McKinsey PEI - Growth

Question

I’ve just graduated from university and I’m preparing for consulting interviews, especially McKinsey’s PEI with the focus on Growth.

My background: I had some teamwork experience at university, worked two years in a small accounting company, and did an audit internship at a Big4. During that internship, I had to learn IFRS from scratch very quickly and apply it in real projects. I also managed to prepare for a tough business law exam in one intensive week, but I’m not sure if experiences like these are strong enough for a PEI story.

I’m struggling to translate my experiences into “skills” or impactful stories that fit what McKinsey looks for in Growth .

What kinds of skills or angles could I emphasize to make my experiences resonate better with the PEI criteria? or what other skills you think I could think of?

Thanks a lot for any advice!

Answer 1

Hi there,

For McKinsey PEI “Growth,” they want to see personal development—times when you stretched yourself, learned quickly, and showed resilience. The emphasis is less on big “heroic” achievements and more on evidence that you can adapt, upskill, and thrive outside your comfort zone.

From your examples, you already have good material:

IFRS learning curve (internship): Show how you picked up a complex technical framework quickly, applied it in client projects, and built confidence. Emphasize adaptability, resourcefulness, and discipline
Business law exam prep: Highlight how you managed time pressure, built an efficient study plan, and delivered results. This shows grit, focus, and ability to handle steep learning curves
Teamwork at university / small accounting firm: Even if not flashy, these can illustrate how you sought feedback, improved collaboration skills, or grew into taking more responsibility

Key angles to frame as “growth”:

Rapid skill acquisition (technical/analytical).
Stepping into unfamiliar environments and proving yourself.
Turning feedback or initial struggles into strengths.
Building confidence and independence.

Your stories don’t need to be dramatic—what matters is you clearly articulate challenge > what you did to grow > how that growth made you stronger. That’s exactly what interviewers look for.

Happy to help you prep and refine your answers – feel free to reach out!

Best,
Evelina

Answer 2

Hi there,

The PEI is indeed way tougher than most people expect. The good news is that if you get it right, it can be a real differentiator.

The background that you provided seems to contain lots of good story 'seeds' that could be developed to full blown ideas. What is it precisely that you struggle with?

FYI I developed an in-depth course for the PEI that breaks down every dimension, explains how to build the stories, contains a story builder with the most common questions asked in the interviews, and even audio recordings of stories that have passed the McKinsey interview. If you're interested, you can read more about it here:

Video Course: Master the McKinsey PEI

Best,
Cristian

Answer 3

Hello there,

Don't worry about the external factors of the story, but rather with how you make that work.

Focus on showing your decision making rational to solve that problem, evaluating the different possibilities, then choosing one, the struggles to implement it and how you've got to the final solution and end result.

Stories that showcase a higher level of effort are preferred to those that don't.

Remember to structure it well, using either STAR or PARADE method (I prefer the second). If you chose STAR, as it is easier to build, remember that the main focus should be in the "A" and that you need to include a new letter together with it: "D" for decision-making rationale. Here is where you should keep 70% of your time.

Good luck with your interview!

Best,

Mari

Answer 4

Hi,

For “Growth” PEI, McKinsey isn’t looking for flashy heroics. Rather they want to see how you handled learning curves and improved yourself.

From your examples:

IFRS internship: Frame it as “I started with zero knowledge then built a learning system and applied it successfully in client work.” That shows growth, adaptability and problem-solving
Business law exam: It’s not just an exam story. Rather a story about resilience under pressure, structuring a learning plan, and executing with discipline
Teamwork: Show how you went from “just participating” to taking initiative

In sum don’t just describe what happened rather explicitly call out what changed in you.

Best,
Lukas

Answer 5

Hi,

for Growth stories, highlight learning agility, resilience, and pushing beyond your comfort zone. Frame your internship (learning IFRS fast) as driving steep personal growth, and your law exam prep as discipline and adaptability. Emphasize curiosity, speed of learning, and how these skills allowed you to deliver results under pressure.

best, Alessa :)

Answer 6

If well crafted, both stories are adequate for a "Growth" PEI story. However, they are similar to each other, so it would be preferable to bring an alternative to one of those two.

If you want help with crafting those stories the right way, feel free to reach out. A lot of candidates have the right story (i.e., the context is right), but they don't bring up the right things, which really limits their performance in the PEI. I can help you with this.