There is not just one way to be successful at McKinsey, nor is there just one way to interview with us. We think of interviewing as a two-way process—it helps us learn about you as a person and a potential colleague, and it helps you learn about McKinsey, our people, and what you could do here. Overall, we look for personal impact, entrepreneurial drive, inclusive leadership, and problem solving, and we recognize there is not just one way to acquire those skills.
During your interview, you will be asked to share examples from your personal experiences. Some interviewers may use the exact language below, while some may use their own words. Your answers to these questions will allow us to further understand your accomplishments and challenges and to discover skills that will enable you to thrive at McKinsey. We want you to share who you are beyond your résumé.
Personal impact
Explain a challenging situation you encountered when working with someone with an opposing opinion to yours.
Entrepreneurial drive
Talk about a time when you had to work to achieve something in a limited period of time that was outside your comfort zone.
Inclusive leadership
Share an example of an instance where you effectively worked with people with different backgrounds.
How to best prepare for your personal experience interview?
We suggest you prepare two personal examples that demonstrate your skills in the above areas. You should be able to speak at length about these examples, in a conversational style. We want you to share details about the challenges, goals, and actions you took to create change. Many find it helpful to practice aloud with family or friends.
Problem-solving
We will discuss a hypothetical client scenario with you. Our goal is to understand how you structure tough, ambiguous challenges, identify important issues, deal with the implications of facts and data, formulate conclusions and recommendations, and articulate your thoughts.
How to best prepare for the problem solving discussion?
We encourage you to use the sample cases below, which contain the logic, thought processes and recommended answers. Practicing cases will help you get comfortable with the type of questions asked, and boost your confidence.
In addition, take some time to watch the videos below which further describe the elements of our interview process and provide additional guidance on how to prepare.
This is your interview and we want you to be comfortable so you can perform at your best. If you need further clarification of our process or more details on the support we offer (i.e. workshops, case coaching), please do not hesitate to ask your recruiter. We very much look forward to getting to know you better.
We believe the best way to assess your problem-solving skills is to discuss a real client scenario with you. This helps us understand how you structure tough, ambiguous business challenges, identify important issues, deal with all the implications of facts and data, formulate conclusions and recommendations, and articulate your thoughts in a fast-moving discussion. Our sample interview cases will help you get familiar with the format and test your problem-solving skills. And we’ve supplied some of the logic and thought processes behind the answers to help you practice.
As part of your recruiting process, you may be asked to take a test, depending on the role for which you apply. Our tests focus on job-related knowledge or abilities, such as problem-solving or coding skills.
To test intrinsic problem-solving skills, we created Solve, which is a gamified assessment. No preparation is required or expected for this game.
For certain technical roles, you will be asked to complete a test focusing on your coding abilities. These tests include programming challenges to determine your fluency in your preferred coding language.
You will receive detailed information from your recruiter if the assessment process for your role requires a test.
McKinsey has become aware of scams involving false offers of McKinsey employment. The scams and false offers use imposter websites, email addresses, and text messages. None of these offers are legitimate, and McKinsey’s recruiting process never involves interviewing via instant message, nor requires candidates to purchase products or services, or process payments on our behalf.