u/imareddituserhihehe

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I’ve spent the last two weeks doing what I do with most big decisions: building a comparison matrix and narrowing things down before committing. I have a first-round McKinsey interview in about five weeks and I wanted to be deliberate about where I put my practice time rather than just grabbing whatever got mentioned most on forums.

My shortlist right now is: a structured online course for framework foundations, a peer matching platform for live partner practice, one AI simulation tool for high-volume reps, and a set of written case guides for reference. The logic is that each one covers a different gap. The AI tool handles repetition without scheduling overhead, the live partner platform handles pressure and real-time feedback, the course handles gaps in my structural thinking, and the guides are reference material when I’m stuck.

What I’m less sure about is whether this is over-engineered. I’m a few years into a finance role so I’m not starting from zero, but I’ve never done a formal case interview before. My instinct is that the AI simulation piece is doing the heaviest lifting in this setup, since it’s the only one I can realistically use every day without coordinating with another person.

Has anyone actually run a structured prep plan like this, or did you find that one or two tools covered most of the ground? Specifically curious whether the combo of AI simulation plus live partner practice is redundant or genuinely complementary.

Tall shelving gets recommended constantly for small space tabletop setups and yeah, on paper it makes total sense. Use wall height, save floor space, keep things easy to grab. What I still can’t really tell is whether vertical storage actually works day to day, or if it just turns the room into hobby wall once the collection gets a little bigger. Even the polished setups like Box King and Jasper or Etsy cube shelving pics don’t totally answer that, because something can photograph well and still feel busy in person.

Mostly curious about organized vs crowded, open shelves vs closed storage, and what still felt good several months later when the room also had to function like a normal room.