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Experience Hire Applicant Process - Imbellus Test & Practice Time

case interview preparation McKinsey pre-screening interview recruiting
New answer on Jun 14, 2022
6 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Jun 13, 2022

Hi,

Apologies, if this question has been already answered.

I have been receiving conflicting messages regarding the pre-screening experienced hiring process for McKinsey.

For someone with 8 years experience in the tech and financial services space, should I be preparing for the possibly of taking the Imbellus test for Associate roles?

I had 2 friends apply for Operations roles, and never received the test. 1 friend applied for Generalist track, but did have to take the test. Does HR have specific guidelines when to request the candidate to take the test?

If I apply for roles with the MBB firms, will they typically allow me sufficient lead time to to practice for the different pre-screen tests, PEI interview and cases rounds? Or do I need to be fairly advanced in my preparation before even submitting an application.

Thanks 

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 14, 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Short Answer: Prepare when and if they give you the test.

There is no need to prepare now.

If they need to you complete the test they will let you know, and give you sufficient time to prepare. The test is not rocket science and you can learn it in a few days :)

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Lucie
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 13, 2022
10+yrs recruiting & BCG Project leader

Hi there, 

the online test depends on the office, some offices dont use them, some they do for all of the hires, so it is good to clarify. MBB are usually flexible with the timing to prepare and for experienced hires often they offer coaching/preparation for the case, I think it is worthy to ask for it. 

As a side note, the recruiting process is usually very slow, just to be prepared, mine was 4 months and I was rushing (also lateral hire). 

Good luck!

Lucie

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 13, 2022
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I am also not 100% of the guidelines, if there are any for this case. 

In any case, to your question, yes, they do give you time to prep for all of them. If you want to start with Imbellus prep, you have great materials in this page by Francesco to start getting your hands dirty. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

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Udayan
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 13, 2022
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

Testing requirements vary vastly by office and role, so that explains why your friends had different experiences

In terms of prep time - they are usually very good with giving you a lot of time to prepare. They understand that you typically have a full time job and will need more time to prepare than candidates applying straight from college. I would apply sooner rather than later and then create a detailed workplan on how to prep for the interview if invited.

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Moritz
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replied on Jun 13, 2022
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | 90min sessions with FREE exercises & videos

Hi there,

It's not clear to me exactly what the rules are since I have some inconsistent observations.

However, I did indeed notice that experienced hires for OPS/Implementation tend to not have to do the test (I also joined McK OPS as Experienced Hire & MBA and never did it).

In terms of prep time, you can generally agree on this quite easily with HR. They are more interested in you preparing adequately with time than failing quickly…

Best of luck!

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Ken
Expert
replied on Jun 13, 2022
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

Whether one is asked to sit the Imbellus test depends by office and role.  Generally speaking, generalist consultant roles will require you to sit the test.  
 

In terms of preparation, it really depends on the individual but if you are new to consulting case interviews then it’s recommended you familiarise yourself first before applying.  Needless to say, it’s a competitive process where the majority will be relatively prepared at the point of application.

Good luck!

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Ian gave the best answer

Ian

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