McKinsey acceptance scrutiny level differs between an internship and a full time job?

BA internship McKinsey
New answer on Dec 23, 2019
5 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Dec 19, 2019

Hey, im on my final year studying finance and I have a shot at a mck internship application to which ill have 6 weeks of training for the PST and the case studies. I have a natural talent with numbers and im quick to learn new skills so i assume i can achieve some degree of success for the interviews.

I also hold the required gems on my CV such as a 4.0 gpa, multiple honors and scholarship, extracurricular achievements, and im sure that if i skip the internship i will be able to at least get a chance to apply for a BA position once graduating.

My question is, is it easier to get accepted to mck through their internship process or is the assessment just as rigorous to both internship and full time?

And in general, would it be wiser to skip the internship and take those 3-4 months to practice for the full time job interview?

Thank you.

(edited)

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Daniel
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replied on Dec 19, 2019
McKinsey / ex-Interviewer at McKinsey / I will coach you to rock those interviews

Hi, I can answer for McKinsey Germany: assessment is as rigourous, for both cases and personal fit. However, interns need to go through less interviews (just 3 vs 5 for full-time job applicants). Good luck!

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Anonymous A on Dec 19, 2019

Thank you for taking the time and answering my question, also, do interns usually proceed to get an offer for a full time position once finishing the internship or do most of them just finish and leave?

Daniel on Dec 19, 2019

Most interns i've seen got an offer after internship – but this of course depends on the performance

Daniel on Dec 19, 2019

btw, if you like the answer, please make sure to upvote it, it's important for the preplounge community, thanks :)

(edited)

Clara
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replied on Dec 23, 2019
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

I was 1st an intern in McKinsey and then a consultant.

Criteria is very similar, since you will be doing exactly the same job as an Intern Business Analyst than as a Business Analyst.

Furthermore, after the short intership period you are considered for a full-time period, so you need to meet (and even raise) the bar if you wan to stay.

Net net, they are both equally challenging, so do not use this as a KPI for your decision.

Hope it helps! Best regars,

Clara

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Luca
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replied on Dec 22, 2019
BCG |NASA | SDA Bocconi & Cattolica partner | GMAT expert 780/800 score | 200+ students coached

Hello,

For sure getting the offer for an internship is sligthly easier. They have those 3-4 months to evaluate you on the job, so they can be a bit more flexible in proposing the offer.
If it's wise to skip the internship to prepare the interview for the full time job depends on you. I would recommend to apply for the internship if you have a business background and you feel ready to perform well on a real project (being an excel and powerpoint expert). Otherwise, is better to study and prepare the the interviews so that when you will start working you will be in a safer environment and you will have the time to learn without too much pressure.

Hope it helps,
Luca

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Antonello
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replied on Dec 20, 2019
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,
internship recruiting process is a bit easier than the full-time one. 6 weeks - if fully dedicated to fit and case preparation - are enough for it (3-4 months excessive). Therefore, if you have this 4 months free and you are eager to consulting, I recommend trying the internship interview.

Best,
Antonello

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Maxime
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updated an answer on Dec 19, 2019
Former interviewer at McKinsey with 3 years experience, available every day, English & French

Hey there,

I recently left the Brussels office of McK and I'm quite aware of the latest status there.

I can tell you that there is almost no difference made between internship and full-time. Interviews and evaluation criteria are the same. However, in some limited cases, internship candidates can benefit from a little bit of indulgence in the débriefing between interviewers. Therefore, if you feel confortable with cases now, then I'd say go for it.

Cheers,

(edited)

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Anonymous A on Dec 19, 2019

Thank you for taking the time and answering my question, also, do interns usually proceed to get an offer for a full time position once finishing the internship or do most of them just finish and leave?

Maxime on Dec 19, 2019

Hey there, most of the time (~90%) there is a full- time contract offered. Which is is direct consequence of the fact that internship and full-time interviews are the same. Cheers,

Daniel gave the best answer

Daniel

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McKinsey / ex-Interviewer at McKinsey / I will coach you to rock those interviews
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