Associate applicants have rated the interview process at McKinsey & Company with 4 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 73% positive. To compare, the company-average is 64.3% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Associate roles take an average of 41 days to get hired, when considering 606 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at McKinsey & Company overall takes an average of 40 days.
Common stages of the interview process at McKinsey & Company as a Associate according to 606 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 32%
Skills test: 16%
Phone interview: 10%
IQ intelligence test: 9%
Personality test: 8%
Group panel interview: 7%
Presentation: 7%
Background check: 6%
Other: 3%
Drug test: 2%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I applied through college or university. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Palo Alto, CA) in Jan 2012
Interview
The McKinsey interview process is 3 rounds: (1) a problem solving test (see their website for a sample test) + Case study workshop, (2) 2 x 1 on 1 interviews, half of it is to test "fit" (whether you fit in the McKinsey culture), and the other half is the case study, (3) Onsite.
The process is as fair as it might get - they set you up with a McKinsey buddy, who answers your questions and helps when you need it. Also, they have workshops to help you along, e.g. a case study workshop, and informational sessions to introduce you to different parts of McKinsey (e.g. the west coast business practices, the business technology office).
I didn't make it past the second round; however it is as advertised- if you practice McKinsey-type cases, and work on your fit interview stories, it should be a fair assessment.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Conflict question - name a time you had a conflict
Exactly as described on the website, great resources available to prepare. Recommend practicing out loud with as many people as you can as much as possible to ensure preparedness throughout the process
I applied in-person. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company
Interview
Website, online, teams meeting, in person meet up.
It was pretty straightforward and they knew what they were looking for. They had to do a couple of interviews to get a better understanding of my skills.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How many army generals in the northern hemisphere?
I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (London, England)
Interview
CV upload and then some basic numerical and logical reasoning skills. Computerised games to assess numerical skills. SOLVE questions. Psychometric tests and GMAT-style questions. Very simillar to BCG an Bain.