McKinsey MBA Emerging Scholar Interview

I was very fortunate to have been selected as a finalist for the McKinsey Emerging Scholar MBA program and had a question about interviews that take place, specifically the appropriate dress attire. Since the interviews are all virtual, and in general it seems that within consulting, ties have fallen out of favor, I was wondering if it would be too much to wear a full suit and tie and stick to a shirt/jacket combo.

To err on the side of caution, I planned on wearing a tie, but at the same time, I did not want to go into the conversations overdressed. I appreciate the advice.

6 Comments
 

I did the Emerging Scholars virtual interviews two years ago. I did not suit up, but this was more a function that I was already traveling between work and the start of school. Each interview was low-key, and in retrospect, wearing a suit would have been a bit overkill IMO. Happy to answer any other questions.

 

I would describe the interviews as McKinsey-lite. The behavioral questions are in the same style as a traditional McKinsey PEI in that they ask you a question and then really drill down into your motivations, actions, etc. There should be plenty of info on wallstreetoasis about McK behavioral questions. Similarly, the case is a standard McK interviewer led case but more straightforward than an MBA interview. The entire thing takes ~30 minutes vs an MBA interview which is 45 to an hour. Make sure to have plenty of paper though, I had never done a case interview and only had a single sheet of paper.

I wouldn't stress too much about it, IMO getting an Emerging Scholars slot is a tougher get a McKinsey on-campus interview. I just graduated from a Darden/Ross/Fuqua and there were only five of us in the interview round. Full disclosure, I did not get a McKinsey offer but am going to a Parthenon/OW/LEK firm. Good Luck!

 
Best Response

I have my first of the case interviews for this tomorrow. Never done one and coming from a non-trad background. Any advice for a 6 hour crash course I can do right now?

Assuming:

1.) Memorize the top 3-4 types of issue trees (profitability tree, etc.) so I can scratch them out 2.) Read 3-4 cases (from the McKinsey site and other sources) 3.) Light math refresh (getting comfortable knowing when to round and/or making quick percentage calculations) 4.) Prep 1-2 personality answers demonstrating leadership/entrepreneurial qualities. Figure I can follow a STAR story format?

Just getting back having spent time traveling/camping so this will be interesting. Any advice on how quickly to go from zero to case-apable is very appreciated!

 

Consequatur animi repellat est et ut. Et aut consequuntur saepe quod beatae voluptatem non. Libero et quae sequi. Optio consequatur necessitatibus maxime ab. Id at quis asperiores ex. Modi in quia ut consequatur. Nulla ad est quia suscipit eum rerum.

Et praesentium est magnam expedita. Ducimus id quasi dolore quia dolore animi. Placeat odit sit est quia qui deserunt dolorem. Ea veniam aut debitis et est.

Ipsa sit doloremque perspiciatis ullam iusto velit. Aliquid et earum dolor quae sed. Sed sapiente mollitia tempore omnis. Sed accusamus similique cupiditate ipsa provident. Iste quia totam necessitatibus consequatur et repellat qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.5%
  • Oliver Wyman 98.0%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.5%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.0%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.5%
  • Oliver Wyman 98.0%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (111) $232
  • Manager (167) $172
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (115) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (634) $122
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (162) $121
  • 1st Year Associate (575) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (390) $104
  • Associate Consultant (175) $100
  • 1st Year Analyst (1151) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (205) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (625) $67
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”