Do I have a chance at MBB if I dont do well on the case?

Hey there, self-perception is rarely accurate so please try and relax!

First of all, a good PEI is very important because you can’t really recover from a bad one, whereas you can recover from a not-so-great case. Hence, well done on the PEI!

With regards to cases (and also PEI for that matter), McKinsey has a specific scoring system that is evidence based. You may well have given some really good answers with high scores without realizing it, because you are now hyper-focused on the not-so-great parts (which is most candidate’s default way of self-assessing). Let things happen and stay positive!

Hope this helps a bit to calm the nerves. Best of luck!

Hi there,

The answer to your title is simply: No. If you failed the case you failed the interview, plain and simple.

I'm sorry for not sugar-coating it but that is the truth!

Now, as to whether you failed, that's another matter. I can't tell you how many candidates I've had that think they bombed the interview only to receive an offer. 

There's no way to predict the outcome here (truly and honestly). You just need to wait and see.

Hi there,

If you don’t perform well in the case, you are not going to pass the interview. The PEI cannot compensate for it.

On the other hand, I coached several candidates that believed they did not do well in the case and they actually passed the interview. That’s because most candidates don’t assess their performance correctly.

Overall, the only person that can tell you something now is.. the interviewer. Your impression may be biased, and any external person cannot really judge. So, although annoying, the only thing you can do is to (i) prepare for other interviews/ apply for other companies and/or (ii) wait for the results.

Good luck!

Francesco

Dear candidate,

my advice is simply wait for their response before thinking about this too much. If you are a student, you are probably applying for one of the more junior positions compared to an experienced hire and that means the bar is lower, you may still pass. Do not worry. Also important is that you solved the case. Of course it is nicer to have an interview go smoothly, but not all do and several candidates still get in. Simply wait and see and best of luck. First of all great that you made it this far, that is already a strong performance, being able to interview with McK.

Hi there,

In McKinsey interviews, you would need to consistently perform across all interviews with no major flaws and some positive spikes along certain dimensions.

However, based on what you wrote it could go both ways since candidates often under or overestimate their performance.

Fingers crossed for a positive outcome!

Cheers,

Florian

Take it easy for now. You are over thinking this. Your job is to give your best and not worry about the outcome. Let things happen.

We are getting too focused on the outcome these days and miss enjoying the process it takes to get there.

Fingers crossed for you.

No, no no. They don't “judge both parts equally”, in the sense that they weight one against the other. 

You have to be pass on BOTH. And honestly, the case is paramount. Usually the behavioral interview is more of a “veto” thing (which still has a high bar) than something that really “weights” in when making a decision. 

Not even an outstanding personality would save you from an “average” case interview performance.

Don't overthink and just wait for their response. Sometimes we underestimate our own performance.