Recruiting / Case atlas / Plan

A season of casing, in order.

Nine skills make up a case; five phases take a season. Rate yourself after a benchmark week and the list puts your weakest first. Each skill carries the drill that builds it and where to practice it on Harper.

01 · Skills

Rate yourself, then let the list reorder.

The order below is the one coaches set this season: structure and math first, then brainstorm and recommendation, then the rest. Your ratings change it. They stay on this device.

1 not yet: a coach would stop you here2 passable: holds up in a practice case3 standout: the move others copy

  1. Case math: setup, units, arithmetic

    Set the equation up before a number is touched; keep one unit and one time basis.

    Drill: ten minutes of mixed arithmetic most days, plus one word problem laid out as columns before it is solved

    Math under pressure →Numbers and the sheet →Case Studio →Standards M1M2M3M4M5M6M7M9M10M12M13M14

  2. Structure: prompt, objective, framework

    Read the prompt back, state the objective, name the workstreams before any driver.

    Drill: a timed framework from a written prompt, then the book's own framework beside it

    Reading the prompt →Worked frameworks →Standards →Standards R1R2R3R4S1S2S3S4

  3. Brainstorm: pause, group, quantify, close

    Pause, group under two headings, quantify where a number fits, close.

    Drill: thirty seconds to write an organized list, thirty to say it, then compare with a partner

    Opening drills →Standards B1

  4. Recommendation and close

    Answer first with one number, one risk, one next test, then stop.

    Drill: a sixty-second recommendation from a worked case, timed, ending on the next step

    Recommendation in 60 seconds →Standards C1C2C3C4

  5. Business acumen and tailoring

    Use what you know to add color: business model, key players, revenue and cost drivers, and stop there.

    Drill: one industry overview a week; say the business model and the drivers aloud without notes

    Case atlas →Standards R4S4

  6. Exhibits and charts

    Say what the chart is, then the one comparison it exists to show, then the so-what.

    Drill: one exhibit from any casebook: title, axes, units, the comparison, the implication, in under a minute

    Numbers and the sheet →Standards M11

  7. Communication and presence

    Talk to the interviewer as a client: ask for the specific input, drive to the next analysis, repair once and keep going.

    Drill: a spoken rep recorded on your phone and played back for the close and the signposting

    Presence →Standards P1P2P3P4P5P6P7

  8. Market sizing

    People to buyers to frequency to spend, each step with its unit, then a sanity check.

    Drill: one sizing chain written left to right before any multiplication, timed

    Market sizing guide →Standards M8

  9. Fit and behavioral

    Two or three stories that answer the common questions, told in the same structure every time.

    Drill: two fit questions inside every mock, told from your story worksheet

02 · Phases

Benchmark first, then two weeks of ramp, then the long middle.

The five-phase shape many prep plans share, with the club’s drills inside it. Each phase ends when its done-when lines are true, not when the calendar says so.

  1. Orientation

    two days

    Know what a case is, how a forty-minute interview runs, and which skills it tests.

    Done when

    • You can name the four chapters of a case: recognize, structure, solve, recommend.
    • You have read the standards page once, start to finish.
    • You know which drill goes with which skill (the ladder above).

  2. Level set and benchmark

    one week

    One benchmark per skill, so the plan is built on evidence rather than nerves.

    Done when

    • A timed framework from a prompt, a chart read, a math set, a thirty-second brainstorm, each compared with an answer.
    • Two full cases with feedback from a partner, and one mock with a second-year or a practitioner that includes two or three fit questions.
    • Every skill has a 1 to 3 beside it and the list above has reordered.

  3. Ramp up

    two weeks

    The two weakest skills get a drill most days while full cases continue.

    Done when

    • Two to three full cases a week, partners rotating.
    • A drill on the off days, aimed at whatever the last case exposed.
    • The weakest skill holds a 2 in a full case.

  4. Ongoing practice

    two weeks to two months

    Cases stay steady; drills follow the cracks; the log does the remembering.

    Done when

    • Every case logged the same day, with one note per section.
    • A dozen cases from other schools' casebooks in the log, besides the club's.
    • Cases feel boring. That is the sign you are ready, in a coach's words this season.

  5. Final preparation

    one week

    Full cases only, one a day, with fit questions in each; nothing new.

    Done when

    • Re-read your own log, not a new guide.
    • One mock in the format of the firm you are seeing first.
    • The day before, stop.

Case prep is a small share of October, grows through November, and takes over from late November through January, when fit prep rises with it.

03 · Week

The week that carries the phases.

Drills sharpen one skill at a time; only live cases put them together. A week needs both.

  • A family meeting with drills run together.
  • One coached case a week with your family lead, and one with a second-year or a friend.
  • Ten minutes of math most days; a framework from a prompt most days; every third one spoken.
  • Drills on the off days, aimed at the last case's crack, never three hours of one thing.
  • Every case in the log the same day, one line per section, rating yourself across the categories.
  • After a bad case, a drill to rebuild confidence before the next live case; a few days off live casing when burnout starts.

Harper’s synthesis of the club’s drills and public prep guidance. Roles, never names. Ratings are stored in this browser only. RocketBlocks consulting guide (the five-phase shape) ↗