Built by a hiring manager who's conducted 1,000+ interviews at Google, Amazon, Nvidia, and Adobe.
Built by a hiring manager who's conducted 1,000+ interviews at Google, Amazon, Nvidia, and Adobe.
Last updated: December 4, 2025
McKinsey & Company is the world's most prestigious management consulting firm, known for its rigorous interview process combining case interviews with Personal Experience Interviews (PEI). The firm evaluates candidates on problem-solving ability, personal impact, and leadership. With a highly selective acceptance rate, thorough preparation is essential for success.
What to expect at each stage of the interview
Your resume and cover letter are reviewed for academic excellence, leadership, and relevant experience. Strong candidates are invited for first-round interviews.
Two back-to-back interviews, each ~45 minutes. Each interview includes a case study and Personal Experience Interview (PEI) questions testing a specific leadership dimension.
Practice these frequently asked questions to prepare for your interview
Tip: This tests the "Leadership" PEI dimension. Focus on how you created buy-in, handled resistance, and drove results. McKinsey wants to see you mobilizing others, not just managing tasks.
Tip: This tests the "Personal Impact" dimension. Choose a genuinely ambitious goal. Focus on your unique contribution and what set you apart. Quantify the impact clearly.
Understand the company culture to align your interview responses
Everything McKinsey does is in service of client success. Demonstrate how you've created tangible value for others.
McKinsey operates as a single global partnership. Show you can collaborate across boundaries and put the firm before individual interests.
McKinsey values intellectual courage. Show you can respectfully challenge ideas and bring diverse perspectives.
Consultants must influence senior clients. Demonstrate your ability to lead and persuade at all levels.
McKinsey values diversity of thought and background. Show how you've built inclusive teams and environments.
The highest ethical and professional standards are non-negotiable. Demonstrate integrity in your examples.
McKinsey offers a collaborative, intellectually stimulating environment with world-class training, global mobility, and exposure to top executives across industries.
Insider advice to help you stand out
Learn core frameworks (profitability, market entry, M&A) but adapt them to each case. McKinsey values custom thinking over rigid framework application. Practice 50+ cases before interviewing.
Prepare 5-6 strong stories covering Leadership, Personal Impact, and Influence dimensions. Each story should be 3-4 minutes with clear structure and specific details.
McKinsey interviewers want to see you lead the case, not just respond to questions. Lay out your structure, make hypotheses, and drive toward a recommendation.
Built with extensive experience - conducting interviews and passing interviews at Google, NVIDIA, Amazon, Adobe and Remitly
Practice interview questions by speaking out loud (not typing). Hit record and start speaking your answers naturally.
Your responses are processed in real-time, transcribing and analyzing your performance.
Receive detailed analysis and improved answer suggestions. See exactly what's holding you back and how to fix it.
Three interviews with senior Partners and Associate Partners. Cases become more complex, and PEI questions dig deeper into your leadership experiences and potential.
Interviewers meet to discuss candidates. Hiring decisions require consensus from all interviewers. You'll hear back regardless of outcome.
Typical Timeline: 4-8 weeks from application to offer
Tip: This tests the "Influence" dimension. Show empathy, emotional intelligence, and how you built the relationship. McKinsey wants consultants who can work with any personality type.
Tip: Use a structured framework - start with profitability (revenue and cost) breakdown. Ask clarifying questions before diving in. Drive the case proactively, not just answering questions.
Tip: Structure your approach around market attractiveness, competitive dynamics, and client capabilities. Consider both opportunities and risks. Make a clear recommendation with supporting logic.
Tip: Show structured thinking with clear assumptions. Break down the problem logically (cars in US → average fuel consumption → station capacity). Walk through your math clearly.
Tip: Show comfort with ambiguity. Explain your analytical process, how you identified key assumptions, and how you moved forward despite uncertainty. Include the outcome.
Tip: Structure around understanding the decline (customer, competitor, channel factors), then prioritize hypotheses. Ask smart questions to narrow focus. Drive toward actionable insights.
Tip: Focus on your persuasion techniques - data, storytelling, addressing concerns. Show you understand different stakeholder perspectives and can build coalitions.
Tip: Choose something you're genuinely interested in. Show structured thinking about the issue - what's happening, why it matters, different perspectives, and your informed view.
Case interviews require quick calculations. Practice percentages, growth rates, and large number division. Being comfortable with math builds confidence throughout the case.
Don't just analyze - generate insights. McKinsey values "so what" thinking. After each analysis, articulate what it means for the client and recommended actions.
PEI questions go deep. Prepare for extensive follow-up questions on your stories - why you made specific decisions, what you'd do differently, and detailed results.
Practice as much as you want until you're confident. Practice speaking out loud, privately, without the cringe.
Rome wasn't built in a day, so repeat until you're confident. You can become unstoppable.