Any point in doing the assessment for Mckinsey if I didn’t go to a target school/russel group university.

Question

Hey guys,

I just received email to do the game assessment for McKinsey for the graduate role in London, however I didn’t go to a target university or even a russel group uni in fact. My experience is limited to be honest with not much finance or consulting experience at all. Is there any point in doing the game assessment as I think I’ll be rejected regardless because of CV. Please let me know!

Answer 1

In all honesty, regardless of your university background. Give the test a try and see how you perform. It can be quite helpful to use as a practice test that can aid you in future aptitude tests you may encounter, from helping you get more comfortable with a testing environment to maybe even getting a shot at a first-round interview.

Answer 2

Hi there,

Do you want to get into consulting any time soon? The only downside to do it now is that if you get rejected, there could be a "cooling period" before you can try again. If you don't have a specific timeline that you'd like to break into consulting, then I think trying the test is a good option, for you to get a bit more flavor of what the test would be like, whether you'd like to solve those questions or not - which could be an indication whether you'd like consulting work.

Best,

Emily

Answer 3

Hi Yaman :)

Yes, it’s still worth doing the assessment. McKinsey wouldn’t have invited you to the Solve/Game stage if you were already screened out based on your CV. Passing this test gives you a fair chance to move forward, and once you’re in interviews, your performance matters more than your university name. There are plenty of examples of candidates from non-target schools getting in if they show strong problem-solving and drive. So definitely take it seriously and give yourself that shot.

best,
Alessa :)

Answer 4

Any point in Mckinsey sending you the assessment if they would outright reject your application without considering the assessment result?

They are sending you the assessment precisely because they don't want to reject you just because you are not from a target university. They know great talent lies in other schools, and their way to identify that talent in a more precise way (without having to interview 100's of lower quality candidates) is to pick the ones with the best assessment scores.