FIrst Round McKinsey Interview Forum

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know anything about the test that McKinsey and Company administers during the first round interview? I know that this is the legal employment area of TLS, but I figure I'd ask anyway.

A little about me: 3L at T-14 who unfortunately struck out during last year's OCI. I am applying to firms via mass (yet somewhat targeted) mailing, job fairs, and OCI. However, in an effort to avoid being unemployed at graduation, I am applying to non-legal positions as well. Basically, I am following Voyager's game plan.

[Anonymous User]

Did you get a first round interview with McKinsey? If so, then ...



-xxspykex

[Zugzwang]

Are you referring to the case interview?

[TaipeiMort]

They don't do a case interview with law students. They do a behavioral interview because most law students have no finance or strategy experience.

[Azmatt]

BCG FTW IMHO



....

[Zugzwang]

They don't do a case interview with law students. They do a behavioral interview because most law students have no finance or strategy experience.

rofl

[vamedic03]

Does anyone know anything about the test that McKinsey and Company administers during the first round interview? I know that this is the legal employment area of TLS, but I figure I'd ask anyway.

A little about me: 3L at T-14 who unfortunately struck out during last year's OCI. I am applying to firms via mass (yet somewhat targeted) mailing, job fairs, and OCI. However, in an effort to avoid being unemployed at graduation, I am applying to non-legal positions as well. Basically, I am following Voyager's game plan.

I've heard that http://www.caseinterview.com is a good resource.

[Anonymous User]

Mckinsey administers a test and two rounds of case interviews during the first phase. After that, you have as many as two additional rounds of interviewing (both of which involving what I imagine to be more difficult case interviews. I think the OP wants to know more about the test.

[Anonymous User]

It is a business math/business analysis test. I would brush up on basic algebra and make sure you also have a basic understanding of economics (supply/demand curves etc.). This test is not really something most individuals study for and relies heavily on one's ability to think logically about business situations. Most importantly: you don't have to have a business background to do well on this test, just strong logic skills and an understanding of how to apply them to business, which is intuitive for some people.

[Anonymous User]

My husband ended up at another consulting megafirm, but got an offer from McKinsey, too. He has a PhD from MIT, but that exam psyched him out. I think he was most bothered by the pace of it, which is incredibly fast. I'd focus on timing yourself from an SAT II prep book for multiple choice practice in algebra and econ. That seemed to help him. After that, prior posters are right: read "Case in Point," too, because it's exceptionally good case practice.

[Anonymous User]

My husband ended up at another consulting megafirm, but got an offer from McKinsey, too. He has a PhD from MIT, but that exam psyched him out. I think he was most bothered by the pace of it, which is incredibly fast. I'd focus on timing yourself from an SAT II prep book for multiple choice practice in algebra and econ. That seemed to help him. After that, prior posters are right: read "Case in Point," too, because it's exceptionally good case practice.

Any other recommendations?

[anli]

Be curious. Ask questions. Make sure you understand what's going on before you begin working through the case. Consulting is not so different from law: a genuine interest in the intellectual exercise is always appreciated by your interviewer. It cannot make up for a bad case interview, but it will go far in getting you an offer.

As far as actual case prep goes, read Case in Point and do practice interviews with your friends. Have them ask you cases from the book and try to work through them on your own. If you're short on time, you can create your own mini-cases: how many copies of the Economist are sold weekly? How much wheat does India produce? If you were starting a new restaurant, what would be your first order? Have someone sit with you as you work through these sorts of problems; a lay person may not be able to tell you if you are missing key variables, but he/she can most definitely tell you if you are laying out your thoughts in an incoherent or illogical manner. The former is a forgivable fault; the latter is the kiss of death.

[Anonymous User]

I worked for McKinsey and have taken this test. If you understand basic business concepts (think econ 101) and can do math reasonably quickly on paper, you should be fine. Several people in my class commented that they just did add/sub/mult/divide on paper in order to prepare. They should also provide a sample test - they did for me.

[Anonymous User]

I worked for McKinsey and have taken this test. If you understand basic business concepts (think econ 101) and can do math reasonably quickly on paper, you should be fine. Several people in my class commented that they just did add/sub/mult/divide on paper in order to prepare. They should also provide a sample test - they did for me.

I was an Economics major, but honestly, I don't remember much of it. Is there a lot of micro or macro? Do you recommend any books to practice with in particular?