Only have 1 week left for final round with MBB, how to plan out and can I success?

McKinsey McKinsey PEI PrepPlan
New answer on Jan 15, 2020
6 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Jan 14, 2020

Only have 1 week left for final round with MBB, how to plan out and can I success?

I passed the phone case interview, which was a bit surprise, afterall, I didn't think I could make it. I was really emotional and depressed during my job search journey and it took me a few weeks to get out of the shadow and try to recover and gain back my confidence. Now I am suddenly facing three interviews in a week. One of them is onsite interview with McKinsey. I really want to try my best to get ready for the interview no matter whether I have an offer as a result or not.

I am panic now. Not sure how to start and plan out the practice plan. Could you guide me? Thank you!

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Anonymous replied on Jan 14, 2020

Hi,

No need to panic!

If you have passed your phone case interview even though you were not at your best, you have for sure good chances to succeed in the onsite interview.

I would suggest you to spend the time left before the interview focusing on:

- Building a strong and convincing personal and motivational speech. This is a fundamental part of your interview for two main reason: (1) it's the first thing you will be asked about, if you can do great in this you will feel much more conforatble when you move to the case. (2) your interviewer will probably see multiple candidates in the same day: you want to make sure he remembers your face

- Do at least one case for each type (e.g. market entry, investment evaluation, etc..). This way, when the interviewer will present you the case, you will have good chance to remember the core structure necessary to crack the case

- Practice as much as you can in mock interviews. I would suggest you to do at least 1 per day, possibly with different interviewer in order to get used to different interview approaches

Hope these tips can help you to give your best in the interview,

Let me know if you feel you need any more support on planning you preparation or in any of the points mentioned above

Best,

Ale

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Anonymous A on Jan 15, 2020

Thank you very much Ale!

Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jan 14, 2020
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous,

it is not clear which is your current level, but as mentioned in the other comments I would recommend to reschedule if you don’t feel ready.

In terms of general tips for the preparation, I would recommend the following (you have probably already covered some of them since you passed the phone interview already):

  1. Define a calendar for your preparation. Identify how many hours you have available before your expected interview, then allocate a time slot for preparation in your calendar for each day, working on the following points.
  2. Read Case In Point or Case Interview Secrets for a general understanding of what a consulting interview is. Don’t focus on the structures proposed in the books though, as they are not good enough nowadays.
  3. Start reading good MBA Consulting Handbooks – you can find several for free online (Insead is a good one to start). Read the cases and try to apply your structure. Whenever you see there is something missing, upgrade your structure with the new insides. Try to read at least a new case per day – in this way you will absorb a lot better the information with constant learning. Structure your remaining daily preparation with at least 5-10 minutes per day for each of the following: market sizing, fit questions and mental math.
  4. After you have read the first 10 cases in books/handbooks and basic theory, start to practice live. There is a relevant part of the interview score that is based on your communication, which you cannot practice at all if you read cases only. Keep track of your mistakes and see if you repeat them. If so, try to identify the source of the mistake (feedback of experienced partners would be particularly useful for this). Be sure to focus on both fit and case.
  5. Once you feel you are not improving anymore, if you have a tight time constraint or if you want a realistic assessment of your level, consider using support from experts to strengthen your performance
  6. Before the interview, be sure to prepare your questions for the interviewer –great way to show you prepare in advance and to connect more with the interviewer for a good final impression.

Best,

Francesco

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Antonello
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jan 14, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi,
it strongly depends on your current level and on how much time do you have this week to dedicate to preparation. In case you are not confident in facing the interview so soon, I suggest to postpone it, there is absolutely nothing bad.
My recommendation is focusing on:

  • Fit interview, by crafting impactful stories about your profile and your motivation to consulting, highlighting your personal impact, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills.
  • Mock cases, by fixing the theory on most common frameworks and practicing as many cases as you can during the week. It will be crucial to select good cases, possibly really-assigned cases by MBB.

Feel free to text me to tips on how setting-up a structured preparation plan.

Best,
Antonello

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Anonymous A on Jan 15, 2020

I can full time preparing before the interview, what would you suggest to do?

Luca
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jan 15, 2020
BCG |NASA | SDA Bocconi & Cattolica partner | GMAT expert 780/800 score | 200+ students coached

Hello,

Since you have just one week it depends a lot on the work done so far. Generally speaking, the best way to improve your skills once that you have a good preparation is to practice (both with candidates and coaches). When you feel tired of practicing, you can listen to the recordings of the LOMS program that are really useful.

Anyway, if you feel you have reached the maximum that you could do on your own, I would suggest to do a session with an expert that can give you a real feedback on your performance. Sometimes you need some experience as consultatn to notice critical points during your resolution (both in terms of content and communication).

Finally don't forget about the Fit part because it's a critical part. Having a perfect CV and a strong story telling that highlights your strengths is fundamental in order to give a first good impression to your interviewer.
Feel free to send me your CV if you want a quick feedback on it.

Hope it helps,
Luca

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Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jan 14, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Don´t be scared what so ever in asking for rescheduling. HR would be reluctant, but they will finally agree -they always do, I did exactly the same thing-. Think that this is your only shot, and you don´t want to waste it due to picking a bad timing!

Once you have bought more time, focus on:

  • FIT (40% of time, since it´s mastered quicker)
  • Cases (60% of time): practicing with other candidates and coaches if you can.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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Vlad
Expert
replied on Jan 14, 2020
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

It would really help if you write how many cases you have done with the partners

But in general it's very simple. If you feel that you are not well prepared - just reschedule your interview. There is absolutely no penalty for rescheduling. You can even openly tell them that you need more time to prepare.

Please don't lose your chance of getting a job offer.

Best

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