What do I expect in a McKinsey Case Coaching Session?
Are there any do's and don'ts?
Any other insights?
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Is this coaching session with a BA?
Nothing in the coaching session is considered as part of your application. Get the most out of it by asking for tips etc
Do's - Try to mimic an actual interview environment without actually saying so
Don'ts - Don't try to be sneaky and ask for shit you wouldn't in an actual interview
If your coaching session is by phone, resist the urge to use a calculator - simple but important.
At the end of the call, ask for a follow up call or to be referred to other analysts to continue practicing live cases.
If you haven't already do the 4 cases on McKinsey's website. Those cases show the structure of McKinsey live cases which is to solve an overall issue while answering a subset of more focused questions.
What's the title of the person giving you a case?
I'm at MBB and some the post-undergrad consultants on my team do this on occasion. It's a mixed bag. On one hand, you'll get feedback from an actual consultant, rather than a clueless case partner you go to school with who has no idea just like you. On the other hand, the McKinsey analysts giving you the case don't actually do interviews themselves, and thus they don't specifically know what the firm is looking for.
In short, I'd take all the feedback with a grain of salt. If their feedback doesn't make sense in your own head, ignore it. Take what is useful.
Finally, one piece of advice: ask them for advice relative to other candidates. People have a tendency to sugar coat in these things. For example, they might say, "you did great on the quant". That could mean most candidates do SUPER great on the quant, and thus you were below average, or it could mean that most candidates do OK and you really were great. To figure out which it is, ask the candidate questions like, "On analytics, how were my responses RELATIVE TO ALL OF THE OTHER CANDIDATES YOU HAVE GIVEN CASES TO" or something like that.
hope it helps.
My perspective is that of an APD candidate. Apart from the IWIA, I was given case coaching sessions in two settings: in a group of four over the phone with an assessment-trained EM, and one-on-one over the phone with associates.
In terms of how well these sessions prepare you for the actual interview, if you are preparing as you should, then their effect is negligible. Three reasons: 1.) The over-the-phone setting differs from actual interviews because the intensity is lower, you cannot share your notes, and they cannot see your math. The time it takes to explain your thinking is thus longer, and thus the time constraints of the coaching interview differ from those of an actual interview. 2.) They will give you cases you can find via Google. If you are hitting cases as hard as you should be, you will probably have seen the one they give you. For me, every case I was given in a coaching session I had already encountered before. 3.) Their advice will vary from person to person, and will in general not be specific enough to be actionable in the short term. For instance, advice would be "try to be more creative" as opposed to "the profit side of your structure is not MECE because ..." I would focus on in-person practice cases with fellow candidates or people who have gotten offers.
In terms of how you should treat these coaching sessions, I would treat them as real interviews despite their "non-evaluative" nature. This means feel free to chit chat, but remain professional in your chit chat. You will very easily see that they are doing the same. As in a real interview, try to appear "natural" and do not discuss whatever study materials you are using. And, of course, don't completely bomb the case. These sessions probably have no effect on your outcome, but they might a little, so don't risk it.
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