Our recruiting process will give you an indication of the intellectual challenge of consulting and test your problem-solving skills.

We try to ensure we are as accurate and fair as we can possibly be when we interview you. To do this, we employ a range of assessment techniques that do not include intelligence or personality tests.

The assessment process typically consists of three stages and does not assume any particular prior academic or business experience.

Problem-Solving Test
Prior to inviting you to the first round of interviews, you may be asked to take the McKinsey Problem Solving Test (PST).

The PST has been specifically designed to assess certain basic skills that we believe are essential elements of success at McKinsey. The test consists of 26 multiple choice questions.

Interviews
The first round consists of two one-to-one 50-minute interviews, and the final round consists of four one-to-one 50-minute interviews.

There are two parts to every interview. The first is a business case that you will discuss with your interviewer. This may be a typical business case or a very general conceptual problem. Case studies are broad, two-way discussions rather than one-way tests. You will be assessed more on how you solve the problem than on the specific answers you come up with.

The second part will focus on your past experiences, giving you the opportunity to talk about yourself and your achievements. It is not just your achievements that are important to us—it is also the skills you have developed in order to accomplish those achievements. As such, the discussion will focus on experiences that have required your direct involvement and will illustrate your leadership capabilities.

Furthermore, the interview process will provide you with the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about McKinsey or the Middle East office.

The interviewing team will discuss its assessment of you based on the following characteristics:

• Structured and analytical thinking
• Ability with figures
• Entrepreneurial thinking and interest in business
• Ability to excel in a team environment
• Personal initiative
• Leadership skills
• Communication and listining skills
• Inquisitiveness
• Creativity

We do not expect applicants without a background in economics to be able to apply business concepts, but we will expect them to demonstrate a feeling for entrepreneurial issues.