Hi
My first round at McKinsey consists of two rounds with a partner each. Each
round consists of:
1. Fit questions are always first (sometimes partners have traveled a
lot before they interview you, thus they might seem slightly aloof,. Don't
get unsettled by this, its up to you to engage them and make them feel that
you are a great person to work with and can be put in front of client)
2. 35 minutes of case (1st round cases are pretty straightforward)
3. 5 minutes for your own questions to the interviewer (they are really
looking for honest, non-pretentious questions about McKinsey, so don’t go
with the mindset of trying to impress them with the questions, they don’t
like it)
The case is interviewer led, so you have to be pretty comprehensive in the
beginning when you are presenting your framework, you can’t really go back
to it from there, so make sure this first step is done correctly and covers
all the relevant points!
- Introduction: Explain to the interviewer, a brief summary of the case,
try not to do literally verbatim but ensure that you cover the essential
grounds
- Structure: here you should really think about the specific case and
not try to fit any framework just for the case, it’s very easy for them to
ding you JUST FROM THIS! Can explain why your framework/thinking would be
pertinent to this particular firm/industry
- Graph analysis: Flow: point out obvious parts, then explain what it
implies and what does this implication mean overall to the case objective
- Math: Talk through it slowly, get into the mentality of a math teacher
teaching a student
- Sum up: Practice those 30 seconds type conclusions to hone your
summarizing of conclusion into concise form.
They would also consider your body language and style of communication,
always present yourself as calm, composed (try not to be too loud or free
with the hand gestures) and PROFESSIONAL.