Hello everyone! Could you give me some info on the McKinsey PST which I have to take before the first round of case interviews? Thank you
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This question is read-only because it has been merged with Experience with McKinsey PST round?.
McKinsey PST
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The PST is a battle against time but the favourable aspect of the test is that it is not negatively marked so it's a no-brainer to attempt every single question.
Bear in mind that it's very easy to get caught up in the moment with a question - you feel like you've invested a lot of time thinking about a particular one and so feel it's worth taking more time again to get it right. It's important to be ruthless. Imagine someone was looking over your shoulder and giving you objective advice about when to move on. Put yourself in that 'mode'. It's too easy to waste time.
Focus on areas where you are naturally good and try to get better. There might be some areas that you are naturally weaker - don't stress too much about these. Get yourself to a level where you feel competent. It's difficult to be top notch in all areas but easier to be fantastic in one and fine in another. There is only so much practice you can do and so it’s more about developing a strategy to ensure you don't lose against time.
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McK PST usually takes 60 minutes and you have to answer 26 questions in total, on 3 different business cases. Questions can be divided into math or logic questions (e.g. based on the given date, which statement is a valid conclusion?). Even tho the aim is not to test business knowledge, it’s good if you know the basic business terms.
As being said, the most difficult part of the PST is the limited amount of time you have. The questions are not actually that difficult, but since you have only like 2 minutes per question, it can be really tough to pass the test. Thats why you should be really fast at mental math (you also don’t get calculator or extra paper, so practice!) and take some sample tests (for example from igotanoffer) to get used to the type of questions they ask. It’s best if you go through the practice PSTs under real conditions, so 60 minutes, no calculator etc. Good luck!
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