McKinsey PEI

Hi Anonymous,

I have replied to your questions below:

- is it done before resolving the case?​

Yes, the PEI is the starting part of the interview and includes the first 10-15 minutes.

- how many questions are asked? one main questions? A big question (e.g., tell me about a time you had to convince someone) and some follow-up questions based on my answer? or different questions not related to each other?

Normally 2 to 3 different questions, according to the level of details the interviewer wants / followup questions he/she will ask

- how much does the PEI part last? 15 minutes?

The range is normally 10-15 minutes.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

(edited)

Hi,

Agree with Francesco, however, it varies among the companies.

At Bain, they will not ask you any stories and you just have to answer the standard fit interview questions (Story about yourself / why consulting / why Bain)

At McKinsey they will ask one big question (story). However, your interviewer will check how real your story is and it will be relatively easy for him to challenge any of your actions. You should be ready to provide even granular actions, key milestones and a breakdown of potential effects:

• Interviewer may be even more interested in details about the context, especially if he knows the company you are talking about.
• He may want to check whether this was your effort or more sort of a team effort. He would like to know what was your role in particular.
• “Have you faced any difficulties while doing this?”- Typical question
• "This story does not fit. Do you have another story?" - more common during an interview with partners. Have a backup story

Good luck!