Currently preparing for 3rd round with McKinsey. I feel very anxious and i want to know if its ok to feel that i dont even know the frameworks.

Hi there, 

Firstly, HUGE congrats on making it to the 3rd round - that is a huge success - you should be proud of yourself! It is perfectly normal to feel anxious at any stage of the McKinsey interviews. It just means your human and that you are passionate about succeeding in your efforts.

Answer: Yes, it is OK to not know frameworks by heart. 

Knowing a few frameworks that generally apply to certain types of cases / client situations can be beneficial, because it can assist you in more efficiently identifying how to structure your thoughts and how to display your holistic thought process effectively. 

BUT, simply knowing frameworks is not actually a precursor to being able to do these things. Many people memorize a bunch of frameworks, but struggle with adapting them effectively to the situation presented in the interview. Also, if interviewers notice that the applicant is simply utilizing a well-known framework without any own input, they most often tweak the case a bit to see if the applicant can adapt their thought process beyond memorized frameworks.

What matters way more than any pre-determined frameworks is how well you can holistically think through and structure the problem you are given. It's all about being adaptable to the situation and displaying that you can understand the myriad of factors that potentially contribute to a helpful conclusion. You are likely already quite good at this, since you've already made it into round 3!! :)

Please feel free to message me directly if any of the above is helpful. I'd be happy to assist you further.

Sincerely, 

Thor

Congratulations on getting to the third round - this means you have already shown serious potential and you should find confidence in that fact!

As a former interviewer, I very rarely wanted to see any standard frameworks. Instead, I wanted to see that the candidate is able to break down the problem into the right size pieces that were also MECE (mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive) which often a standard framework would overcomplicate. 

When thinking about how to frame the problem, you can always ask yourself (1) what is the main overall question here (2) what are the 3-4 most important sub-questions that I need to answer to better answer the overall question 

I am happy to walk you through some examples of the above. Best of luck!

Olivia

Truth is - there are no real frameworks to remember.

Given that you have reached the 3rd round, you likely have your basics covered but are on the decision-edge for more soft-skill aspects or overall-interview-performance aspects.

The best way to get a sense check is to go for a diagnostic mock interview with an expert coach on PrepLounge.

Happy to help you out with my fair share of experience in guiding candidates who are at this edge-of-decision situation.

Hey :)

Totally fine and normal (!) to feel anxious before a 3rd round. At this stage, it’s less about frameworks and more about showing structured thinking, clarity, and confidence in how you approach problems. You don’t need to memorize frameworks – what matters is breaking problems down logically, adapting to the case, and communicating clearly. The partners will test flexibility and judgment, not textbook knowledge.

best,
Alessa :)

Congrats!

It's absolutely normal to feel nervous because a lot is at stake. But remember that if you reached round 3 you already have what it takes to pass the interview. You just need to show it one more time. 

And the fact that you've passed until now is also a clear confirmation that learning frameworks is not only unnecessary, but can even get in the way. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi,

Congrats on reaching round 3. That already proves you don’t need frameworks memorized. At this stage, partners care much more about how you think on your feet: break the problem down clearly, adapt when things don’t fit a template, and communicate with confidence. Trust your process and in yourself as you’ve shown you can do it, now it’s just about doing it one more time.

Best,
Lukas

Hi there,

Totally normal to feel anxious before 3rd round—everyone does. And don’t worry about not “knowing” frameworks. McKinsey doesn’t expect you to memorize or recite them. What they care about is whether you can take a messy problem, break it into clear buckets, and adapt your structure logically to the case at hand.

In fact, relying on pre-learned frameworks can hurt you if you force-fit them. It’s much better to pause, think out loud, and build a tailored approach in the moment. That shows the interviewer you can think like a consultant, not just repeat templates.

So you’re in a good spot—focus on clarity, logic, and staying calm under pressure. That’s what matters most at this stage.

Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out!

Best,
Evelina

Hello there,

When we don't know something, it is actually expected for us to feel anxious.

I recommend you to hire a coach in case your interview has not happened yet, to make the best out of your time. 

Also, Crafting Cases has a great free course that covers frameworks fundamentals. I think coach Florian has a free course on that too (must check online).

Best,

Mari