Hi Zahid,

Well done and congratulations! I'm late in replying to this Q&A, but I'd just like to really emphasize you never know.

I've seen people who thought they aced the case/interview not get an offer. I've seen people who think they failed miserably get offers. We are not great judges of our own performance...and every interviewer has a different style.

Well done, and use this as a lesson in not trying to predict the future :)

And, you are right...the journey has just begun. Enjoy!

Hi there,

I completely agree with Udayan - you can't beat yourself up over this.

Remember, you're in the (vast) majority here. That's especially true this year where there's just less demand/hiring happening.

Also remember that the greatest accomplishments come from temporary defeat. I was rejected from BCG in undergrad, only to whiz through 6 years later. I know people who failed 9 interviews, only to get their 10th.

You have other offers! That already puts you in a MUCH better situation than most.

What to do next:

1. Feel bad for yourself for a minute, then get over it, put your head up, and go ace this final interview
2. Hire a coach to do a final assessment of your performance, just to make sure you're good to go
3. Do a worst case scenario "playout" in your head. When you do this, you'll realize it's not all doom and gloom.

Good luck!

Hello!

Congrats on that final round!

Honestly, and having helped in Europe 1 person with LEK, it would be very surprised if you got a written case.

Can you clarify your geography?

Furthermore, regarding 2nd round: ensure that you polish very well the FIT part, that becomes particularly relevant. If you want to deep dive, 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 3 free cases in the PrepL case regarding FIT preparation:

• 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
• Behavioural questions (ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE) >https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/fit-interview/intermediate/behavioral-questions-entrepreneurial-drive-fit-interview-preparation-211

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes for the Integrated FIT Guide, since we still have some left from the launch!

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi,

Congrats on making it to the final round at McK! Quite an achievement already. With regard to your questions, please find here some elements to put you on your way:

- What really changes now compared with the first round? Is it the intensity/complexity of the cases, is it more invoved PEI, etc.?

The cases tend to change a little bit in the sense that they become a little less structured. Principals and partners interviewing for the last round have often more experience in interviewing that EMs / managers during the first round, so they stick a little bit less to a scripted case. The cases can also become a little more conversational. I don’t think this changes the preparation all that much, but you have to get comfortable to receive cases that are a little less conventional. I got one case in the last round at McKinsey that was “Where do you expect health care in Europe to be 10 to 20 years from now”. So it become more a conversation than a case. Now this might not apply to you, but the message is be a little bit more expecting of the unexpected. (ps. This doesn’t require practical knowledge of an industry or special preparation… They still evaluate your thinking process / answer structure / … more than the actual content). Actually, the case and fit blend a bit more together into one hybrid.

- Will the notes from my previous performances be shared with my interviewers for final round?

Often you receive a call of one of the first round interviewers with a summary of the feedback that came out of the first round interviews. If this doesn’t come through, don’t hesitate to contact HR or of the interviewers with a polite email requested feedback for preparing your decisive round. It also shows investment in the process and a willingness to improve!

- In other words, will they try to test me on the specific feedback points that I received to see if I'm showing improvement on those points?

The answer is – as often in consulting – “ it depends”. If there was a particular soft spot(s) during the first round interview and you receive explicit feedback on it (e.g. weak maths, structure, etc.) there might be some more focus on this. If they look for confirmation on a point of doubt, they will pay attention. Alternatively, if the interviews were generally strong, and there were no obvious weaknesses, the interviews will be a bit more balanced and nothing in particular will be tested.

- Any other tips to keep in mind, outside of PEI and Cases?

What I think is important to keep in mind is that – in the last round – the interviewers already know that you’re likely a strong case performer and generally a clever person (otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten through the earlier stages of the recruitment process). So this point of view is yours to lose, in the sense that the default is that they expect strong case performance already. However, to get all the way to a final offer, it becomes more about the assessment of fit within the culture of the company, being generally a professional with client-facing skills, etc. So my advice would be to act like a consultant already, like a professional who is at a problem-solving session with another professional (the interviewer). Don’t approach it like a student-professor exam-situation, where there is always the imbalance between how’s the grown-up and who’s the youngster (figure of speech). So act like you would in that job, with some confidence (watch out: don’t become arrogant!! Big red flag) and a certain gravitas. The more your interview looks like a nice and balanced conversation between two colleagues, the better the odds are to take it all the way!

Good luck!

Wouter*

P4S Expert

For the fit questions part, you may want to be ready for answering the following questions:

Serhat

Cheers

1. Tell me about yourself
2. Why MBA at that point of career?
3. Why Your school?
4. Why consulting
5. Why Our Company?
6. What would you be doing as a consultant?
7. What is the most important consulting skill?
8. When did you demonstrate it?
9. When was the time when you demonstrated team skills or team work?
10. What was the most important thing you learnt in your earlier job? What skills did you gain in your earlier job which would prepare you for consulting?
11. When did you have to work with data? How are your data analysis skills?
12. Why should we hire you?
13. Have demonstrated all 4 skills that you look for (use examples above)
14. What is the most important thing I should know about you that I cannot learn from your resume?
15. How would a friend or professor / colleague who knows you well describe you?
16. What serves as your biggest motivation? What are the key metrics for measuring success?
17. When did you receive constructive feedback?
18. What are your weaknesses?
19. Which boss / mentor has had a clear influence on you? What do you admire about your previous boss?
20. Follow-up: Constructive feedback –
21. How do you work in a pressure situation / short on time / short on resources
22. What has been your biggest achievement?
23. Link this answer to leadership / problem solving
24. Tell me about a leadership experience
25. Tell me about a time when you had to analyse data
26. Tell me about a time when you had to analyse financial information
27. Tell me about a time when you had to face a challenge
28. Tell me about a time you have failed
29. What are your short term and long term goals?
30. Tell me about a time when you set a goal for yourself and what steps you take to achieve the goal?
31. Describe a situation when you were unable to reach a goal?
32. Tell me about a time when you overcame failure?
33. Have you ever had to change your priorities to meet another person’s expectations?
34. Tell me about the time you had to compromise
35. Tell me about a time when you didn’t meet a deadline
36. Tell me about a time when you had to multi task
37. Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a project schedule because you did not have enough resources
38. Describe a situation in which you used different communication styles to influence stakeholders with differing perspectives 
39. Tell me about a time when you had to be assertive to get your point across
40. Difficult situation that required careful communication (Crisis Management)
41. Describe most rewarding customer experience
42. Tell me about a time when you had to accept an unreasonable request from a client
43. Dealt with a customer that tested your patience
44. Tell me about a time you took a difficult decision and had to explain it to others / Tell me about a time you took an unpopular decision
45. Tell me about a time you took a quick decision
46. Tell me about a time when you identified a problem and then solved it
47. Tell me about a time when you built a rapport with client / colleague
48. Tell me about a time you resolved a conflict in a team
49. Have you led a team where different members of the team do not work well together? How did you deal with this situation
50. Describe a time you gave constructive criticism to someone
51. Tell me how did you determine priorities / Handling multiple deadlines at the same time? How did you handle the situation
52. How did you deal with ethical dilemmas?
53. Team experience that you found rewarding / Tell me about you had to work in a team to accomplish your goal
54. Team experience that you found disappointing
55. Describe a situation when you were a member of a team (not leader) of a team and conflict arose. What did you do?
56. Team member not pulling his weight. What did you do?
57. What is important in a job environment?
58. Why do you think you can put up with long hours?
59. Tell me about your college experience
60. What else do you do at school apart from studies?
61. How do you manage stress in your life?
62. Favorite Class and grade you got in it
63. What do you read?
64. Fun fact
65. What do you hate the most?
66. Favorite website?
67. Tell me full names of people who interviewed you before
68. Do you have any questions?

There are so many variables that go into this, that it is hard to predict.

However, I firmly believe that if you cracked the rest of the case and you nailed it at the personal part, meaning the partner loved you and feels totally comfortable in putting you infront of a client tomorrow, she/he might have even forgot about your mistake after the interview.

We are humans, we all make mistakes, partners make mistakes too, all the time. What really matters is acknowleding that mistake, and taking the necessary actions to limit its negative effects on you, your firm and clients. If you were able to portray that you can do some of those after your interview, which if I understand correctly you did by acknowledging your mistake and taking the necessary steps, it might have even looked more positive on you.

Good luck with the wait, it is usually the most painful part.

Cheers

ah thats unfortunate! Also really not cool of the partner to say what he said and the outcome wasnt in your favour. Unfortunately humans get carried away and end up saying things. You dont be like this in your life & career- always hold yourself to the highest standards.

Definitely reach out to HR and request feedback. You deserve to know. And obviously accept it gracefully & move on. As hard it is, rejection is part of the process.

The above advice is excellent - definitely go ahead and apply. This year the competition is fierce so is somewhat a 'numbers game'.

To add a candidate perspective - this year I've seen a big delay in replies/general speed of applications so don't be too alarmed. For the Big Four, I've had a month between stages. I'd definitely follow up regardless as there's no harm in giving them a nudge.

If you do get rejected, don't take it to heart. In my opinion, a company that lets you invest that much time and effort applying but can't get round to sending a template rejection email is not one worth working for.

Best of luck either way!

Hello!

I would wait until mid next week, and if you haven´t heard, reach out.

BTW; don´t loose hope, it´s not necesarely a bad thing ;)

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi there,

First, I need to remind you to slow down a bit here. This is the definition of counting your chickens before they hatch. Of course, I hope you do get these offers. But, you may not. Please just be mentally prepared for whatever comes next.

Now, on the same vein of thought, a few other thoughts:

1. Don't worry about how to decide between these companies...until you actually get offers. Then, post here (and we'll answer), and talk to friends and family. For all you know, your decision will be made for you (i.e. you'll get 1 offer)
2. You will probably receive a call with a verbal offer, followed by an email
3. You generally have a number of weeks to sign
4. If the companies that you're interviewing next week are not getting back to you quickly AND you have an offer from EY, then you can let them know you have an offer with a decision deadline...that should encourage them to accelerate the process
   1. Please don't do this if EY is your top choice (it's just rude to them)
   2. Please also don't do this if you don't have an EY offer and you think it will help influence their decision in your favor (it won't)

Hi there!

It's an interesting question, but it's really hard to say. Try to reflect on it by yourself, maybe these questions would help:

• Did the interviewers often ask you to proceed further though you haven't finished?
• Did you feel comfortable when interacting with them?
• Did you get many questions?
• How did you feel at the end of the interviews?

There are situations when the candidate is performing so well and the interviewers are so interested that spend much time on the interview without noticing it. It could also be vice versa.

Anyway, stay patient and relax, you've done a great job, I'm sure.

Good luck!
GB

Hi there,

It could take anywhere from a day to even weeks.

I recommend you try and forget about it until the response comes (easier said than done). Feel free to followup with HR if they haven't responded in 2 weeks.

Fingers crossed for you!

Typically, such rounds will have 2 aspects -

1. Behavioral / FIt questions
2. You asking them questions about the firm

You need to be prepared for both. I think you have #2 above covered, but i would suggest you cover #1 as well. I am sharing below a list of most common fit questions i have observed across multiple interviews candidates i have coached have had at tier 2 consulting firms. This is not comprehensive, but is a minimum list of must prepare questions. You should leverage the STAR framework (publicly available) to prepare relevant stories for these questions.

• Tell me about yourself/ Walk me through your resume
• Why tier-2 consulting firm over MBBs
• Tell me about a time you led a team (without authority)
• Tell me about a time you led a team through adversity
• Tell me about a time you handled conflict at work
• Tell me about a time when there was a difficult personality on a team you led
• Tell me about a time you had to convince someone senior in the organization.
• Share your previous experience of working in an unstructured environment and how did you manage to work?
• What achievement are you most proud of
• What would your friends and colleagues say about your strengths and weaknesses?
• Tell me about a time you failed

Was this helpful?

Generally it will be the same interviewer-led but your final round interviewer will expect you to take more case leadership. Occassionally, you may come across a case that is more abstract (e.g., how would you price a COVID-19 drug?) where you will be expected to drive the case but engaging your interviewer appropriately. Overall, the same problem solving skills are being tested and so I personally recommend continuing to refine what you have been practicing so far as well as working on your first round feedback.

ah thats so close! Frustrating I can imagine and sorry to hear this. But every rejection gets you closer to success.

Stronger application next time, more practice and becoming sharper in solving cases is the only way I am afraid. Read more - FT/Economist, CNBC, TED etc etc

Why are you so disappointed? Yes, I know this job meant a lot to you, but you are okay- safe, healthy, well educated etc etc. So much to be grateful about. Life always doesnt work out the way you want and thats okay. Its all for good reasons. This will make sense in future when you look back- the dots will connect.

Try again, don't give up and keep moving forward!

Hey there,

So I am always of the view that you must give your best in every situation. You then gracefully accept whatever the outcome but knowing you gave your best.

I suggest you check with HR if sending a refreshed CV would make any difference. If yes, send it. If not, then focus on the final interview. The interview feedback from earlier stages matters more. They shortlisted your CV anyway so clearly its good.

Have your new CV handy for the partner interview anyway and should any questions arise, offer to send him your new CV.

Hi there,

I am sorry it didn’t work out. Still, it is good you have the opportunity to reapply in a timeframe shorter than usual.

Not everyone gets the opportunity to apply again in 12 months. The standard ban is 18-24 months, so 12 months means your performance was ok but not good enough for an offer now.

There is no guarantee that if you reapply you will get the interview though. It will depend on your new application.

You can write a thank you note to HR, mentioning when you want to apply “between lines” (“As discussed with Partner XXX, I will be eager to reapply in 12 months). Although as mentioned, it is not a guarantee of a new interview.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi there,

I just helped a candidate with her EYP final round in UK. She had a standard case and a take-home case. The standard case was a traditional cost-cutting one.

If you have to do a written/take-home case as well, I would recommend the following:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/any-tips-for-writtenpresent-case-format-60min-prepare30min-present-at-director-level-3849

For what concerns the standard cases, the structure of the rounds is the same (fit + case+ your questions); however in finals there is usually more emphasis on communication and fit.

Specifically, the main differences you may find in a final round with partners is that at that stage they:

1. Spend more time on fit questions and your alignment with the company
2. Check more closely your communication (eg how you react to challenging questions)
3. May not have a “proper” structured case to present – during one of my finals I had one interview which was made by two market sizing questions and a brainteaser, without any business case. That's because during the final they know you can structure and crack a case (you passed 1 or 2 rounds already) and are more interested in your logic, personality and fit with the company.

So in order to prepare I would concentrate on the following:

• Review in detail your fit. Be sure to review your answers with experienced candidates or consultants and to have at least a backup for each dimension
• Work on your communication (reaction under pressure, how to gain time when you do not have a structure ready, connect with the interviewer, etc). This is something you can do almost exclusively in interviews with peers.
• Prepare cases as you did for the first round. If you got feedback on a specific area, focus more on that part.

If you need help please feel free to PM me.

Best,

Francesco

1. He's looking for the exact same things that a case is setup to test - he just wants to do it in a quicker/different way. You want to stay structured, clearly articulate your thinking, and drive to a clear answer.

2. Sounds positive, but you never know. Just focus on everything else in your life and don't think about it too much.

I did a math mistake with McK in my 4th interview and was rejected ... I think the probability is more defined by your performance and also what you get for a final case (what they decided to test in the final round - for some candidates, more qualitive and creative elements, for other it can be more on calculations)