Hi there, 

As you might expect, it's quite difficult to get official numbers on this, but traditionally the most difficult to get into is McKinsey. McKinsey has a <1% acceptance rate, which is significantly lower than that of top universities worldwide (Oxford, Harvard, etc.). Still, don't be deterred by that. With an effective applications strategy it should turn from impossible to just hard ;)

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Getting into any MBB firm is hard, but doable. Full stop. I would not worry too much about percentages.

Now when it comes to hiring from non-target schools, there are vast regional differences across all 3 firms. E.g. in markets like the US, China, Singapore, UK etc, there is more emphasis on that. In others, Germany/Austria being a good example, recruiters are definitely more flexible on the schools.

Among the 3 firms, from my experience, McK is a bit stricter / has a narrower selection of target schools, yet high number of hires / year (given their size), while BCG and Bain tend to be a bit more flexible in most countries (less so in the US though). But again, it really depends on the particular geography. 

Finally, the good news is that many consulting firms (incl. MBB) are currently seeing very very healthy growth rates (while attrition rates are particularly high atm), which goes hand in hand with increasing hiring demands. This typically increases a odds for candidates' from non-target schools.

Hi there,

You have a .564% chance with McKinsey, .8754% chance with Bain, and .657% chance with BCG.

Jokes aside. I think you see my point…they're all going to be hard! This is completely contextual on region, office, timing, etc. (BCG is hiring like mad now, McKinsey was hiring like mad last fall. BCG New York will be harder than McKinsey Chicago).

Strive for all of them. Network with all of them. Apply to all of them. And, forget about the odds and focus on improving your odds.

Good luck!

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Hi there, 

I agree with Cristian: I find McKinsey to be the hardest to get into due to their rigid selection criteria. I have the impression that they are much less progressive in the type of candidates they are looking for, meaning that they prefer applicants from target schools disproportionately more, as you've rightly mentioned, and are suspicious of non-traditional hires.

Personally, as a woman, an immigrant, and someone not from a target school (in terms of my Bachelor's), I find the policy puzzling in 2022. 

I believe BCG is much more diverse, discerning, and flexible, while still remaining selective. I've always been proud of BCG's diversity and the warm atmosphere it creates.

Hope this helps.

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Hi there, 

to be very honest, unless you have an impressive extra-curriculum activity or any other wow achievement all MBB will be very hard if you are just fresh from a non-targeted school. I would recommend not to give up, but also to apply to smaller boutique and 2nd tier consulting to gain a few years experience, that can offset the school and then you will have greater chances. 

Lucie

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Dear candidate,

I do not have your answer, for example you could argue it is Bain since it is smaller and therefore on average would have less job openings compared to BCG and McK but that really does not help you with your interview process :). do not worry if you are from a non-target school, polish your story and prep well, network and you will succeed. Overall there are still many candidates from various backgrounds that work at MBB and you can be one of them.

The answer is not 100% straightforward. 

McKinsey usually has the shorter list of target schools. But also McKinsey usually recruits more candidates than Bain and BCG.

So in the majority of countries, Mckinsey will start with their target school list, and then they may take candidates from the schools that are not on their target school, but likely to be on the other two target list. They will unlikely need to go to other schools - you'd really need to be an outstanding candidate.

But in some countries (particularly smaller or where the competitors have a minor presence / small market share), McKinsey may have a much larger presence that the other two, they actually may need to have a broader range to fill in their ranks so will be more open to other candidates.