Consistently running out of time halfway through complex cases. Tried the standard 5-min breakdown/20-min math approach, but get stuck validating assumptions. Anyone using segmented time boxing from those recorded mock interviews? How do you allocate minutes for framework tweaks vs sanity checks without sacrificing either?
time boxing is survival theater. real pros sniff the interviewer’s pet metric in first 90s. last round i spent 18min on TAM SAM SOM fluff, 30sec on ‘strategic readiness score’ bs - got the offer. clock matters less than kissing the right ring
You’ll conquer this! Try color-coding your timeline - green for brainstorming, yellow for math! So fun and effective!
Implement a 3-20-7 split: 3min problem clarification (ask 2-3 precise questions), 20min structured calculations with parallel assumption tracking, 7min sanity checks and alternative scenarios. Use timestamps from 50 mock interviews - median successful candidate spends 22% time on cross-validation versus 38% for unsuccessful.
Was struggling bad until I stole a tip from a GS alum’s mock video - now I set phone timer vibrations at 5min intervals. First buzz: lock framework. Second: have at least 2 data points per segment. Third: start final sanity check even if mid-math. Game changer!