McKinsey Interview Prep from Zero

Yes, round 2 is realistic. Two weeks is enough if you stop treating this like a research project and start treating it like a skill sprint.

On resources, one day on Case in Point to refresh vocabulary, then drop it. LOMS is your core, go through it actively, pause before each answer, give your own response out loud, then compare. Do that three times through minimum, not once. One coaching session with an ex-McKinsey person mid-week to get honest feedback on what's actually broken. That's it. No more resources.

On case fundamentals, the thing most people get wrong at this stage is drilling volume without fixing mechanics. More cases won't help if you keep repeating the same mistakes. The priority order is this:

Structure first. Every case starts with you building a framework out loud. Practice doing this from scratch, not from memory. Ask yourself what actually drives performance in this specific business, then build from there. If your structure could apply to any company, start over.

Math second. McKinsey cases will test your comfort with numbers under pressure. Practice mental math daily, percentages, growth rates, back-of-envelope market sizing. Ten minutes a day is enough but it has to be every day.

Synthesis third. After every case, practice saying the answer in one sentence before explaining it. Bottom line up front, every time. Most candidates bury the answer and interviewers mark them down for it.

On the PEI, treat it as equal weight to the case. Write six to eight stories covering leadership, personal impact, and entrepreneurial drive. Each story needs to survive fifteen follow-up questions drilling into your specific decisions and reasoning. Write them out fully, then practice out loud until they feel natural, not rehearsed.

The two week schedule is days one and two for Case in Point and drafting PEI stories, days three through ten for LOMS plus two cases daily with a partner plus refining stories, days eleven through thirteen for full mock interviews out loud under real conditions, day fourteen light review only.

You got the invite for a reason. The room is a clean slate. What wins it is clear thinking and composure, both of which you can build in two weeks if you stay focused.

ping me if you want more details on what i would do

Hi,

Congratulations on the invite — do not underestimate what that means! McKinsey does not hand out interviews casually, so your profile clearly stood out. Have been on both sides of this as a candidate and as a McKinsey interviewer (Associate Partner). Two weeks is tight but absolutely doable.

Here is how I would spend the next 10-14 days:

1. Days 1-3: Refresh the basics: Skim Case in Point to dust off the core frameworks (profitability, market entry, M&A, pricing). Do not get stuck here — it is a refresher, not a course. Focus on the logic behind each framework, not memorizing them. Remember, interviewers want to see you think, not recite.

2. Days 4-10: Cases, cases, cases: This is where 80% of your time should go. Aim for 2-3 cases per day with a partner, focusing on interviewer-led format since that is what McKinsey uses. Ensure you are practicing cases with those who are experienced with interviewer-led format. Often candidates practice a mix of both interviewer-led and candidate-led, sometimes this can be confusing and distort your flow.

As you practice, train yourself to communicate top-down — lead with the answer, then support with reasoning. For example, instead of "Well, there are a few factors to consider..." say "I believe the client should enter this market, for three reasons." That is consultant-speak — it is how McKinsey consultants present to clients and it is exactly what interviewers are listening for.

After each case, spend 10 minutes reflecting on what went well and what did not. If you can squeeze in 1-2 coaching sessions, do it — a good coach spots blind spots in one hour that would take you days to find on your own.

3. Days 10-14: PEI prep Do not leave this for the last minute. Prepare 2-3 strong stories covering leadership, personal impact, and overcoming challenges. For each, nail down a 45-second teaser — lay out the situation, the stakes, and the challenge upfront before diving into details. Again, this is top-down communication: give your interviewer the headline first so they can signal early if your story is directionally what they are looking for.

In my own PEI prep, I spent quite some time writing out each story in detail — not to memorize a script, but to make sure I had the storyline and responses to potential follow-ups clearly plotted out in my mind.

4. Daily: 15-20 mins of mental math Being slow on the math will undermine an otherwise strong case performance. Make this a daily habit.

What interviewers are actually evaluating: Beyond frameworks and math, McKinsey interviewers are looking for a few things that candidates often overlook:

• Structured thinking — can you break an ambiguous problem into clear, logical buckets?
• Hypothesis-driven approach — do you lead with a point of view, or are you just "boiling the ocean"?
• 80/20 prioritization — can you focus on what matters most rather than trying to cover everything?
• Synthesis, not summary — at the end of a case, do not just repeat what you found. Tell the interviewer: "Based on our analysis, my recommendation to the CEO would be..." That is the consultant-speak they want to hear.

One tip that can be a game-changer: Do not hesitate to ask for a quick 20-second time-out during the interview — yes, even during PEI. Gather your thoughts, then come back with a well thought-through structured answer. Completely acceptable, and it shows composure.

You have a real shot. Go all in for the next two weeks!

Hope that helps. Happy to connect if you would like to do some mock cases or PEI practice together :)

All the best!

Do not count yourself out. Two weeks is tight but not impossible. I have seen people make it through with similar timelines when they focus on the right things.

Case in Point is fine to refresh the basics, but spend a day on it max. The frameworks in that book are training wheels. Walk into McKinsey applying a textbook framework and interviewers will spot it immediately.

LOMS is good for reps. But with two weeks, you do not need 30 cases. Do 10 to 12 really well. After each one ask yourself, did I structure this from scratch or just fit it into a framework I already knew?

Three things that will move the needle fastest:

• Get your opening structure sharp. The first 60 to 90 seconds is where most candidates win or lose. Practice breaking down unfamiliar problems without reaching for a memorized framework.
• Do not ignore the PEI. You need two to three stories that show real leadership. Not "I managed a project and it went well." Think times you drove change, handled conflict, or influenced without authority.
• Get a few coaching sessions with someone who knows McKinsey's format. A good coach tells you what is actually wrong instead of just running more cases. That will compress your learning curve fast.

Your consultancy internship is an advantage. That instinct for structured thinking is still there. It will come back faster than you think.

Hi there,

Firstly, I recommend you reaching to HR and see whether you can delay the interview by another 2 weeks in order to better prepare. HR would understand this and you wouldn't want to mess up your chance.

Secondly, I suggest doing a few cases by yourself, and doing 1-2 with peers, and then 1 with a coach to get specific direction on where you should focus on improving.

Thirdly, you should set aside enough time in the entirety of 4 weeks to really focus on working on the areas your coach had highlighted. Ideally you should schedule in 1 live case per day, and another 1-2 sessions with your coach to track progress.

Time is tight but do-able if you're disciplined.

Hi! Firstly, big congratulations on the interview invite. Secondly, do not worry - everyone has different casing timelines and needs. You can get upto speed in the time that you have available. Here's what I would recommend:

• (1-2 days) Ensure the basics are covered: understand case flow, key components (e.g., chart reading, quant reasoning, etc.), common case frameworks, and industry primers. The goal is not to simply memorize, but to understand how things work and how to think
• (1 day) Do a couple of baselining mock case interviews: put yourself in live interview setups and see how you fare and what common feedback you receive. It could be that your communication, presence, math etc. is strong but you need to work on structuring. That way you know where to focus the remaining days
• (1 day) Develop strong PEI stories across the areas that McKinsey tests for: PEI and casing are equally important, so do not forget to focus on this
• (Remaining days) Do a combination of theoretical knowledge building and live mock interviews + thorough feedback review and implementation 

I successfully recruited with McK London and would be happy to support you in your prep. Good luck! 

Hi there,

Honestly, reading Case in Point and listening to LOMS is a waste of your time on a two-week timeline. If you absolutely must, watch a few YouTube videos for a crash course and move on immediately. You cannot "read" your way into McKinsey; you have to "perform" your way in.

Genuinely, your odds of reaching Round 2 going it alone from zero are very low. Not zero, but low. You are essentially trying to compete in the Olympics without a personal trainer. Ask yourself: How would you feel failing this interview knowing you could have invested in yourself to prevent it? This is a massive opportunity...I wouldn't throw it away by being "penny wise and pound foolish."

If you are determined to go it alone, you need to be incredibly smart with how you study. Focus on the fundamentals and get into live cases with partners yesterday. My Ace the Case Interview Course is designed for exactly this. It cuts out the fluff and focuses on the high-impact skills you actually need to pass.

You should also be using PrepLounge drills and RocketBlocks for math/charts, and doing daily reading for business background. For frameworking, start with this mindset shift: How to Shift Your Mindset to Ace the Case.

But again, given your timeline, coaching is your only real "time lever." I can help you find your blind spots in an hour that would take you weeks to stumble across on your own.

Good luck! Feel free to message me for support.

Don't start with LOMS + CaseInPoint. In fact, don't even use them. They create an unreliastic expectations for what interviews actually want from you nowadays.

I would recommend you start with coaching. 

Get a professional assessment of where you are. When I run this with my candidates, I can tell them in the first session what their strengths are (and how to turn them into spikes, which is crucial for McK) and the areas for development (and how to close the gap). They also know what the 2-3 most important things are to work on, and what their likely interview pass rate is. 

Once this is clear, you will know how best to use this week and a half that you have, rather than boiling the ocean and using relatively outdated materials.

Best,

Cristian