Six days to prepare for McKinsey Case Interview from zero. Should I postpone?

Question

I accepted an early McKinsey Business Analyst first-round interview for August 6 or 7, but I’m now considering asking to move it to the regular late-August timeline.

I have zero case experience but can prepare full-time for the next six days. I picked up Solve fairly quickly after about two hours of practice, though I know cases are different. I also attend a non-target school, so this invitation caught me off guard. The email said my application “truly stands out,” but I’m unsure whether that wording is standard.

Would you keep the early interview or request a postponement? Is six days realistically enough, and would postponing after accepting reflect poorly on me?

Answer 1

Hi,

Postpone, if the option is open. Most candidates need four to eight weeks and 20 to 30 live cases to get comfortable. Going in unprepared costs you the interview and triggers a cooling-off period, which is a much worse outcome than asking for a later slot.

Asking to move within the same cycle should not count against you. Keep it simple and don't over-explain: say you'd like to move to the late-August timeline and ask what is available. Do not mention prep as the reason; scheduling is enough.

If the recruiter says the early slot is final, take it and use the six days on live cases with real partners, not books.

Franco

Answer 2

Hi,

Six days from zero is really really stretched to prepare properly for a McKinsey interview, so I would request to postpone, framing it simply around wanting to give the process your full attention rather than mentioning that you are starting from scratch.

If it is not possible to move it, build a quick theoretical foundation and start casing with peers and a coach. In your situation the latter is really what can move the needle.

Hope it helps, and feel free to DM me if you want to discuss this further.

Federico

Answer 3

Hi there,

I would suggest to postpone to give yourself more time to prep. On average (and of course dependent on many factors), candidates take ~1-2 months to really prep effectively for the case interview process.

It's not that its not possible to pass an interview without any practice, but in reality i've almost never seen this (there are 1-2 consultants I know that literally did not practice, but they are the exception rather than the norm)

There is no downside/harm to asking for it to be postponed, at worse they will tell you no.

In anycase, you might find my articles helpful:

The 1 Day Case Interview Prep Plan

Breaking into Consulting from a non-traditional background

Using AI for Case Preparation

All the best!

Answer 4

Hi there,

congratulations on the interview invitation. A lot of applications get filtered out in the written stage already so making it to the actual interviews is quite an opportunity. You should therefore make the most of your chance and go in well prepared. If your current baseline is zero, I'm afraid 6 days won't be enough to get you into competitive shape. You should postpone to give yourself more time. Keep in mind that you will likely be competing with other applicants who have been preparing for this for weeks or months.

Best of luck