Please I really need an advice I applied for a role at McKinsey june saved was invited to solve , got rejected after 14 days ,I never knew about the one year banned rule I applied for another role and my application status is in progress I need insight the next day . Do you think the one year banned applied in my case and will I get new solve invitation or they are using old solve ...and please I will need help with case interview prep coach and virtual mentorship. Thank you for your help
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Thank you so Mr Kelvin this is insightful I really appreciate
Thank you so much Alessa for your well detailed response I am glad to hear your thoughtful insight, as it's my first time . But sometimes I feel one might be rejected because his resume or experience not only solve score... I don't know if am Corey though
Thank you so much Margot I am very grateful for this feedback and insight , I will reach out for more prep guidance when I am fully ready
Thank you so much this really helped a lot as I now know what is happening behind the scene
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Yes — in most cases, McKinsey applies a 12-month reapplication ban from the date of rejection, not based on which role you applied to. So even if you applied to a different role or office, the system will usually filter you out automatically unless there's an exceptional business need and your profile fills a clear gap.
If your new application status says “in progress,” it could mean they haven’t processed the reapplication filter yet, or in rare cases, someone is reviewing it manually — but I’d be cautious about getting your hopes up unless you've been directly told you're moving forward.
In the meantime, best move is to use this period to prep hard, build business intuition, and strengthen your case performance.
Hope it helps!
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Hey there :)
If you were rejected after doing Solve in June, then yes, McKinsey’s one-year rule usually applies from the date of rejection, not the date you first applied. That means you typically need to wait one year before being re-invited to the same stage (Solve or interviews). However, sometimes the system still shows “in progress” for a new application because it hasn’t yet been cross-checked by recruiting. Once they review it, they’ll likely pause or reject it if the cooldown period applies.
It’s also possible that if it’s a different role or office, recruiting might manually review it and decide whether to move you forward, but that’s rare. They almost always reuse your previous Solve score, not send a new one, if it’s within the year.
If you want, I can help you prepare for your next attempt, we can go through Solve prep, PEI, and case interview structure step by step so that next time you’re fully ready.
best, Alessa :)
Hi there,
If you were rejected after completing Solve in June, then yes, McKinsey usually enforces the one-year waiting period starting from the rejection date. During that time, you generally cannot retake Solve or move forward with interviews for the same type of role.
The fact that your new application says “in progress” most likely means it has not yet been reviewed by the recruiting team. Once they check your record, they may pause or close it because of the ban rule. McKinsey also tends to reuse your Solve results if it is less than a year old, so they probably will not send you a new test invitation this time.
The best thing you can do now is focus on preparation for your next eligible round. If you would like guidance, you can reach out to me or other coaches.
Hi there,
When someone takes Solve and gets rejected, McKinsey usually applies a twelve-month waiting period before they let you reapply. You can reach out to the recruiter to confirm, since timelines can vary by region.
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