Not get brainstorming question

Question

In my McKinsey interview, I only received three types of questions: framework, exhibit, and math. However, I was expecting to receive four types, including a brainstorming question. Can you explain why the brainstorming question was not included in my interview?

Answer 1

Hi,

Thanks for your question.

In my experience as an interviewer and interviewee, often the brainstorming piece comes as part of disussing the framework.

In general, it is not mandatory that you will get a separate brainstorming question.You may want to cover basic ideas as part of explaining the framework - for example sources of revenue or cost if its a profitability or growth case (revenue becomes applicable). Sometimes they will probe you to brainstorm more after you present the framework. You only have so much time to solve a case and it is upto the inerviewer where they want to focus more. Sometimes they have an exact list of questions to ask and brainstorming is not necessarily a part of that- most of the times they have flexibility.

My answer is a general answer - not specific to a firm.

Hope it helps.

Thanks,

Sohini

Answer 2

Hi there,

Simply because there was no need to.

Brainstorming is another type of structuring that you have already demonstrated in the framework + the same skills are evaluated as in other question types.

McKinsey interviewers are very efficient; they don't ask more questions than needed to evaluate you.

Don't overthink it!

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 3

Most likely because they didn't need to as they evaluated what they wanted in the other questions/discussion.

Although there's always the chance that you took a long time to answer the other questions and there wasnt enough time (and they'll test it in the other interview).