What are the odds at each phase of the selection process?

Hi there, 

Wow, if there was such a great overview of the funnel, I'd love to get my hands on that :) 

Realistically, not even the HR people at these firms maintain such a clear overview. 

By and large, you can expect a 1-10% success rate depending on the firm - meaning 1-10% of the people who enter the funnel (apply) end up receiving an offer. 

The majority of the funnel is shaved off at the initial screening and test phase. Only a fragment of the people make it to the first round and then even fewer to the second round. 

I wrote here a guide on how to maximize your chances of landing at least an offer in this process. Have a look at it here:

• How to get a job in consulting during an economic downturn

Best of luck,
Cristian

Hi there,

The rumored number of applicants getting offers from McKinsey is around 1%. The other numbers can only be estimates. It also depends on the particular country and period (currently getting offers is more difficult due to the decrease in hiring).

A 20% to 30% passing rate in each round is reasonable for many firms.

Best,

Francesco

3.275%.

Jokes aside, please focus on things that you can control.

Network.

Get your resume professionally reviewed.

Case prep intensely with months and work hard to improve.

In general, for MBB, any given application has <5% odds of turning into an ofer. If you've passed the 1st round, your odds of then getting the offer a second round are around 50%.

This is without a coach.

With coaching that first number is closer to 25-50% and the 2nd number is closer to 75-80% (depends on the coach of course)

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, while I can completely understand your ambition to control the application process, I would highly advise you not to do so since you essentially have little control except by thoroughly preparing and performing well in the interviews.
• Still, in general, for major strategy consulting companies, you may expect an application-to-offer rate of <5%. Given that around 90% of applicants are rejected in the initial screening phase (where separate pre-interview assessments would be included), your chances to pass the interview rounds and to receive an offer are around 30-50%, with the first interview round having a lower chance to succeed than the final (partner) interview round.
• Lastly, working with a coach obviously may change the odds dramatically, depending on when you would reach out to one.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

It is entirely different for each office and company - I'd recommend not thinking about the success rates but focus on getting your own offer

Hi there,

my one liner is: the process is stressful enough without you trying to re-construct the mechanics of the MBB recruting funnels :). I would listen to the coaches below and focus on yourself only!

On a side note, I would add that the spread of the success rate can be non trivial (more than +/-5%) depending on

- FTE Demand vs. supply @time of application → e.g. big hiring target for the year and difficult filling roles → higher success rate

- General macro/consulting industry/firm situation → less influence on success rate the more junior you are.

- Competitiveness of the geo AND office overall → some geos and offices locations in MBB are notoriously way more competitive than others (can add > +/-2-3% for sure)

Best of luck and keep your heads up - focus on be the best version of yourself!

Hi there,

Let's just say that, statistically speaking, the odds of landing a job with MBB are typically less than 1% at the application stage.

However, that's also because MBB attract a lot of really bad applications that have no chance of ever progressing. And if they do, a lot of candidates are completely unprepared for MBB interviews when they show up for them.

If you have a reasonably good background and a good application, your chances of getting a foot in the door change dramatically. And once you're at the interview stage, it mostly comes down to your abilities and dedication. There's also luck involved but you can minimize that.

My point is that statistics shouldn't matter much to you :)

Let me know if there's anything I can do to help!

Best wishes,
Moritz

It really depends on the CV. Some CVs have a 0.1% chance of making to the interview. Others have a 90% chance.

Why am I saying this? Because knowing that the average chance is 10% does not mean that YOUR chance is 10%. It can be 1% or 90%.