Cookie and Privacy Settings

This website uses cookies to enable essential functions like the user login and sessions. We also use cookies and third-party tools to improve your surfing experience on preplounge.com. You can choose to activate only essential cookies or all cookies. You can always change your preference in the cookie and privacy settings. This link can also be found in the footer of the site. If you need more information, please visit our privacy policy.

Data processing in the USA: By clicking on "I accept", you also consent, in accordance with article 49 paragraph 1 sentence 1 lit. GDPR, to your data being processed in the USA (by Google LLC, Facebook Inc., LinkedIn Inc., Stripe, Paypal).

Manage settings individually I accept
  1. Dashboard 1
  2. Consulting Q&A 2
  3. Mckinsey Case Interview for an Associate role 3

Question merged

This question is read-only because it has been merged with How to prepare for McKinsey first round interviews?.

1

Mckinsey Case Interview for an Associate role

McKinsey McKinsey & Company McKinsey 2nd Round

Dear all,

My name is Javier, I'm a former PE manager a bit lost in the consultancy industry:

Last week the headhunter that I'm working with, sent my CV to McKinsey and they got in touch with me to invite me to the first (of two round) interview process. I was a bit shocked as I have never worked in this industry and I need to prepare myself for the interview.

1. How can I train for the personal fit interview at McKinsey?

2. I have never done a case, any advice on McKinsey ones?

I will ill appreciate any comment / guidance or tips.

Many thanks,

is the first time that I am having an interview at a consultancy company.my key question would be how can I study for an associate position and which would be

Dear all,

My name is Javier, I'm a former PE manager a bit lost in the consultancy industry:

Last week the headhunter that I'm working with, sent my CV to McKinsey and they got in touch with me to invite me to the first (of two round) interview process. I was a bit shocked as I have never worked in this industry and I need to prepare myself for the interview.

1. How can I train for the personal fit interview at McKinsey?

2. I have never done a case, any advice on McKinsey ones?

I will ill appreciate any comment / guidance or tips.

Many thanks,

is the first time that I am having an interview at a consultancy company.my key question would be how can I study for an associate position and which would be

 Recent activity on Jun 19, 2017
2.5 k Views
1 answer
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best Answer

Hi Javier,

I believe you are able to move your interview date to a different day and time wihtout penalty, which I recommend you do. It goes without saying that you should confirm that with your recruiter.

For preparation, I recommend 3 three things:

1) Read Case Interview Secrets from Victor Cheng. I would almost go as far as to say: you have almost chance in getting through the day without it.

2) Leverage the boot camp from PrepLouge to get up to speed on the basics

3) Do as many meetings with fellow interviewees as possible (thrugh the PrepLounge meeting board) and possible think about investing in a coaching session (Francesco is amazing, e.g.).

Finally, to help you put my recommendation into perspective, I am currently preparing for an number of final round interviews. I have done a tone of reading and talked to people and coaches and arrived at the conclusion that without preparation it's exceptionally difficult to pass. It's very transparent on what the consultancies expect from you so everybody has a fair chance to convince the interviewers. While that is genereally good, it means that most interviewees have practiced a lot and perform well.

Good luck

Hi Javier,

I believe you are able to move your interview date to a different day and time wihtout penalty, which I recommend you do. It goes without saying that you should confirm that with your recruiter.

For preparation, I recommend 3 three things:

1) Read Case Interview Secrets from Victor Cheng. I would almost go as far as to say: you have almost chance in getting through the day without it.

2) Leverage the boot camp from PrepLouge to get up to speed on the basics

3) Do as many meetings with fellow interviewees as possible (thrugh the PrepLounge meeting board) and possible think about investing in a coaching session (Francesco is amazing, e.g.).

Finally, to help you put my recommendation into perspective, I am currently preparing for an number of final round interviews. I have done a tone of reading and talked to people and coaches and arrived at the conclusion that without preparation it's exceptionally difficult to pass. It's very transparent on what the consultancies expect from you so everybody has a fair chance to convince the interviewers. While that is genereally good, it means that most interviewees have practiced a lot and perform well.

Good luck

3 3

Related BootCamp article(s)

Case Studies

The case study is the most important element of the case interview, which you'll have to nail in order to get into strategic consulting. Here you can learn the specific skills and concepts necessary to solve them.

1 Q&A

Interviewer-Led vs Candidate-Led cases

Case Interviews can be led by the candidate or by the interviewer: In Candidate-led cases the main challenge is the structure. In Interviewer-led cases the main challenge is to adapt quickly

Related case(s)

McKinsey Questions

Solved 37.4k times
McKinsey Questions Tell me of a situation where you had an opinion and no one seemed to agree with you. What was your goal when you decided to join university / work / clubs / a sports team? Did you have a goal that you were not able to reach? What did you do? What do you want to be remembered for and how are you achieving it? What is your typical way of dealing with conflict?
4.5 5 858
| Rating: (4.5 / 5.0) |
Difficulty: Intermediate | Style: Fit interview | Topics: Personal fit

Tell me of a situation where you had an opinion and no one seemed to agree with you. What was your goal when you decided to join university / work / clubs / a sports team? Did you have a goal that you were not able to reach? What did you do? What do you want to be remembered for and how are you ... Open whole case

MBB Final Round Case - Smart Education

Solved 7.1k times
MBB Final Round Case - Smart Education Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US. The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many students as possible to complete studies and prevent that they drop from the school system, in particular in disadvantaged areas. The client is considering starting operations for its services in the Chicago area. They hired us to understand if that makes sense. Due to the nonprofit regulation, SmartBridge should operate on its own in the market, without any partnership. How would you help our client?
4.6 5 294
| Rating: (4.6 / 5.0)
Difficulty: Advanced | Style: Interviewer-led (McKinsey style) | Topics: Growth strategy, Market analysis, Market entry, New product

Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US. The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many students as possible to complete studies and prevent that they drop from the school system, in particular in disadvant ... Open whole case

Motivational questions – FIT interview preparation

Solved 1.7k times
Motivational questions – FIT interview preparation During this exercise, we will deep-dive in 4 of the most common Motivational questions asked in FIT interviews:   Why Consulting? Why this particular company? (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, others) Why this particular location? *Particularly relevant to people re-locating or choosing an office not in their region Why this particular specialized business function *Only relevant when not applying for a general role (e.g., McKinsey Advanced Analytics, BCG Gamma, etc.) *box-open green* *See Graph 1 – Note: "Motivational" are one of the 4 types of questions you can find in FIT interviews. *box-close* ➥ Graphs from the Integrated FIT Guide for MBB
4.5 5 49
| Rating: (4.5 / 5.0)
Difficulty: Intermediate | Style: Fit interview | Topics: Personal fit

During this exercise, we will deep-dive in 4 of the most common Motivational questions asked in FIT interviews: Why Consulting? Why this particular company? (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, others) Why this particular location? *Particularly relevant to people re-locating or choosing an office not ... Open whole case

Introduction and CV questions – FIT interview preparation

Solved 1.4k times
Introduction and CV questions – FIT interview preparation During this exercise, we will deep-dive in 3 of the most common Intro & CV questions asked in FIT interviews:  1. Walk me through your CV 2. Tell me about yourself 3. Tell me about the thing that makes you most proud on your CV   *box-open green* *See Graph 1 – Note: "Intro & CV questions" are one of the 4 types of questions you can find in FIT interviews. *box-close* ➥ Graphs from the Integrated FIT Guide for MBB    
4.5 5 53
| Rating: (4.5 / 5.0)
Difficulty: Intermediate | Style: Fit interview | Topics: Personal fit

During this exercise, we will deep-dive in 3 of the most common Intro & CV questions asked in FIT interviews: 1. Walk me through your CV 2. Tell me about yourself 3. Tell me about the thing that makes you most proud on your CV *See Graph 1 – Note: "Intro & CV questions" are one of the 4 ty ... Open whole case

Similar questions

Mckinsey: lay down a structure after the clarifying quests or wait for interviewer's question ?
Mckinsey Imbellus Test
McKinsey implementation - how hard to get into and what exits?
PEI Interview at McKinsey
McKinsey Phone Assessment: Any tips?
Consultant position in MBB Vs Senior position at EY-Parthenon
a situation where you handled conflict, and how did you resolve that conflict
leadership experience story choose
Help needed!
Does referral play any role in McKinsey final decision?
Ask new question

Related companies

McKinsey & Company