McKinsey & Company Interview Questions

Application

The process took 2+ months. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company.

Interview

The interview was a typical case study based interview with fit portion to start the interview. I interviewed with multiple people ranging from engagement managers to partners. No surprises on interview day as McKinsey spends a lot of time with applicants preparing for the case study

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 2+ months. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company in October 2009.

Interview

It is basically the standard consulting interview process. However, McKinsey did add a test that all applicants need to take. The test was pretty hard, there was a time crunch, and they only provide one practice exam. It is hard to prepare for, but just be ready to read and analyze graphs quickly. McKinsey also provides you with an interview coach. They will do cases with you over the phone, but I highly suggest practicing cases with your friends.

Interview Questions

Negotiation

They don't negotiate with BAs right out of college.

Application

I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Atlanta, GA) in November 2015.

Interview

Interactive but very very fast paced, they kept asking questions and I was kept on my toes for the entire length of the interview. Wasn't a relaxed conversational interview and I felt uncomfortable a few times in between. But then tough consulting companies do that during interviews to see how fast you can think and respond.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied through college or university. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company.

Interview

Applied on campus career site, received a request for a video conference the following day. After the video conference, I received a request for onsite interview. I interviewed onsite, and was asked both behavioral and situational questions.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied through college or university. The process took 4 days. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Washington, DC) in February 2011.

Interview

Pretty standard consulting interviews, first presentation, then multiple tests to pass, then two case studies followed by a personality test. Everyone is pretty professional and lay out what they expect from you, which is numerical proficiency and the people skills to get your softs across to the interviewers.

Interview Questions

Application

The process took 1 day. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Boston, MA) in November 2011.

Interview

There are totally 3 rounds interviews. The first one includes a one-hour-test with GRE/GMAT format test. It is a little hard to finish the test on time, since there are 26 questions and require reading and calculation. The second and third rounds are case interviews. The interviewer are all very friendly and willing to help you if you have any problem in understanding the questions.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied through college or university. The process took 4+ weeks. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Palo Alto, CA) in January 2012.

Interview

The McKinsey interview process is 3 rounds: (1) a problem solving test (see their website for a sample test) + Case study workshop, (2) 2 x 1 on 1 interviews, half of it is to test "fit" (whether you fit in the McKinsey culture), and the other half is the case study, (3) Onsite.

The process is as fair as it might get - they set you up with a McKinsey buddy, who answers your questions and helps when you need it. Also, they have workshops to help you along, e.g. a case study workshop, and informational sessions to introduce you to different parts of McKinsey (e.g. the west coast business practices, the business technology office).

I didn't make it past the second round; however it is as advertised- if you practice McKinsey-type cases, and work on your fit interview stories, it should be a fair assessment.

Interview Questions

Application

The process took 6+ weeks. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Jersey City, NJ) in September 2011.

Interview

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

Application

I applied through college or university. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Atlanta, GA) in October 2011.

Interview

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

Application

I applied online. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (New York, NY) in October 2011.

Interview

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

Application

I applied online. The process took 4+ weeks. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Boston, MA) in September 2011.

Interview

All resumes and applications must be submitted online. If resume screen is passed, candidate proceeds to interviews. For Associate candidates who do not have an MBA degree, McKinsey administers a "McKinsey Problem-Solving Test" consisting of 20+ business-related conceptual and quantitative questions to be completed within one hour. Most common mistake on the test is marking the answer for question XX on the answer sheet for question YY (e.g. answer for 16 on line for 15). The test is very challenging and most candidates either rush through it or leave questions unanswered. Immediately after the test, there are two mini practice sessions where candidates are "coached" by McKinsey interviewers on how to do a business case interview. The "coaching" is not evaluative. Coaches and buddies are usually more junior McKinsey personnel, such as Business Analysts, Associates, Senior Associates, and Engagement Managers.

Candidates who pass the test are invited to attend telephone-based coaching sessions for round 2. Candidates who pass the test are also assigned a "buddy" who is responsible for answering candidate questions, putting candidates in touch with other relevant McKinsey personnel (e.g. people who work in a particular discipline in which the candidate is interested). Before the second round, the candidates are asked to state their "office preferences", i.e. what McKinsey locations they are most interested in. Recruiters recommend selecting only 3-5 locations and locations must be ordered (i.e. can't rank three locations as 1st choice - they have to be 1,2,3). After round one, the buddy also shares some initial feedback with the candidates: what they did well and what they should work on for the next round.

Second round of interviews typically consists of 2-3 one-on-one interviews and are typically conducted by more experienced McKinsey personnel (Sr Associates, Engagement Managers, and Associate Principals). Second round of interviews is conducted at a location close to candidate's residence to minimize travel costs. Each interview contains a case, and some interviews contain a personal experience section. Cases are very typical business cases that MBA students use to prepare for interviewing, however McKinsey looks for different skill sets in MBA and non-MBA applicants. Non-MBA applicants are not expected to be familiar with business jargon or frameworks, and it is ok to ask clarifications on terms that are unfamiliar. The interviewers have a very structured set of questions to go through with the candidate, and they may jump to next question in interest of time. Business cases have questions about general thinking / framing the problem, math, and analytical thinking. The personal experience portion of the interview is also very structured, and the interviewer may ask many sub-questions to really understand the situation, outcomes, and the candidate's contributions. Whether the candidate passes or not, McKinsey tries to provide objective feedback on interview performance. Feedback consists of what the interviewers thought the candidate did well, and what should be done better.

The third round of interviews is very similar to the second. The key differences are the seniority of personnel and format of interviews. The third round interviews is conducted at the office in which the candidate hopes to work, and are typically conducted by Associate Principals, Partners, and Directors (most senior partners). The format of the interviews can remain the same as round two, or it can include group interview, a "day in life at McKinsey" interview, or focus only on personal experience without the case. There are usually 2-3 one-on-one interviews in the third round.

Interview Questions

Negotiation

McKinsey normally has only a standard offer for all starting associates regardless of location (salary and benefits are the same throughout the US). Starting date is negotiable. I am not aware that any other aspects of the offer are negotiable. McKinsey organizes a "new offeree" dinner, gathering, or weekend (depending on location/office).