🔍 Analysis tools

MECE

Mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive — no overlaps, no gaps.

A MECE structure splits a problem into buckets that don't overlap (mutually exclusive) and together cover everything (collectively exhaustive).

It's the backbone of consulting thinking — and what interviewers mean by ‘structured’.

🧮 Example

Customers split by age: under 25, 25–40, over 40 → MECE. ‘Young people, students, professionals’ → overlaps and gaps.

🎯 Interview tip

Test each split: could one item sit in two buckets? Is anything missing?

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