Lateral to MBB with ~2 years of experience

Soliciting advice from current MBB consultants:

1) Is there a window of too much experience to lateral to MBB after a couple of years in a finance job?
2) Would an excellent gmat score help? As in, if I had a 750+, does that actually increase chances of getting hired or getting past the screen?

4 Comments
 

1) From what I understood, it is extremely difficult to lateral with a small amount of experience. They usually only hire industry experts as laterals, so I'd assume you'd need more than that.

2) I think it would definitely help for the initial screening, but it won't turn silver into gold. It will only make the gold shinier.

 

When I was attempting to do this a couple of years ago, I talked to multiple partners that said that they would be happy to help me once I was in business school, but that my current profile did not fit into their hiring structure. Basically, they don't hire Associate Consultants or Business Analysts with a couple of years of experience.

Sounds like you can just work for another year or two and go to a top b-school. A 750 GMAT will certainly help with that, and won't hurt during resume drops once in school.

 

I think you'd have to 'start over' at MBB - ie. apply along with all the undergrads and non-MBA grads. MBB websites specifically say that this is the entry route for people with 2-3 years of experience. Considering that you have 2 years of work experience will put you a bit ahead of the game relative to all the fresh university grads.

To come in as an experienced hire will take a lot more work experience and potentially an MBA.

 

Culpa rerum ea quisquam quo porro aliquid et. Perferendis provident ipsa explicabo sed sunt veniam id. Nostrum ipsum voluptatum odit consequatur quia voluptatibus est. Eaque libero cumque alias et cum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.5%
  • Oliver Wyman 98.0%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.5%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.0%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.5%
  • Oliver Wyman 98.0%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (111) $232
  • Manager (167) $172
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (115) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (635) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (162) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (575) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (390) $104
  • Associate Consultant (175) $100
  • 1st Year Analyst (1152) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (205) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (625) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”