Invited to first round case interview at McKinsey. Tips and preparation strategy?

Congrats on the McKinsey invite — that’s already a big milestone. 
 

Here’s how I’d recommend approaching prep at this stage (based on both my experience and what I’ve seen work for others):
 

1. Practice 

Both

 Case + Behavioral (Daily, Back to Back)
 

McKinsey interviews often combine case + personal experience (PEI) in the same session, sometimes even switching midway — so your prep should reflect that.
 

• Do at least one full mock case per day with someone you don’t know well — it trains you to perform under pressure and adapt fast.
• Don’t neglect PEI. McKinsey places real weight on your stories. Prepare 2–3 real, detailed examples (leadership, conflict, drive) and rehearse them aloud. They should feel natural, not memorized.
  
  2. Build Case “Muscle Memory”

This isn’t about memorizing frameworks — it’s about training your brain to:
 

• Ask sharp, hypothesis-driven questions
• Break down ambiguous problems with structure
• Stay calm under pressure (even when you don’t know the answer)
  The more reps you get in now, the more naturally you’ll behave in the interview — without sounding robotic.
   

 3. Be Ready for the Classic Questions
 

Brush up on
 

• “Why McKinsey?”
• “Why this office?”
• “Why consulting?”
  And tie them to your own journey — not generic answers. McKinsey values authenticity and clarity of motivation.
   

If you’d like help with focused prep — I coach candidates specifically for McKinsey (including real-case simulation, PEI story feedback, and communication coaching). Happy to support if you want to level up fast.

Good luck — you’re already on a strong path!

– Pallav

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, if you asked the question about a preparation strategy because you have not yet thoroughly prepared, I would strongly advise you to reach out to an experienced coach like myself 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, if my assumption is correct that you have not yet thoroughly prepared, please consider requesting a postponement of your interviews, ideally in coordination with the coach you chose to work with.

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

Assuming you understand the basis, a few tactical tipcs

• Structuring: take an MBA casebook (Google if you don't know what this is) and do framework drills by reading a prompt, timing yourself for 2 mins, and reading the rest of the case -- go through at least one entire casebook; develop your own framework for the high-probability topics, so you have a less canned, off-the-shelf structure to fall back on
• Math: if mental math is a stumbling block, download an app or use tools like the one here on PrepLounge to get quick/sharp with numbers; YouTube has a ton of content on case math if you need more help
• Business judgement: read WSJ, Economics, and/or primers on key industries to learn the basics (if you need to) 

Highly recommend working with a coach to prepare more efficiently. We'd start with a baselining session to provide a more precise answer on what I recommend you prioritize between now and your interview date. 

Hey! Congratulations.

The answer depends on whether you are experienced in casing or not.

If not, I’d try to push back your interviews so that you have a couple months to prepare, and focus initially on case fundamentals (structuring, data interp, math, creativity, synthesis). You can engage a coach to give you a solid curriculum to maximise your time. 

Also, do not neglect the PEI, which also requires some careful preparation and results in many candidates getting rejections, even with strong case performance.

If you’re experienced in casing, then your prep should be focused on eliminating any of your weaknesses.

It’s hard to give a more targeted plan without a little more context

Congrats!

Actually, there's a lot to mention. 

To begin with, and assuming you have a tight timeline, try to get a baselining assessment either with a coach or with an experienced consultant. This should help you get a sense of what you are already strong at and where you struggle. You can then tailor your prep journey accordingly. This is a more 80/20 approach to the prep process rather than trying all the materials and just cramming as much as possible in the little time you have available. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

If you’re new to case interview, try to postpone the interview to at least one month from now.

The coaches above covered what you need to tackle. I agree with Christian, it’s good for you to have a coaching session to either evaluate your performance, if you know the basics, or to guide you through an entire case showing you what you’re supposed to do in every part of it.

I was a McKinsey consultant and part of the recruitment task force , happy to help you if you would like professional guidance.

Best,

Mari