Hi Anonymous,

Just don't forget that subject-matter related hard skills are only one component to be on the top of the game.

That being said, yes, learn all 3 of them and they will help a lot. Basics should not take more than 1-2 weeks, and the rest you will learn while using it during real-life situations.

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind to give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

Honestly? Learn all 3!

Tableau should take you 2-3 days...it's really intuitive.

The fundamentals of Alteryx should take you 1-2 weeks as should getting thoroughly advanced in Excel.

Mind you, you'll also learn on the job and have excellent access to training modules, courses, and hand-ons training :)

I actually disagree with most of the answers here. You should focus on mastering Excel and Power point. All the rest are nice to have and you will not really require them in most studies.

Get to a place in which you feel comfrotable to build a robust and complex excel model from scratch. Get to a place in which you can build a 10-page ppt deck on some topic in a few hours by yourself that will look decent.

Hi there,

I would advise you to master all the three of them. Excel would help you meet the basic expectations for Analysts, while Tableau/Alteryx would definitely make you standout!

All the best,

Mehdi

Agreed with everyone - all 3 should do the trick. If you had to prioritize do modeling first then visual basic, Tableau and Alteryx

Although you will have plenty of opportunities to learn once you join McKinsey, being comfortable with Alteryx will go a long way as client data is becoming larger and more complex as we speak. I recall coutless situtations where we used Alteryx to process/clean the data so that we can run quick analyses in Excel, etc. Your EM/team will appreciate greatly appreicate this and Tableau is always the icing on the cake but I would say less critical.

Knowing the basics of financial modellling is helpful but may not be super relevant unless you find yourself on projects (e.g., private equity due dilligence). I know many BA/Associates who finish their 2-3 years having never built a financial model!

You'll need all three of them to succeed on today's consulting world, so ideally do all three. In any case, teh firm will give you ample opportunity (and pressure) to master them.

To help prioritize what to spend your time on: Excel skills have the potential to embarass, but few people are impressed when you can built a killer model worthy of an investment banker. With Tableau and Alteryx it's the other way around, so

• Make sure you don't embarass yourself with Excel, but (for now) don't spend the time to become a rockstar - you'll have plenty of opportunity to further refine your skills on the job
• Then learn the basics of Tableau and Alteryx to impress your new colleagues with your wizardry ;)

Hi,

Cant emphasize enough on the importance of excel and power point skills in consulting world. But these skills come handy only after you get through and start working as a consultant within the firm. These skills are easy to get and 1--4 weeks of preparation can take you from simple to advanced user. And as you start applying the skills you get to learn more.

But focus more on this when you have got the offer letter and you got some time before onboarding.

Thanks