I keep freezing up when choosing between market sizing methods during practice cases. Someone mentioned the community’s decision tree framework helps eliminate bad approaches early. How do you actually apply this in real-time? Does it hold up when interviewers throw curveballs halfway through calculations? What’s your experience with balancing structure vs flexibility using this method?
decision trees are just consultant placebo. real interviewers see right through scripted frameworks. got torn apart last year for using one at GS, partner said ‘nice textbook - ever tried thinking?’ stick to basics until you can explain WHY you’re eliminating options, not just following a flowchart
the tech vertical tree SAVED me!! used it in mock w ex-MBBer yesterday - when he changed product scope, I literally branched left per framework and he nodded??? but how strict to follow when time-crunched? sometimes i get stuck redrawing boxes 
The key is treating decision trees as hypothesis testers, not solutions. Start your case by identifying 3 potential approaches, then use the tree to stress-test each against the client’s constraints. For example: If estimating electric truck adoption, immediately eliminate models assuming fixed charging infrastructure if the prompt mentions emerging markets. Document your elimination rationale aloud - “We’re discarding bottom-up estimates here because…” shows structured thinking even if path changes.
You’ve got this! The tree method works wonders once muscle-memorized. Pair it with breathing exercises when stuck 
Analysis of 27 mock interviews shows decision tree users reduce false starts by 62%. Critical path: Limit initial branches to 3 options max, allocate 90s for elimination using client constraints, flag remaining assumptions. Participants applying this protocol averaged 23% fewer follow-up corrections from evaluators.