McK final round 5 weeks away- How do I keep up the momentum of my prep?

Final Round McKinsey
New answer on Aug 14, 2020
4 Answers
2.1 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Sep 25, 2018

Hi all,

I got my final round interviews scheduled, which will be 3 interviews with partners. Country of application is USA and am an experienced hire.

My final round is scheduled 5 weeks away. How do I keep up the momentum in both case prep and PEI prep? I was planning to use the time to read more about different industries (in biz journals, WSJ, etc.) and do at least 3 cases every week, and practice PEI stories once or twice a week. What else would you all suggest I do with these 5 weeks worth of evenings and weekends towards my prep?

Thanks a lot!!

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Anonymous updated the answer on Sep 25, 2018

Hey there,

Well done on McK final round! I think your plan sounds reasonable - you certainly don't want to burn out by over doing it for 5 weeks.

Some ideas:

  • Practice maths a couple times a week - keeping sharp on your mental / quick written arithmetic is important so you shouldn't under estimate this - division, multiplication, percentages, etc. I would also suggest that you review your long divisions - though cases with long division are rare, you don't want to get stuck on a case because you forgot how to long divide!
  • Read through cases online - There are hundreds of case books out there. You definitely shouldn't be actually solving all these cases, but reading a couple of cases a day will help you increase your knowledge of cases and types of problems/questions that might be asked.
  • Consider scheduling 1-2 sessions with a PrepLounge Expert: I don't just say this because I'm a PrepLounge expert myself - you can choose any expert on the site with a good recommendation rate. No matter how many cases you have done, if you haven't had someone who really knows what they're talking about help you, you will keep making the same mistakes. Additionally, experts can provide a lot of expert tips for how to "shine" in an interview and stand out from the competition. Therefore, with this level of time on your hands, I believe it is a worthy investment to make.
  • Last but not least, the day before your interview, don't look at cases anymore - instead try relax, make sure you eat well, and get plenty of sleep!

Good luck with your interviews and your prep!

Alessandro

(edited)

Was this answer helpful?
7
Anonymous B updated the answer on Sep 25, 2018

I had a similar wait time for my interview, and was able to get an offer.

I took about a week off to just relax/reset since I was feeling a bit burnt out and celebrated the fact I made it to the final round! Then I got back into it, similar to what you described. I focused on my feedback areas and tried not to overdo it and lose my excitement. If you are good enought to make it to the final round, your casing is solid. I think the biggest risk of a 5 week wait (at least for me it was) is the burnout from over-preparing in that time. Practice math, practice frameworks, and do some fun, out-side-the box cases.

Good luck!

(edited)

Was this answer helpful?
4
Anonymous replied on Aug 14, 2020

Dear A,

So in order to prepare, I would concentrate on:

  • Review in detail your personal fit stories – they will matter more than in the first two rounds. In some finals, I had almost exclusively behavioral questions

  • Work on your communication (reaction under pressure is extremely important, how to gain time when you do not have a structure ready, connect with the interviewer, etc). This is something you can do with peers or with me.

  • Prepare cases as you did for the first rounds. More market sizing practice may be useful to think out of the box if you get unusual questions.

In case you need help with unusual cases please feel free to PM me, I do a specific session on them (eg How would you estimate the effect of the Coronavirus on the economy in the Middle East)?

Best,

André

Was this answer helpful?
0
Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on May 31, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

For FIT prep in particular:

On top of the insights already shared in the post, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)

It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes, since we still have some left from the launch!

Hope you find it useful!

Best,

Clara

Was this answer helpful?
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely