Breaking into the consulting industry is no easy feat. Every year, recruiters look for 20 to 30 students to fill positions, a much smaller number than those recruited by Goldman Sachs or Clifford Chance. Furthermore, many of these positions are already filled by interns. This makes consulting one of the most competitive careers in the world.
McKinsey, one of the big three consulting firms, only accepts about 1% of applicants, a lower acceptance rate than Harvard's MBA program. In general, top firms have acceptance rates of 1 to 3%. This is just one of the reasons why accessing consulting can be so difficult. It is also one of the few industries in which having a degree is essential for any type of position, and it often attracts a large number of highly qualified professionals who expect to earn six-figure salaries.
Case interviews are much more challenging than those found at a typical corporate company.
