Summer at MBB consulting firm willing to take questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm [one of?] the anons above who said s/he's coming from one of HY. I got past the OCI "screener" for one of but not the other of M/B.

I don't know the screener actually "screened" for anything besides a way to get you to list your standardized test scores, which I listed on my resume anyway.

But last year the OCI:CB % was only ~33%. Assuming passing the OCI screener means I had enough fit/behavioral interviewing presence to convince 1 interviewer, does it all come down to preparation now? I.e., is success @ case interviewing basically time put in, or does "raw ability" still have something to do with it?

FWIW, I had 800s on SAT I & SAT II math eons ago (why I'm in law school now is beyond me), which is only relevant insofar as they deem it relevant enough to ask. I'd imagine that's rare among my classmates, many of whom have joked "they didn't come to law school to do math," but maybe not among the group that self-selects into interviewing w/ MBB.

[Anonymous User]

wanted to be non-anon to allow for PMs

[Anonymous User]

keep messing up

[Legal Eagle87]

???

[Anonymous User]

I have the PST + Group Case coming up.

1. PST: I took a practice test cold, made freely available by a 3rd party consulting prep site. I thought having strong LSAT + SAT Math scores meant I "know" all I need to know about the PST, but questions and answers are worded even more trickily than LSAT logical reasoning questions.

Those 3rd party consulting prep sites say that you need to prep for the PST for like 20-30hrs. Are they just pushing their $200 "PST Prep" packages, or is the PST truly a different animal from a hybrid SAT Math/LSAT + sprinkling of GMAT data sufficiency?

2. The group interview: Do you basically need to understand the basics and be a team sport, or do you need to know case interviewing well enough to answer the whole case on your own?

If the OP or others ITT can PM me, that'd be great.

I just went through this process (not OP) and received notice that I made it to the second round. I took only the 3 practice tests on the McKinsey site, missed 3, 4, and 4 questions on them (I timed and tried to make it just like the test would be given for real). It's not that anything is tricky, you just need to think about it. The most common thing that I caught myself on or caused me to miss something was not addressing the question. An answer choice may be logically sound, but the question was "What does the CEO think will help?" Make sure you answer A) helps and B) actually is what the CEO said.

When I was done, I really felt that the real one was harder than the practices and that I hadn't done as well. I was legitimately worried. Apparently it went fine

Both group cases in my session went like this:

Interviewer welcomes everyone, we all introduce ourselves. Then s/he said "I'm going to ask one of you a question, that person will get to answer, and at the end I'll ask if anyone wants to add anything."

That was exactly what happened each time, although once or twice it became like group brainstorming where we all just kind of listed factors that could affect the thing we were discussing.

[Anonymous User]

How disadvantaged is a JD from a non-T14 from entering consulting? I went to a T20 and am interested.

[Legal Eagle87]

???

[Anonymous User]

Same person as above, just not quoting you this time:

First - there is more to life than the northeast U.S. More locations nationwide than NY and BOS host first round interviews, and MBB don't come to my school for OCI anyway. That said, I'd prefer not to out myself as I'm still in the interview process where I am.

I personally believe all the 3rd party PST stuff is a waste of time. That said, I also tend to have a very high view of my own abilities (I self studied for the LSAT, for example, and I didn't study at all for the GMAT). I just don't think the test was that hard, in spite of how I felt after taking it. I would say none of the math at all is hard, but recognizing which math to do is key.

I think McKinsey is honest about the group case session. I treated it just like a one-on-one case for my part because, well, why wouldn't you? I do know for sure I missed a couple things I wish I had noticed at the time, and it doesn't seem to have hurt me.

For your PST point, it is my opinion that the latter is true and all that crap is a waste. Then again, I am (in the least arrogant way I can possibly convey this) really fucking good at these tests. Like, my state public school system had standardized tests at the end of each year for as far back as I can remember, and from those through PSAT/SAT/ACT, LSAT/GMAT, etc...I have always been surprised and annoyed to have missed one or two questions (or kind of pissed off if more than that) per test. I have no idea what your level at this is, and wouldn't feel comfortable telling you one way or another without context. I hope the context helps you see where I'm coming from and gives the advice some perspective.

You can write in the booklet. I'd bring a couple mechanical pencils, you have a scantron to fill out.

[Legal Eagle87]

???

[Anonymous User]

I don't use frameworks. Every case is different. It's good to have some understanding of things, but it's way worse to try and shoehorn a problem into a pre-set framework than to just develop your own issue tree. I would spend all my time on practice runs and feedback. I'm of the opinion that nobody really "master" this as a candidate.

I've done work in the past that emphasized this, and I've been having my significant other and a former consultant at my current internship help me go through a few. I'm sure many prepped more, and I'm sure some prepped less.


Edit: remember, of course, that I say this as someone else who is trying to work there, not as someone who has lol.

[Legal Eagle87]

???

[Anonymous User]

Yea CiP's "just memorize these 20 frameworks" is ridiculous and probably overdoing it. But if you majored in e.g., Eng Lit in college instead of microecon, how else are you supposed to know that the 3 ways to price a widget are "cost of production (don't worry about it if you're just trying to nab market share early on)"; customers' WTP, and benchmarking to competitors.

Or the variety of costs that go into running an enterprise (R&D, management, fixed capital assets, human labor, supply chain, distribution network, etc).

Idk, I guess. I have a humanities degree but I interned a lot during college. Some things seem obvious and intuitive and you just have to give them structure. Like, of course profits are the amount you get minus what it cost you to get that amount.

Learning the things you can do is very different from learning frameworks. And even then, they don't care that you have the right names for all of these things, if I had to hazard a guess. They can teach you the things. What seems to matter is that you think with the right structure and you have the right personality for the job. Again, just based on research and my network.

[Legal Eagle87]

???

[Anonymous User]

Yea for sure. 2 last things:

1. when you say "you have the right personality for the job," are you talking about the 2am pizza/5hr layover airport test + the ability to appear presentable & confident in front of clients, or are you talking about a specific firm's cultural identity (in this case, McKinsey)?

I have no idea what McKinsey's cultural identity is, but, to take another example, word is that Bain is the sort of place Dartmouth lacrosse players go, so Bain might think I "lack the right personality for the job."

2. You probably tapped into your consulting network more than I have (I don't think I have one lol): Have you been able to network your Bain application out of the "black hole, radio silence" pile and into the "actually under consideration" pile?

1. Same thing as fitting in any job. Just the general "would this person do a good job here?" type answer. I think that includes all of the above.

2. I didn't apply to Bain. McKinsey is the best and the one that has the biggest network in the places I want to work. It's also the only one I already have an extensive network in. I'm a "path of least resistance" type person.

[Anonymous User]

Legal Eagle87 wrote:
I have the PST + Group Case coming up.

1. PST: I took a practice test cold, made freely available by a 3rd party consulting prep site. I thought having strong LSAT + SAT Math scores meant I "know" all I need to know about the PST, but questions and answers are worded even more trickily than LSAT logical reasoning questions.

Those 3rd party consulting prep sites say that you need to prep for the PST for like 20-30hrs. Are they just pushing their $200 "PST Prep" packages, or is the PST truly a different animal from a hybrid SAT Math/LSAT + sprinkling of GMAT data sufficiency?

2. The group interview: Do you basically need to understand the basics and be a team sport, or do you need to know case interviewing well enough to answer the whole case on your own?

If the OP or others ITT can PM me, that'd be great.


I just went through this process (not OP) and received notice that I made it to the second round. I took only the 3 practice tests on the McKinsey site, missed 3, 4, and 4 questions on them (I timed and tried to make it just like the test would be given for real). It's not that anything is tricky, you just need to think about it. The most common thing that I caught myself on or caused me to miss something was not addressing the question. An answer choice may be logically sound, but the question was "What does the CEO think will help?" Make sure you answer A) helps and B) actually is what the CEO said.

When I was done, I really felt that the real one was harder than the practices and that I hadn't done as well. I was legitimately worried. Apparently it went fine

Both group cases in my session went like this:

Interviewer welcomes everyone, we all introduce ourselves. Then s/he said "I'm going to ask one of you a question, that person will get to answer, and at the end I'll ask if anyone wants to add anything."

That was exactly what happened each time, although once or twice it became like group brainstorming where we all just kind of listed factors that could affect the thing we were discussing.

OP here! Oops sorry didn't see this thread blowing back up haha.

Regarding PST - I really would just take the McK ones on the site (in a timed, real-world setting) and understand what you missed and why. The vast majority of people pass this stage (>80% if I had to guess). Prepping for the PST for 30 hours is absolutely ridiculous.

The group case is really more for your benefit - try to just engage and have fun, and be personable and respectful of the other people in the room. It's not really meant to be evaluative.

[Legal Eagle87]

???

[Anonymous User]

How were you able to get these interviews in the first place? Did you get them because you networked your resume to the top of the pile or were you able to simply direct apply?

[Anonymous User]

How were you able to get these interviews in the first place? Did you get them because you networked your resume to the top of the pile or were you able to simply direct apply?

[Anonymous User]

How were you able to get these interviews in the first place? Did you get them because you networked your resume to the top of the pile or were you able to simply direct apply?

OP again. You direct apply, and if you are t-14 you shouldn't have too much trouble landing an interview. They have a pretty wide funnel (from that range of schools) at the picking people for an interview stage. It's the case interviews that weed people out like crazy.

[Anonymous User]

OP here - bumping to see if any other questions. Saw another thread on IB as well, think it's super valuable to consider a few non-law options.

[Anonymous User]

(Double post)

[Anonymous User]

OP - did you get crossoffers? Curious if you had to think about which firm to pick.

[Anonymous User]

Assuming a candidate's profile is otherwise appealing, what kind of standardized test scores do you need to get an interview/offer? For GMAT, I've heard 700+ (about 90%) would do it. Does the same percentile suffice for LSAT/SAT/ACT?

[Anonymous User]

Not the OP but the above poster (recent offeree). At my T6, McK asked for a SAT score, which I'm sure they never looked at. The PST is supposed to screen for quantitative ability. BCG didn't care about my standardized scores at all.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. If you had the LSAT to get into a t14, that should be good enough. I don't think it matters much on the margins on a few points.

I did not have cross offers actually though I recruited for all 3.