How long should my PEI story be?

Hi,

The interviewer will interrupt in most of the cases. Better to measure in the number of sentences:

• Summary of what the story is about - 1 sentence
• Context - 2 sentenses
• Actions - 4-6 sentenses
• Impact - 1 sentense

Best

(editiert)

Hi there!

I suggest restricting your answer within 3 minutes. Because psychologically the opposite person would lose his concentration if it's a longer monologue.

Use the STAR framework for your answer. 3 minutes should be exhaustive to cover the story, but it shouldn't be too long. However, be prepared to answer follow-up questions, as an interviewer may ask: "Ok, so why don't you tell me, what exactly you did in this particular part of the story?".

Again, your time will start, and make sure that this answer is in line with the structure and not longer than 2-3 minutes.

This series of conversations sometimes gets to the entire FIT part, or sometimes interviewers ask different questions.

Hope it helps.
GB

Hi,

Good question.

Your presentation will be the first question they'll ask.

Usually it should take between 1min30 sec and 3min. Tailor your answer based on your feeling with the interviewer and the level you engagement you observe in during the interview.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Antonello

Roughly 2 minutes. Make sure that it's really concise and follows the structure Situation - Complication - Solution. After the delivery of the story you should be prepared to go into great details on any element of the story that the interviewers might dig into.

Hi,

I think this questions has been asked recently.

A rule of thumb would max 2-3 minutes with a proper structure.

(editiert)

Actually, in most interviews, the PEI component takes 20-25 minutes. 

The actual storytelling time is 5-10. I typically recommend that when you practice your story, you should get to around the 7-minute mark. 

Of course, in practice, you will often get interrupted, so the live flow of the discussion will be different than the one that you prepared for. 

For anybody who is looking into the PEI topic, I recently released this end-to-end course covering PEI. More on it here:

• Video Course: Master the McKinsey PEI

Best,
Cristian

Hello!

On top of the insights already shared in the post, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

To your question, it depends on the family of quesiton that it is.

Motivationals are arround 1-3 mins, but behavioural are more in the 10 mins ballpark.

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Furthermore, you can find 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:

Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200

Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201

Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch!