One week of case prep: use every day deliberately.

Read the interview invitation. Confirm the format, language, location or meeting link, expected tools and any separate assessment. A written presentation and a live case conversation require different rehearsal.

Book partner sessions early enough to leave time for changes between them. Tell the partner one thing you want them to observe. If you are trading cases, prepare the case you will give them as carefully as the one you hope to receive.

Keep one source of instruction and a manageable set of unfamiliar practice material. Begin with the official material for your target process, using your invitation to identify which parts apply.

Attempt an unfamiliar case with a partner or an interviewer tool. If you are completely new, first work through a short guided example, then make your own attempt on a different question.

Keep a record of the first moment you needed help. Was the objective unclear? Did you struggle to choose an equation? Did you produce a number without knowing what it meant? Did your listener lose the thread?

Choose two priorities at most. For example: “I need to define the profit target before analysing” and “I need to explain my calculation before giving the number.” Those are behaviours you can practise this week.

Also list a few real situations you could discuss in experience questions. You will develop those alongside the cases.

Take two short prompts. For each, state the client's decision, ask the clarification that changes your approach and build a structure around the important questions.

Then identify the first analysis and explain why it comes first. A branch called “financials” is not enough. Say what you would calculate and how the result affects the decision.

For example, a retailer considering home delivery needs to know how many additional orders it would take to cover fulfilment costs and meet its profit target. Starting with contribution per order can turn a vague demand discussion into a specific threshold.

Record the explanation. If it sounds like a long list, practise the main questions first and add detail only where it explains the logic. Use the framework guide for a full worked version.

Work through a calculation and an exhibit. Say the equation before substituting numbers, keep units and periods consistent, and finish by explaining what the result means.

Try this short question:

“A retailer can spend £90,000 on equipment that saves £60,000 a year. It wants its investment paid back within one year. Does the proposal meet the requirement?”

Simple payback is £90,000 ÷ £60,000 = 1.5 years. The savings are positive, but the proposal misses the client's threshold.

A useful follow-up is to find what would make it work. The upfront cost would need to fall to £60,000, annual savings would need to reach £90,000, or the client would need to accept a longer payback. That turns arithmetic into a business discussion.

Use another question with different facts to test the same habit. In the evening, talk through one experience example and answer questions about your own actions.

Run a fresh mock. Give your partner the two priorities from day one, but ask them to assess the whole attempt too.

Look for whether you use the correction without a reminder. If your partner has to say “What was the client's target?”, you have found the next task. Repeat the relevant passage after the debrief, then test it again on a different question.

Keep the debrief specific. “More confidence” is hard to practise. “You had the right result, but never said whether it met the target” tells you exactly what to change.

Use this day according to the mock, rather than automatically adding a new topic.

Prepare a second experience example. Practise a follow-up you did not rehearse: why you chose that action, how someone disagreed or what you would change now.

Balance targeted work with full attempts. Let the feedback you are getting determine how much time each needs.

Use unfamiliar material and the same medium you expect in the interview. Include an experience discussion if your process has one. Practise the transition from talking about yourself into solving a problem.

Afterward, choose only the most useful final correction. Avoid rebuilding your entire approach because one unfamiliar case felt difficult.

Confirm the logistics now: time zone, route or meeting link, equipment and contact details. Prepare a few questions that will help you understand the role, team or work. This removes practical distractions from the final day.

Review the brief practice log. Redo one familiar opening, one calculation and one recommendation, paying attention to your personal reminders.

Then stop intensive preparation with enough time to settle into the interview arrangements. If the interview is on day seven itself, do the logistics and final review on day six and keep the morning brief.

Your reminders should be concrete: “State the objective”, “Label the units”, “Answer before recapping”. You should not need a page of instructions to begin a conversation.

For short days, choose one focused task and include its review. A useful thirty-minute block is five minutes choosing the problem, ten making the attempt, ten inspecting and repairing it, and five recording the next test.

Protect longer blocks for full mocks and debriefs. If a partner cancels, use a recorded solo attempt and keep another live session in the week. Do not spend the cancelled slot searching for resources until the time disappears.

If you already perform well, replace introductory study with the weakness exposed by your diagnostic. If you are new, spend more time understanding the basic sequence and simple economics. Either way, keep a fresh attempt after the repair.

Start with one case from the library, and use the practice log to decide what tomorrow's session should contain. If you have more time, spread diagnosis, repair and rehearsal across a second week, with a fresh case between each targeted repair.