Case Interview prep - McKinsey Tech & AI Business Analyst position

Question

Hi everyone,

For those familiar with Tech & AI - BA track, how different are the case interviews compared to standard BA/consulting roles? Some say they’re very similar to the examples on the company website, while others mention there may be more focus on digital transformation or tech-related cases.

Since I haven’t prepped for case interviews before, I’m not sure what to expect or where to focus. Should I mainly practice traditional consulting cases (market entry, profitability, etc.), or are there specific types of tech/AI cases I should prioritize? Any advice on how to approach prep for this role would be really helpful. Thanks!

Background: I graduated last May with a BS in Computer Science and have been working as a SWE since September. I don’t have a consulting background and am new to case interviews.

Answer 1

Hi Val,

for the Tech &AI track at McKinsey, the interview format is largely the same as for standard BA roles; you should expect classic case interviews (profitability,, growth, etc.) with structured problem solving, quantitative analysis, clear communication, ...

The main difference is the context, not the structure:cases may be framed around digital transformation, data, or AI use cases andyou might be asked to discuss high-level tech concepts,but not code or deep technical details

In terms of prep, in my opinion, focus primarily on traditional consulting cases (80–90%) then complement with some tech-flavored cases (e.g., platform strategy, data monetization, automation impact)

Hope this helps,
Franco

Answer 2

Hi Val,

I wouldn't stress this and would just follow a "standard" case prep journey. I think your AI/Tech knowledge (given your CS background and SWE experience) is more than enough for any question you might get on these topics.

My office has had a Digital Practice for a long time, and the cases were mostly the same as the generalist BAs. I would just get ready to handle profitability, market entry, revenue growth cases, etc. -- applying this type of logic to the Furniture market or the LLM market is conceptually not that different :)

Best,

Tom

Answer 3

Hi there,

Best course of action: Get a coach!

Second best course of action: Get this course, then message me and I'll get you all of the supplementary materials for the Tech focus part

I have a list of real BCG Digital/Tech questions asked in interviews.

The cases tend to be more at the strategic level but can be implementation as well.

It's quite tough to find adequate tech-focused cases. That's why I created 3 :)

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/interviewer-led-mckinsey-style/advanced/mckinsey-digital-bcg-platinion-oil-gas-upstream-technology-196

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/roma-solutions-senior-expert-level-tech-case-240

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/yodaphone-195

All of these based on real-life cases and have a tech-focus.

Please feel free to reach out if you would:

a) Like more technology-based cases

b) Like to be cased in the two above (hint: They don't cover all aspects of those projects...i.e. the cases could take multiple twists and turns and test additional themes when I conduct them)

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Answer 4

Hi Val,

Ask the recruiter. That's the safest route to go.

But that aside, I would practice both. Both regular cases and AI focused ones will enable you to develop your consulting toolkit. AI focused ones will also require your industry specific knowledge, and in the process of doing them, you'll learn even more.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 5

Hi Val,

I interviewed for an integrative role within a practice (not Tech & AI specifically, but the same setup: consulting path, sitting inside a practice). The process was the same as generalist: interviewer-led cases, PEI, standard format. So the coaches here are right about that.

In my experience, there was a higher bar on topic-specific knowledge, and the majority of my cases were thematic, related to the practice I was interviewing for. I only got 1-2 generic cases out of the full set. They weren't testing whether I could do anything deeply technical, but they did expect me to reason fluently about domain-specific problems and show that I could connect business strategy to the practice area.

So my advice would be: prep the fundamentals first (structuring, math, exhibit interpretation, PEI). That's still 80% of what will get you the offer. But don't neglect the tech/AI angle and read up on topics like digital transformation, cloud migration, AI use cases, data strategy, and platform economics so you can engage with those themes naturally if they come up. With your CS and SWE background you probably already have strong intuition here, but practice framing that knowledge as business strategy rather than technical implementation.

Also +1 to asking your recruiter directly. They're usually pretty transparent about what to expect.

Good luck!