I'm an undergrad at HYP and McKinsey recruits heavily from my school. Despite this, I have never really heard anyone talk about the PST. But all my research online keeps bringing up the test. Does anyone know if McKinsey uses the PST everywhere or is it based on location/school? Just want to know so I can prep.
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Does McKinsey use the PST everywhere?
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Hi,
As Sidi has said, it depends on the regions/locations.
In Italy, it has not been used for 3 years now. I know it is the same for Spain.
Instead of the PST, in Italy (but I believe it's the same in all countries that don't use PSTs), there is a super easy timed online test divided in two parts:
- Text comprehension: 5-line texts and a question where you have to answer "true", "false" or "not inferable" - it's roughly 30-40 questions, but you have plenty of time to answer
- Maths/graphic understanding: problems like currency conversions, graphs understanding, logics - also 30-40 questions, here you have to speed up, because the time is not so much
If you are in doubt, you can ask the recruiting person when they reach out to you to schedule the PST/online test, to understand how to prepare. They are completely different tests.
If you have a pretty good idea in which geography you would like to apply, I would suggest to reach out directly on Linkedin to the HR people or a few consultants (better if new-hire or <1 year tenure so they would be updated on the last "recruiting trends") to ask them directly and prepare accordingly, since the PST is a pretty tough test.
Hope it's useful!
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Hi!
No, it depends on the region and also on the application. For example, Germany does not use the PST anymore. I believe the same is true for the US. In other regions it still persists, but only for graduate applicants, not for experienced hires. Then there are regions where every applicant has to take it. You have to contact recruiters to know the process in your target office.
Cheers, Sidi
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Hi,
It depends on the
- Country
- Office
- The role you are applying to
- Your experience
- Referral
Pls contact the local HR to learn about your specific situation.
Best!
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