recommend
The answer
Findings go to the client's leaders as a presentation or a written report, as the BLS describes.
Deliver
Making it stick
Some projects end at the recommendation, others continue into the change itself. McKinsey says its Implementation work helps clients turn ideas into change that sticks.
Who hires management consultantsBLS, 2025
The BLS counts about 1.1 million management analyst jobs in 2025. The largest group works in the industry that includes consulting firms, but many work elsewhere.
33%
Professional, scientific and technical services
The group that includes consulting firms. The BLS says many analysts work as consultants on a contract basis.
18%
Government
Excluding state and local education and hospitals. The BLS says government analysts usually specialize by type of agency.
14%
Self-employed
Paid directly by their clients, typically by the hour or by the project, as the BLS puts it.
13% and 5%
Finance and insurance, and management of companies
The BLS counts these too. Some analysts work for the organization they analyze rather than for a consulting firm.
Pay and job outlook, from the BLSMay 2025 pay
These figures cover all management analysts, not only consultants at large firms.
Pay
$101,860 median in May 2025
That covers every management analyst, not just consultants at large firms. Our salary guide breaks pay down by firm and level.
Management consultant salaryBonus
Base salary plus a year-end bonus
The BLS says that is the usual pay at consulting firms.
Outlook
10 percent growth from 2025 to 2035
Much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 94,100 openings projected each year.
Why
Efficiency and cost control
The BLS expects demand as organizations look for ways to improve efficiency and control costs, with strong growth at smaller firms that specialize in one industry or function.
From BLS: management analysts, McKinsey: consulting roles, BCG: capabilities, BCG: consulting careers and Bain: management consulting careers.
What do consulting firms look for in candidates?
Every firm words it differently. These are the qualities the BLS and the firms name on their own pages.
Structured problem solving
BCG asks you to structure your approach, ask good questions, analyze data, do quick math and find what matters most. Bain says its case interviews reward logical, structured thinking, precision and creativity.
Show what they listen for
- What interviewers listen for
- A clear plan before the math, and a point of view at the end.
Clear communication
The BLS lists communication in writing and speech, plus good listening, as a key quality. Deloitte looks for clear thinking, practical judgment and a professional demeanor.
Show what they listen for
- What interviewers listen for
- Short answers that lead with the conclusion.
Working with people
The BLS names interpersonal skills, because consultants work alongside client managers and staff toward the client's goals.
Drive and curiosity
McKinsey seeks smart, driven problem solvers from fields as varied as law, medicine and engineering. Bain wants people who are intellectually curious and entrepreneurial.
A real reason for this firm
Bain says that in all cases it looks for people who can explain why they want to join it specifically.
Show what they listen for
- What interviewers listen for
- Something true of that firm, tied to your own story.
From BLS: management analysts, BCG: case interview preparation, Bain: interviewing, McKinsey: interviewing and Deloitte: case interview tips.
How do you get into management consulting?
The short version. Our guide to getting into consulting covers each route in full.
Five steps, in order
Step 1
Pick your route in
You can join after an undergraduate degree, after an MBA, or with work experience. The BLS says a bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement, some employers prefer an MBA, and many analysts start with several years of work experience. Fields include business, social science and engineering.
How to get into consultingFrom BLS: how to become one.
Step 2
Meet people at the firms
Coffee chats and campus events help you learn what each firm is like and give you something real to say when they ask why them.
Consulting networkingStep 3
Pass the online test
McKinsey uses Solve, a gamified problem-solving assessment, for most consulting roles. Bain says its consulting process typically starts with a digital assessment.
From McKinsey: interviewing and Bain: interviewing.
Step 4
Solve the case interview
You work through a business problem out loud. Bain calls it a structured conversation about the kind of problem its teams tackle every day, and says it is not looking for a single right answer.
What is a case interview?From Bain: case interview and BCG: case interview preparation.
Step 5
Tell your stories in the fit interview
McKinsey's personal experience interviews ask for detailed examples of your own impact. Bain's interviews cover your past experience and why you want to join.
Why consulting?From McKinsey: interviewing and Bain: interviewing.
Firm steps from each firm's own careers pages, read October 28, 2026. Our guide to the consulting career path covers what comes after the offer.
12 practice cases and fit questions
The fastest way to see what consulting work feels like is to try a case. These are Soreno's own prompts: strategy, operations and public sector cases, plus the fit questions most firms ask.
Strategy cases3 questions
Where to compete and how to grow.
Should a US e-bike maker enter a new market?
What a strong answer does
Size the market, check the competition and the company's ability to win, then give a clear yes or no with the risks. Practice it, see a model answer
- “What would make you change your answer?”
- “How would you enter, build or buy?”
Should a food company buy a snack startup?
What a strong answer does
Test the strategic fit, the value of the deal and the synergies, then say what price would still make sense. Practice it, see a model answer
- “What could go wrong after the deal closes?”
How should a software company price a new add-on?
What a strong answer does
Anchor on the value to the customer, check competitors and cost, and land on one price with a reason. Practice it, see a model answer
- “How would you test that price?”
Operations cases3 questions
Running the business better.
A retailer needs to cut costs by 10 percent. Where do you look?
What a strong answer does
Split costs into buckets, size each one, and go after the biggest levers that don't hurt customers. Practice it, see a model answer
- “Which cut would you make first?”
- “How would staff react?”
A manufacturer's on-time delivery is falling. Why?
What a strong answer does
Walk the order from start to finish, find where it slows down, and fix the bottleneck first. Practice it, see a model answer
- “How would you know the fix worked?”
Unit costs are rising at a manufacturer. What do you do?
What a strong answer does
Break the unit cost into materials, labor and overhead, find which part moved and why, then recommend. Practice it, see a model answer
- “Is this a one-off or a trend?”
Public sector and profitability cases3 questions
The classic first case, and work for government clients.
A grocery chain's profits are down 20 percent. Why?
What a strong answer does
Split profit into revenue and cost, find which side moved, dig into the driver, and end with a fix. Practice it, see a model answer
- “What data would you ask for first?”
Hospital emergency room wait times have doubled. What happened?
What a strong answer does
Look at patients coming in, how fast they move through and what blocks beds, then fix the slowest step. Practice it, see a model answer
- “Who would you interview first?”
How can a city cut traffic deaths?
What a strong answer does
Break deaths down by where, when and who, pick the few causes that matter most, and weigh cost against lives saved. Practice it, see a model answer
- “How would you measure progress?”
Fit questions3 questions
Asked at nearly every firm.
Why consulting?
What a strong answer does
Two reasons about the work itself, each backed by something you have done. Show you know what the job involves day to day. Practice it, see a model answer
- “What do you think a first-year consultant does all day?”
- “What would you do if you didn't get an offer?”
Why this firm?
What a strong answer does
Something true of this firm, from its own pages or its people, tied to what you want to learn. Practice it, see a model answer
- “Who have you spoken to here?”
Tell me about a time you changed someone's mind.
What a strong answer does
Consultants persuade clients every day. Show how you listened, used facts and found common ground. Practice it, see a model answer
- “What would you do if they still said no?”
Myths and where to go next
Myths about management consulting
Consultants only make slides
The BLS lists interviewing staff, analyzing data and checking that changes are working as part of the job. McKinsey also hires for Implementation roles that help clients turn ideas into change that sticks.
You need a business degree
McKinsey hires from law, medicine, engineering and military service, among other fields. The BLS lists business, social science and engineering degrees.
Consulting means strategy
Strategy is one kind of work. BCG lists operations, AI and people strategy among its capabilities, and McKinsey hires for Tech & AI, Implementation and Transformation roles beside consulting.
Only the biggest firms count
The BLS counts government agencies, self-employed consultants and in-house teams too, and expects strong growth at smaller specialist firms.
The case has one right answer
Bain, BCG and Deloitte all say they care about how you reason, not one right answer.
Where to go next
Each of these pages takes one part of this guide further.
Compare
Management vs strategy consulting
How strategy work differs from operations and implementation work, and how nine firms describe their own.
Firms
MBB, Tier 2, Big 4 and boutiques
Which firms sit where, and how their interviews differ.
Career
Levels, promotion and exits
From business analyst to partner, and where people go after consulting.
Try
Do one case out loud
The quickest way to find out whether you like the work.
See if consulting fits you, try a case out loud
Soreno's AI interviewer runs a consulting case the way a firm does: it gives you the prompt, answers your questions, hands you data and pushes back on your answer, then scores the session and shows you what to fix. Soreno is not affiliated with any firm named on this page.
Questions people ask
What is management consulting in simple terms?
A company or government pays an outside team to help solve a problem, such as how to grow, how to cut costs or how to reorganize. The team studies the problem, recommends what to do and often helps make the change.
What do management consultants do day to day?
They gather information, interview client staff, analyze data, build recommendations and present them to client leaders, as the BLS describes the job. At McKinsey, business analysts analyze data and present ideas, and partners lead major client relationships.
How much do management consultants make?
The BLS reports a median of $101,860 for management analysts in May 2025, and says consulting firms usually pay a base salary plus a year-end bonus. Our management consultant salary guide covers pay by firm and level.
Is management consulting a good career?
The BLS projects 10 percent job growth from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average. McKinsey says people stay a few years or a whole career. The BLS notes senior analysts may move to management jobs outside consulting, and our consulting career path guide covers the exits.
Do you need an MBA to be a management consultant?
No. The BLS says a bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement, though some employers prefer an MBA. McKinsey says most consultants join as business analysts or associates, and it has roles for undergraduates.
Why do companies hire management consultants?
In our view, for skills or time they don't have in house, and an outside view. The BLS says organizations hire them to develop strategies for entering and staying competitive in a market, and expects demand as organizations try to improve efficiency and control costs.
What is the difference between management consulting and strategy consulting?
Strategy consulting is one part of management consulting, focused on where a company competes and how it grows. Our management vs strategy consulting guide compares them side by side.
How do consulting firms interview?
Most use a case interview, where you solve a business problem out loud, and a fit or behavioral interview about your experiences. Many add an online test first, such as McKinsey's Solve.