Hi there,

Q: Do you think I should tell them to postpone the interview for a later day? Would that look bad? If yes, should I tell them the truth? 

Definitely ask to postpone if you don’t feel ready. There is no negative consequence in asking (ideally just don’t do this last minute). Worst case they will say it is not possible.

If possible call them. You can say that you will have xxx (work/study requirement) in the next few days and given you really care about being well prepared for the interview you would appreciate if you could organize it at later stage.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hello!

Yes, 100000%. 

I did that myself and it´s the only reason I came into McK. 

This is a very very hard test, that is hard even when you are 100% prepared. When you aren´t, it´s practically impossible. 

Call them better than texting, and explain how incredibly important this opportunity is for you, and that you need more time to prep that now you can´t have. Theyll understand. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Hi there,

This is exactly why I tell my candidates to be 80% case ready before they apply!

As long as you are not in a cohort, you should be able to postpone.

Please don't “tell them". Ask them.  Say you're realizing you could use more time to prepare and would like to put your best foot forward. Say that if that's not possible you will work to their timing.

Now, go hire a coach.

If you are behind, you need help ASAP.

The ROI here is immense…even just improving your odds of success by a bit has an Expected Value payout of tens of thousands of dollars

Here's some reading for your case prep: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

And your fit prep: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

Hi there, 

For sure if you do not feel prepared then it's better to reschedule the interview as soon as possible. 

You can tell them that you are very busy with work and that you are also going through some difficult personal issues and you believe you will not be at your best at their suggested time. So you would kindly ask them to give you some more time and tell them that you're going to reach out in a couple of weeks to find a new date together (this way you'll be more in control in terms of when the interview will be rescheduled for).

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

Is this part of campus recruiting? If not, there should be some flexibility because recruiting happens on a rolling basis, meaning that it really doesn't matter to HR when you interview (generally speaking, there may be some office specific variations). Also, they really want you to succeed!

My advice is to ask HR in a friendly email/phone call (and not “tell” them) whether you could have a bit more prep time. This happens all the time and is typically well received. Nobody is great at casing without adequate preparation and there's really no shame in that (to your point about telling the “truth”).

Best of luck and let me know if you'd like to learn more about anything McKinsey specific!

(edited)

It depends on the role you are interviewing for but assuming its off-cycle (e.g., not campus recruiting) there is usually flexibility.  I would just let HR know that you would like to postpone your interviews by a few weeks.  A few McKinsey R1 candidates I am working/have worked with recently have done exactly that.