No. Prior consulting experience is not required for MBA summer associate recruiting.

Business schools are a major entry point precisely because firms hire candidates from many pre-MBA backgrounds, including tech, finance, military, healthcare, nonprofits, engineering and operations.

Your job is to translate that experience into evidence of impact, leadership, problem solving and teamwork. You also need to demonstrate that you understand why consulting is the next logical step.

Candidates with consulting experience may be more familiar with the work, but that does not replace interview performance. Focus on making your own background legible and building the case skills the recruiting process actually tests. For more detail, see the guide to presenting business experience for consulting.

Most of my interview group had never worked in consulting before the MBA.