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:

• It sounds like you have been rejected from both McKinsey and Bain due to your performance in the pre-interview assessments.
• If you want to reapply to McKinsey or Bain, you should focus on making sure that your resume and cover letter show significant progress in your career. Additionally, it may be helpful to work with a coach to prepare for the pre-interview assessments as it will give you an opportunity to practice and improve your skills.

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

Hi there,

sorry to hear about the outcome. The reason was probably not your CV or cover letter since they got you into the round of online assessment. So presumably your scores there were not sufficient enough and got you filtered out of the funnel. 

However, if you intend to reapply in 12-18 months, you will have to showcase relevant advancements on your CV between now and then in order to be considered again for interviews.

Usually these online tests don't have upside for candidates, only downside. If you do extremely well, you don't get brownie points in the following interviews but if you don't do well, your recruiting process ends there.

To maximize chances of success, you need to familiarize with and practice all components of the recruiting process

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about the rejections. 

Based on your description, my hypothesis is that the results on the tests you took weren't great. 

There's also a possibility that the results were decent, but when they judged your game results with the rest of your application (CV, cover letter, referral) they were discouraged about the rest. 

My recommendation would be to work on all of these, especially since you know how the time for it (i.e., within the next 12 months or so). Also, aim to apply to more firms than just these two. 

Feel free to reach out if you want to build a proper application strategy and a great application pack. 

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

This is why people get coaches!

Would you rather save a few hundred $ and not get the offer or spend a few hundred and dramatically increase your odds? Especially when you get "1 shot".

Here are the things that could have gone wrong (we can't tell you exactly what it is unless we dive deeper…and it could be a combo):

1. Not a strong enough profile overall
2. Not a good/strong resume
3. Inadequate networking/referral
4. Poor performance on the test

(edited)

Hi there,

Very sorry to hear!

At the moment, it is a very difficult recruiting environment across the globe and for all firms. Many have stopped or frozen hiring altogether. This might have played a part.

There are other factors as well that we cannot see from the outside:

1. Strength or your resume (cover letter carries no weight for McK and little for Bain)
2. Performance in the assessments (product and process score for McKinsey, product score for Bain)

My advice would be to stay close to the firms, and network with consultants to score a referral for when it is time to re-apply.

All the best,

Florian

Hi there,

Really sorry to hear and sorry to say that there's no way of knowing. It could be your application or/and the test, to which they invite pretty much everybody (without having seen their applications in most cases).

If you want to do better next time with the same firms or other firms, I suggest getting some coaching for submitting great applications, with or without referral. This should not be an uncertainty as it is now.

Wish I could be more helpful but at this point and with the information provided, it's not possible.

Best of luck!

Moritz

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about the Bain and McKinsey processes.

Usually you CV/ application will not be assessed again after the initial screening tests, and since you got invited for the initial screening it means your CV/ cover letter were good enough.

However, only the candidates who meet the min score requirements for the screening assessment will be invited for an interview, everyone else will be rejected.

I have seen many good candidates not making it through the initial screening due to lack of preparation. For next time, definitely suggest investing a good amount of time to prepare. There are some online resources you can leverage, especially now that you are well familiar with the format. For Bain Sova assessment, you can find a candidate prep area on their website here: https://sovaassessment.com/candidate-preparation-hub/our-assessments

Best,

Lilit