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Interview actual vs. planned time

Big 4 Final Round
New answer on Jan 18, 2021
9 Answers
739 Views
Anonymous A asked on Jan 13, 2021

Hello,

I did 2 interviews with Big4 (1 technical and 1 behavioral), and both of them took double the planned time. Is this a good or a bad thing?

Overview of answers

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Best answer
Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jan 13, 2021
#1 Career Coach for Aspiring, Practicing & Ex-Consultants|The Only 360° Coach - Ex-Mckinsey, Certified Coach & Recruiter

Hi there!

It's an interesting question, but it's really hard to say. Try to reflect on it by yourself, maybe these questions would help:

  • Did the interviewers often ask you to proceed further though you haven't finished?
  • Did you feel comfortable when interacting with them?
  • Did you get many questions?
  • How did you feel at the end of the interviews?

There are situations when the candidate is performing so well and the interviewers are so interested that spend much time on the interview without noticing it. It could also be vice versa.

Anyway, stay patient and relax, you've done a great job, I'm sure.

Good luck!
GB

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Florian
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replied on Jan 13, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

Could go both ways. In general, interviewers will expedite your answers by providing intermediate results, synthesizing for you, etc. when you are too slow and can't finish the case in the allotted time. That would point towards a negative sentiment if you were not able to finish in time.

However, in your case, they might have had additional time due to being on the beach or similar and were interested in your process and story. This could be beneficial.

All the best!

Cheers,

Florian

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Francesco
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replied on Jan 14, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

As mentioned by the other coaches, it is very difficult to say. It could be that:

  • They were unsure about your performance and needed several additional questions to clarify if it was a pass
  • They liked you and were keen to spend more time for that reason

Hope this helps,

Francesco

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Ian
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replied on Jan 13, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Honestly, we can't read into this much here.

That said, in general, if your interviewer goes over their alloted time, they like you. So, when talking about behavioral specifically, going over is generally a good thing.

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Vlad
Expert
replied on Jan 13, 2021
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

Big 4 interviews are not as much structured as MBB. Thus I would not worry about that, if everything else went well

Best

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Udayan
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replied on Jan 13, 2021
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /12 years recruiting experience

There is no specific answer to this as only the interviewer could know in reality. However more time is ALWAYS better than less time. People do not waste their time on interviews that are going nowhere.

Best,

Udayan

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Allen
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replied on Jan 13, 2021
Ex-McK Experienced Hire and EM - I show you how to perform at your best

Hard to tell, of course. In general, if you are able to give them everything they are looking for within the alloted time, that's better. However, the fact that you were able to keep their interest for longer is also a good sign So I guess it depends on how you feel you performed.

Hope this helps!

Allen

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Antonello
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replied on Jan 18, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,

Usually, the length of the interview stays within the allotted time, so it's hard to answer your question.

What do you think? Did the interviewer seem engaged?

Best,

Antonello

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Clara
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Content Creator
replied on Jan 14, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Most of the times is a good thing, tbh. Particularly when it becomes conversational and you extned the time as you would when enjoying.

However, you are the one who knows the pulse. Did it feel this way? In this case, I believe, great news.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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