Preparation for the McKinsey Final Round in 3 weeks

Hi there,

Well done on passing the 1st round!

1) What's the difference between the final round and first round interviews, and how should I take into account such differences when preparing (i.e. in terms of both PEI and case interview, anything I should be doing differently compared to first rounds)? 

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The final round has the same structure as the first (fit + case+ your questions); however in a final round, partners may:

1. Spend more time on fit/PEI and your alignment with the company.
2. Pay more attention to your communication (eg how you react to challenging questions).
3. Not use a "standard" case. In some countries for example you may have market sizing questions, which are uncommon at McKinsey. Having said that, in most offices cases remain standard in finals as well.

To prepare, you can work on the following:

1. Review in detail your PEI stories. Be sure to check them with experienced candidates or consultants and to have at least one backup for each dimension.
2. Get feedback on your communication (reaction under pressure, how to gain time when you do not have a structure ready, connect with the interviewer, etc). This is something you can do almost exclusively during mocks.
3. Prepare cases as you did for the first round. If you got feedback on a specific area, focus more on that part.

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2) Are there any resources (case books, McKinsey podcast, WSJ, etc.) that you would strongly recommend me prioritizing in this short time frame? 

Below you can find a few links with some tips:

▶ PEI Dimensions

▶ Case Prep Tips

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Bonus point: partners often give cases related to the industries they cover. If you know their sectors, it is a good idea to review those industries / read their research papers on that / do cases related to that sector.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi huge congrats on reaching final round. This means they want to hire you and they need some final validation. 

1) Case: 90% will be likely to be similar to what you have been doing/have seen in first round. You should continue doing what you are doing. 5% of the time the case in final round may actually be easier (partners have heard great things about you and they just want to validate). 5% of the time they will be looser/less structured/left field (e.g., my final interview started with ‘Someone comes up to you in the street and offers you a magic potion…’; it turned out to be an investments/PE type case). In the latter case, the key is to remain super calm and realize that a) under the surface the case may look like one you've seen before; b) the partner is testing for slightly different things potentially (e.g., how comfortable are you going off piste and having a discussion about a tangential point, which is often the case in client meetings)

2) PEI: This is where I would focus A LOT of your attention. This constitutes half of their decision weighting and candidates underinvest in this. You should not be repeating any of your stories/ideally no contexts (e.g., telling two stories about your time in society x), and in the next few weeks I would a) write out your stories in full honing in on the difficult moments/tough conversations; b) see that you can adapt them quickly/easily to different contexts; c) ensure they are timed well (~7 mins is a good length for a story)

I would also make sure that you get feedback from your first round interviewers and ask them if they thought you could have done better anywhere. I would push them on a) structure; b) creativity; c) maths; d) PEI; e) synthesis, ie actively ask them how was my structure, creativity etc etc 

In terms of materials, happy to add you to a google drive of case books if you want to ping me, know what's happening in the world but this is literally the icing on the cake (e.g., if you're doing a PE case two insightful comments related to the world around us are: 1) is this investment recession proof?; 2) how should we be financing given rates are coming up)--don't need to read/memorize the WSJ cover to cover

Happy to jump on a quick call and discuss (especially on PEI), feel free to ping me directly for casebooks :)

(editiert)

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!

Hi there, 

Congrats on getting this far!

Three main differences come to mind between round 1 and 2:

1. Improving on the feedback from round 1. Make sure you are clear on the feedback received from the first round and that you improved on it. They will be checking on that. 

2. Less structure. Partner cases can sometimes be created on the spot or can be just a market sizing question. They already know that you are good (since you passed round 1) so they are rather interested in how you think on the spot in more unusual circumstances. 

3. More focus on connecting with the interviewer and being top-down. The Partner will always be thinking throughout the interview whether they would be willing to put you in front of the client in a couple of weeks. Make sure the answer to that is a confident ‘yes’. 

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

First and foremost, read this Q&A that was just asked: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/mckinsey-2nd-round-14016

I love it because you need to know now to not memorize things but rather train your brain in being ready for anything.

1) Don't worry too much about the difference between 1st and 2nd rounds - this is wasted energy! You need the exact same skills/abilities in both rounds.

2) Honestly? In a short timeframe I recommend a coach. Nothing is a better time lever.

Here's some case reading to get you started: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

And here's some fit reading: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

(editiert)

Hi there, 

congrats on making it to the 2nd round, the step in the recruiting process with the highest chances!!

The final round is the same in terms of bus. case &personal interview, the only difference is that you will be interviewed yet a few times and you will have more senior interviewers, including partner(s). There is nothing else to prepare vs. the 1st round, so just make sure to get feedback from the 1st round particularly what to improve yet and focus on that. 

Good luck!

Lucie

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Huge congratulations on reaching the final round! This should give you a lot of confidence - it means that you're good enough to be at the Firm, and now you just need to outshine the other candidates!

The interviews will follow the same process of case + PEI - but this time with Partners instead of Associates / EMs. There are a lot of scare stories out there about partners making up their own cases etc., but this very rarely happens (the recruitment team hate it when they do and don't ask the partner to interview again!). 

My recommendation is to keep doing what you've been doing, to really focus on not stressing (super important!), and to have a few interesting questions ready for when they ask you if you have any at the end!

Good luck!!

Hello!

Congratulations on getting a final round interview! Looks like you've gotten some amazing advice here already, but here are my additional two cents:

- Structurally, final round interviews aren't much different from the first round. They are just usually done by more senior consultants (partners, APs), but the case/PEI format is the same. So whatever you have been doing in terms of prep that has worked so far, keep doing that.

- Prepare to be flexible on the day with whatever they throw at you, and make sure you take care of yourself so that you are well-rested before the interview day!

Hi, congrats on passing the first round.
1. the structure and the type of cases of the 2nd one will be the same
2. what is the feedback from the first interviews? I recommend continuing simulating cases with other candidates or consultants

Best,
Antonello