BCG First Round Experience

Question

Hi all, I just had a BCG second interview for the first round last week (Associate position). The first interview (fit and case) went well and the interviewer complimented me for being a good candidate at the end of the interview. However, the second interview was quite below average because:

1) All my maths are correct but I forgot to ask for fixed cost so the interviewer had to point it out.

2) Once I got the final cost, the two options have a similar cost structure with one having a higher fixed cost. I got confused and suggested the higher fixed cost would be more expensive in the long run.

Apart from these two issues, I feel everything was average for this interview.

What are my chances of passing to the second round or failing or getting a third interview?

Answer 1

Hi there,

It sounds like your first interview went well, which is a positive sign. While you had some issues in the second round, it’s not uncommon for candidates to have one stronger interview and one weaker one. Your math was correct, and if the rest of the interview was ok, you still have a good chance of moving forward. The feedback from the first interviewer is considered and if he liked you he will put in a good word.

It’s important to show how you handle feedback. If you progress to the third round, make sure to address those areas in your prep for the third-round interviews.

Stay positive and if you need any help, don't hesitate to reach out,
Kairavee

Answer 2

Hi there,

Q: What are my chances of passing to the second round or failing or getting a third interview?

It is difficult to comment, as the only one who has the full picture is the interviewer. Overall, even if you make a mistake, you can still pass. Hopefully, they will consider the rest of the performance solid enough.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 3

There rarely is a perfect interview. Most people getting an offer will nevertheless make some mistakes / not provide the most perfect answers.

The kind of mistakes you mention do not seem to be enough, by themselves, to prevent you from passing to the second round. This means that getting or not the offer will at this point depend more on your "spikes", i.e., on how good your performance was when you did well than on these specific mistakes.

Answer 4

Hey - it doesn’t sound disqualifying (the two interviewers will each provide their feedback and often if they diverge significantly, the one who graded higher will simply be asked if they vouch for you to go through to the next round).

However - easier said than done - honestly best not to overthink it. It’s very tough to leave an interview with fully accurate impressions one way or the other, and then trying to analyse just compounds the uncertainty and drives up the anxiety.

Wish you all the best for good news.

Answer 5

Hi there,

Very hard to tell from the outside without seeing the actual performances.

The feeling of how you perceived your performance is often deceiving in the moment (can be either too positive or too negative) and there are many things being evaluated you are potentially not aware of.

It could go either way - fingers crossed in any case!

Kind regards,

Florian

Answer 6

Only interviewers know

One thing is how you see your performance, other totally different is how the interviewers perceived it. I've extended offers at McKinsey to people who thought that performed bad during interviews (and the opposite, I rejected candidates who though the nailed the interview).

At this point you can only wait and stop overthinking.