Final Round at McKinsey – Weak Math + Fast Interviews + No Feedback

Question

Hi everyone,

I recently completed my final-round interviews at McKinsey. Unfortunately, I didn’t perform well on the math portions in both interviews. Also, both interviews felt noticeably shorter and rushed than my first round.

It has now been 10 days since the interviews, and I still haven’t heard back. I emailed the recruiter yesterday to follow up, but haven’t received a response yet.

I wanted to ask:

How common is it to still receive an offer after weak math performance in both interviews?
Do shorter interviews usually indicate a negative outcome?
Is a 10-day silence normal at this stage?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a similar experience or insight into McKinsey timelines.

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi there,

This situation is understandably stressful, but none of what you described is a definitive negative signal on its own.

Weak math in finals:
It is still possible to receive an offer even if math wasn’t your strongest area, especially if your structure, judgment, synthesis, and PEI were strong. McKinsey evaluates candidates holistically, and math errors are often tolerated if they don’t derail the overall problem solving. Many successful candidates felt their math was shaky in at least one interview.

Shorter or rushed interviews:
Short interviews do not reliably indicate a negative outcome. In finals, interviewers may move quickly once they’ve seen enough signal, whether positive or mixed. Length is a very weak indicator compared to content.

10-day silence:
Yes, this is normal. Final-round decisions often take 1–2 weeks or longer, especially if there’s calibration across interviewers, partner availability, or headcount discussions. Silence usually means the process is still ongoing rather than a clear no.

Since you’ve already followed up, the right move now is to wait a bit longer. Chasing again too quickly won’t change the outcome.

In short: your experience is very common, and while there are no guarantees, nothing you’ve described automatically rules out an offer. Try not to over-interpret individual signals while you wait.

Best,
Evelina