Do McKinsey Solve results only come out in batches?

Yes, McKinsey often releases results in batches, especially for specific office cycles like Germany and Austria.

The email you received is pretty clear. They said mid to late March for feedback. That is their timeline regardless of when you completed the Solve. This is not unusual. McKinsey runs structured recruiting cycles and they wait until they have a full batch of candidates before moving forward.

The two week turnaround you read about online is more common for offices that recruit on a rolling basis. But when they give you a specific window, that is the window. Don't expect anything earlier.

How to handle your other interviews

Different firms move at different speeds. This is a common situation.

Keep moving forward with your other MBB interviews. Don't slow down hoping McKinsey will speed up. You cannot control their timeline.

If you get an offer from another firm before McKinsey responds, reach out and let them know. Something like "I have received an offer with a deadline of X date. I remain very interested in McKinsey and wanted to check if there is any flexibility in the timeline." Sometimes they can accelerate, sometimes they cannot. But worth asking politely.

Don't burn a good offer waiting for a maybe. If BCG or Bain gives you an offer and McKinsey has not even interviewed you yet, decide based on what is actually in front of you.

Recruiting timelines are messy and rarely line up perfectly. Focus on what you can control, which is performing well in the interviews you have now.

Feel free to reach out if you want help preparing for your upcoming interviews.

Hi there,

• Yes, McKinsey Solve results often come out in batches, especially for Germany/Austria.
• In DACH recruiting, Solve is not evaluated rolling. It’s reviewed together with the full applicant pool, and interview invites are sent in one coordinated wave.
• That’s why your email explicitly says mid/late March — in this case, that timeline matters more than the “~2 weeks after Solve” you read online.
• Silence right now is neutral, not a rejection. A strong Solve alone doesn’t trigger an immediate invite in campaign hiring.
• Other MBBs moving faster is normal. McKinsey expects candidates to be in parallel processes.
• You should only reach out to McKinsey if you get an offer or a hard deadline elsewhere; then it’s fine to ask (politely) whether your application can be reviewed earlier.

Bottom line: yes, you likely won’t hear back until March, and that’s normal for McKinsey DACH.

Best,

Evelina

It really depends on whether we're talking about campus recruiting or not, or entry-level vs. experienced hire. 

The short answer is that you can't know. 

If it's a problem, in the sense that the other applications are progressing way faster, e.g., you have a final round with BCG in 2 weeks, but you haven't even heard about the first round with McK, send them an email politely explaining the situation and ask if they can fast-track your application. They do help with that. 

Best of luck with the process and reach out if you have any questions!
Cristian