Dear community, I have been lucky enough to receive an offer from both McKinsey and BCG. One thing that I heard from a BCG partner who also worked at McKinsey before was that he felt it's more elitist in Mckinsey in terms of the way that people speak and are dressed, and the culture in general. I would like to know what are the feelings and thoughts around it for you guys. Of course it can be subjective, but I am more than welcome just to hear an opinion.
Is McKinsey more elitist than BCG?
Overview of answers
-
Upvotes
-
Date ascending
-
Date descending
Hi!
I have worked for several years for both BCG and McKinsey and covered different geographies at both firms. I honestly believe that this is nothing but a cliché if you relate it to the interpersonal behavior of the people. There is really no way you coan claim that either of the two are behaving more/less elitist/snobby/whatever at the aggregate level. Spot experience might of course vary a lot, depending on who you ask and his/her subjective experience.
That being said, there are a couple of deeper, "institutionalized" patterns that most people are not aware of, from which you could infer that McKinsey is less concerned with looking at what BCG does than vice versa. I can see this in alumni meetings that I attend - BCG folks are always very eager to hear from me how McKinsey was and whether/how it was different. At McKinsey meetings however, it is never really a topic of interest that I also worked at BCG. Another hint that speaks to the same trend is the importance of the "Why BCG/McKinsey?" question in interviews. For BCG, this is really important and a candidate should have a very strong and convincing answer why he/she prefers BCG over anyone else. At McKinsey however, this is not one of the "make or break" questions (unless you say something really stupid obviously) - you could interpret it as McKinsey sort of assuming that of course they are the candidates' first choice and don't need him/her to proove it (which of course could be called "elitist" ;-)).
Hope that helps, Sidi
(edited)
![](https://www.preplounge.com/assets/images/signup/rebranding/illustration.png)
Related Products
McKinsey Solve Game Simulation Package by Francesco
- Play for Real the Ecosystem Game (Coral Reef & Mountain Ridge)
- Play for Real the Redrock Game (All 4 Phases Included)
- Receive for FREE the Imbellus Solve Combo and McKinsey Imbellus Game Secrets Guide
Break Into Consulting - Strategy Consulting Firm's All-In-One by Alexandre
- Created by 2 BCG consultants
- Covers most strategy consulting firms
- Get you to the backstage of the strategy world
Break Into Consulting - Industry Overviews by Alexandre
- Created by 2 BCG consultants
- 15+ industries covered
- Practical tips to master any industry
Break Into Consulting - Frameworks I wish I knew by Alexandre
- Created by 2 BCG consultants
- Covers most interview cases
- Practical tips to crack the case
BCG Online Case Combo: Software Simulation by Francesco
- Practice with 6 Chatbot Tests (Casey Style), including 4 Software Simulations
- Test Yourself with 4 Live One-Way Video Interviews (with AI Generated Tips)
- Receive for Free the BCG Online Case Secrets Guide
BCG Online Case Secrets by Francesco
- Master the 5 Types of Questions Asked by the Chatbot
- Discover the Exact Steps to Prepare for the 1-Minute Video Assessment
- Prepare in Advance by Solving 2 Complete Chatbot Cases
McKinsey Solve Game Combo: Guide + Videos by Francesco
- Watch how to Crack the Ecosystem Game in 23 Minutes
- Find Out how to Master each of the 4 Phases of the Redrock
- Receive for FREE the McKinsey Imbellus Solve Game Secrets Guide
Imbellus Test at McKinsey – Guide by Luca
- Detailed and full game analysis
- Hands-on example to solve the game and support you
- Practical tips to crack the game
McKinsey Imbellus Solve Game Secrets by Francesco
- Learn the Exact Steps to Crack the 7 Games of the Imbellus
- Discover the Proven Way to Master the 5 Skills Tested in the Game
- Create your Ecosystem Chain Automatically with the Automated Excel Included
The Secret McKinsey PEI Cheat Sheet by Robert
- Learn how to correctly prepare and structure your McKinsey PEI
- Impress your McKinsey interviewer with a perfect PEI
- Save tons of time in your PEI prep
BCG Potential Test #2 by Gaurav
- BCG Potential Test with 23 questions about "World Electrification Case"
- Created by ex-MBB interviewer Gaurav
- Format and style for a real test experience
BCG Potential Test #1 by Francesco
- BCG Potential Test with 23 questions about "CoverCell Case"
- Created by ex-BCG consultant Francesco
- Format and style for a real test experience
Prep Guide for McKinsey PST by PrepLounge
- McKinsey PST preparation guide incl. 13 pages of useful tips
- Created by ex-McKinsey consultants
- Detailed information on test structure, question types & core skills
McKinsey PST #3 by Riccardo
- PST with 26 questions about "Delicious Juice Case"
- Created by ex-MBB consultant Riccardo
- Industries: Beverage, tourism, pharma
McKinsey PST #2 by Gaurav
- PST with 26 questions about "WeKlin Case"
- Created by ex-McKinsey consultants
- Industries: Retail, energy, franchise
McKinsey PST #1 by PrepLounge
- PST with 26 questions about "FloraFashion Case"
- Created by ex-McKinsey consultants
- Industries: Retail, energy, franchise
Related Articles
BCG Potential Test
Consulting Interview Questions
What Does a Management Consultant at MBB Do?
BCG Case Interview
The Differences between MBB and the Big Four
Management Consulting Firms in Singapore
Related Cases
Related Case Interview Basics article(s)
BCG Online Case
Get to know the BCG Online Case and learn how to approach this specific Boston Consulting Group Test when you want to start your careere in Consulting.
McKinsey Growth Pyramid
Structured framework for sustainable corporate development, including market penetration, product development, market development and diversification.
McKinsey Imbellus Game
Find out what the McKinsey Imbellus Game is all about. Get specific insights on how to ace your case interview at McKinsey.
Influence Model
The Influence Model by McKinsey emerged in the early 2000s and is the result of practical experience of the consultants at McKinsey & Company.
7S-Framework of McKinsey
Discover what McKinsey's 7S framework is and how it helps companies maximize their strengths and identify weaknesses while focusing on 7 internal elements.
Related Products
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/124/large-1700551645-0goepgnvu3zr.webp)
McKinsey Solve Game Simulation Package by Francesco
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/93/shop-product-1661249730-qmpjvfeqfqn6.png)
Break Into Consulting - Strategy Consulting Firm's All-In-One by Alexandre
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/89/large-1685701576-jltirgzzeqx3.webp)
Break Into Consulting - Industry Overviews by Alexandre
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/86/large-1685701082-5rgez63c69nh.webp)
Break Into Consulting - Frameworks I wish I knew by Alexandre
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/79/shop-product-1635496793-fum0n8df00hg.jpg)
BCG Online Case Combo: Software Simulation by Francesco
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/69/shop-product-1623153007-p2e3kso21umu.png)
BCG Online Case Secrets by Francesco
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/68/large-1715610556-uzfw4vpdxgoi.webp)
McKinsey Solve Game Combo: Guide + Videos by Francesco
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/64/shop-product-1623153005-29dw9bn8ibb1.png)
Imbellus Test at McKinsey – Guide by Luca
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/48/large-1716994374-bxp9om8n7eqd.webp)
McKinsey Imbellus Solve Game Secrets by Francesco
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/42/shop-product-1623153001-5uw0t7xn8hrr.png)
The Secret McKinsey PEI Cheat Sheet by Robert
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/14/shop-product-1666251664-1ksx6fgk9ukq.png)
BCG Potential Test #2 by Gaurav
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/13/shop-product-1666251641-ylukjzba3ijt.png)
BCG Potential Test #1 by Francesco
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/12/shop-product-1666251696-yfod38hlc3z5.png)
Prep Guide for McKinsey PST by PrepLounge
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/11/shop-product-1666251623-bgev2hkeh7a8.png)
McKinsey PST #3 by Riccardo
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/10/shop-product-1666251601-y4sv35nf7sm0.png)
McKinsey PST #2 by Gaurav
![](https://www.preplounge.com/uploads/shop-products/8/shop-product-1666251545-qak1mr69gzje.png)