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Screwed up calculation on McKinsey 1st round

Hello,

I just completed my first interview for McKinsey's C&I Analyst position.

I feel like I messed up the calculation part—I only got halfway through it, and the interviewer had to help me finish the rest.

Do you think I still have a chance?

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Hagen
Coach
am 21. Okt. 2024
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | 8+ years consulting, 8+ years coaching and 7+ years interviewing experience

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process with McKinsey thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your situation:

  • First of all, unfortunately, no one can seriously answer the question about your chances of success without sitting in the interview.
  • Moreover, it is important to remember that anyone can have a moment when things don't go as planned, especially under the pressure of an interview. I would advise you to reflect on what parts of the calculation were challenging and practice similar problems to improve your speed and accuracy.
  • Lastly, if you haven't already done so, I would advise you to be prepared for any outcome and to apply and interview with other consuting firms in parallel.

You can find more on this topic here: How to deal with a rejection from a consulting company.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Dennis
Coach
am 21. Okt. 2024
Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Hi there,

it is hard to give you any robust feedback because nobody here was in the interview with you and could observe how it went. Making some mistakes is not a reason to automatically disqualify a candidate. Neither is when the interviewer needs to provide some guidance. It's mostly a matter of how the candidate reacts to that feedback or objections during the interview and how they use it to incorporate it into their approach going forward. 

If you got through half of your calculation on your own, then you got stuck somewhere, the interviewer gave you some pointers based on which you finished the rest, it should be fine and is a quite normal occurrence.

If, on the other hand, the interviewer had to tell you how to solve every remaining step of the case, the overall performance might not have been convincing enough to move forward to the next round.

Be that as it may, the only thing that matters is the official feedback you will receive so unfortunately, there is nothing for you to do in this process but wait for it. In the meantime, however, you should continue your recruiting efforts with other firms so you won't lose time in case your McK process does not continue.

Best of luck and fingers crossed

Alessa
Coach
am 21. Okt. 2024
xMcKinsey & Company | xBCG | +200 individual & group coachings | feel free to schedule a 15 min intro call for free

Hey! 

Yes, you still have a chance! While getting the calculations right is important, what matters more in McKinsey interviews is demonstrating strong business sense and structured problem-solving throughout the case. From my experience as an interviewer, if you handled the overall case well and communicated clearly, a small calculation mistake may not be a deal-breaker.

Best, Alessa 

Florian
Coach
am 21. Okt. 2024
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hi there,

One math issue does not necessarily mean the end if

  • it was the only larger issue
  • you dealt with it well and demonstrated that you are coachable
  • it did not impact your performance and demeanor afterwards

Without seeing the whole performance, it is, unfortunately, impossible to make a definitive statement.

Fingers crossed!

Florian

Fathu
Coach
am 21. Okt. 2024
Ex-BCG Europe/ME/Africa | 50+ offers from MBB, Kearney, OW | Personalized coaching | Free 15-min intro call

Hello,

Anyone can make a math mistake in a case interview. What matters most is how big a mistake it was and how you handled the situation once spotted i.e.:

  1. How hard was it for you to accept the interviewer’s steer?
  2. How jittery were you from then onwards?

Fathu

Thabang
Coach
am 1. Feb. 2025
Ex-McKinsey Consultant | McKinsey Top Coach & Interviewer | Special Offer: Buy 1 Session Get 1 Free (Limited time!)

Hey there, 

Sorry to hear about that. 

Honestly, it's difficult to say with the context and information given. 

Generally though, with McKinsey - they tend to want you to pass all aspects of the case to be able to progress. 

Wishing you all the best

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