McKinsey Timeline

Question

Curious as to McKinsey London's timeline for experienced hires.

Completed the Solve exam 3 weeks ago, no contact thus far - although I've observed quite a few people going through the interview process on Reddit (presumably campus hires).

Is this just a case of the experienced hires being on a different timeline, or should I be concerned?

Answer 1

Totally fair to wonder — but no need to panic yet. Yes, McKinsey experienced hire timelines are often slower and more variable than campus recruiting, especially in a large, high-volume office like London.

Campus hires tend to follow a rigid, fast-paced recruiting calendar, whereas experienced hires go through a more ad hoc process that can take several weeks just to get past the Solve review stage. Three weeks of silence after Solve isn’t unusual — especially if there’s internal bandwidth pressure or if your profile is still under review.

If it stretches beyond 4–5 weeks with no update, it’s reasonable to send a polite follow-up to recruiting, just to confirm your status. You might be still in the queue — no news doesn’t mean bad news.

Hang tight a bit longer.

Answer 2

Hi there,

You don’t need to worry just yet — McKinsey’s experienced-hire process usually runs on a completely different (and slower) timeline than the campus one. It’s not uncommon for experienced candidates to wait 4–6 weeks after completing Solve before hearing back, since hiring teams review profiles in smaller batches and sometimes coordinate across multiple practices.

Campus recruiting moves faster because it follows fixed cycles, whereas experienced-hire timelines depend on role openings and practice demand. The silence doesn’t necessarily mean rejection — decisions often come in waves once the team finalizes shortlists.

If it’s been over a month with no update, it’s perfectly fine to send a short, polite follow-up to the recruiter just to check in on the status.

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

Best,
Evelina

Answer 3

Hi there,

It’s pretty normal for experienced hire timelines to move slower than campus ones so I wouldn’t worry yet.

Answer 4

Don't be concerned. Sometimes it takes a while.

There's also no specific timeline for experienced hires only. It differs rather between offices and cohorts.

When you reach one month of waiting then drop them a polite follow-up message. In the meantime, focus on moving forward other applications you might have.

Hope you hear back from them soon!
Best,
Cristian