Where do MBB interview cases come from? Do partners/engagement managers write them?
(edited)
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Hey there,
McK interviewers write their own cases based on a real project experience, however, with sanitized data, etc. These cases are created in specific workshops to make sure they are similar in terms of difficulty levels across interviews.
Recently, with the introduction of virtual interviews, at least for the German office there are a number of cases, which seem to be created not by interviewers but for interviewers by someone central in the organization.
Cheers,
Florian
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Hi!
Let me bring some clarity to this. There is a slight difference between McKinsey and BCG here:
- At BCG, every interviewer needs to create his/her own case according to clearly defined criteria and calibration
- At McKinsey, it is different in different offices. In Germany, interviewers also create their own cases, exactly like BCG. However, there are many McKinsey offices (especially in emerging markets) where interviewers draw from a central case database.
Cheers,
Sidi
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Hello! This will vary depending on the firm and interview stage, but generally yes, the cases will be written by the partners/engagement managers doing the interviewing (with data help from analysts). In earlier rounds, the consultants conducting the interviews conduct many interviews, and will have prepared several "standard" cases for the process. In later rounds, partners will write up cases based on their actual experiences with clients.
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Hi there,
At least at BCG interviewers are required to create their own case (based on a past project) which is then reviewed by an interview body. Of course, other firms have a repository of cases as well.
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At McKinsey, there is a case library which is refreshed every year for interviewers to choose 1-2 cases. There are exceptions where interviewers may write their own case but it is becoming increasingly less common since interviewers are expected to refresh their case to avoid past candidates sharing on the public domain.
(edited)
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Hi there. McKinsey has an internal case library which includes adapted version of real cases and gets updated regularly. Usually for 1st round interviewers, they would pick cases from this library. For final round, partners usually have their own cases which came from a real project they did in the past.
Hope this helps!
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McKinsey has a team that writes and reviews cases. Many cases are real world examples of projects the firm has worked on which are then synthesized into case form. Anyone that is interested can help write a case.
For partner rounds - the cases are often projects the partner has worked on and turned into case questions they like to ask
Best,
Udayan
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