I applied through college or university. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Atlanta, GA) in Nov 2016
Interview
I attended an on-campus info session, applied online, and got called for first round. Each McKinsey interview is about 10-15min PEI, 35-40min case. For SBA, you'll typically have six (6) of these total.
First round is two (2) interviews with relatively junior consultants at the firm, typically at the closest office to your university. Second round is four (4) interviews with senior associates and partners, on-site at your designated office preference.
A couple hours after my second round, I got a call from the partner that interviewed me to extend an offer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
McKinsey's Personal Experience Interview (PEI) is quite different from others in that you'll only be answering one question (i.e. telling one story) for 10-15 minutes. They really dig deep on every detail; they'll ask about the conversations you had, your thought processes, and conflicts. Every PEI question addresses one of the three main pillars (leadership, personal impact, drive & achievement).
I had five stories prepared in detail. I repeated stories from first round to second, but just make sure to not repeat a story within in the same round. Since the second round has four interviews, make sure to have at LEAST that many examples. I recommend 5-6 stories that you'll be able to tailor to address the specific question asked.
As far as cases go, there's really no element of surprise with McKinsey. Cases are interviewer led, meaning you'll be asked a series of questions throughout the discussion to help guide your thinking. All cases involve some sort of math. Be prepared to be pushed and questioned on your logic; this doesn't mean you're wrong, they just want to ensure you have good reasoning behind your hypothesis. My best advice would be to practice plenty of cases with partners or even on your own. Get comfortable with the case format and articulating your thoughts in a client-friendly manner.
Personal experience interview & case interview across 2 rounds.
Round 1 comprises 2 interviews with EMs, Round 2 comprises 3 interviews with APs and Partners. Interview process was streamlined and replies were quick.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time you faced conflict with a team member.
The Interviews, in both R1 and R2 were standard. Expect to have your PEI prepared and be case prepped. R1 was virtual and R2 was an in-person superday. Good Luck!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time when you set an ambitious goal and worked hard to achieve it.
Two 45 minute sessions, each started with 15 minutes of behavioral questions then a 30 minute case. The interviewers were very nice and walked me through when I got stuck. Overall pretty solid experience. Called me the next day to go over it and tell me why I didn't move on.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Questions are all on their website, mine was a question about a time I had a conflict on a team.
Summer Business Analyst applicants have rated the interview process at McKinsey & Company with 3.8 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 74% positive. To compare, the company-average is 64.4% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Summer Business Analyst roles take an average of 25 days to get hired, when considering 115 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at McKinsey & Company overall takes an average of 40 days.
Common stages of the interview process at McKinsey & Company as a Summer Business Analyst according to 115 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 48%
Skills test: 12%
IQ intelligence test: 8%
Presentation: 7%
Phone interview: 6%
Personality test: 6%
Background check: 4%
Other: 4%
Drug test: 3%
Group panel interview: 1%
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