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Mckinsey Interview Question (1 Round vs. 2 rounds)

McKinsey & Company Mckinsey interview
New answer on Jul 28, 2022
6 Answers
1.3 k Views
Jeremy asked on Jul 24, 2022

Received an invite to interview with mckinsey for an internship. The email stated that there will only be 1 round of interviews being conducted by the office. Wondering if anyone had any insight about this change in recruiting and what to expect? While I do understand that most things will be similar most things are the same, I would like to not be blind-sided by anything. 

(edited)

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Francesco
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Content Creator
replied on Jul 25, 2022
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Jeremy,

Q: The email stated that there will only be 1 round of interviews being conducted by the office. Wondering if anyone had any insight about this change in recruiting and what to expect?

This is possible in some countries/offices. The preparation is the same – they are probably just consolidating interviews for better HR pipeline management.

Just be sure to have the stamina to do a few interviews in a row in case they don’t do long breaks in between, as it will probably be quite challenging. I had something similar when I interviewed - if you have 3-4 interviews in a round, by the time you get to the last one you will be pretty exhausted.

Good luck!

Francesco

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Moritz
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replied on Jul 25, 2022
ex-McKinsey EM & Interviewer | 7/8 offer rate for 4+ sessions | 90min sessions with FREE exercises & videos

Hi there,

The interviews are exactly the same and you might as well ignore the email.

McKinsey merely decided to cut down on the number of interviews, likely due to the ever growing backlog of recruiting activities related to high turnover in the last 2-3 years. 

However, this has no impact on your preparation!

Best of luck!

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Ian
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replied on Jul 25, 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi Jeremy,

So there's no real difference here apart from the fact that they are all on the same day! While this superday isn't “common”, it still occurs fairly frequently.

Here's some advice for your cases: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

And for your fit: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

To prepare, consider doing a “mock” supercase day! This way you can test out your stamina and see what techniques/tricks maximize your performance!

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Florian
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replied on Jul 25, 2022
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets
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Sofia
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replied on Jul 28, 2022
Top-Ranked Coach on PrepLounge for 3 years| McKinsey San Francisco | Harvard graduate | 6+ years of coaching

Hello,

Don't worry about this, prepare for the standard McKinsey interview. Sounds like it could be a super day, but in any case the interview format will be no different.

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Ken
Expert
replied on Jul 25, 2022
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

Congratulations!  This is the change that has been made in some McKinsey offices, particularly the US.  I wouldn't worry about being blind sided by the recruiter.

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