Experienced Hire- Did not perform well for SOLVE, haven't hear back should I continue prep?

Question

Hi everyone,

I’m in an interesting situation. I applied for the experienced hire associate position on the McKinsey website a few weeks ago. The recruiter reached out to do a phone screen with me last Friday, and after the call, she mentioned that she would like to move me forward in the interview process. Later that day, I received the interview prep package, which included details about the SOLVE game and the PEI questions they will ask in the first round, along with a link to sign up for a case interview workshop on their website.

I took the SOLVE game on earlier this week. I feel pretty good about the ecosystem game; however, I don’t think I performed as well on the Redrock game because I overthought a few (two) questions and didn’t get them right (I realized this later).

I haven’t heard back from the recruiter yet, but I’m curious if the SOLVE score will heavily impact my candidacy. Should I continue preparing for the case and PEI in the meantime, or should I move on at this stage?

Answer 1

About importance: It is important but score will only be one part of your application, they will also look at resume and cover letter. The game only won't be sufficient to reject you
You took the game earlier this week, it's been only a couple of days so be patient
Of course you should continue to prep, at McKinsey silence is not equal to rejection. They will tell you if they reject you. That being said, in doubt always continue to prepare -> you will regret it if you stop to prepare and you are invited to an interview, but it is fine if you continue to prepare and you get rejected

Good luck

Answer 2

Hi there,

It depends on the office.

In some offices, the Solve is taken together with R1. In that case, the performance of both is important and a weaker result could be balanced with a strong interview (in theory).

In other offices, it's the gatekeeper to R1.

You should expect to hear back from them within 1-2 weeks max. Fingers crossed!

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 3

Hey there,

In short, I recommend you keep preparing until you are either rejected or get the offer. Because also, you don't know if your results are a prerequisite for you to go to round 1 interviews, and also you don't know if you passed despite how you may feel about it.

So lets hope for the best!