transitioning from healthcare to consulting

The Associate role is generally appropriate for someone with your profile, especially given the MSc. McKinsey's Riyadh office, and their Health Practice globally, places a high premium on specialized vertical expertise. Your clinical background is incredibly valuable, and the Health Data Science degree helps bridge the gap toward the quantitative, problem-solving skills they look for in an Associate. You are likely being viewed as a deep sector expert, not a standard undergraduate hire.

The SOLVE assessment is purely a volume filter. Passing it means you’ve earned the right for a human being—a recruiter or specialist—to finally look closely at your CV. For non-traditional candidates, the post-SOLVE CV screen is often the first significant hurdle. Since you lack the typical banking or direct strategy experience, the team will be laser-focused on finding transferable skills: evidence of structured thinking, stakeholder management (managing difficult patient/hospital dynamics), and demonstrating impact or leadership in a project setting.

If you clear the CV review, the next phase is the interview rounds (usually 2-3 rounds). Given your background, your immediate focus after the SOLVE should be on two areas: Mastering the core quantitative aspects of casing, and perhaps more importantly, preparing the Personal Experience Interview (PEI) stories. You must translate your clinical and research experiences into business narratives. Show how you managed a conflict, drove an outcome, or led change, using the STAR method, ensuring you clearly articulate the impact in non-clinical terms. That translation process is where sector experts prove they can handle the Associate toolkit.

All the best with the SOLVE!

Hi,

As others have mentioned, the Associate role is normally a post-MBA role. People with ~3-5 years of experience typically get asked to apply for BA / SBA. But - no worries, speak to recruiting, they will tell you what position they think you should apply for, if they feel your profile is interesting.

In terms of what to expect after the Solve test, you will be expected to sit through the case interview. It tests your core problem solving skills. Plenty of great free resources here on Preplounge on explaining what it is and how to prepare.

In addition, given your background (no business background, experienced hire), you may find the following articles helpful:

Breaking into Consulting from a non-traditional background

5 Reasons Why Experienced Hires Fail the Interview

Using AI for Case Preparation

Succeeding in Consulting as an Experienced Hire

Hi there, 

With your tenure in healthcare / Msc / no business background, you'd likely be borderline between a senior BA and a new Associate. You can try for Associate position first. When you pass all the interviews, if they have any concern about your experience in business, they might suggest you to start as BA with tenure e.g., senior BA with a few months window to Associate. 

Should you pass the test, the next step would be the interview. Start preparing already if you haven't, it might come at short notice. 

Best,

Emily

Hello! Congratulations on planning for an exciting career pivot!

Short answer: YES this is a good level for someone with your educational background.

Also, McKinsey is a great target as they really love quite diverse profiles (like other firms) but are quite drawn to scientists and doctors - so that is a good fit point for you.

My advice: try to do some preparation to get the brain in the right mode  (McK has some practice elements available) 

IshaAllah once you pass, you will move on to interview (Case and PEI). Ensure you're quite prepared for these and feel ok asking the recruiter to push the interviews to give you some more time to prepare. I think this would be a great time to enlist a coach for some targeted support to ensure you're ready to smash those interviews. Especially considering many business concepts you will be seeing them for the first time (or at least with limited exposure due to your background).

Happy to talk further! Good luck!

Hey there :)

Your background fits very well for McKinsey in the ME region, and applying as an Associate is absolutely appropriate with clinical experience plus a master’s degree. Many people enter from healthcare without any business background, so that is not a blocker at all. After the SOLVE test, if you pass, you usually go straight to the interview rounds with PEI and case interviews. They will not expect prior business knowledge, only clear thinking and structured problem solving.

If you want help getting ready for the interviews or shaping your story for the healthcare angle, just let me know.

best, Alessa :)

Hi there,

Associate is a suitable entry point for advanced degree hires. After Solve, if things go well, the next steps are usually interviews focused on case interviews that cover problem solving as well as personal experience. You will have to acquire basic business knowledge for this, and many non-business candidates have been able to do this, so I suggest you start early.