Applications are starting up so figured I'd set up a thread so people could ask questions or share updates as they prepare for recruiting season. Giving back to the community I lurked a few years ago. Combined the threads this time.
Edit: It wouldn't let me post links to the programs and previous threads because I'm a new user, but will update with them when I can.
Summer Programs:
Bain ADvantage
Connect to Clearview
Link to LEK
Path to Putnam
Transition to Trinity
Charles River Associates PhD Symposium
Other firms that hire PhDs include:
EY-Parthenon
LEK
Health Advances
Navigant
ZS
IQVIA
CBPartners
Cello Health Bioconsulting
Comment if I'm missing some
Link to Past Threads:
2019 Full-Time | 2019 Summer Programs
2018 Full-Time | 2018 Summer Programs
2017 Full-Time | 2017 Summer Programs
2016 Full-Time | 2016 Summer Programs
2015 Summer Programs
I believe LEK also has a 3-day summer program called Link to LEK
Good luck to all!
Has anybody actually seen where to apply for Path to Putnam and the CRA PhD Symposium?
I don't see a link at this time. I am unsure of how COVID has effected these particular firms' programs this year. I would reach out to HR for more information.
I reached out to Putnam but never received a response. McKinsey Insight now says it is a one day vitrual event but honestly can't remember if it was an in person event before, though I'd assume so.
Yeah I reached out to CRA and also never received a reponse.
Reply from recruiter on the 30th - "We are finalising the details now for the CRA PhD Symposium and will share them with you in the next week or two. We may need to be flexible if the Covid-19 situation continues but our intent is to host the progam this year."
Does anyone have an(y) idea about the extent to which CoViD-19 will affect recruiting at MBB? Looking for full-time jobs in a deep recession is really unnerving.
Hey! I've asked many many recruiters and consultants about this and they all say it will not be affected- I guess we'll see if that's true.
BCG has also updated their Bridge webpage to acknowledge things may change, but that's about it
I know Bridge still has one-way interviews to go out, but for the others, any idea how long after the deadline a decision is made? Some of the programs suggested even just a few days.
Bain, which was the earliest, mentioned they would reach out by mid to end April.
I just got an invite to the digital assessment (Imbellus) for McKinsey Insight
Same, good luck!
FYI I just heard from ADvantage today (case interview workshop invitation, Boston) so don't be discouraged if you didn't hear last week/a couple days ago as some have in this group. Sounds like it must not be an 'all at once' invitation per office location then.
Thanks for the reassurance! Can I ask when you applied? I have a feeling they're going chronologically in terms of applied date
For Bridge2BCG's one-way video interview, how much time (if there's a limit) do they allow for you to prepare your answer after you see a question?
I understand that you can stop the interview between questions and come back at a later time, but can you pause after seeing a question before recording?
Assuming nothing's changed since last year, you have unlimited time to prepare once you've seen the question.
Thanks!
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of questions did they ask you last year? And how much time do you have to answer per question?
What were the questions that were asked?
Seems Mck just sent out the game invitation (Imbellus) for the insight program
just got an invite for the digital assessment! my computer didn’t pass the performance check to play the game...
Supported hardware issue or graphics performance? I have a feeling its a browser issue and not an actual issue with your PC.
when I used safari it’s failed hardware but in chrome it’s failed graphics performance lol trying to see what I can do now with help from Imbellus
Apprently Bain ADvantage (virtual) interview invites went out yesterday (Boston)
Do you know if this was for just Boston?
Also NYC, interviews scheduled for mid-April
I just got invited to a Bain virtual case interview workshop. It says invitation only. Did they send this out to most people?
Congrats! Anyone heard back from Bain Atlanta?
My friend applied for Atlanta and got the invitation for the virtual case interview workshop last week.
There were these last year aswell. Some Bain offices use them as an additional screening step to determine who to interview for ADvantage. From my experience, being invited gives you a pretty good chance for landing the interview. Last year there were around 30-40 people at the workshop and NYC interviewed 15-20 people. They split you out into teams of 5-6 people led by a Bain consultant or CTL to work on a mock case - it is pretty fun experience! Keep in mind you are being evaluated though.
Awesome! I was excited to hear I had been invited, but I wasn't sure how selective it was. Thanks for the update.
Thanks for the info! Do you know if all interview invites are contingent on making it through the virtual case workshop? In other words, if we did not receive an invite to the case workshop this for offices that already sent them out can we assume we are not going to get an actual interview invite to ADvantage?
Thanks a lot on this information. Will you be able to share a little more about what you did during the small group discussion of the workshop?
I received the invitation to the virtual workshop at the same time as the invitation to first-round interviews, it's framed as a resource "to help you prepare for your interview". Are candidates evaluated during the workshop?
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Has anyone applied to and heard back from L.E.K? Also, does the timeline for Bain notifications depend on the choice of office? Looking at all these notifications being sent out, should I take the absence of the same as a reject?
Nothing for LEK that I've heard of. They did cancel their regular summer internships so idk what will happen to the AD program. Different Bain offices also send out interview invites at different times so don't worry if you haven't heard anything yet.
Thank you! Yeah hopefully they move the Link to L.E.K online or something.
Link to L.E.K update: Got an email from the recruiter sating they've canceled this year's workshop cause of COVID-19. Big bummer
"We are finalising the details now for the CRA PhD Symposium and will share them with you in the next week or two. We may need to be flexible if the Covid-19 situation continues but our intent is to host the progam this year."
Good news from Charles River Associates -
I an graduating in 2021. I thought the hiring season is around september? Do they hire around April?
My understanding is that these workshops are just recruiting tools to fast-track non-MBA candidates with advanced degrees.
update on Imbellus test. I was getting the graphics warning but was able to take the test just fine.
Same. The check made it seem like you'd be running an MMORPG or 4K video when really Candy Crush probably requires more computing power.
Yeah, a little obnoxious that the “game” itself was glorified menu tasks, and the only thing you need 3d for is some stupid cutscene. Not sure the added browser issues are worth it as the graphics weren’t even very polished anyways. Big thumbs down from me.
Heard back from Bain's ADvantage (Toronto). Any tips on how to do case interviews on Zoom?
It seems like Bain ADvantage New York, Boston and Toronto invites are coming out, probably due to the early dates of the event. Anyone got rejections yet?
No rejection yet, but I assume its forthcoming since I didn't get an invite to interview.
So all invitations came out today for sure?
Not sure, but people have heard from NYC, Boston, Atlanta, Toronto, and Austin. Sounds like different offices operate on their own timelines though.
Seconding this - Seems like Bain SF office sent out invitations for virtual "coffee chats" as part of the screening for ADvantage.
When you say Austin are you grouping the three Texas offices together (Hou, Dal, ATX) for the ADvantage event in Dallas, or are people hearing from individual offices they listed in their preferences?
just got notification that link to LEK is cancelled...
Link to L.E.K update: Got an email from the recruiter sating they've canceled this year's workshop cause of COVID-19. Generic email, nothing much said apart from asking me to lookout for summer full time postings
Does anyone know how wide of a net is cast for the MBB digital assessments? McKinsey/Imbellus, BCG/Pymetrics, etc.
Don't know about Imbellus, but I think since BCG considers the Pymetrics as part of the application itself I'm guessing literally every applicant has to take it. About Imbellus, I also was wondering the same, as in is it sent to an already screened pool or is it the same as pymetrics where everyone who applied is required to take it.
Pymetrics exam + Video interview was sent out to everyone who applied to Bridge last year. Imbellus is a new thing this year so I don't know for sure - but I'd assume the net is very large.
Has anyone received an interview invite to Bain's ADvantage program in SF already?
Not sure about interviews but there has been invitations to Bain SF virtual case workshop that got sent out
Has anyone heard from Bain ? I got invited to the case workshop a while ago after doing a virtual coffee chat, but no invite to interview yet. From other comments it looks like interview invites went out around the same as the workshop invite (or even without a workshop invite). Also, as a PhD student who only recently learned about consulting, I am feeling quite unprepared especially if the workshop is actually an evaluation.
I would definitely recommend doing or at least looking over some cases / frameworks before the virtual case workshop. People in my group were pretty experienced and I felt like I could hang since I had done a few cases. Can't say for sure if we were being evaluated or not, but wouldn't be surprised if we were.
Thanks Marie! I'm reading through Victor Cheng's frameworks and plan on doing a case or two before the workshop (with an inexperienced friend, but better than nothing.. or I might order a one hour coaching session on prep lounge but these are so pricey!). I'll also listen to LOMS whenever I can! Did you also do the virtual workshop exclusively for Advanced Degrees? This one is 3 hour long, just want to see if it's the same one.
If you didn't recieve an interview invite with the workshop email, it seems like the workshop will be evaluated. I would reach out to the Graduate/MBA consulting club at your university to see if they have any resources to help you prepare (casebooks, practice partners, etc.) If you are in dire need of resources, PM me and I can send you a few cases.
What did you all think of the Imbellus if you've taken it?
Meh, felt like simple logic puzzles. I guess that’s the point, but I thought all the graphical bells and whistles were unpolished overkill that the company is using to justify selling glorified scripts for whatever absurd rate they are charging McK
It doesn't feel like an assesment (like BCG's pyrometrics) but rather as a test, and unfortunately, I am not that great with tests. I panicked a bit, got confused and ran out of time. But if you are someone who has no problem to stay calm and focus, it is pretty straightforward and doable. Graphics are completely irrelevant for the tasks you are asked to do, it didn't feel like game at all, rather puzzles as already mentioned. I am curious to see how much weight they put on this test.
I had a similar experience. Task 1 was quite easy but since they recommended you spend half the test time on that task, I really took my time and assumed the rest of the test would be similar. Task 2 was also fine. But Task 3 I found a bit more difficult than the first two, and had less time than what they recommended. I also got a bit confused about a specific part of it and that made me scramble to finish and I submitted an incomplete answer. I'm worried this will cause me to not even get a FIT interview. Oh well, can't do anything about it now! Good thing BCG/Bain don't use the same test. Imbellus apparently wants to replace the SAT/ACT/GRE/etc. I would say they need to improve their product quite a bit before that becomes a reality!
Has anybody gotten any type of rejection for ADvantage? Or are they just gonna leave us hanging to assume we aren't going to be extended an invite to the case prep / workshop?
Haven't heard anything either. I figured since I did not receive any email regarding a workshop or interview so i might as well take it as a reject. I then went and checked the applicant portal and all it says is position applied: ADvantage and nothing else. Don't know what to make of any of this except just wait for a final reject/acceptance email.
Apparently, not every office is holding a case workshop. I wouldn't take it as a rejection just yet!
Hope thats true! thanks :D The only solace I have is relying on their claim that decision emails are extended until mid april which is still a week and a half away so maybe things can come up until then haha
Yes, and just to add on to this- some candidates last year got fast tracked straight to an interview for ADvantage without getting an invite to the workshop. This may or may not be due to not being local, but who knows.
Are people hearing from Bain ADvantage specifically about interviews or just workshop invitations so far?
So far only got invited to the workshop.
Are you based in Chicago? (I'm assuming the workshop is done remotely either ways but still wondering)
Depends on the office - here is what I have scavenged so far as of today (4/7)
Dang, I've been checking here pretty regularly, and haven't seen any other Texas posts, so I was hoping there hadn't been any interview invitations sent out.
I was invited to the Texas workshop, but have not received an interview yet. Any idea what the chances are that I will receive an interview?
From last years experience, Bain does not send out rejections per say. But if you email the recruiter directly, she will reject you in a few minutes LOL
I am looking for case partners! Have done about 35 live cases. Send me a mail if interested!
If we get rejected from either Bain BCG or McKinsey, can we apply from scratch in the summer no matter what stage of the interviewing we made it to? For example for McK do we get to take the Imbellus again and do the phone interview again or do they just use these results for future applications? Is Imbellus storing results like Pymetrics? For BCG do we get the video interview again (I know Pymetrics is the one thing that stores your results for a year). And for Bain if we make it to the first round interview and don’t pass, can we reapply from scratch as well without our performance on the case workshop affecting future apps?
And similarly, if we get selected for any of these workshops but fail our first round interview (/final round for Bain), do we get to apply again in the summer?
I asked this question during a Bain recruitment event. They said that if you fail the interview to get into ADvantage, you can reapply for the full time positions. This is the same for McK Insight and Bridge to BCG. In fact if you are selected to interview for Insight and get rejected, McK fast tracks your full time interview to July.
BUT, if you get accepted to ADvantage and fail the final round interview at the end of the week, you cannot reapply until the cool down period is over.
This is a non priority question, but is anyone here from a non target school?
I'm OP. Not recruiting this year - already been in consulting for a few years but just posting to say I was a non-target that made it. Some encouragement for all those non-targeters out there.
Thank you very much! Fingers crossed!
Can anyone confirm if Bain's AIC (advance into consulting) is or is not a thing anymore? I know some people who did it last year after not being invited to ADvantage.. wondering if this is still an option or not. Still haven't heard anything post Bain Virtual Case Workshop.
I'm assuming not a thing. AIC had been mentioned on the ADvantage page a couple months ago, and that mention has been subsequently removed.
Dont think they are having AIC this year.
Since McKinsey's insight is not open to residents in Canada anymore, is there another program for advanced degree candidates in Canada to connect with the firm before full-time recruitment?
Has anyone heard back from McKinsey insight yet after the Imbellus test? Wish they could give us a metric or something like BCG's pymetric test !
Just read again: decisions are end of April but I recall somewhere on the site saying we’d hear something today or tomorrow. Maybe we invites to fit interviews? Not sure.
Thank you! I can't recall seeing a date on when we would hear back, just really hope I can get a rejection at least, instead of pure silence haha
The Imbellus deadline was yesterday, this is way too early to hear back.
Unlike Pymetrics, Imbellus is a test and there is a right or wrong answer. Apart from task 1, it was pretty simple to know if I did the other tasks correctly.
I just received a rejuction from McK insight program, sad
I heard from a friend that Connect to Clearview began sending out rejections today.
I just got the invite to interview!
cong!!!
Did anyone interview for clearview spring cycle hear back?
I know someone interviewed for clearview final round recently
Update from ClearView: While we are currently planning to hold one session of C2C in June and one in July, we are prepared to push back the program dates if that is necessary to ensure the health and safety of both our participants and our employees. We will keep all participants updated as the situation evolves.
Hi did you receive this via email, or was it on the website?
Via email when i got my interview slot scheduled
A new user here.
I applied to Insight, Bridge, and ADvantage and just wanted to find out if anyone has any updates on Chicago offices.
For me: I just received an email from BCG that my application is now complete and they will let me know the status by early May. I'm not sure if it simply means that they haven't made decisions yet or I should just proceed as if I am rejected.
For Bain, I know people have gotten invitations to case workshops in Chicago but unfortunately that was not the case for me. However, I haven't gotten a rejection email either and I know for some offices people get invited straight to interviews. I don't know if that's also the case for Chicago office but I do not have high hopes.
For McKinsey, I haven't heard back after the Imbellus test and I was expecting to hear back (either good or bad) by end of this week.
BCG: Why would that mean anything other than what they are saying?
Bain: Offers were extended and you didn’t get one is a bad sign
McK: It’s been 3 days since the deadline.
Breath a little. Get some fresh air and work on some cases/skills. Nothing you can do at this point beyond bettering yourself.
Jeez stop making up your own scenarios and understand that people reviewing your applications have other stuff to deal with at this time so no if the deadline was Tuesday you're not supposed to hear back by today.
I just did the Chicago case workshop for Bain. We were told that the workshop was for them to give an extra chance to some applicants that they find promising, for them to connect to some consultants and ask questions and get to practice a Bain-specific case. If you didn’t get invited to it it doesn’t guarantee you’ll be rejected at least that’s what it seems from what they said. I have not heard anything from McK/BCG for Chicago either. BCG’s email was just to let us know we don’t need to do anything else and our application is complete, it’s not a rejection, we hear back in May.
Also new here.
I got the same email from BCG about my application being complete. I assumed they sent it out to all applicants but it could be a soft rejection; I totally bombed the interview :(
I was also expecting to here something from McK Insight but the website does say decisions will be released in late April, so I guess I'll just be on edge for the next 3 weeks.
See my response to the other post. It’s going to be ok. Breath and work on things within your control.
I got this too. It's not a soft rejection.
Same!
.
Does Mckinsey Insight have a case interview? It was unclear to me from the website/last year's thread whether it was case/fit or just fit.
Last year was one short case and one fit, but they outlined it more explicitly on their website. This year it seems more unclear
Just got an interview call with clearview ! Any pointers on case prep? I have only done a handful of cases, and don't have much experience in life science cases specifically. Would be open to practicing with a partner as well
Congrats! I just got an interview call as well! I don't have much experience with case interviews and I would also be open to practicing!
Great! I'll DM you soon
Also, got an interview and would be interested in practicing or if you have any pointers for the process
Boston insight acceptances just came out- which I guess to add to previous comments, there was no interview involved.
Yay! Congrats :)
Anyone heard from Atlanta Insight yet ? seems like insight acceptance are out already!
New York Insight offers were also sent out today
Congrats! Just got atlanta Mckinsey insight invite !
Congrats to everyone! Just got an invite from McKinsey South (Atlanta) as well. For those interested, I don't think the Imbellus score was heavily weighted because I felt absolutely awful about it. I knew that my answer to the first part was not correct but had to submit anyway to leave time for the rest. 2nd part was fine. I wasn't able to finish the third part and didn't even submit an answer. It's uncertain how everything is scored but I'm sure I was not even in the top 50% of scores.
That's really good to know :)
My experience is exactly the same. Perhaps, we have all messed up collectively? :D
congrats! I also just got an invite for Insight New York! Same thing happened with my imbellus test, I took too long for first part and ended up submitting the answer knowing its wrong, sped through the second task and didn't finish third task in time. I lost hope after that test but now getting the invite I guess it's not as heavily weighed, or I wonder if they may have extended more invite now everything is virtual.
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Congratulations! Add me to the list of people who bombed Imbellus. I finished all 3 parts in time but I'm positive I got part 2 wrong. Maybe they're not weighting it too heavily since it seems this is the first year they're doing it. I also wonder if the cohort size will be larger given things are virtual this year. I'm certainly not complaining if that is the case.
Has anyone been invited to an actual interview for ADvantage?
One of my friends got invited for an interview next Friday (ADVantage Texas).
I got a friend that just got invited to interview with Bain Texas as well.
Has anyone heard back after Bain's virtual case workshop Atlanta?
Haven't yet, but also not too confident about that haha
Negative on Bain Boston post case workshop. They must be happening though given that their program is earlier in May... I'm waiting for my official rejection haha
Haven't heard back yet either. I wouldn't give up on it yet. Every office is different for Advantage
rejected by insight yesterday, but the email said: "We are impressed by your application and wish to extend to you an invitation to interview for the full-time Associate role, starting in 2021, by taking part in our interview process later this summer (Aug-Sept). If you wish to accept this invitation, please be sure to submit an application between June 1 - July 12. Since you already have a profile in our system, this should be a quick process!"
Does it even mean anything?
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