Different Preparation for Final Round Interviews

First of all, congrats on making it to the next round!

Focus mostly on the feedback you were given from the 1st round interviews-- always the most valuable starting point.

Then in my experience, I found great success in demonstrating my interest in the partner's perspective (eg. Did you start as an analyst, and if so, why have you stayed at X company for Y years? What has been the biggest change your company has undertaken recently?)

Hope this helps!

S

Hi there,

In terms of what to expect in the final, the structure of the rounds is the same (fit + case+ your questions); however in finals there is usually more emphasis on communication and fit.

Specifically, the main differences you may find in a final round with partners is that at that stage they:

1. Spend more time on fit questions and your alignment with the company.
2. Check more closely your communication (eg how you react to challenging questions).
3. May not have a “proper” structured case to present. That's because during the final they know you can structure and crack a case (you passed 1 or 2 rounds already) and are more interested in your logic, personality and fit with the company. Having said that, cases at McKinsey are quite standard in finals in many offices.

So in order to prepare I would concentrate on the following:

• Review in detail your fit stories. Be sure to review your PEI stories with experienced candidates or consultants and to have at least a backup for each dimension.
• Work on your communication (reaction under pressure, how to gain time when you do not have a structure ready, connect with the interviewer, etc). This is something you can do almost exclusively in interviews with peers.
• Prepare cases as you did for the first round. If you got feedback on a specific area, focus more on that part.

Best, 

Francesco

The same but with a focus on your R1 feedback. Annecdotal but a few of my candidates have come across a Dubai based senior partner who likes to ask: "how would the world be different if X (you) didn't exist..."

Hi there,

Of course, make sure you get feedback from your first round interviewers and then look to improve on any identified weakness/improvement areas.

Continue to case, build your background knowledge, and work on weak areas. Slow and steady should be the theme here if you have a full month here - we don't want to risk burnout/overcasing here!

Hey congrats on moving to the next round, the structure of the final round should be the same (fit+case), yet partner interviews may be more laidback and the case/fit part can be less formal.