McKinsey interview in June: I'm a medical graduate/ non-MBA applying for a Junior Associate (generalist) position. Tips?

Hi Aiyash,

First of all, good luck!

I recommend the following:

1) An initial planning session with a coach: 1 hour with a coach now will have a productivity multiplier effect on all your efforts moving forward. They will figure out what materials are best for you, guide you towards the best ways to learn, and come up with a preparation plan with you.

2) Leverage free resources first: PrepLounge Q&A and case library, Poets and Quants, SpencerTom, Google, etc.). Leverage these options, read-up, and over time you'll get a feel for what you really need and where you really need to invest your hard-earned $

3) Case with other PrepLoungers: Casing with other PrepLoungers is free. Not only do you get to practice casing, but you get direct feedback. Additionally, you learn a lot just from casing others. Finally, from other PrepLoungers you'll learn which materials/coaches are helpful.

In summary, while free options don't beat paid options, you can use them for a while to get a feel for what works for you. Have an initial coaching session to get you on the right track, then go the paid route when it's clear either 1) You are stuck or 2) It's clear the paid route will improve your productivity/progress

Plenty of other McKinsey-based material here on the Q&As for you to peruse!

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-are-mckinsey-cases-really-like-10089

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-are-mckinsey-cases-really-like-10089

Hey there,

Congrats on your opportunity to interview with McKinsey.

As regards the preparation, a few tips and pointers:

• Briefly familiarize yourself with the basic business and financial concepts via sites such as Investopedia 
• Read through existing cases to familiarize yourself with the format of case interviews (DM if you need a list of free case books that are publicly available) + have a look at the McKinsey website on how interviewer-led cases differ from the rest
• Consider booking at least an initial coaching session to get a detailed and objective evaluation of your performance + learn the right habits for every case regardless of context and framework + get a tailored preparation plan out of the session that will set you up for an effective and efficient prep
• Practice drills alone and practice full cases with other excellent candidates that know the right habits and approach. Focus your drills to practice your weak areas and become at least 'good' in those while pushing to become excellent in other areas
• Focus on quality over quantity. Doing 100+ cases does not mean much if you are not applying the right habits to score high
• Reach out if you need help or a more detailed plan! :-)

Here is another answer I gave on how McKinsey interviews are really like: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-are-mckinsey-cases-really-like-10089

All the best with your prep!

Cheers,

Florian

Hi Aisyah,

I helped a good number of physicians to land into MBB, this is what I normally recommend to prepare (you may have already covered some of the points):

1. Define a calendar for your preparation. Identify how many hours you have before the interview and allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the points below. Many people need 100+ hours to be ready before the interview so you can keep that as a benchmark.
2. Read Case In Point or Case Interview Secrets for a general understanding of what a consulting interview is. Don’t focus on the structures proposed in the books, as they are not good enough nowadays.
3. Start reading good MBA Consulting Handbooks – you can find several for free online (Insead is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure to solve them. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insides. Try to read at least a new case per day – in this way you will absorb better the information with constant learning.
4. After the first 5-10 cases in books/handbooks and basic theory, start to practice live. PrepLounge can be helpful to connect with other candidates for that. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only. Keep track of your mistakes and see if you repeat them. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback of experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both the PEI and the case part. The latter should also cover math and graph analysis.
5. Before the interviews, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer – great way to show you prepared in advance and to connect with the interviewer for a good final impression.

If you want to spend few hours only instead of 100+ and cover everything mentioned above, I developed a program precisely for that. Plus, I can share with you real questions asked at McKinsey (I have a db with 700+ MBB questions you won't find anywhere else - you can check on my profile if I cover your particular office).

You can click on the following link to learn more:

https://u.preplounge.com/63phuq

Please feel free to PM me if you need more information.

Best,

Francesco

Hi,
there are 4 aspects of the application process you have to focus on:

• CV and cover letter: prepare impactful documents that highlight your achievements, skills, and motivation.
• Test: you should understand if your office assesses candidates with PST, SHL or Imbellus, since every office can use one of these 3 standards.
• Personal Experience Interview: fit and CV questions to assess your personal impact, leadership skills, and entrepreneurial spirit. You should prepare impactful stories about your experiences that cover these 3 main pillars.
• Case Interview: typical business case to evaluate your structure in approaching problems, problem-solving skills, and business sense. This is the most time-demanding aspect to work on. I recommend reading Cosentino's Case in point to fix the theory. Then, what will be really important is practicing mock cases with other candidates here on Preplounge.

I have supported hundreds of candidates in achieving multiple offers from consulting firms. Feel free to text me to know my approach.

Hope it helps,
Antonello