Interview with Mckinsey Germany!!! How should I start my preparation? How much should I invest in it? 3 Hrs per day reading cases?

Congrats!! Getting an interview at McKinsey is a big milestone and shows that your profile already stands out. Let’s make sure you convert it!

If you're serious about this, I’d recommend treating prep somewhat like a part-time job: ~3 hours per day is a good starting point, but the key is to focus on the right things (not just reading cases):

1. Master the McKinsey-specific case format (interviewer-led)

• Learn how to structure top-down issue trees, handle follow-up questions, interpret charts, walk your interviewer through your calculations, and brainstorm in a structured way.
• Don’t just memorize frameworks - focus on breaking problems down logically and flexibly.

2. Do live cases every day

• 1–2 mock interviews per day is great if possible.
• Supplement with solo drills (mental math, structuring, chart reading).
• Prioritize your weakest areas, not just volume.

3. Don’t forget PEI (Fit)

• Start early. Prepare 2–3 strong personal stories for leadership, personal impact, and entrepreneurial drive.
• Go deep — McKinsey will challenge and probe each example.

4. Bonus tip:

• Spar with someone experienced (coach or top-performing peer) at least 2–3 times during your prep to level up your communication, structure, and feedback quality.

I’ve worked at McKinsey Germany for the past years and would be happy to support you. Feel free to reach out for a free intro call to receive more detailed guidance on how to go about your McKinsey interview prep. Natürlich auch auf Deutsch möglich 😉

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from McKinsey!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, since you asked how to prepare, I would strongly advise you to reach out to an experienced coach like me to develop a preparation plan and assess your current level of readiness. While there are many reasons candidates may be rejected, you really don’t want lack of preparation to be the reason for your rejection.
• Moreover, contrary to what other coaches have said, instead of thinking about how much time is required to succeed in the interviews, I would strongly advise you to shift your mindset to ensuring that you eliminate any reason to reject you that is in your control as soon as possible. There are still enough reasons to reject candidates that are out of their control.
• Lastly, reading, listening to, or watching case studies will not help much. Instead, I would strongly advise you to start practicing case studies as soon as possible - either with peers, with friends and family, or with an experienced coach like me.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming McKinsey interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Congratulations on landing the interview! Regarding your question:

Q: How should I start my preparation? How much should I invest in it?

Many candidates need 100+ hours, starting from zero, to be ready for interviews. You might need less time if you use good resources and/or get coaching.

In terms of how to structure the preparation, I would recommend the following:

1. Define a calendar for your preparation. Identify how many hours you have before your interview and allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar accordingly. As mentioned, many candidates need over 100 hours starting from scratch to be ready, so you might use it as a benchmark.
2. Start by reading good MBA Consulting Casebooks. You can find several for free online (INSEAD is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure to solve them. Whenever you see something is missing, upgrade your structure with the new insights. Try to read at least a new case per day – in this way, you will absorb the information better with constant learning.
3. After the first 5-10 cases in books/casebooks and basic theory, start practicing live. PrepLounge can be helpful for connecting with other candidates for that. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you only read cases.
4. Keep track of your mistakes and see which ones you are repeating. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback from experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both behavioral questions (called PEI at McKinsey) and the case part during the mocks. The case part should also cover math and graph analysis.
5. Before the interviews, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewers – a great way to show that you prepared in advance and to connect with the interviewers for a good final impression. Ideally, try to get information on who they are and study their profile to have good questions to ask.

Good luck!

Francesco

Congratulations!

Reading cases will not be enough. 

You’ll need to master several core casing skills: structuring, data interpretation, case math, and brainstorming. 

You’ll also need to focus on top-down communication and synthesis.

You can read lots of theory but the only real way to get good at these things is live practice. 

I’d recommend engaging a coach early to start on the right track and get an action plan, before also doing some live practice with peers once you have the fundamentals down.

Let me know if you need some support.

Hi there,

Congrats on the interview!

For McKinsey Germany, 3 hours a day is a solid commitment, but make sure you're focusing on active practice rather than just reading cases. I’d suggest structuring your prep across:

• Case solving (1 per day) to build structure, speed, and confidence
• Drills for math, structuring, and synthesis (30–60 mins daily)
• Personal fit prep (PEI) — start shaping your stories early

I’d also recommend working with a coach early on to build a strong foundation and clear action plan. Once you’re comfortable with the basics, mix in live practice with peers to sharpen your delivery and get varied feedback.

Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out.

Best,
Evelina

Hi there!

Congrats on being invited to the interview!

Basically, to decide how much you need to practice, you should have a clear idea of where you are at the moment and where you should be as interview-ready. I typically clarify this with candidates as part of the first coaching session once we run a baselining case.

But high-level, and this is a gross average, the typical candidate invests about 3 months in the prep process and 100 hours. 

Depending on where your skills currently are, for you it might involve more or less.

Feel free to reach out directly if you have any questions.

Best,
Cristian

Typically a combination or reading cases, watching videos, targeted coach prep and peer prep is usually the best way forward.

I don’t know when you have your interview scheduled for but the average candidate takes more than  40 hours of dedicated practice to land an offer.

Please feel free to reach out for a free intro chat if you want to discuss a specific approach that could work for you.