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McKinsey interview: the process and the questions

For most consulting roles, McKinsey's process is an application, its Solve game, then interviews of two kinds: personal experience interviews (PEI), where you discuss your own experiences in detail, and problem-solving interviews, McKinsey's name for the case. Some roles add an expertise interview. McKinsey does not publish the number of rounds, and your recruiter confirms the details. To rehearse both kinds out loud, Soreno, an AI voice interview practice app for consulting, investment banking and other finance candidates, runs McKinsey-style cases and PEI drills with follow-up questions and scored feedback.

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Practice a McKinsey interviewFree McKinsey-style case, no sign-up
  • Solve comes first. A problem-solving game for most consulting roles. McKinsey says no prep is needed.
  • Then two kinds of interview. The PEI about your experiences, and the problem-solving (case) interview.
  • The PEI has four areas. McKinsey suggests two stories each for Connection, Drive, Leadership and Growth.
  • The case is a conversation. There is not one logical solution, McKinsey says. Tailor it to the client.
  • No calculator, no AI. Pen and paper in the interview. AI is fine for practice beforehand.

The McKinsey interview, step by step

McKinsey describes each part on its interviewing page. Here is what it says, in our words, with a link to each source.

Solve

A gamified assessment of how you solve problems, before the interviews.

Who
Most consulting roles
Prep
None needed, McKinsey says
Rules
No AI tools, notes or screenshots
McKinsey: Solve

Personal experience interview

Your experiences in detail, with the focus on your own role.

Areas
Connection, Drive, Leadership, Growth
Prepare
Two stories per area
Style
A conversation, not a rehearsed story
McKinsey: interviewing

Problem-solving interview

McKinsey's case: a typical client scenario you work through.

Sample cases
Five on its site
Answer
Not one logical solution
Math
Pen and paper
McKinsey: interviewing

Expertise interview

For some roles: how your experience and skills fit the job.

Who
Some roles only
Topic
Your experience and skill set
McKinsey: interviewing
Rounds and timingNot published

McKinsey says its process and timeline differ by role and location, and that your recruiter shares what to expect and the timing of each step.

  1. Candidate reports

    Usually two rounds

    Candidates and prep guides commonly describe a first round and a final round, each made of interviews that pair a PEI with a case. McKinsey does not publish this, so ask your recruiter.

  2. McKinsey's tips

    Virtual interviews

    It aims to make them match meeting in person. Keep your camera on, have pen and paper ready, turn off AI note takers and ask the interviewer to repeat anything unclear.

    McKinsey: virtual interview tips

  3. McKinsey's FAQ

    Where you join

    Recent college graduates are typically considered for business analyst roles, called fellows in some offices. People with an MBA or other advanced degree, or a bachelor's and four years of work, typically join as associates.

    McKinsey: careers FAQ
McKinsey's five sample cases5 cases

Published with the logic, thought process and suggested answers. McKinsey recommends them to learn the kinds of questions it asks.

  1. Retail

    Beautify

    Should a global beauty company train its in-store beauty consultants to reach customers through virtual channels?

    McKinsey: Beautify

  2. Social sector

    Diconsa

    Could the Diconsa store network in Mexico offer basic financial services to the rural poor, for the Gates Foundation?

    McKinsey: Diconsa

  3. Product launch

    Electro-Light

    Designing the launch of a flavored, reduced-sugar sports drink for a major beverage company.

    McKinsey: Electro-Light

  4. Public sector

    National education

    Diagnosing problems in a country's national education system and ways to transform it.

    McKinsey: National education

  5. Investment

    Talbot Trucks

    Should a leading European truck maker invest in making and selling electric trucks?

    McKinsey: Talbot Trucks

From McKinsey: interviewing, McKinsey: Solve and McKinsey: careers FAQ.

What McKinsey looks for

McKinsey does not publish a rubric. Its careers pages say this much.

  • Problem solvers from any field

    McKinsey says it looks for problem solvers from law, medicine, engineering, military service, professional sports and more, and that the ability to think critically, tackle complex problems and create impact matters most.

  • Your own role, your reasoning

    In the PEI it asks you to focus on your specific role and to lead with reasoning, not actions. Pick experiences that genuinely mattered to you.

  • A tailored answer in the case

    Listen carefully and share solutions built for the client rather than standard frameworks. There is not one logical solution.

  • Its values, and honesty

    McKinsey says it is excited by people who share its values. Using AI to practice is encouraged, but AI answers during an interview are not allowed.

From McKinsey: interviewing and McKinsey: careers FAQ.

How McKinsey's process runs

For consulting roles, as McKinsey describes it. Technical and internal roles differ.

Show the steps

  1. Step 1

    Application

    Depending on the role, McKinsey may ask you to take a test or play a game as part of the application.

    Consulting resume, with a template

  2. Step 2

    Solve

    A gamified problem-solving assessment for most consulting roles, weighed with the rest of your application.

    McKinsey Solve, game by game

  3. Step 3

    PEI and problem-solving interviews

    For most client-facing roles, plus an expertise interview for some. Your recruiter confirms the details in advance.

    McKinsey PEI questionsMcKinsey case interview

  4. Step 4

    Decision

    McKinsey does not publish how long this takes. The timeline differs by role and location, and your recruiter shares it.

21 McKinsey interview questions

PEI preview questions are McKinsey's, paraphrased and marked. The rest are in our words, in McKinsey's style. Each note says what a strong answer does.

Personal experience interview8 questions

Two per area, as McKinsey suggests. Each comes with likely follow-ups in our words, since McKinsey wants your specific role and your reasoning, not a rehearsed story.

  1. Explain a hard situation where you worked with someone who held the opposite opinion.

    McKinsey's PEI preview question, paraphrased

    What a strong answer does

    Connection. Their view, stated so fairly they would agree, and how you reached a decision together. Practice it, see a model answer

    • “Why did they hold that view?”
    • “What did you give up to reach agreement?”
    • “What would you do differently now?”

  2. Tell me about a time you changed someone's mind.

    What a strong answer does

    Connection. Why they disagreed, the evidence you used and the moment they moved. Practice it, see a model answer

    • “What did you try first that did not work?”
    • “Why did that argument land with them?”

  3. Talk about a time you worked hard to achieve excellence in tough circumstances.

    McKinsey's PEI preview question, paraphrased

    What a strong answer does

    Drive. The goal, the obstacle that nearly stopped you and the choices that got you past it. Practice it, see a model answer

    • “When did you nearly give up, and why didn't you?”
    • “What did you decide that someone else might not have?”

  4. Tell me about a time you went above and beyond.

    What a strong answer does

    Drive. Why the extra effort was your call, and what it changed for someone else. Practice it, see a model answer

    • “Why was the extra effort your call?”
    • “What did it cost you?”

  5. Share an example where you worked well with people from different backgrounds despite challenges.

    McKinsey's PEI preview question, paraphrased

    What a strong answer does

    Leadership. What made the group hard, and what you did so each person could contribute.

    • “Who was hardest to include, and why?”
    • “What did you change about how the group worked?”

  6. Tell me about a time you led a group to a result that mattered.

    What a strong answer does

    Leadership. Your own moves, how people came along and the result in numbers if you have them. Practice it, see a model answer

    • “Who disagreed with you, and how did you bring them along?”
    • “What would the result have been without you?”

  7. Revisit a time when you had to learn something new quickly to tackle a hard situation.

    McKinsey's PEI preview question, paraphrased

    What a strong answer does

    Growth. How you learned it, who you asked and what you did with it under pressure. Practice it, see a model answer

    • “What did you get wrong at first?”
    • “How did you decide what to learn first?”

  8. Tell me about a time you received tough feedback.

    What a strong answer does

    Growth. The feedback as you heard it, your first reaction and the change you made. Practice it, see a model answer

    • “What was your first reaction?”
    • “Where has the change shown up since?”
Problem-solving (case) interview6 questions

Candidates describe a set of separate questions on one case.

  1. A regional grocery chain's profits are down 20% in two years. How would you find out why?

    What a strong answer does

    A structure for this chain, not a stock framework, then the branch you would check first and why. Practice it, see a model answer

  2. A city wants to halve traffic deaths in ten years. How would you approach it?

    What a strong answer does

    McKinsey's own cases include public sector work. Start from who is hurt, where and how. Practice it, see a model answer

  3. Should a private equity firm buy a regional chain of dental clinics?

    What a strong answer does

    Market, the business, price and exit, with the risk that could sink the deal named early. Practice it, see a model answer

  4. How many cups a day does a new coffee shop need to sell to break even?

    What a strong answer does

    Fixed costs over the margin per cup, by hand and out loud, then the answer as a decision. Practice it, see a model answer

  5. A streaming service's churn has doubled. What could explain it?

    What a strong answer does

    Causes on the customer, product and market side, grouped, then how you would test each. Practice it, see a model answer

  6. The CEO walks in. What do you recommend?

    What a strong answer does

    The answer in one sentence, two or three reasons with numbers, the main risk and the next step. Practice it, see a model answer

Your background and why McKinsey4 questions

Often at the start, before the PEI.

  1. Walk me through your resume.

    What a strong answer does

    Two minutes, in order, with the choices you made and why, ending on why McKinsey now. Practice it, see a model answer

  2. Why consulting?

    What a strong answer does

    Two reasons backed by things you have done, and what you want to learn in the job. Practice it, see a model answer

  3. Why McKinsey?

    What a strong answer does

    Something you learned from a McKinsey person or its own pages, linked to the work you want to do. Practice it, see a model answer

  4. What would you do differently if you ran that project again?

    What a strong answer does

    A follow-up on any story. One real change, said plainly, shows the Growth McKinsey asks about.

Questions to ask your interviewer3 questions

McKinsey calls interviewing a two-way process. Bring questions.

  1. Do you have any questions for me?

    What a strong answer does

    One or two questions about the interviewer's own work, never one the website answers. Practice it, see a model answer

  2. What did you change your mind about in your first year here?

    What a strong answer does

    Asks for a story, not a pitch, and tells you how the place really works.

  3. What does good feedback look like on your teams?

    What a strong answer does

    Links to McKinsey's culture of apprenticeship, which its interviewing page says you may hear about.

Mistakes and how to prepare

Where McKinsey candidates slip

  • A rehearsed PEI story

    McKinsey wants a conversation, not a presentation. Know the story well enough to answer any follow-up, then tell it plainly.

  • Actions with no reasoning

    McKinsey asks you to lead with reasoning. Say why you chose each step, not only what you did.

  • Too few stories

    McKinsey suggests two per area, eight in all. With only one, you have nothing fresh if the same area comes up twice.

  • A framework recited from memory

    McKinsey asks for tailored solutions rather than standard frameworks. Build the structure from the client's question.

  • Practicing with a calculator

    Calculators are not allowed in McKinsey interviews, so practice the math by hand.

How to prepare for a McKinsey interview

McKinsey's own advice first. The last steps are our suggestions.

  1. McKinsey's advice

    Two stories for each PEI area

    Experiences that genuinely mattered to you, with your own role and the details ready.

    48 PEI questions and example storiesFree PEI practice

  2. McKinsey's advice

    Work its five sample cases

    McKinsey recommends them to learn the kinds of questions it asks. Answer each question out loud before you read its answer.

    McKinsey case interview guide

  3. McKinsey's advice

    Go into Solve curious

    McKinsey says there is no need to prepare. Knowing what the games look like can still calm the nerves.

    How Solve works

  4. Our suggestion

    Full cases out loud, with pushback

    Practice with someone who asks McKinsey-style questions one at a time and probes your stories, a partner or an AI interviewer.

    Free McKinsey-style caseFree case math drills

Rehearse the McKinsey interview, out loud

Soreno's AI interviewer runs McKinsey-style cases one question at a time and probes your PEI stories the way a real interviewer would, then scores the session. Start your free week.

Start practicingFree sample case, no sign-up

Questions people ask

What is the McKinsey interview process?

For most consulting roles: an application, the Solve game, then personal experience interviews and problem-solving (case) interviews. Some roles add an expertise interview. McKinsey says the process and timeline differ by role and location.

How many rounds are in a McKinsey interview?

McKinsey does not publish the number. Candidates commonly describe a first round and a final round, each pairing a PEI with a case. Your recruiter confirms yours.

What questions does McKinsey ask?

PEI questions about your experiences in four areas, Connection, Drive, Leadership and Growth, and case questions about a client's problem, such as a structure, a chart, a calculation and a recommendation.

Is the McKinsey case interview interviewer-led?

McKinsey does not say. Candidates and prep guides describe it as interviewer-led, with the interviewer asking a set of separate questions on one case.

Do I need to prepare for McKinsey Solve?

McKinsey says there is no need to prepare and that Solve is considered with the rest of your application. AI tools, notes and screenshots are not allowed.

Can I use AI to prepare for a McKinsey interview?

Yes. McKinsey's interviewing page lists practicing interview questions with AI as encouraged. Using AI to answer during an interview, or to invent achievements, is not allowed.

Can I use a calculator in a McKinsey interview?

No. McKinsey's careers FAQ says calculators, external apps, websites and prepared notes are not allowed in interviews.

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