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Mckinsey PEI

Hi,

 

It it possible to get tested on the same criteria in different interviews? or should one prepare 2 stories in case the interviewer thinks the first story does not meet the criteria?

 

Thank you for your answer!

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Beste Antwort
am 26. Sept. 2025
#1 Rated & Awarded McKinsey Coach | Top MBB Coach | Verifiable success rates

The interviewers try and cover all the dimensions. 

Only if you have more than 4 interviews will they end up repeating the story. 

Do exceptions exist? Yes, though you rarely hear of them and that's only when there's a mistake in the process. 

I would recommend that you develop at least 1 story per dimension and then figure out if any of your stories can be deployed across multiple dimensions. This is going to give you more flexibility. 

Also, figure out how to develop a 'general' story arc, which will enable you to adjust a new, on-the-spot story to the interviewer's expectations. 

If you're interesting in learning more about the PEI, I developed a material specifically for it:


Best,
Cristian

Jenny
Coach
am 26. Sept. 2025
Buy 1 get 1 free for 1st time clients | Ex-McKinsey Manager & Interviewer | +7 yrs Coaching | Go from good to great

Hi there,

You can be tested on the same criteria by different interviewers. In the case where they need to convene and discuss your performance, they might share some details regarding your story - although discussing to this detail is very unlikely.

Regardless, you should prepare 2 stories in case the interviewer asks for a different story as well, which is not uncommon.

Evelina
Coach
am 28. Sept. 2025
EY-Parthenon l Coached 100+ candidates into MBB & Tier-2 l 10% off first session l LBS graduate

Hi there,

Yes, it’s definitely possible to be tested on the same PEI dimension by different interviewers (e.g. two people both probing “leadership” or “impact”). Each interviewer makes an independent assessment, so they won’t coordinate in advance.

That’s why it’s best to prepare at least two strong stories per dimension. This way, if one doesn’t land well—or if you’re asked again—you have a fresh example ready. It also helps you look more versatile and authentic.

So yes, don’t just rely on one story per criterion. Have backups ready and be comfortable flexing them depending on how the interviewer probes.

Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out!

Best,
Evelina

Pedro
Coach
am 26. Sept. 2025
Most Senior Coach @ Preplounge: Bain | EY-Parthenon | RB | Principal level interviewer | PEI Expert | 30% in October

yes on both. You may be asked the same thing by 2 interviewers. They also may not like your story and believe it is not a strong one and ask you for an alternative. So you MUST have 2 stories.

Alessa
Coach
am 27. Sept. 2025
xMcKinsey & Company | xBCG | xRB | >400 coachings

hi!

Yes, it’s possible to be tested on the same PEI criteria in different interviews. That’s why you should always have at least 2 stories prepared for each core trait, so if the first story doesn’t fully convince the interviewer, you have a strong backup ready.

Let me know if you need help to prepare :)

Alessa