Mckinsey-PEI

Hi There,

Congratulations on getting a final round interview! For the PEI portion it is not end of the world if a story is a few years old and frankly they usually are not asking the year your story took place if that is your concern.

I would really write out bullet points and go into depth and see which of the two stories you feel the most comfortable speaking and which is the strongest. That story is the one you should use. I would try to avoid asking your interviewer which story as it may be looked negatively on you depending on who your interviewer is.

Personally, I like the second story more as it goes into diversity and teamwork. At McKinsey you definitely will work in diverse teams during your tenure there so it hits on multiple values; however, I would need to actually see you talk through these stories more in-depth to give a more accurate recommendation.

Hope this helps and happy to chat and work with you on your PEI stories!

Best of luck!

-Ankit A

Hello there,

I would go with the second one, ideally you should focus on the last 2 years. 
You should have done something meaningful related to the McKinsey dimensions in recent times, showcasing you're aligned with its values and way of working. 

The logic: If you focus on a story of +5 years ago, you may give the impression that that was a unique event, and you actually don't perform like this in your day-to-day.

Best,

Mari

Hi there,

I’d go with the second story – it’s recent, fits the Leadership dimension well, and shows how you managed a diverse team and adjusted your strategy to succeed. The first story is solid too, but being more than 5 years old makes it slightly less relevant, unless there’s a very compelling reason to bring it in.

That said, what really matters is how deeply you can describe the situation, your specific actions, and your thinking throughout. McKinsey wants to understand how you lead — not just that you led. Be ready to explain what the main challenge was, what others did, and what you personally did to influence the outcome.

If you want to take it further, I’m happy to offer in-depth PEI coaching and help refine your stories together and get you an offer!

Cheers,

Kevin
 

They are both good stories, but the second one is likely better. McKinsey wants you to show who you are now, rather than who you were 5 years ago, so there is some merit in choosing more recent stories.

Don't forgot the most important thing: your story is a datapoint that McK consultants will use to predict how you will act in future (with clients, teams, etc.). 

You need to really explain your thought process and decision-making - including understanding others' motivations and needs - at all stages of the story.