What should I do in 4 days to the interview day?

Mck preparation
New answer on Jun 08, 2021
5 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Jun 07, 2021

I have my interview with McKinsey in 4 days. I have been practicing cases consistently for the last 2 months and have been practicing PEI since a week ago. What would you recommend me to do in these last 3,4 days?

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Adi
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 07, 2021
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

Just keep working on your weaker areas. Practice PEI questions really well to ensure your anwers are punchy, engaging and stand out. Be well rested as you get closer to the day.

Here's some mindset tips to calm those nerves as you get closer to the interview date:

  1. Remind yourself that you chose to be in that interview. No one has put a gun to your head & forced you to attend the interview (I hope not)
  2. Feel grateful for the opportunity. Remind yourself that so many people around you and in the world don’t get the opportunities that you have
  3. Remember that the interviewing company is giving you an opportunity. So, they deserve to see your best
  4. Eat something light and not a big meal
  5. Listen to some soothing music or watch something funny
  6. Go for a short walk or meditate (30-45mins before the interview) if you can

During the interview

  1. Remind yourself to take it one interview at a time
  2. Focus on giving your best and don’t worry about the outcome
  3. Sit (or stand) straight with an erect spine
  4. Have a glass of water next to you and sip as required. Don’t over do it. Sometimes, this can buy you some extra seconds and help relax in the moment
  5. Breathe slowly and deeply if you notice your pulse racing
  6. Smile and be relaxed as much as you can. Focus on enjoying yourself, truly open to learning something new from this experience
  7. Learn from your performance and work on things you can improve no matter how small. Do better next time

All the best!

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Ian
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replied on Jun 07, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

I recommend the following:

  1. Do nothing on the last day (take a long walk, play a sport, read a book, whatever your main hobby/relaxation activity is!)
  2. Work on your weaknesses over the next few days
  3. Consider getting a deep-dive assessment from a coach to double-check any weaknesses you may not know about (and receive actionabl advice on how to fix them)

Good luck on that interview!

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Pedro
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updated an answer on Jun 07, 2021
30% off in March 2024 | Bain | EY-Parthenon | Roland Berger | Market Sizing | DARDEN MBA

It’s difficult to know what is your biggest limitation at this point... Given what you wrote on your preparation plan, I would make sure you are sharp ready to the fit interview (and behavior/attitude during case interview).Please note that fit goes beyond is personal experience questions. Nowadays a lot of candidates are well prepared fot the cases but do a lot of mistakes on the fit part.

(edited)

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Gaurav
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replied on Jun 08, 2021
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hi! I recommend to work on you weak points during 2 days at least, and not do anything except you favorite activities on the last day before the interview. Try do distract as mush as possible, because too much nervousness and stress can affect the results of the interview. Set yourself up for a positive mode and success: interviewers can also feel your emotions, self-confidence and commitment level. Good luck with the interview! 

If you have further questions, me and my colleagues here on PL will be glad to help you. 

Best, 

Gaurav 

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Florian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Jun 08, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

Without knowing your performance on case and PEI, it is quite difficult to give an honest assessment.

My general advice would be:

1.Keep the overall workload light. After 2 months of prep, there should be nothing at this stage that you could significantly improve on (given that you learned and internalized the right habits for the McKinsey case and prepared proper PEI stories that actually hit the dimensions that McKinsey is targeting).

2. Work on your perceived weaknesses in 1-2 peer case interviews, and conduct sevreral chart, math, and structuring drills + speak through your PEI stories with a few friends (check out my answer here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-to-prepare-for-a-case-study-10480) or alternatively do one final finetuning session with a McKinsey coach.

3. The closer you get to the interview, the less you should be doing and the more focus should be on enjoyable experiences. Agree with Ian here!

All the best for your interviews!

Cheers,

Florian

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Adi gave the best answer

Adi

Content Creator
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience
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