McKinsey 2nd round interview

Question

Hi everyone! I passed the first round of interviews (Mckinsey, Milan office) and one of the interviewers called me and told me I have very good analytical skills, but that I lack some structure. The reasons behind it are: 1) I have to admit that I didn't have enough time to prepare 2) I have a master in applied mathematics so I lack some basics of economy and marketing. Now I have like 2 weeks more to prepare: are there any books, resources, websites...that you'd recommend? (Apart from Cosentino, Cheng)

EDIT I was able to pass the interviews both in McKinsey as an analyst and in BCG Gamma as a data scientist. I chose the latter because it is more related to my studies, I currently work there.

I wrote it for everyone that has an "atypical degree": it is possible to enter these firms if you really want to! Thanks to everyone for your support!

Answer 1

Hi Eleonora!

This is a very common feedback that canidates get. "Lack of structure" usually spans across different dimensions and areas of the case:

General approach to the case at the beginning --> https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/is-structure-the-most-important-thing-in-case-interview-1904
Communication style during the case --> https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-is-a-top-down-approach-2014
Outlining and conducting analyses during the case --> don't rush into calculations, but first THINK about what the required steps are to reach the result you are solving for, what kind of information you need, etc. Explain and align with the interviewer. Only THEN you start doing calculations!
Brainstorming and "creativity" questions --> When asked to develop ideas on a specific sub-question within the case, NEVER come up with a laundry list! You HAVE to come up with a meaningful way of organizing your ideas. See Point 2 above!

I hope this helps!

Cheers, Sidi

Answer 2

Hi,

Here are some tips on structured communication:

1) Communicating while structuring. Here is a long post by me on how to communicate the structure during the case study:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-communicate-its-structure-for-the-case-study-1313#a2806

2) Using hypothesis. I made a post about hypothesis here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-state-a-hypothesis-and-match-to-the-structure-1156#a2268

3) Communicating while making calculations:

Always tell the interviewer your approach
Check with the interviewer that your approach is correct
Come to the interviewer with some preliminary answers
Check your assumptions with the interviewer

4) Communicating during the analysis of graphs / tables

Take a minute to look at the graph. Read the graph title. Look at the graph type and define the type (pie chart, line chart, etc). Look at the legend (ask for clarifying questions if necessary). Identify whats going on on the graph. Look for: Trends, % structures. Look for unusual things - correlations, outliers,
Make 3-4 conclusions from the graph. Think out loud on potential hypothesis on what could be the root cause / what are the consequences
Prioritize the most important for your current analysis and move forward with the case

5) Communicating while having questions on creativity

Ask an interview for a minute to think
Think of several buckets of ideas (e.g. organic growth / non-organic growth / differentiation). Remember to think as big as possible
Narrow down to each bucket and generate as many ideas as possible
Present the structure (buckets) and then your ideas

6) Communicating your conclusion. You can find a good example I've posted here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-much-answer-first-should-the-conclusion-be-1231#a2493

7) Communicating your FIT stories

Use the top-down approach while communicating your stories. "The Pyramid Principle" is the must-read by ex McKinsey on this topic.

I recommend using the STAR framework:

In Situation, you should briefly provide the context, usually in 1 or 2 sentences
Task usually includes 2 or 3 sentences describing the problem and your objective.
Then you provide a list of specific actions you took to achieve the goal. It should take 1 or 2 sentences per action (Usually 3-4 actions). Note that the interviewer can stop you any minute and ask for more details.
The results part should have 1 or 2 sentences describing the outcomes. This part is finalizing your story - make sure it can impress the interviewer and stay in the memory.

Best!

Answer 3

Hello!

Congrats for moving to final round!

As it has been outlined, its very similar, but :

Cases you can expect are more "free riding" - less organized than the ones your found in the 1st round or most prep pages
Stronger emphasis in the FIT part, as outlined before by other coaches.

If you are interested in deepening your knowledge and preparation on the FIT part, 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)

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!