How many frameworks?
We get asked often, how many frameworks should I memorize (or be familiar with) to be able to do well. Like many things in life, the answer is it depends.
Highly Customized Approach: I know candidates who had a different framework for each case type and ended up with 5 to 8 frameworks that they had to be familiar with.
Generalized Approach: On the other hand, I know a couple of candidates (one of whom is at McKinsey) who did not leverage any framework and did enough cases that they could do structures on the fly. Many candidates prefer a universal framework that they customize depending on the case.
Middle Ground Approach: In between these 2 approaches, there is a middle approach that is used by many candidates who use 2 to 4 frameworks and customize them as necessary for each case type.
Personally, I take the Middle Ground Approach and prefer using 2 frameworks that I customize for each case type. I have a universal framework and a framework specific to M&A cases. To each their own. You should figure out what works best for you and give yourself enough of buffer (time) pivot to a different approach if it is the approach that is limiting your performance.