Hi there,

Great questions here! You're going about this the right way.

1) It's approriate when you need it. If you don't see the answer, you have to take time. That's it. Ideally you don't need it for exhibits around 50% of the time.

2) As long as you need. Aim for 10-15 seconds, but, again, if you don't have insights, you can't force it.

3) When you need it. Ideally only when you hit an exhibit, and once in a "general" situation where you're stuck.

4) No you cannot. If the CEO is calling, or walking in, or bumps into you, you cannot take time. This is rare in an interview, but it's good to practice this.

Now, Instead of spending all this energy wondering "am I fast enough, what counts, what are my limits, can I take x seconds", I HIGHLY recommend you focus on just getting better. Here's how:

1) Read the title - and understand it

2) Read the legends - and understand them

3) Remind yourself of the objective / hypothesis in the case, to see where this might fit

4) Find the differences - where does the line graph plummet or spike? Which column is a lot smaller or bigger than the others? Where does change occur? The differences are what matter

5) Talk outloud while interpreting - first, it helps you think and process your thoughts, second, it lets the interviewer provide guidance and course correct if needed.

Best Rote Practice

Rocket Blocks: https://www.rocketblocks.me/

Best Practice Strategy

1) Read the Economist (especially the daily graph and Financial Time frequently

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/05/29/america-first

2) Ask case partners to focus particularly on your chart-reading skills (i.e. by providing you with cases with many charts) - Bain and Deloitte cases tend to be chart heavy

Hire a Coach - pick one that suits you best

(editiert)

Great questions! As you state, it's hard to give precise answers because every situation is different and every interviewer's preferences are different, but here are some general guidelines:

1) If you need time, it is ALWAYS appropriate for you to take time. Yes, in general, the quicker you answer the better, but being right is more important than being quick. There's a general feeling among candidates that you take time in the beginning of the case to think up a structured approach and then zoom to the finish line. Not true. You can always pause later to think.

2) You never know. 60-90 seconds at the start of the case. <30 at any other point if you need it.

3) I would be very comfortable with 2-3 times during the case. More than that is pushing a little too much. But every case is different.

4) If you need it, take the time. Being right is better than responding right away. Sure, the interviewer might be looking to see how fast you can respond, but if your summary is poor, it doesn't help if it's fast.

Consider the following: In all my interviews at McKinsey, I occasionaly said, "The answer was great and very structured, but a bit slow." I never said, "The answer wasn't very good, but the candidate was fast!" That proves that Correct and Fast > Correct and Slow > Incorrect and Fast.

Finally, my advice is to practice without worrying about speed. Once it's working, then you can improve your speed.

Hope this helps!

Allen

Hi there,

1. You can always ask for time whenever needed to structure (eg. brainstorming or interpreting the graph). Sometimes the interview may pressure you to answer without time if he/she wants to replicate a stress interview, but that’s pretty rare. In any case, you can always ask
2. As general rule: 1-2 minute for the initial structure and 1 min during the case. They are not strict rules. If you spend more time writing down the initial structure, you won’t lose any points. However be ready to have the interviewer ask if you are ready. You can spend a few mins to present (also depends on the company, at McKinsey usually you have more time to present due to the interviewer-led format – you can find more on the differences here)
3. As many as needed
4. You can definitely ask for a few seconds to structure your notes. However, the interviewer may say “We don’t have time, give me the answer right now”. In any case, you can always ask

Hope this helps,

Francesco

(editiert)

Hey there,

This varies a bit across firms. I can give you a McKinsey perspective

1. Always! However, there won't be any recommendation questions in McK.

2. Structure (2 minutes), Math (1 minute for approach, 4 minutes to calculate), Exhibit (1 minute) - these numbers are an indication; no hard rule here

3. Every time you are asked a new question (that is not a follow-up question from the question you are currently working on)

4. n/a for McK, however for other firms it does not hurt to take 30 seconds to synthesize your findings and prepare a top-down answer

Cheers,

Florian

(editiert)

Hello there!

Taking time is always a good thing to do if it benefits your calculations and structures. You can take as much as you need (in the particular framework of course), but it's better to be fast and not exceed 2 minutes. However, when the CEO walks into the room, you cannot take any more time.

If you have any other questions - feel free to reach out!
GB

Hello!

Good point, I get this question a lot from my coachees:

1. It never asks to ask for a minute to structure your thoughts, if you need it
2. A minute or so
3. I wouldn´t think there is a limit for this
4. NO, this is the clear time in which you can´t :)

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Yes, it's always appropriate. 

Lots of people misunderstand this interview to be a speed test. So they do everything accordingly - they try to rush to the answer of the calculation, to provide the brainstorming ideas and to generate the recommendaiton.

But the interview is in fact a simulation of a conversation with a client. The objective is to co-create and to do that you need deep, insightful answers that are communicated in an easy to follow, structured way.

To give these sorts of answer you always need to take time. 

And interviewers appreciate it, they don't judge you for it. 

Best,
Cristian