After you do the calculations and get the number, can you ask for 30 seconds to interpret the number? For eg if you want to look at the assumptions made along the way or compare % change with historicals etc..can you ask for additional time to do that once?
McK Math


Hi there,
This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:
- Given that you have already thought through the structure of your question/ calculation and thus know what the outcome will be (and I would advise you to ask for a short period of time to do so), my perspective is that there is simply no need to stall.
- Contradictory to what other coaches said, I would not see it as a weakness per se if you took a short time to gather your thoughts. Still, I would advise you to walk the interviewer through your thoughts instead of silently preparing the interpretation.
In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for McKinsey quantitative questions, please feel free to contact me directly.
I hope this helps,
Hagen

No. At this point you need to decide whether the number is good/bad and how it's helpful. You need to be able to draw the insight here right away!
By the way, you know you can calculate the number silently right?
For math you need to lay out your formula, then you just need to go do it! Once you finish calculating (silently) you can take 10 seconds to figure out how to interpret it. Then, when you speak, you tell them your numbers and your insight!
Make sense?

Hey there,
You could but at that stage of the interview, I'd rather see candidates move on quickly when interpreting the numbers.
You can take time when you are setting up the logic for the calculation and then again when performing the calculation.
Once you get to the result, you need to answer the question (the number alone is usually just the supporting argument for your answer; it is rarely the answer in the math question) and then interpret it in whatever way you think makes sense.
If you want to know more about McKinsey math questions, check out the article I wrote on the McKinsey case interviews here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-interview
Cheers,
Florian

Absolutely - maybe not 30 seconds but a quick glance at your notes is definitely okay to show that you are tying back your calculations to the case.

You should not take the time in that moment. To be honest, you should not need more than 5 seconds to judge whether a number helps the case objective or not.
But to be honest, you are not asking time to interpret the number, what you describe is actually checking the calculations and probing, which is a different thing.
So if you think the number is “odd”, you should state it and you can look into historicals, assumptions, etc., Even better, you can ask the interviewer if you should proceed to do it or whether it is unnecessary (if your calculations are correct, he will prevent you from doing the math again; if the problem is with the assumptions, he will suggest you to re-check them). Only then you do what you suggested. Otherwise, don't waste interview time with that.

Hi!
I would take 30 seconds to structure how to sanity-check your result rather than thinking about its interpretation.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Anto

Agree with Florian. Worth noting that the ‘maths’ is just the means to deriving insights and implications. I would expect a strong candidate to already be thinking about it before/during the calculations.









