Hi Buddy, 
I wouldn't suggest asking the interviewer directly. It might indicate that you have a well-scripted answer. 

The best way to tackle PEI is to have an honest story to tell. In fact, if you are by nature a well-structured communicator it's best not to over-prepare for the PEI. It's a lot easy to just have a conversion about the story or scenario. 

You might be able to use the same story for multiple dimensions. As other coaches suggested it's best to start with a one-line summary and check with the interviewer. 

In my experience (a while back), the interviewer himself asked me to share the one-line summary to confirm with him before going into detail. 

While it's best to have 2 stories for each dimension. I had prepared for exactly 3. After a couple of questions, he did not feel the story was the best fit for the dimension he was looking for and suggested narrating another scenario. 
I was forced to use my other story and spin it to the dimension he was looking for on the go. 

Keep it honest, run the stories or scenarios in your mind(imagine the actual incident visually running in your head) and communicate in a structured fashion. 

Regards,
Gowtham

 

Dear candidate,

I wouldnt necessarily clarify like this, but if you are truly unsure whether your answer is appropriate you can summarize your answer in 1 sentence and ask if this falls under the scope of what is asked. But if it is just an initiative question, I would say go ahead and provide an answer and do not worry what part they are assessing or not. Show your strengths in this answer, ideally cover multiple dimensions when answering so you should be fine. For example initiative can also be about leadership.

Best regards,

Charlotte

Hi there,

I wouldn't ask for two reasons:

• It sounds too robotic and you should be able to answer a direct and ultimately “simple” question
• You should be able to use at least one of your stories because they typically involve a problem that needs solving, you taking an initiative, etc. (if not, they're not good stories)

That being said, interviewers should ask clearly about either of the 3 PEI dimensions and not be too vague. In case of showing an initiative, that sounds like ED. In case of problem solving, it's indeed not clear what PEI dimension is being explored.

However, whether you're sure or not, always give the interviewer the 1-liner for the most appropriate story you prepared and let them decide whether she/he thinks it's a good fit.

Hope this helps a bit! Best of luck!

Hi there,

Both questions could fit entrepreneurial drive. To be related to other dimensions they should:

• For personal impact: refer to how you convince someone not agreeing with you
• For inclusive leadership: refer to how you lead a diverse team in a challenging situation

Given you should start every PEI story with a one-line summarizing the story, you should be able to verify this with the interviewer indirectly. As mentioned by Charlotte and Moritz, if they don’t think it fits after your intro, they will tell you and you can move to another story.

You can find more on PEI at the following link:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/mckinsey-pei-difference-drive-and-personal-impact-918

Best,

Francesco

No, you should not do that. If they ask you a question you should answer the question, not try to “rename” the question. Can you immagine how akward it would feel if you actually asked what was the “dimension they're looking for” in your answer? 

The interview is also judging your ability to manage a conversation. And in a conversation, the questions (and the answers) are not previously scripted. You can prepare, but make sure your stories are flexible enough that you can adjust them and reframe them to answer whatever question you get.

Hey there,

Of course, you can clarify and you should definitely do so! No need to beat around the bush as others have recommended. You can literally ask: ‘’Am I correct in assuming that this is an Entrepreneurial Drive story you want me to tell?''

Two reasons why:

1. During the interview (case and PEI) you should always clarify if something is unclear; same as you would in a real-life client setting. You want to avoid answering the wrong question at all costs and avoid the impression that you are too afraid or not confident enough to ask.
2.  McKinsey and McKinsey's interviewers know that the story you will discuss is highly scripted. That is the whole reason why the PEI is standardized across the globe and conducted in this manner for many many years.

If you want to read more about it, have a look at the article I wrote: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/mckinsey-pei

All the best!

Florian

The better question would have been: what are they looking for when they ask “tell me about a time when you solved a problem in a short period of time or took initiative".  Knowing which specific PEI dimension isn't particularly meaningful to know.

My best advice on PEI is, spend time thinking about the 3-5 sub-dimensions behind the three PEI dimensions.  Use that as your assessment criteria to see if your are striking a balance between those sub-dimensions.  That's essentially what your McKinsey interviewer is doing.

(edited)

Hi there,

McKinsey PEI dimensions are the following:

• Entrepreneurship: focusing on how you delivered impact out of your comfort zone
• Leadership: focusing on leading a team towards a challenging goal
• Personal impact: focusing on persuading an individual or group with an opposing opinion
• Courageous change: focusing on dealing with ambiguity

Best,

Alberto

Hi there,

I completely agree with the other coaches here - you'll get your answer from summarizing the story before you begin!

Now, the best way to get ready for this is to practice! Ask others to do mock behaviorals with you. Importantly, ask them to throw you off with vague questions so that you can practice being thrown off.

Good luck!

Here's some additional Fit/Behavioral advice: https://www.preplounge.com/en/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question