McKinsey First Round Interviews - A Personal Experience Interview (PEI) segment

Hi there, 

I created a course that covers end-to-end the PEI preparation. You can find it here:

• Video Course: Master the McKinsey PEI

It contains a full video guide on how to build the stories and what makes a good story, sample questions to prepare and audio recordings of actual interview-successful PEI stories. 

To respond to your question directly, the general advice is to develop 2 stories per dimension, but I find that most candidates, using the right technique, can manage with 4-6 stories. The trick is to develop stories that can be easily deployed across different dimensions.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

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

• First of all, I would advise you to prepare two situations per dimension if possible. This gives you flexibility and helps avoid repetition in case one of your examples doesn't resonate well with the interviewer.
• Moreover, and contary to what other coaches have said, I would strongly advise against using "Swiss army knife" situations that fit multiple dimensions. While you can certainly pick different situations from one internship, for example, McKinsey interviewers typically share the PEI situations with each other and would point out if you reuse any.

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 pre-interview assessment and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hey, there's no strict rule but generally it's good to have 1-2 solid stories for each one, to avoid too much repetition.

Bear in mind that some stories can meet multiple dimensions, depending on how you spin them.

Happy to help craft your narratives, if you need support.

Hello there,

One different story per dimension. You may have a story that touches different points, but you should avoid repeating it as interviewers will talk about it later.

I suggest you to use the PARADE method to structure the stories, and to chose those that happened not too long ago (max 2 years, preferably 1).

Remember that they should have critical points (just like a good story that is worth reading) and your decision making rationale must be clear.

Happy to support you if you would like professional assistance to build them in a consulting and strong manner.

Best,

Mari

Hi,

I recommend preparing at least 1 story per topic and ideally 1 back-up.

Let me know if you need help to prepare.

Mattijs