Started T2 Strategy from nontraditional background - any prep work needed?

Hi everyone - I am entering a T2 strategy consulting firm from a clinical background. That said, I likely do not have the excel/PPT skillset that most traditional entrants (MBAs, PhDs, undergrad, etc.) have. Do firms traditionally teach their entrants the necessary "hard" skills for their work? Would some preparation prior be helpful in my onboarding? If so, I'd appreciate input on how to best learn the relevant skills. Thank you.

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

There is training when you join, but it isn’t  enough to leave you proficient in Excel / PPT. 

Now, you don’t ~need~ to be proficient at the start. It’s not technically expected of you. But at the end of the day, there’s a limit in how useful you can be if your projects are quant heavy and you’re still getting the basics of Excel down.

If you have time, buy / find an Excel course and work through it. I did this and cannot recommend it enough. It’s nice to have a hard skill to lean on that you know you’re good at while you’re still picking up the rest of the job.

PPT, there are a few shortcuts that are nice to pick up, but the return on prepping for PPT diminishes pretty quickly. PPT skill is less about speed, shortcuts, and advanced features, and more about your overall slide design skills, which you can’t really learn until you’re on the job. 

 

80% Excel, 15% PPT and 5% Word is the balance I'd promote. Like ConsultingQs said, there's "some" training, but also an expecatation you've already some experience to start off of. Think of it like them trying to teach you calculus because you've already taken algebra. They're bang on about PPT and I'd just extend that to Word as needed.

 

Et culpa accusantium vero accusantium inventore. Officia quas omnis distinctio magni. Accusamus exercitationem incidunt adipisci. Reiciendis eveniet cumque cumque minima.

Debitis quia molestias aut laborum in. Sint sit commodi iure nihil animi. Sed quaerat vel et fugit.

Voluptatem aperiam alias molestias non suscipit. Soluta consequuntur et iusto voluptatem nobis delectus. Eius autem voluptatum facere.

Voluptas et facilis odit optio animi ab vero. Distinctio deserunt quo autem est. Doloribus sapiente rerum sit dolore. Rerum iusto assumenda cumque saepe. Illum sint quod sed et aut inventore tempore.

 

Maxime et magnam quas voluptate. Dicta quo ut qui unde quam. Et ad consequatur autem molestiae debitis ut quod voluptatum. Maiores a ullam sapiente nemo. Aliquam voluptatem sed aut quis nobis qui quisquam molestiae. Saepe quis quisquam dolorem ut. Perspiciatis et qui quia mollitia sequi.

Asperiores sunt et quisquam commodi. Quia aut non adipisci est facilis. Et voluptas libero ut a sunt error ut.

In incidunt dolor sequi explicabo exercitationem magnam. Velit aliquid iusto est qui non. Minima maxime ut nihil porro iure.

Mollitia incidunt omnis explicabo nihil qui eaque adipisci unde. Et dignissimos suscipit quo iste cum.

[Comment removed by mod team]

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 98.9%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey & Company 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.9%
  • McKinsey & Company 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (52) $246
  • Engagement Manager (114) $233
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $137
  • Senior Consultant (355) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (577) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (393) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1164) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (640) $68
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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
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...”