Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Interview Partners to connect and practice with!
Back to overview

Do interviewers test your knowledge of current projects?

In IB interviews it’s a typical question, they ask about recent deals the bank has done that interest you.

Does MBB ask similar questions? How would you even know what projects they are handling in the office you are applying to?

9
600+
4
Be the first to answer!
Nobody has responded to this question yet.
Top answer
on Mar 20, 2023
#1 rated McKinsey Coach

Hi there, 

No, they won't ask you about that because consulting firms maintain strict confidentiality rules as to who they work with. 

They never discuss clients and more often than not, they avoid providing client names even when speaking with each other. 

You should know instead about the firm and the role that you are applying for, and whether they happen to be focusing on any specific market. 

Best,
Cristian

Deleted user
on Mar 20, 2023

It is unlikely that MBB would ask similar questions given that this information tends to be confidential for the most part.

10
Ian
Coach
on Mar 21, 2023
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Yes they do! It's called a case :P

Genuinely, cases are real projects.

But, in terms of current projects, no. These are all confidential and there is strict policy on not discussing these.

Emily
Coach
on Mar 21, 2023
Ex McKinsey EM & interviewer (5 yrs) USA & UK| Coached / interviewed 300 +|Free 15 min intro| Stanford MBA|Non-trad

They are not interested in you knowing what projects are going on. Quite the opposite, clients are kept extremely confidential, as is the specific work that is being done for them.

While it can be helpful for you to know what industries the office works with, mostly so that you know if you'll be interested in the work, they are interested in the raw skills that you can demonstrate in the case study. 

Good luck!

on Mar 20, 2023
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: Do interviewers test your knowledge of current projects? How would you even know what projects they are handling in the office you are applying to?

Not for specific projects. The information related to that is normally confidential so you won't be able to know that anyway.

On the other hand, they might ask why you want to join a particular company and you could talk about the sectors they cover – that information is normally available.

Best,

Francesco

Hagen
Coach
on Mar 21, 2023
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | 8+ years consulting, 8+ years coaching and 7+ years interviewing experience

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

  • First of all, contrary to what other coaches have said, if you work as a consultant and interview with another strategy consulting company, you will, of course, be asked about past projects.
  • While the interviewers might ask about it in a more general way and expect you to not disclose the client's name or any confidential information, they will still be interested in the types of projects you have been involved in the past and what your role and responsibilities were.

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

Best,

Hagen

Andreas
Coach
on Mar 20, 2023
McKinsey EM | Top MBB Coach | >70% Success Rate | Free Introductory Calls

Hi,

questions or cases do usually not come from current projects. However, some interviewers derive their cases from real live projects they did in the past.

Hope this helps!

Andreas

Paul
Coach
on Mar 20, 2023
PL-level BCG experience (6 years)|Interviewer at BCG| 6/6 personal + 95%+ candidates offer success rate

Hi there,

agree with answers below - let me just remark something important

1) You should aim to have a knowledge of the practices “weigths” of your target office if possible (industry e.g. consumer goods is the strongest for this officevs. practice z). This can be a differentiator in the fit part shows the interviewer that you really did your homework in understanding the specific office, via talking to people working there. Thus interviewer will be prone to consider you a more “mature and credible” candidate.

Hope this helps.

Udayan
Coach
on Mar 20, 2023
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

This is more common for sector specific roles or for roles where it is important to know it beforehand. For a standard consultant role its not typically something they ask. 

Similar Questions
Consulting
Do consultants use AI for PowerPoint or excel or anywhere in the Process??
on Aug 24, 2024
Global
7
2.4k
Top answer by
Nilay
Coach
Former McKinsey Sr Engagement Manager | Trained McKinsey interviewer (100+ interviews, 500+ coaching sessions)
50
7 Answers
2.4k Views
+4
Consulting
MBB Internship: Is less work better?
on May 09, 2025
Global
8
200+
Top answer by
1st session -50% | Ex-McKinsey| Offical McKinsey Case Coach | +250 coaching sessions
16
8 Answers
200+ Views
+5
Consulting
Can I apply to two different positions at McKinsey one after another?
on Jun 11, 2024
Global
7
2.0k
Top answer by
Yousef
Coach
I make it easy for you to master case interviews! (ex-McKinsey |Stanford University | Imperial College London | ex-P&G)
35
7 Answers
2.0k Views
+4
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely
Thanks for your feedback! Your opinion helps us make PrepLounge even better.