Hi Anonymous,

The main differences you will find in a final round with partners is that at that stage they:

1. spend more time on fit questions and
2. may not have a “proper” structured case to present – some cases may be based on a pure market sizing, for example. That's because at the final they know you can structure and crack a case (you passed 1 or 2 rounds already) and are more interested in your logic, personality and fit with the company.

Besides reviewing fit and market sizing, a good extra preparation would be related to the questions at the end for the interviewer. It would be great if you could get the names of the partners, and study their profile for more customized questions. As for the questions themselves, you can find a structure for the ideal ones to ask at the following link:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/open-house-at-bcg-311

Best,

Francesco

(editiert)

Hi there!

No expert here by any means but I think, since you are asking very specific questions, the best thing you could do is network with younger people in the office you are applying and discuss the same questions you just posted.

LinkedIn being perfect for that.

Hello!

Some extra guidance for the PEI side:

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)

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.

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

Hope you find it useful!

Best,

Clara

First round consists of 3x interviews normally depending on the position your going. The structure normally is:

15min - Personality / Fit part of the interview
30-45min - Case Interview
1 hour break between interviews

No one? Not a word of counsel from ANYONE on here? :-(

I suppose it is a rather specific query relevant to a few, and experienced by fewer still.

Thanks all the same! :-)

Hey there, although the experience is likely going to be similar to any other McKinsey office world wide, a look at glassdoor for McKinsey Australia might give you insights on some specific questions asked.

Cheers,

Alessandro

Hi,

how did your interview go after all? I plan to apply for McKinsey Singapore in the next days and would be very curious about your experience.

Did you have any kind of "touch point" with the SEA area, such as internship experience in Singapore or a semester abroad? I have studied in Bangkok for half a year, but apart from that experience I studied and worked only in Europe and Middle East. Hence, I am a bit worried that they will directly refer me to their office in my home country (Germany).

Have you developed further insights after all to the questions you asked in this forum?

Thank you!

Hi Anonymous A,

thank you for asking your question on our Consulting Q&A!

I found some other Q&As that might be interesting for you on the differences between first and second/final round:

Chern (received offers from McK and BCG):

The key differences between the 1st and 2nd interview rounds, besides the interviewers being principals or partners as you mentioned, are in structure, focus and selectivity. [...]

The structure in the 2nd round will most likely not follow the standard fit + case interview format. Partners may prefer to launch into a conversation about the latest developments in a particular business, industry or geography and talk about your motivations and life experiences later. Note they'll still expect you to layout your thoughts and communicate "top down" by leading with headline "insight" statements. This is the difference between being structured yet adaptable and being formulaic.

The focus in the 2nd round will likely be influenced by your performance in the previous round. The 2nd round interviewers will test on any areas where they perceived you needed to work on (e.g., more quantitative problem solving if you struggled with math in the 1st round, more creative brainstorming if you had difficulty coming up with tailored approaches and ideas to problems in the 1st round, etc.).

The selectivity in the 2nd round is much lower, as this is the round where hiring decisions are made. It may seem obvious but the stakes are higher and it requires all 3 partners to agree that you've met the bar, which explains the low acceptance rate (~1-3%) at the top 3 firms.

In short, the 2nd (final) round is more creative, yet structured, more focused on your development, yet still supportive (interviewers are there to help you succeed, not fail) and more selective, yet fair.

My recommendation is to practice unorthodox cases with a focus on your 1st round feedback and on preserving structure & communication no matter the subject or interview style, so that the interviews may catch you unawares but never unprepared.

Matteo (Mckinsey consultant focused on Digital & Technology applied to Business):

from my experience I believe there are 2 key differences between a first round and a second round, at least regarding Mck, Bain and BCG.

1) during the first round the interviewers will be senior managers and/or junior partners, whether in the second round you will generally meet senior partners or directors

2) Therefore since the two profiles mentioned above have a different seniority during the first round it is more likely that you will be asked more analytical questions and the business cases will be more detaild (e.g. estimate the market share at the endo of the third year knowing that.. ecc.), on the other side in the second round the you might have to tackle more broad and strategical questions (e.g. what would you outsource in a marketing department)

For the full Q&As and further info, please check the following links:

• Bain&Company second round interviews
• Difference between first round and second round interviews?
• 2nd Round at McKinsey & Company

I hope this helps! If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask on our Q&A.

Best of luck and success for your last round interview,

Astrid

PrepLounge Community Management

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Hi,

I am about to have the full day of interviews soon with McKinsey in Paris.

I heard the first round consists of 3 interviews and the second round of 2 different interviews, pretty similar to the first round but with more senior : i) general fit about you (10'), ii) one story (key achievement) (15') and iii) business case (often partner cases).

Good luck !