Have final round sooner and push thru to be done or prolong as long as I can?

Question

I passed my first round of interviews and I am super excited! The recruiter gave me an option to schedule the final round one week later, or the next option would be 3 weeks after the first round. Can't decide if I should push thru and get it done while I am in the zone, or use the 3 weeks for more prep before the final round. Thoughts?

Answer 1

How prepared are you?

I took over a month (crazy, ik) between my first and second round interviews and it turned out very well. I needed that extra time to prepare because I only started casing right as I was selected for a first round interview (two weeks before the first round interview).

If you're already very polished, those three weeks will kill you as you become more and more stressed & restless. However, if you're not polished, they can be useful for you to polish your skills.

As for number of slots, if this is an MBB, interviewing earlier vs later makes no difference. They will hire anyone who's good enough. Also MBBs are all understaffed rn.

Answer 2

Hey there,

If you feel like you breezed through the first round, I'd schedule the second round as soon as possible afterward. Some firms and offices have a super day where all interviews are conducted on the same day and I always felt this was better for candidates.

If you already talk about being in the zone, I'd push the interview to one week later instead of three. You already have all that it takes if you passed the first round.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 3

Hi Katerina,

Agree with Bain, it depends on how prepared you feel you are and the time you have available for the last prep:

Well prepared, already reached your full potential ⮕ Do it in one week
Feel there are several improvements and/or too busy at work/school to prepare well ⮕ Do it in 3 weeks

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Answer 4

Hi, dont rush it. Only if you feel prepared and ready. Otherwise the extra time wont hurt you at all.

Answer 5

Hi Katerina, congrats on the round pass. I recommend thinking about the performance of your 1st round and of the cases in general. If there is much space for improvements there's nothing bad in asking for more time. If you already got confidence and advanced performance 1 week will be enough

best,
Antonello

Answer 6

Hi Katerina,

First, congrats on getting past that first round!

Now, this completely depends on both you as a person and on you and your preparedness!

I personally had all of my interviews (for all companies) in the span of 2 weeks and much preferred it. It prevented me from getting in my head, mulling things over, etc.

If you've already done 20+ cases, feel pretty confident, and did well on the first round, 3 weeks could actually do you more harm than good.

However, if you feel shaky, felt like you squeezed through, take the extra 3 weeks!

The final option you have is to book a coaching session and get a professional review. If you do this today/tomorrow the coach can tell you whether you're ready for the final or not.

Good luck :)