Hi everyone,
is there any differencein 1. /2.Round of interviews between applying for a general consultant type of role and industry specific type of role? Let's say, if one applies for a specific practice of Metals and Mining as Research Analyst, should he/ she be be somehow be ready for something more than a case+PEI? If, yes what differs.
Thank you in advance.
Greetings.
Officially, no. However, you can expect industry-related questions for sure, and cases more shaped to that type of content, so you demostrate your expertise.
Furthermore, expect FIT to be very dedicated, also with sections that normally don´t appear in generalists-roles FIT.
If you want to deep dive on the topic, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB" has been recently published in PrepLounge´s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34)
It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.
Furthermore, you can find a Expert Article on PreLounge fully dedicated to Behavioural questions, one of the key building blocks of FIT:
https://www.preplounge.com/en/behavioral-interview-questions
In adition to that, you can find 2 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation (motivational quesitons and Intro & CV questions:
Intro and CV questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/introduction-and-cv-questions-fit-interview-preparation-200
Motivational questions > https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/motivational-questions-fit-interview-preparation-201
Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch
Hey there,
For specific roles there are usually 4 components:
In terms of case and PEI, they will be run exactly the same as every other McKinsey interview.
Expect 50% of the cases related to the relevant domain of the practice and 50% of the cases to be completely random.
If you want to know more about the McKinsey application, check out the articles I wrote on
Reach out for more help! :-)
Cheers,
Florian
I will disagree with some people here saying that the interviews will be different between industry specific roles and generalist roles. They will not be different at McKinsey in the example you gave. Both case and PEI will be standard McKinsey.
For the chit-chat, you will want to be prepared though and be able to have conversation about your specific area. However, that's very different from being formally tested for specific knowledge.
An exception exists where you apply for very specialized and technical roles e.g. Data Science Specialist at Quantum Black. However, that's not what we're talking about here.
Another possible exception exists for final round interviews with Partners. That's because they often take the freedom to use non-standard cases. However, that applies to any role for any practice.
Best of luck!
(edited)
Hi there,
Technically there is no major difference! You need to be prepared for both a fit portion and a case portion.
Of course, if you're applying for a specific practice you do want to spend more time building up your knowledge/expertise in the area. Yes, you'll still have generalist cases, but you'll also want to make sure you are ready for cases in that specialty.
For help on the fit portion, feel free to take a look here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question
For help on the case portion, feel free to read this: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case
Hi there,
Good question. Officially, the answer is no. All consultant roles have the same interview structure and case types. (Specialist roles, like Data Scientist will be different.)
However, consultant interviewers (junior and senior) will likely choose interview cases with which they are familiar. Therefore, if you are being interviewed by a specific practice (e.g. Operations, Implementation, Metals and Mining, etc.), you will be much more comfortable if you practice cases from the relevant industry or function and that could give you an advantage.
You don't need to know everything since the interview is not a test of knowledge, but it can still help.
Best,
Allen
Hi there,
I am on expert track myself so from my experience, you may have in the first round a your industry/expertise case to understanding your expertise in the topic, but at least 3 other cases will be non-related topics.
Your fit interview will include questions from your area of expertise (in addition to the usual FIT questions).
If you would like to dig deeper, please feel free to reach out.
Wishing you all the best,
Lucie
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You should treat it as general consultant role + be super ready for the specific industry you are applying to. You will have both types of cases
