How would you recommend preparing for the McKinsey Digital Interview?

Dear A,

Actually there is no difference in the interview - fit questions, case interview and questions to the interviewer.

I would recommend you the following algorithm:

1. Start your preparation with reading Case In Point by Cosentino, Casebook of London Business School and Crack the Case by McKinsey for a general understanding of what a consulting interview is.

2. Start learning and practicing the cases. Some you can find in Case Library and practice it with your partner or experience coach.

3. Once you feel you are not improving anymore, I would recommend you to take an expert coach for structured feedback and polishing your own performance.

Also remember to pay your attention and time to fit part, which equally important.

Hope this helps,

Best,

André

Hi Laura,

The process is the same as for Generalists. The only difference is that you are more likely to have digital cases (all candidates I helped so far had to do at least one). Also, you may get "general conversation" about IT topics before and after the case.

In terms of the process, I recommend the following:

1. Define a timeline for your preparation. Identify how many hours you have before your expected interviews, then allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the following points.
2. Read Case In Point or Case Interview Secrets for a general understanding of what a consulting interview is. Don’t focus on the structures proposed in the books though, as they are not good enough nowadays.
3. Start reading good MBA Consulting Handbooks – you can find several for free online (Insead is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insides. Try to read at least a new case per day – in this way you will absorb a lot better the information with constant learning. Structure your remaining daily preparation with at least 5-10 minutes per day for each of the following: market sizing, fit questions and mental math.
4. After you have read the first 10 cases in books/handbooks and basic theory, start to practice live. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only. Keep track of your mistakes and see if you repeat them. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback of experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both fit and case.
5. Once you feel you are not improving anymore, if you have a tight time constraint or if you want a realistic assessment of your level, consider using support from experts to strengthen your performance
6. Before the interview, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer –great way to show you prepare in advance and to connect more with the interviewer for a good final impression.

Feel free to PM me if you need help, I helped several people for McK Digital.

Best,

Francesco

Hi,

Just to add to the answers already provided, it doesn't hurt to practice tech-specific cases while preparing! Not only does it cover the aspect of learning to case, but you'll be sure to be ready for any Digital-specific cases if they do come up!

As mentioned by others - it is the exact same process