McK/BCG failed at final round / reapplication with an ongoing MBA?

BCG MBA McKinsey reapplication
Recent activity on Nov 27, 2020
5 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Nov 09, 2019

Hello guys,

I failed my final round interview at BCG January 2019, I talked to the HR and they said I need to wait 18 months, which means I will be able to reapply August 2020 earliest.

I started a target school MBA programme (part-time) in 2019 October which has a duration of 19 months which means I will have a degree May 2021.

The question is about the timing of reapplication.

Logic 1: reapply August 2020, when 70% of the MBA programme will be done. In case of fail there will be opportunity to get a third attempt after that.

Logic 2: wait until May 2021 to have the degree because they will accept the application that way with solid knowledge.

Which one appropriate?

Another questions:

For what position should I reapply with an ongoing MBA study? BA, Junior Associate or Associate at Mck and Senior Associate / Consultant?

In case of second failure do you think there will be one more chance to try again?

I failed at final round at BCG and McKinsey at PST. Do you think I will need referral again or the target school MBA is strong enough to indicate enough change in the background to reapply?

CV check would be well needed as well.

Thank you very much for your help!

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Antonello
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replied on Nov 10, 2019
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,
totally fine to apply during your MBA. Your resume will be as ready as at the end of it. You can leverage MBA recruiting events but also referrals by ex-alumni of your school now in consulting.

I confirm that positions you can apply for after 7y of experience and an MBA will be associate in McK and consultant in BCG and Bain.

Feel free to send me the CV for feedback.

Best,
Antonello

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Deniz
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replied on Nov 12, 2019
5+ Years at BCG & Kearney Dubai & Istanbul | 400+ Trainees | Free 15-min Consultation Call

Hi,

You should apply for a post-MBA role (associate at mck, consultant at bcg) August 2020. If you can find someone to refer you, you can increase your chances to be invited again significantly.

Best,

Deniz

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Vlad
Expert
updated an answer on Nov 11, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

1) You can apply during your MBA

2) Associate (McK grade)

3) Ask your classmate from a target school to refer you to a local on-campus recruiter - that will be enough. Alternatively, ask any employee for a referral. PST is not required at this level

Best

(edited)

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Clara
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Content Creator
replied on Nov 27, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I would try to get into the MBB recruting channel at your school, this would for sure smoothen the way. best,

Clar

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Anonymous replied on Nov 09, 2019

Hi,

I'm currently doing an MBA in a BCG+McK target school.

I would suggest not to overthink this and this is why: MBBs have a particular process of hiring for MBA students in target school at Global level and that process has fixed dates.

In my school (I'm in London), the deadline for summer internship application (start June, end mid-August) is in mid-January for both companies, with interviews from mid-January to mid-March. Afterward, you'll have the deadline in October for full-time positions with a start date in September following year.

I would suggest getting information with the career service of your school to know the exact dates of the MBBs recruiting and then directly contact the MBB HR responsible for MBA recruiting in your school (it's not difficult to know it, because HR from McK, Bain, and BCG keep sending e-mails to all MBA students on weekly basis) and directly ask when you can apply.

My feeling is that you should be able to apply for the summer internship because you are doing an MBA, thus your profile is already different, just because you got into the MBA program.

Furthermore, I have been told by HR from McK that if you fail in the summer internship process, you can apply again for the full-time position.

+ you don't have to do PST/tests if you are an MBA candidate, you have the CV screening and then directly interviews!

Hope this is useful, please reach out to me if you need more info!

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David on Nov 09, 2019

Hi Giulia, I'm an experienced hire with 7 years work experience and my MBA school has no connection with Mck or BCG.. I meant target school as 'the #1 university' in business in the country. — Anonymous A 2 minutes ago (edited)

Anonymous on Nov 09, 2019

Hi David, sorry, I understood "target school" as a target school for MBBs. In that case, I would apply on August 2020, because the offer will arrive when the MBA is finished and you'll be considered as if you have already finished the MBA at that period. Definitely MBA indicates a big change in CV and I also have a colleague who received a rejection before MBA and got the offer after 1 year MBA without referral. With 7 years of relevant work experience, you definitely won't apply for BA or JAssociate :) I would aim for senior Associate (which is usually 4-ish years of experience), but more likely Manager level!

Anonymous A on Nov 09, 2019

are you 100% sure that there is no PST as experienced hire with ongoing MBA studies? I failed PST in May and HR said 12-14 months needed to wait to reapply.

Anonymous on Nov 09, 2019

I'm 100% sure for target school MBA recruiting, I don't know about other schools, but my feeling is that the process is going to be the same as before MBA.

Antonello gave the best answer

Antonello

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