MCK R1

entirely depends on the office. usually 1-2 weeks. 

after 5 working days you could contact HR and politely ask for an update.

You usually hear back within a few days to a week. It can vary depending on the office and how many candidates they are processing.

If you have not heard anything after a week, totally fine to send a short follow-up to your recruiter asking about next steps.

In the meantime, keep preparing. R2 gets scheduled pretty quickly once you get the result, so better to stay sharp than take a break and scramble later.

Feel free to reach out if you want help prepping for R2.

That anxiety is completely understandable. Waiting for post-R1 feedback is always the hardest part of the process.

Here's the reality on timelines: McKenzie's process is not automated, so the speed depends almost entirely on when the Partners in your office convene their "calibration meeting." You should expect to hear back in a range from 48 hours to two full weeks. A quick response (2-3 days) usually means they loved you and want to lock you into the calendar immediately. A longer wait (7-10 days) often just means they are waiting for a specific Partner to finish their interview schedule or for the full cohort of feedback to be reviewed. The delay itself is rarely a bad sign.

What you need to do now is pivot immediately into R2 preparation. The moment you get the positive call, you might be scheduled for R2 within 72 hours. Don't wait for the official notification to start working on advanced cases and especially your Personal Experience Interviews (PEI), as those become much more critical in the final round.

Keep the momentum going. All the best!

While there is no prescriptive answer, you should know within a week. 

Hi there,

It can take a few days to a week, depending on how busy the two interviewers are to sync up (if they even need to sync up). In cases where you're consistently strong across the board, you can hear back from HR regarding R2 without your interviewers syncing up.

This is one of those black box situations - it could be immediately it could be a few weeks. Try not to let the time of waiting get to you.

If the HR hasn't come back within a week or so - feel free to follow up with a polished, professional email requesting an update.

In the mean time, continue prep and applications with other firms (could be nice to have leverage when you get a yes :))

hey there :)

After McKinsey R1 you usually hear back within a few days to about one to two weeks, depending on office and scheduling. Sometimes it’s very fast if feedback is aligned quickly, sometimes it takes longer due to coordination. No news after one week is still completely normal. If you haven’t heard after around two weeks, a short polite follow up is fine.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there,

For McKinsey, Round 1 decisions usually come back within 2 to 7 business days, depending on the office and how quickly interviewers align. Some offices are very fast and respond within 48 hours, while others may take closer to a week, especially if partners are traveling.

If you haven’t heard back after about a week, it’s completely fine to send a short, polite follow-up to recruiting.

For now, silence for a few days is completely normal.

Best
Evelina

Congrats!

Typically (80% of cases), in less than two weeks. 

When they do reach out, regardless of the outcome, make sure you ask for specific feedback so you know what to work on either for R2 or interviews with other firms. 

Best,
Cristian