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When I am casing, sometimes I want to ask the interviewer for a number or detail that was not in the prompt. Is it okay to request additional information, or does that make it look like I cannot work with ambiguity?
Yes, you can ask for information when it is genuinely needed to test a hypothesis or move the analysis forward.
The key is to connect the request to your logic. The case interview structure guide shows how each question should follow from the problem you are trying to solve.
Avoid fishing for data with no rationale. State what you want to understand, why it matters, and what information would help.
Ask with a reason, not 'what else do you have for me?'
Interviewers usually liked it when the request was hypothesis-driven.
I know McKinsey is more interviewer-led, but I am confused about how passive you are supposed to be. Do you still suggest next steps, or mainly answer the question they ask and wait?
Interviewer-led does not mean passive. You still need to show structured thinking, initiative, and judgment within the question you are given.
I can use profitability / market entry type frameworks, but when the case is unusual I struggle to build a clean MECE structure from scratch. How do people get good at this without memorizing 50 templates?
Start from the decision the client needs to make, then identify the few questions that must be true or understood to make that decision.
Someone senior at BCG who I spoke with earlier sent me a quick 'good luck' note before my R1. Is that just being nice, or should I read it as a positive internal signal?
It is positive that they remembered you and chose to reach out, but do not convert that into an assumption about the interview outcome.