MBA

You need at least 2 years of (usually consecutive) full-time employment to even be considered for most MBA courses as it builds on scenarios one has encountered in the workplace. Most people have around 6 years experience which would include some form of management experience.

I think the alternative for you is to look for Masters in Management (MiM) Programme, of which you do not need any experience but will cover most of the core concepts covered in a MBA course. The one's I would recommend to be in management consultancy are the LSE Master's in Management, London Business School MiM or Cambridge's Mphil Management programme for a strong chance at consultancy. Bear in mind, these places will usually want a good 1st at undergrad at a good institution, some leadership/ community exposure, good reference and a good GMAT score (usually >700). Work experience i.e. a BB bank or a boutique start up may also help with admissions at LBS and LSE.

Don't forget, with a MiM you're against undergrads with A*A*A*A* A-Level's, >8A*'s GCSE and a strong 1st. Getting past the screening stage i.e. (computer and human screen) is considered a good start.

For MiMs, A-levels and GCSEs do not matter. Your uni grades, GMAT and work experience does though.

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough. In the last paragraph, I was not referring to entry into MiM, of which A-Levels and GCSEs do not matter (and in any case, apart from some graduate entry medicine courses, no postgrad courses look at GCSE's or A-Levels). In the last paragraph, I was referring to management consulting (MC) to which the OP wanted to enter. All Pre-MBA applicants to MC are in the same cohort. So a MiM applicant to a Management consulting firm would be in the same cohort as a undergraduate applicant to management consulting hence the information regarding A-Level and GCSE's still applies and hence the mentioning of "PRE-SCREENING".

The OP needs to decide which institutions he wants to apply to and research thoroughly for effective entry. Not all MiM's care about work experience (where work experience refers to post-degree full-time employment and not an internship - usually this is limited to 1-2 years anyway) and some are academically inclined. For example, Cambridge's doesn't want people with a prior business background and wants a purely academic applicant, with a strong 1st. LBS and LSE care more about prior internships and work experience, but again, academics usually come first in these applications.

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough. In the last paragraph, I was not referring to entry into MiM, of which A-Levels and GCSEs do not matter (and in any case, apart from some graduate entry medicine courses, no postgrad courses look at GCSE's or A-Levels). In the last paragraph, I was referring to management consulting (MC) to which the OP wanted to enter. All Pre-MBA applicants to MC are in the same cohort. So a MiM applicant to a Management consulting firm would be in the same cohort as a undergraduate applicant to management consulting hence the information regarding A-Level and GCSE's still applies and hence the mentioning of "PRE-SCREENING".

The OP needs to decide which institutions he wants to apply to and research thoroughly for effective entry. Not all MiM's care about work experience (where work experience refers to post-degree full-time employment and not an internship - usually this is limited to 1-2 years anyway) and some are academically inclined. For example, Cambridge's doesn't want people with a prior business background and wants a purely academic applicant, with a strong 1st. LBS and LSE care more about prior internships and work experience, but again, academics usually come first in these applications.