McKinsey & Company Interview Questions & Reviews
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Updated Feb 12, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 298 ratings 
“Difficult” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 298 ratings
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| 31–40 of 298 McKinsey & Company Interviews | Sort by |
Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company
Posted Nov 12, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2011 in New York, NY (took 3 weeks)
First rounds at Chicago office - two 45-min interviews with 15-20min behavioral and 25-30 min case. Behavioral is super intense and they'll drill down on the same situation for 15-20 min.
Interviewers clearly more direct than at other firms. Case itself wasn't as hard as other top firms, but McK will push back a lot more and use that as a way to see if you really understand business dynamics.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, a Skills Test and a Personality Test.
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Helpful Interview?
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No
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Associate at McKinsey & Company
Posted Nov 6, 2011
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5.0
Very Difficult Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2011 (took 4 weeks)
I interviewed for McK as APD candidate. The recruiting process is really intense and competitive and unfortunately it's not true that if you "pass the bar" they'll hire you (as they keep repeating at recruiting events).
1st Round: written test (26 questions in 1hr) + 2 group case interviews
2nd Round: 2 or 3 case interviews + personal experience interview with Engagement Managers --- be sure to practice many cases McK style: in this round even if you do a small minor mistake you'll pass (I did), as long as you show confidence and good analytical skills. The good thing about 1st and 2nd round is that you are competing against other PhDs, who have more or less the same skill set, so it's a fair game. I was called ~ a week later and told that I passed. My final round was scheduled 2 days later that call.
3rd Round: three 1:1 interviews with Associate Principals and Partners and 1 case group interview (thankfully, this kind of interview is not done in every office) --- case interviews with AP/Partners are basically the same, the group interview is different from round 1: you are given slides and expected to solve the case with the other candidates for 30 minutes. Partners are in the room and will observe you the whole time. After 30 min, they'll act as your client and you'll have to present them your findings. I was told to be collaborative and be myself during this role play: however, my impression was that the most aggressive and arrogant candidates (who would not shut up for a second to hear your opinions) were the ones considered successful. Also, the other candidates might be MBAs as well, so I let you judge if that's a fair assessment. I was called the same night and told that I was not offered a position.
Reasons: I had great presence and everybody enjoyed meeting me BUT during the case I was a bit slow in answering a question and I didn't fully address it according to my interviewer. In reality, I really felt as if my interviewer was trying to come up with excuses since I asked a clarifying question and it took me probably 30 seconds to understand what he was asking me and fully answer it (I remember him saying "great" after I was done talking). Also, my interviewer didn't know the feedback from the other AP/Partners so I wonder how they discuss the candidate performance if they don't share these details.
At the end of the day I felt I wasted my time, the recruiting process is not as transparent as McK claims it to be. The main reason why I think I was not hired is because I am not aggressive and arrogant enough for McK and honestly, already having an equally good job offer, I am happy this way.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.
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Helpful Interview?
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Associate at McKinsey & Company
Posted Oct 27, 2011 — 1 of 1 people found this helpful
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2011 in Jersey City, NJ (took 6+ weeks)
McKinsey is very eager to spend a lot of time on attracting and interviewing their candidates. However, the interview process is very long and exhausting. The recruiters and lower management are very pleasant and engaging (however a bit clone like), the partners though are very disinterested in the interview process and are quite cold and unwelcoming.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Skills Test.
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Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company
Posted Oct 30, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2010 (took 4 weeks)
Day 0: Attend campus recruiting session. Submit application to APD program (Advance Professional Degree- ie everything above a bachelors but not MBA).
Day 7(ish): Show up to local McKinsey office and take written test. 40-some questions in 40 minutes. All are case-based, lots of reading, no one ever finishes the whole thing. Then do three "practice" cases in teams of four with different consultants.
Day 8-9: Hear back and schedule 2nd round. Get contacted by "buddy" who answers question on process and lifestyle.
Day 12: Get contacted by partner in Cleveland office, get asked to consider putting Cleveland as top pick (hint, hint: it'll make you more likely to get an offer).
Day 13: Put San Francisco as top offer. Attend case workshop on campus.
Day 18(or so): 2nd round interview in local office. 3-4 case interviews 1-on-1 with different consultants/associates. Great conversation, interesting people.
Day 18-19: Hear back and schedule 3rd round in San Francisco.
Day 30?: Fly to SF, have dinner with non-interviewing consultants (most new and APD) in private room at restaurant. Everyone's friendly, helpful and encouraging.
Day 31(?): 3 1-on-1 with associates and a partner. Flub third interview, make math interview in 2nd one, nail 1st one. Lunch with other candidates (half are really cool and nice, half are giant tools).
Day 32: Fly home, get a bad call.
Overall I was impressed with the professionalism and courtesy shown to me at every stage. Frankly, as my first real interview I had no expectations of advancing and was happy to get a free trip to San Francisco, talk to some smart people, and learn a lot about business. Throw in the invaluable interview-mentoring (that helped me nail my interviews at a competing firm) and I see no downside to at least applying.
A few things stood out, especially after interviewing elsewhere. First, the almost OCD attention to detail. In an actual case, there's getting things right and there's getting things precise. McK has a reputation for automatically knocking candidates that make a quant error oof any magnitude. In my case, maybe it was enough (I multiplied by 2/3 instead of 3/2); but ultimately other firms are more concerned about seeing the nature of the problem and coming up with creative solutions. I clearly was good at math in all my other interviews, but that one mistake cost me. When the interviewer called to relay the bad news, he told me the vote was 2-to-1 for but that the math error cost me the spot, then he said it was a ridiculous reason to not hire me.
Second, the endless march of bureaucracy in hiring. I mean look at that schedule. An in-office test, practice sessions, three rounds of interviews. It takes a ton of time and puts some strain on you while waiting/prepping. McK needs to work on streamlining their process: at my current firm students take the test online, do the first round within a week, and then three days later do an in-office final with a decision by that night. Maybe it's the cache of McK, but for a firm in the business of finding efficiency, the process could use some.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and an IQ/Intelligence Test.
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Helpful Interview?
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Associate at McKinsey & Company
Posted Oct 28, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2011 in Atlanta, GA (took a day)
As a PhD student, I had to take the McKinsey Problem Solving Test before being invited to second round interviews in Atlanta (regional office). Met with two consultants, both incredibly friendly and nice guys, and spent about 10 minutes on fit questions, 30 minutes on a case, and 5 minutes on questions I had for them. Was disappointed to not be called for final round decisions but overall was a great experience. As a PhD, I need to work on being more concise and not as detail-oriented as I have been trained to be.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a College or University and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.
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Consultant at McKinsey & Company
Posted Oct 28, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Aug 2011 in Atlanta, GA (took 3 weeks)
The first round interview consists of a written test designed for your maths capability and analytical thinking under the tight time limit. The second half of the first round interview is a session of group training on case interview. It was very helpful for candidates with advanced science degrees.
In the second round, there are 2 one-on-one interviews with McKinsey consultants, sometimes managers. Each half of the interview consists of a case interview and experience interview.
The recruiters are very professional, and they make the whole interview process going smoothly for candidates. Candidates are informed clearly what to expect at each stage of the interview process.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and an IQ/Intelligence Test.
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Consultant at McKinsey & Company
Posted Oct 27, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2011 (took a day)
Entire process was efficient and professional, although very impersonal. One interview went smoothly, the other not so. I had a hard time establishing a rapport with the second interviewer, and frankly, his 'case' wasn't presented clearly.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.
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Associate at McKinsey & Company
Posted Oct 25, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2011 in New York, NY (took 2 days)
first round is math and verbal test in office with a group case study; not too difficult, but you do need to prepare as your math, calculating, and verbal reasoning skills.
second round is 2 1-on-1 interview with cases; each with 10-15 minutes fit questions, going into really detail. (e.g., your leadership skills examples), and a 30 minutes case discussion, (well-organized, with specific questions and numbers). only key on success if to practice.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and a Skills Test.
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Helpful Interview?
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Associate at McKinsey & Company
Posted Oct 24, 2011
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5.0
Very Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Jul 2011 (took 8 weeks)
My recruiter sent in my CV and I was then invited to sit a Problem Solving Test, for which there were set days that I could choose from.
I found out the next day that I'd passed this and was again sent a list of possible dates for first round interviews.
After that I received a phone call from the McKinsey recruiter to tell me they'd like to invite me to final interview.
Whole process took several weeks but that was mainly because I was choosing to leave a few weeks between rounds to give myself time to prepare.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test and a Skills Test.
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Consultant at McKinsey & Company
Posted Oct 24, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Jun 2011 (took a day)
The interview process is well documented, my main tip is to be prepared for VERY detailed questions about your past experience.
When you choose a story to talk about in the behavioral interview, be sure you remember every little detail, including what you said in specific discussions and meetings. You need to be able to communicate how exactly you impacted the situation.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and a Skills Test.
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Helpful Interview?
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