I applied through university. The process took 1+ week. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Hanover, NH) in Oct 2013
Interview
McKinsey & Co recruited from my college. After being accepted for an interview, I was offered a number of interview prep opportunities - a conference call phone session with other applicants reviewing the process and a case, an in person group case work through with a representative, and a 30 min online Q&A session. We also had to take a written business skills test that is McKinsey-specific the night before the exam for an hour (it seemed easier than the online samples). The first round interview itself was two 45-min separate interviews with a fit scenario (about overcoming challenges, working with difficult people) and a case each. One of my interviewers prodded at my example, asking things like "what did you say?" to get more detail; the other gave much less reaction.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
One of the cases involved a graph that was given to me half-way through and was a bit complex - it also required that we refer back to numbers given at the very beginning of the case to calculate the correct outcomes. Be aware!
I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (‘Ushayrah, Riyadh Province)
Interview
Rigorous but fair questions - mostly case based. Two sets of interviews x 2 rounds. You only get invited back for the afternoon if you pass the morning round. They expect a high degree of mental math and creativity. Worth prepping for standard case interview style questions, using frameworks but able to adapt them.
I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Washington, DC)
Interview
Long process with little to no communication, good folks though. Not too difficult just time consuming. Pulled out after the first round as I lost interest, but appreciated the opportunity to interview.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Prior experience and what I wanted out of the role
The interview process is structured and demanding. It includes a resume screen, problem solving tests, and multiple case interviews with personal experience questions. It’s objectively hard, testing structured thinking, communication, and calm under pressure. Not impossible but you must prepare seriously.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They asked me to walk through a case and clearly structure the problem first. How I broke it down mattered more than getting the final answer right.