📝 Resume + cover letter guides – Stand out on paper so you can land an interview.
💬 Fit/behavioral question bank – Get ready for the “Why consulting?” moment.
📊 Offer and salary data – Know your worth.
🗓️ Recruiting timeline tracker – Stay one step ahead of the rest.
📚 Casing drills – Math, exhibit analysis, frameworks.
Firm Overview: McKinsey & Company
If you are targeting McKinsey, you are entering the recruiting pipeline of the most influential strategy consulting firm in the world. McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm with roughly 45,000 employees across more than 65 countries. The firm advises senior leaders on their most critical strategic, operational, and organizational decisions, with a strong emphasis on top management and board-level work.
McKinsey’s core consulting work focuses on corporate and business unit strategy, growth and transformation, performance improvement, organizational effectiveness, digital and analytics-driven decision making, and large-scale change programs. While the firm has expanded significantly into implementation, analytics, and technology-enabled transformation over the past decade, it continues to position itself first and foremost as a strategy-led advisory firm.
Focus and specialties
- Growth strategy and market entry for multinational and regional players
- Corporate portfolio strategy and capital allocation decisions
- Large-scale performance transformations and cost restructuring
- Digital, analytics, and AI-enabled strategy and operating model redesign
McKinsey works across nearly all major industries, including consumer goods, retail, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, technology, energy, industrials, infrastructure, and the public and social sectors. Engagements range from classic CEO-level strategy questions to complex transformations involving operating models, capabilities, and execution at scale.
Why candidates choose McKinsey
- Pure strategy work with frequent exposure to senior executives and board-level decision makers
- Strong analytical culture with a heavy emphasis on structured problem solving and intellectual rigor
- Lean teams with early responsibility for analysis, synthesis, and direct client interaction
- Broad exit opportunities into corporate strategy, private equity, startups, public sector leadership, and senior industry roles
Because of its focus and culture, McKinsey values candidates who are: analytically rigorous, intellectually curious, comfortable with ambiguity, able to think in a highly structured way, and capable of leading and influencing others under pressure.
Interview Process Overview
McKinsey runs one of the most structured and consistent consulting interview processes in the industry. While details vary slightly by region, role, and seniority, the core format is highly standardized and emphasizes problem solving, structured thinking, and personal impact. Undergraduate, MBA, and experienced hire candidates typically go through two rounds, with some offices adding screening steps or assessments.
Step 1: Screening:
Candidates submit an online application including resume and transcripts. Some regions use additional screening tools, such as online problem-solving tests or short digital assessments that test numerical reasoning, logical thinking, and data interpretation. These assessments are eliminative and designed to mirror the analytical rigor expected in live interviews. Notably, many US-based McKinsey employees report that the firm has a lower reliance on referrals and networking-based efforts made by candidates. McKinsey attempts to have as objective of a review process as possible, which is why networking is often considered less important compared to performance on assessments.
Step 2: First round (PEI + case interview details):
The first round usually consists of two interviews, each lasting around 45 to 60 minutes. Each interview includes one full case interview and one Personal Experience Interview (PEI). Interviewers are typically consultants or engagement managers. Performance in both the case and PEI matters equally; strong case performance alone is not sufficient to advance. More details on how to ace each section (PEI and case) are below.
Step 3: Final round:
Final rounds generally involve two to four interviews with senior engagement managers and partners. The format remains consistent with first rounds: one case plus one PEI per interview. Expectations are significantly higher, and many past interviewees report these rounds being higher pressure than the first round. Interviewers probe more deeply, challenge assumptions more aggressively, and place greater weight on synthesis, judgment, and executive-level communication. Final decisions are made collectively, with interviewers calibrating across candidates. More details on how to ace each section (PEI and case) are below.
Details vary by country, business unit and whether you are applying as undergrad, MBA or experienced hire, so your recruiter’s description should be your final source of truth.
Personal Experience Interview (PEI)
The PEI is a defining feature of McKinsey’s interview process and is taken extremely seriously. Unlike generic behavioral interviews, the PEI is designed to assess leadership, drive, conflict management, resilience, and personal impact through deep dives into a small number of real experiences. Interviewers typically select one theme per interview and spend 15 to 20 minutes probing a single story. The full list of themes is above and sample questions + answers are below.
McKinsey consistently tests for leadership and influence, entrepreneurial drive and ownership, ability to work through conflict, and resilience in the face of setbacks. Interviewers are trained to push candidates well beyond surface-level storytelling. They will interrupt, ask for specifics, challenge generalizations, and revisit earlier answers to test consistency.
How to answer for McKinsey:
McKinsey strongly prefers a structured START-style approach (situation, task, awareness, result, takeaway). They place emphasis on the Situation and Actions but also want to see sincere reflection (takeaway) unlike other firms who typically use a STAR-style. Interviewers want detailed descriptions of what you personally did, what decisions you made, and how others reacted. Both team outcomes matter and individual contributions matter, and it's crucial to remember to finish each story with some discussion on what you learned, what you would do differently, and how you will take these learnings with you going forward.
Example outline 1: Connection
Prompt: Explain a challenging situation you encountered when working with someone with an opposing opinion.
- Situation: Give clear context to what you were doing, who you were working with, and any other important details.
- Task: Define your responsibility, what success required, and set the scene for how an opposing opinion arose.
- Action: This should be the majority of your answer. Walk through where the point of disagreement was, how you worked through that disagreement, any difficulties you encountered along the way and how you handled them, and any other relevant actions that led to a positive outcome.
- Result: List the outcome (this is where you should quantify if possible - e.g., how many hours did you save, how much revenue did you generate...) and focus especially on how others felt about this outcome. Given you are dealing with opposition, it's important for the interviewer to understand how the other parties viewed the outcome—not just you. If people were upset initially, talk about that. If people eventually agreed that your solution was better, talk through that. Or if you shifted your solution to encorporate the ideas of your teammates, make sure to walk the interviewer through that.
- Takeaway: Given stories like this are rarely handled perfectly, it's important to note what you've learned from this experience and how to deal with opposition. A brief sentence or two about your takeaways and how you will conduct yourself in the future is crucial to tie everything together.
Example outline 2: Leadership and influence
Prompt: Share an example where you worked effectively with people with different backgrounds despite challenges.
- Situation: Set the context clearly, including the stakes, constraints, and people involved.
- Task: Define your responsibility and what success required.
- Action: This should be the majority of your answer. Walk through decisions, tradeoffs, resistance you faced, and how you influenced others step by step.
- Result: Provide a concrete outcome and explain how your actions drove it.
- Takeaway: Don't forget to end your story with what you learned.
How to prepare your stories
Candidates should prepare five to eight deeply rehearsed stories that map clearly to McKinsey’s PEI dimensions. While McKinsey interviews are tough, the benfefit is you know the exact categories / questions you will be asked going into it. These stories should be factual, detailed, and defensible under pressure. Practicing follow-up questions and interruptions is critical, as interviewers rarely let candidates deliver uninterrupted narratives.
McKinsey Case Interview
McKinsey case interviews are designed to simulate how consultants actually think and work on client problems. They are interviewer-led but candidate-driven in logic. The interviewer controls the flow of information, but expects the candidate to structure the problem, prioritize analyses, and synthesize insights continuously. Cases typically begin with an open-ended business problem, such as growth, profitability, market entry, organizational performance, or strategy under uncertainty. Early in the case, candidates are expected to propose a clear, MECE structure that logically breaks the problem into components. This initial structure is heavily weighted in evaluation and often determines the trajectory of the interview.
Throughout the case, interviewers test four core dimensions. First, problem structuring: the ability to break down ambiguity into a coherent analytical plan. Second, analytical execution: comfort with numbers, logic, and data interpretation. Third, insight generation: drawing meaningful conclusions rather than simply calculating results. Fourth, communication and synthesis: explaining thinking clearly and updating conclusions as new information emerges.
Common industries: McKinsey cases span a broad range of industries reflecting the firm’s global footprint. Common settings include consumer goods, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, technology, energy, public sector, and industrials. Candidates are not expected to have industry expertise, but they are expected to reason logically about unfamiliar contexts.
Length: Each case interview lasts around 30 to 40 minutes within the full interview slot. The flow typically includes problem clarification, structuring, one or two quantitative or analytical deep dives, interpretation of charts or exhibits, and a final recommendation. Interviewers frequently pause candidates to ask synthesis questions or redirect focus.
Style: McKinsey cases are explicitly interviewer-led (question + answer format). Candidates should not attempt to run the case independently or jump ahead. Success comes from answering the specific question asked, thinking aloud, and maintaining a clear connection between analysis and the overall objective. Strong candidates are concise, focused, and adaptable when the interviewer changes direction.
Quants and Exhibits: Math is frequent but not overly complex. Candidates should expect mental math involving revenues, costs, margins, growth rates, breakevens, and market sizing. Accuracy and speed matter, but interpretation matters more. Calculators are not allowed. Practice McKinsey math drills here. Exhibits often include charts, tables, or graphs. Candidates are expected to extract insights quickly, identify trends, and explain implications clearly. A common failure point is describing data without articulating what it means for the client decision. Practice McKinsey exhibit drills here.
Synthesis and Recommendation: Synthesis is critical throughout the case, not just at the end. Interviewers expect periodic summaries that highlight what has been learned and how it affects the hypothesis. Final recommendations should be clear, decisive, and supported by evidence, while acknowledging risks, uncertainties, and next steps.
Tips to Prepare
Landing an offer at McKinsey is tough. But with the right preparation, you can dramatically increase your odds.
- Case Library – Real McKinsey-style cases with guided answers and data exhibits.
- Case Math Drills – Targeted quantitative practice modeled after McKinsey's difficulty.
- Exhibit Analysis Drills – Learn to extract insights quickly from charts and data tables.
- Brainstorming & Market Sizing Drills – Build structured creativity and estimation speed.
- Networking Hub – Find partners to practice cases and behavioral questions with, globally.
Firm Overview: McKinsey & Company
If you are targeting McKinsey, you are entering the recruiting pipeline of the most influential strategy consulting firm in the world. McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm with roughly 45,000 employees across more than 65 countries. The firm advises senior leaders on their most critical strategic, operational, and organizational decisions, with a strong emphasis on top management and board-level work.
McKinsey’s core consulting work focuses on corporate and business unit strategy, growth and transformation, performance improvement, organizational effectiveness, digital and analytics-driven decision making, and large-scale change programs. While the firm has expanded significantly into implementation, analytics, and technology-enabled transformation over the past decade, it continues to position itself first and foremost as a strategy-led advisory firm.
Focus and specialties
- Growth strategy and market entry for multinational and regional players
- Corporate portfolio strategy and capital allocation decisions
- Large-scale performance transformations and cost restructuring
- Digital, analytics, and AI-enabled strategy and operating model redesign
McKinsey works across nearly all major industries, including consumer goods, retail, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, technology, energy, industrials, infrastructure, and the public and social sectors. Engagements range from classic CEO-level strategy questions to complex transformations involving operating models, capabilities, and execution at scale.
Why candidates choose McKinsey
- Pure strategy work with frequent exposure to senior executives and board-level decision makers
- Strong analytical culture with a heavy emphasis on structured problem solving and intellectual rigor
- Lean teams with early responsibility for analysis, synthesis, and direct client interaction
- Broad exit opportunities into corporate strategy, private equity, startups, public sector leadership, and senior industry roles
Because of its focus and culture, McKinsey values candidates who are: analytically rigorous, intellectually curious, comfortable with ambiguity, able to think in a highly structured way, and capable of leading and influencing others under pressure.
Interview Process Overview
McKinsey runs one of the most structured and consistent consulting interview processes in the industry. While details vary slightly by region, role, and seniority, the core format is highly standardized and emphasizes problem solving, structured thinking, and personal impact. Undergraduate, MBA, and experienced hire candidates typically go through two rounds, with some offices adding screening steps or assessments.
Step 1: Screening:
Candidates submit an online application including resume and transcripts. Some regions use additional screening tools, such as online problem-solving tests or short digital assessments that test numerical reasoning, logical thinking, and data interpretation. These assessments are eliminative and designed to mirror the analytical rigor expected in live interviews. Notably, many US-based McKinsey employees report that the firm has a lower reliance on referrals and networking-based efforts made by candidates. McKinsey attempts to have as objective of a review process as possible, which is why networking is often considered less important compared to performance on assessments.
Step 2: First round (PEI + case interview details):
The first round usually consists of two interviews, each lasting around 45 to 60 minutes. Each interview includes one full case interview and one Personal Experience Interview (PEI). Interviewers are typically consultants or engagement managers. Performance in both the case and PEI matters equally; strong case performance alone is not sufficient to advance. More details on how to ace each section (PEI and case) are below.
Step 3: Final round:
Final rounds generally involve two to four interviews with senior engagement managers and partners. The format remains consistent with first rounds: one case plus one PEI per interview. Expectations are significantly higher, and many past interviewees report these rounds being higher pressure than the first round. Interviewers probe more deeply, challenge assumptions more aggressively, and place greater weight on synthesis, judgment, and executive-level communication. Final decisions are made collectively, with interviewers calibrating across candidates. More details on how to ace each section (PEI and case) are below.
Details vary by country, business unit and whether you are applying as undergrad, MBA or experienced hire, so your recruiter’s description should be your final source of truth.
Personal Experience Interview (PEI)
The PEI is a defining feature of McKinsey’s interview process and is taken extremely seriously. Unlike generic behavioral interviews, the PEI is designed to assess leadership, drive, conflict management, resilience, and personal impact through deep dives into a small number of real experiences. Interviewers typically select one theme per interview and spend 15 to 20 minutes probing a single story. The full list of themes is above and sample questions + answers are below.
McKinsey consistently tests for leadership and influence, entrepreneurial drive and ownership, ability to work through conflict, and resilience in the face of setbacks. Interviewers are trained to push candidates well beyond surface-level storytelling. They will interrupt, ask for specifics, challenge generalizations, and revisit earlier answers to test consistency.
How to answer for McKinsey:
McKinsey strongly prefers a structured START-style approach (situation, task, awareness, result, takeaway). They place emphasis on the Situation and Actions but also want to see sincere reflection (takeaway) unlike other firms who typically use a STAR-style. Interviewers want detailed descriptions of what you personally did, what decisions you made, and how others reacted. Both team outcomes matter and individual contributions matter, and it's crucial to remember to finish each story with some discussion on what you learned, what you would do differently, and how you will take these learnings with you going forward.
Example outline 1: Connection
Prompt: Explain a challenging situation you encountered when working with someone with an opposing opinion.
- Situation: Give clear context to what you were doing, who you were working with, and any other important details.
- Task: Define your responsibility, what success required, and set the scene for how an opposing opinion arose.
- Action: This should be the majority of your answer. Walk through where the point of disagreement was, how you worked through that disagreement, any difficulties you encountered along the way and how you handled them, and any other relevant actions that led to a positive outcome.
- Result: List the outcome (this is where you should quantify if possible - e.g., how many hours did you save, how much revenue did you generate...) and focus especially on how others felt about this outcome. Given you are dealing with opposition, it's important for the interviewer to understand how the other parties viewed the outcome—not just you. If people were upset initially, talk about that. If people eventually agreed that your solution was better, talk through that. Or if you shifted your solution to encorporate the ideas of your teammates, make sure to walk the interviewer through that.
- Takeaway: Given stories like this are rarely handled perfectly, it's important to note what you've learned from this experience and how to deal with opposition. A brief sentence or two about your takeaways and how you will conduct yourself in the future is crucial to tie everything together.
Example outline 2: Leadership and influence
Prompt: Share an example where you worked effectively with people with different backgrounds despite challenges.
- Situation: Set the context clearly, including the stakes, constraints, and people involved.
- Task: Define your responsibility and what success required.
- Action: This should be the majority of your answer. Walk through decisions, tradeoffs, resistance you faced, and how you influenced others step by step.
- Result: Provide a concrete outcome and explain how your actions drove it.
- Takeaway: Don't forget to end your story with what you learned.
How to prepare your stories
Candidates should prepare five to eight deeply rehearsed stories that map clearly to McKinsey’s PEI dimensions. While McKinsey interviews are tough, the benfefit is you know the exact categories / questions you will be asked going into it. These stories should be factual, detailed, and defensible under pressure. Practicing follow-up questions and interruptions is critical, as interviewers rarely let candidates deliver uninterrupted narratives.
McKinsey Case Interview
McKinsey case interviews are designed to simulate how consultants actually think and work on client problems. They are interviewer-led but candidate-driven in logic. The interviewer controls the flow of information, but expects the candidate to structure the problem, prioritize analyses, and synthesize insights continuously. Cases typically begin with an open-ended business problem, such as growth, profitability, market entry, organizational performance, or strategy under uncertainty. Early in the case, candidates are expected to propose a clear, MECE structure that logically breaks the problem into components. This initial structure is heavily weighted in evaluation and often determines the trajectory of the interview.
Throughout the case, interviewers test four core dimensions. First, problem structuring: the ability to break down ambiguity into a coherent analytical plan. Second, analytical execution: comfort with numbers, logic, and data interpretation. Third, insight generation: drawing meaningful conclusions rather than simply calculating results. Fourth, communication and synthesis: explaining thinking clearly and updating conclusions as new information emerges.
Common industries: McKinsey cases span a broad range of industries reflecting the firm’s global footprint. Common settings include consumer goods, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, technology, energy, public sector, and industrials. Candidates are not expected to have industry expertise, but they are expected to reason logically about unfamiliar contexts.
Length: Each case interview lasts around 30 to 40 minutes within the full interview slot. The flow typically includes problem clarification, structuring, one or two quantitative or analytical deep dives, interpretation of charts or exhibits, and a final recommendation. Interviewers frequently pause candidates to ask synthesis questions or redirect focus.
Style: McKinsey cases are explicitly interviewer-led (question + answer format). Candidates should not attempt to run the case independently or jump ahead. Success comes from answering the specific question asked, thinking aloud, and maintaining a clear connection between analysis and the overall objective. Strong candidates are concise, focused, and adaptable when the interviewer changes direction.
Quants and Exhibits: Math is frequent but not overly complex. Candidates should expect mental math involving revenues, costs, margins, growth rates, breakevens, and market sizing. Accuracy and speed matter, but interpretation matters more. Calculators are not allowed. Practice McKinsey math drills here. Exhibits often include charts, tables, or graphs. Candidates are expected to extract insights quickly, identify trends, and explain implications clearly. A common failure point is describing data without articulating what it means for the client decision. Practice McKinsey exhibit drills here.
Synthesis and Recommendation: Synthesis is critical throughout the case, not just at the end. Interviewers expect periodic summaries that highlight what has been learned and how it affects the hypothesis. Final recommendations should be clear, decisive, and supported by evidence, while acknowledging risks, uncertainties, and next steps.
Tips to Prepare
Landing an offer at McKinsey is tough. But with the right preparation, you can dramatically increase your odds.
- Case Library – Real McKinsey-style cases with guided answers and data exhibits.
- Case Math Drills – Targeted quantitative practice modeled after McKinsey's difficulty.
- Exhibit Analysis Drills – Learn to extract insights quickly from charts and data tables.
- Brainstorming & Market Sizing Drills – Build structured creativity and estimation speed.
- Networking Hub – Find partners to practice cases and behavioral questions with, globally.
📝 Resume + cover letter guides – Stand out on paper so you can land an interview.
💬 Fit/behavioral question bank – Get ready for the “Why consulting?” moment.
📊 Offer and salary data – Know your worth.
🗓️ Recruiting timeline tracker – Stay one step ahead of the rest.
📚 Casing drills – Math, exhibit analysis, frameworks.
