Applied to McKinsey ME office, status is "under review" but no Solve invite yet, is this normal?

Question

Hi all,

I recently applied to McKinsey's Middle East office (Business Analyst role) and received a message that my application is being reviewed. However, I haven't yet received an invite for the Solve assessment, which I understood usually comes fairly early in the process.

Some context on my profile: I previously took Solve independently and scored in the 10th decile, and my internship background includes credit risk at JPMC, project finance at ING, and I'm currently a Founder's Associate at a fintech startup.

A few questions I'd appreciate input on:

Is it normal for "under review" to precede the Solve invite, or does this usually mean something else is happening behind the scenes (e.g., recruiter screening first)?
Does having already taken Solve independently (with a strong score) factor into the office's process at all, or is a fresh invite always required regardless?
Has anyone experienced ME-office-specific timelines that differ from US/UK offices?

Any insight from people who've been through the McKinsey ME pipeline recently would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi there,

Taking your three questions in order, based on my experience:

1. "Under review" before a Solve invite: this is the normal flow, not a warning sign. McKinsey does not fire off the Solve automatically on application; the recruiter reviews your CV first, and the assessment invite follows once you clear that screen.

2. Your independent Solve score: unlikely to be taken into consideration. A score from taking Solve on your own is not tied to their process, so if they want it you will receive a fresh official invite and take it through their system.

3. ME-specific timelines: things may run a touch slower at the moment given the current situation in the region, but I would not expect a significant difference from the US or UK offices. That said, better to reach out to your recruiter directly if you don't hear back from them soon.

Hope it helps and good luck with the process!

Federico