Create a new application account if I didn't do McKinsey PST well last year

Question

Hi all,

I applied to McKinsey last year but didn't do well on the PST test. The deadline this year is earlier, so it would be less than a year if I apply again. The recruiter of my school told me that I cannot redo the Imbellus in this case. However, I have used my previous account to engage actively with McKinsey and have attended some invitation-only recruiting events. I guess the recruiter of my school have already familiar with me, so I suppose my chance of passing the resume screening would be higher (my resume did improve a lot compare with last year). However, in order to do the PST again for a better score, does it worth creating another account to apply? This also applies to BCG pymetrics test.

Thank you! I really appreciate your thoughts!

Answer 1

Hello!

It seems you have been taking the right steps in the last months. The reason for the ban is that you need to add "relevant" experience to your CV, and you need at least 12-18 months for that. However, with junior profiles, indeed a lot can change in less than a year, and even more if you have been attending by-invitation-only events.

You don´t loose anything trying, but I would actually schedule a 1on1 with the recruiter and explain the situation.

A referral would for sure help, but after the required months.

Don´t give up!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 2

If you play with fire you will eventually get burned. These are the sorts of things that, if found out, *could* result in being blacklisted (i.e. if they believe you intentionally applied with a new account to get around a rule that was explicitly told to you)…it's indicative of a character trait they would not want.

Might this work and might you get away with it? Sure. But I'll let you make your own risk assessment here!

Answer 3

Hey there,

I would not recommend this as you are bypassing their recruiting guidelines.

They will figure it out at some point during the screening process, which might lead to a blacklisting of your profile.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 4

Hi there,

As someone who’s kind of representing the ‘other side’ - this is a red flag.

There’s a proper way of doing things, which is to engage with the HR contact and find a solution. They‘re usually quite forthcoming if you make your case properly and they can help you wave the remaining ban period, which is your objective.

If you go down the other route, you’re running the risk of ruining the relationship. You wouldn’t be the first one to try this unsuccessfully…

Best of luck!

Answer 5

Hi there,

What you're suggesting is against the rules. But it can work and I heard of cases of who managed to pull it off (though eventually they were rejected in the interview stage for other reasons). Try reflecting though on your values in order to decide whether you want to pull that thread.

Alternatively, I'd try the nice thing of reaching out to the recruiter and discussing the situation with them. Explain to them that the timeline is not in your favour and whether they could make an exception. They probably will.

Best,

Cristian