Hello,

Interviews for McKinsey Middle East offices happen in 2 rounds, with 2-3 interviews each round. If your interviews are in person and in a different country (e.g. you're a candidate based in the US), then your interviews will likely all happen in the same day, with the offer decision the same evening.

Full time case interviews are slightly harder or the same as internships, but bear in mind there tends to be more leniency for interviewees who will be interns / are in college, vs full time hires. 

Another piece of advice for Middle East interviews is to have a solid story demonstrating your interest in the region. There are a set of specific industries (e.g. public sector, oil and gas, digital transformation) that are quite specific to the region, and having Arabic knowledge or cultural familiarity is a huge plus. In interviews I have conducted, hearing candidates have a solid motivation for their interest in the region and McKinsey's work in the region makes them stand out.

Regarding number of rounds and interviews per round, as well as case difficulty level, it's more or less homogeneous across countries.

What may change is the bar (not the minimum bar, but how much it is above the minimum depends on the number of high-quality applications vs. number of opening), and what they are looking for as “spikes” in the behaviour part of the interview - a bit more work towards change management / implementation in the middle east and a bit less on pure analytical power than in some other parts of the globe.

Hi there,

1) Does anyone have insight into the application process for entry-level consultants in the middle east for Mckinsey and BCG? How many interviews? 

Usually 2 interviews in the first round and 2 in the final in the Middle East.

2) Are the cases in interviews harder than the ones in the internship interviews? 

The cases are not harder per se, however you might have fewer interviews when you apply for an internship position and the might be more forgiving if you make mistakes.

3) What is the freeze period if no offer was granted?

Usually 12-18 months.

Best,

Francesco

To all of the above that the colleagues have answered, I would say that there are some specificities when applying to Middle East offices. The type of work sold there is quite different from the rest of the world, and so is the type of consultant that they look for (and also the type of person that will interview you). You could play into these specificities to get an advantage in the interview process. Happy to share more about this offline :)

Hello,

To answer your questions:

How many interviews? 

Usually 2 in the first round, 2-3 in the final round

Are the cases in interviews harder than the ones in the internship interviews? 

They are supposed to be a bit more advanced, though if you've prepped sufficiently well the difference should be fairly negligible

What is the freeze period if no offer was granted?

12 months is standard

Hi there,

First of all, make sure to get networking! It's super upser important.

Second, here's some reading to help you in your journey: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-get-a-consulting-internship-tips-and-tricks

https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/pitfalls-case-interview-preparation

How many interviews? 

Generally 2 interview rounds with 2 interviews in each round. Combination of fit + case in all interviews.

Are the cases in interviews harder than the ones in the internship interviews? 

Yes and no. The cases themselves might not change, but the interviewer themselves (guidance, standards, etc.) will be tougher.

What is the freeze period if no offer was granted?

12+ months

Hi there,

usually 2 rounds.

1. How may interviews? BCG: First round for Associate typically has 1 interview + casey chatbot nowadays , second round 2-3 case interviews. McK: 2 and 2 typically for ME offices. Note that there can be office-specific variations at times + potential '3rd look' interviews if the firms isn't sure about the outcome of a round.
2. Are the cases harder?  No - the same interviewers typically give the same cases. The expectation on your maturity, however, will change.
3. Freeze period? Really depends on how close you were to an offer. Usually anywhere from 6 - 18 months from what I see.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

Hi there,

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

• First of all, for BCG, you can expect one case interview (including both a case study and personal fit questions) and the BCG Casey pre-interview assessment in the first interview round. In the final interview round, you can expect 2-3 case interviews (including both a case study and personal fit questions). For McKinsey, you can expect 2 case interviews (including both a case study and PEI) in both the first and final interview round. Please note that there might be smaller differences across offices in the Middle East.
• Moreover, while the case studies will most likely not differ, the expectations will. However, the level of difficulty in full-time entry-level interviews normally is only marginally higher than in internship interviews.
• Lastly, regarding the ban period, it is not any different to any other region, which is 12-18 months, depending on the progress being made in between.

You can find more on the topic of final interview rounds here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi, I confirm both rounds are made by 2 interviews and cases will be similar to internship roles (expectations will be higher). The blacklist is usually of 12 months.

Best,
Antonello