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Expert path at McKinsey

Digital McKinsey McKinsey McKinsey & Company Product Manager
New answer on Feb 04, 2023
7 Answers
1.2 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Feb 02, 2023

Hey!

How does the expert path looks like (stages/positions) at McKinsey? I couldn't find any info on their site. Is it like the general? Ending with Partner?

Cheers

Overview of answers

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Victoria Christine
Expert
updated an answer on Feb 02, 2023
1st&2nd session 33% off|Incoming BCG Consultant ME|President of the Consulting Club|Esade MBA|Offers from McKinsey & BCG

Hello A,

 

Process of hiring

Most of the times it’s the same as the generalist one (it depends on the location though):

  1. 1st round of interviews (most probably 2 of them, with principals
  2. 2nd round of interviews (most probably 2 or 3 of them, with partners)

You should expect cases that are a bit tougher and more focused on your field of expertise.

Positions

Analyst/Fellow -> Specialist -> Expert -> Associate Expert Partner -> Expert Partner

 

Hope this helped!

Best,

Victoria 

(edited)

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Cristian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 02, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there, 

First of all, these paths are constantly changing and they also tend to differ between regions, practices / industries and functional roles. 

But high-level, the track for experts is meant to mirror that of integrative / generalist consultants. Moving towards this parallel model is an effort that has been undergoing in the past few years. 

Basically, if you're on the expert track you tend to focus primarily on a certain area - either functionally (e.g., pricing) or industry (e.g., mining). That means that depending on your role you might do either most or all of your project within that particular topic. You will also be expected to develop internal content besides being staffed on client engagements. 

One crucial difference between the evolution towards Partner between the generalist and the expert track is that for experts there is less of a ‘up or out’ pressure, which is why often times some consultants choose to transition into the expert path. You can take more time at Associate Partner level as an Expert AP rather than a Generalist AP. 

Best,

Cristian

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Anonymous A on Feb 03, 2023

I got information that it can be different, if a person doesn't want to do sales: Expert -> Senior Expert (like AP) -> Master Expert (like Partner)

Florian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 02, 2023
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hi there,

Starting from the beginning:

The screening and interviews are the same as for generalist consultants, and even the cases are often a mixed bag with 50% more general and 50% domain-specific cases (can also be 100% general). The PEI is exactly the same as for generalists.

Difficulty levels are standardized!

For more info on the hiring, see here: 

https://www.preplounge.com/mckinsey-pei

https://preplounge.com/mckinsey-interview

As regards life in the firm, once you have been hired:

  • Victoria pointed out the hierarchy, which is essentially the same as for a generalist
  • You will work/support more engagements within the relevant field, especially at a more junior tenure (you might support several engagements at the same time, travel less, and invest more time into knowledge development initiatives or KIPs as McKinsey calls it)

Cheers,

Florian

 

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Benjamin
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 04, 2023
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hello,

In addition to what the other coaches have mentioned, if you are considering applying and going through the expert track in McK or BB, I would suggest talking to someone who is more senior in that track to understand the different challenges of the expert track.

This is especially important if you think you'd want to stay mid-long term in consulting. At some firms, the expert track is still evolving and has its own set of challenges the more senior you get.

All the best!

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Moritz
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 03, 2023
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | 90min sessions with FREE exercises & videos

Hi there,

The stages have different names but they're essentially the same as in generalist consulting and the endgame is the same: Partner.

What is different, however, is the nature of the work. It's obviously more topic focused than client focused and you will be spread more thinly across engagements.

If you consider yourself truly expert in a specific discipline, it's a cool path to follow. Always liked working with experts when I was at McKinsey.

Best,
Moritz

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Hagen
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 03, 2023
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

  • At McKinsey, the career path for experts follows the same general structure as for generalist consultants. It begins with Analyst/ Fellow, then moves on to Specialist, Expert, Associate Expert Partner, and finally Expert Partner.
  • The screening and interview process is the same for both generalist and expert consultants, with a blend of general and expert case studies. As such, I would advise you to thoroughly prepare for both the case study and PEI parts of the McKinsey interviews.

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

Best,

Hagen

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Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Feb 03, 2023
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

The short answer is it looks a lot like the general path! It's really essentially “the same”

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