McKinsey Early Access

McKinsey Early Access is open to all full-time MBA students in the United States who are part of the class of 2024. The primary focus of the program is to introduce you to the profession of consulting, showcase our firm (our work, our people, and our impact), and to foster community among your MBA peers.

Inspire is a diversity-focused program, open to full-time MBA students in the class of 2024 who identify as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino or Latina, or Native American. Inspire will kick-off with a two day, in-person event intended to support your professional development and jumpstart your McKinsey relationships.

Yes. While Inspire has different eligibility requirements than McKinsey Early Access, eligible students are encouraged to apply to both programs. Each program offers a different experience, yet they share a goal of setting you up for success, showcasing life as a consultant, and introducing you to McKinsey.

The McKinsey Early Access application will ask you for your top three office preferences. When filling out this section, we suggest you think about where you will want to live post-graduation. We understand that things can change, so we hope you see this as a way to explore your top office locations early instead of them being binding selections.

Absolutely. We hire directly into a number of our practice areas: Implementation, Marketing & Sales, Operations, Digital, Strategy & Corporate Finance, Risk, Transformation, People & Organizational Performance, and M&A. By indicating your interest in these areas on your application, you will have the opportunity to learn more about our practices throughout the program this summer. Much like the locations you list, this is not a binding decision—it’s a time to explore. 

McKinsey Early Access is a virtual program. We have found this works best for the busy schedules of pre-MBA students.

The program will kick off in late May and will continue to host events through early August. Events are not mandatory.

Everyone who applies to McKinsey Early Access will get to know McKinsey through the offerings mentioned above. In order to apply, you will need to submit your resume and fill out a form by May 20, 2022.

All applicants will be asked to play Solve, our online problem-solving game. Note, no prep is needed, as the game is designed to test your innate skills.

At McKinsey, we seek colleagues who demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, inclusive leadership, entrepreneurial drive, and the ability to make personal impact. We look for examples of those dimensions in resumes across a wide variety of experiences, not just experience related to business. This includes internships, research, volunteer work, part-time jobs, and military service.

In your resume, you should describe what you did or accomplished and why it mattered—for example, what roles have you held? What problems have you solved? How have you made your work stand out? How did you work with others? What skills have you learned or mastered?

Please also make sure to share your leadership experience, teamwork, and any additional information you think we should know, such as your skills, interests, awards, scholarships, etc.

McKinsey Early Access is an opportunity to learn more about our firm. We realize for many, this is your first exposure to consulting. McKinsey Early Access allows you to get to know the profession of consulting, our people, and our work. It is also a chance for you to become more familiar with the recruiting process and the professional opportunities we have available.