McKinsey

Open to answering questions regarding MBB, recruiting, breaking in, day to day life, career choices, etc. Background Academic: MSc in Finance (Europe) - top GPA, public undergrad b-school (target locally) Internships: Summer analyst at MBB; Summer analyst at Goldman Sachs (IMD London); Off-cycle analyst at European Private Equity FOFs. Received full-time offers from all three Other: GMAT 730 WSO Mentor Want to work with me? Check out my profile here.

05 Nov 2020

I am in a very privileged position to have received a McKinsey offer for the associate position in NA. Previously, I had attended the Bain summer program for advanced degrees but unfortunately bombed the final case interview and did not receive an FT offer. The recruiting manager communicated that I was placed on a pseudo-waitlist and that they will reach out to me at the end of August or early September. Now I am in a bind. I know it is easy to just accept the McKinsey offer and never look back, but Bain has always been my top choice and I really felt at home with all the Bainies during my

22 Aug 2020

Hey guys, Thought I'd start another thread for those of us APDs/ADCs (read: spent too many years in school) who are applying for full time positions either earlier this year in the Spring (BCG) or now during the Summer. Let's try to provide sufficient data so it's less confusing: Current location(Northeast/west/south)/institute(target?): Firm(s) applied (spring/summer): When did you receive an invite/rejection: Additional info (invite or no? when are they scheduling the interviews?): To start off: Current location: southeast + semi/non target Firm applied: BCG (spring) When did you receive an

01 Jan 2017

Hey everyone. Was looking into McKinsey/BCG offices and was wondering whether your office heavily impacts the kind of projects you're put on. I know that the firms have a global staffing model and that you have say in your projects, but where would it be easiest to work on projects in media? I assume the usual suspects (eg LA or NYC), but is it relatively easy to do so from different offices too?

01 May 2021

Hi friends. Recently left MBB after spending 2 years after college there. Always thought it was helpful reading Q&A when I was a student thinking about career-pathing, so wanted to offer this up. Busy in a new job, so will respond when available and might close this thread up early, but for now, please ask away. For context: Target college MBB big US office Based in the US Obviously please keep questions professional and I will try to provide as much insight as possible. Won't reveal anything though that is too personal. Still care about anonymity.

19 Sep 2019

I spent 5 years working as an innovation strategy consultant at McKinsey in the Montreal office. During that time I worked on projects around the world on a wide range of innovation-related subjects. I also interviewed many applicants for associate and analyst roles in Canada and elsewhere. I'm now the founder of Juniper, a boutique consulting firm, and co-founder of Vocaprep, a case interview preparation website. Ask me anything!

20 Feb 2018

In deciding between MBB, would you guys offer any insights about differences between the three firms or things to think about while making a decision? All three offers are from the same city. McKinsey vs Bain vs BCG If you've worked hard enough to secure an offer at all three firms then congratulations. These firms are the most prestigious in consulting. All of these firms offer great exit opportunities and pay. However these firms still have their individual strengths and weaknesses. Lets take a look at each firm in terms of pay at the first year associate level. The following figures are

30 Nov 2014

Conventional wisdom here would suggest that you need to go to a M7/T10 school to give yourself a decent chance of making it to MBB, You can make it from a T15 school, but the chances are lower. However, I've noticed on LinkedIn that people from UW Foster (USNR #27) & UM Twin Cities (USNR #32) do make it to MBB (I'm not talking about sponsored MBB kids, but career switchers). Although it seems like they're always in the Seattle or Minneapolis offices. I'm not talking about 1 or 2. These schools seems to send a few grads to MBB every year. I know those are not Kellogg numbers, but what does that

15 Nov 2017

I managed to work my way into getting a interview at McKinsey. I've been scheduled an interview along with a problem solving test next week. I was wondering what the best way to prepare for this is. Any sites I should know? Are there sample tests around somewhere? Thanks!

02 Feb 2013

Shout out to all the hopeful boys and girls out there who would eat raw chicken to get an MBB internship! Where do you go to school? Where have you previously interned? Do you know when we'll start hearing back? How good do you think your chances are? Discuss these questions and anything else you'd like to talk about! May the odds be ever in your favor.

08 Sep 2020

Hi! I'll be brief and please feel free to redirect me to the appropriate place if this is the wrong place. I have an offer at Firm #1. I have a final-round interview with Firm #2 on Friday. Firm #1 wants an answer BEFORE Friday, conveniently. Firm #1 does not know I'm applying to Firm #2. If I get Firm #2, I would likely take that offer (location). Both are MBB. The way I see it, below are my options. Please advise, any help at ALL is appreciated. Take Firm #1 offer and withdraw from Firm #2. Withdraw from Firm #1 and hope Firm #2 works out. Take Firm #1, renege if Firm #2 works out. Renege

16 Dec 2020

What's going on with consulting recruitment? Haven't seen any summer analyst 2021 announcements on LinkedIn yet. Is interviewing already in full swing?

26 Nov 2020

Hip hop artist Clyde Kelly Atkins (stage name is Clyde Kelly) quit his job at McKinsey so he would have more free time to pursue his music career and obtain a Wharton MBA at the same time. [quote] "You don't have anyone in your life that you sort of see on a daily basis. It's very transient," Atkins says of the young consulting lifestyle. "It's fun. I was excited to be doing that at that point in my life. But I also missed that I used to freestyle everyday. I had friends I would come home to and we'd kick raps at the end of the day. It was way different coming back to a hotel at the end of the

25 May 2017

I will be attending a top European MBA program in September and am pursuing consulting post-graduation. In order to understand the benefits / disadvantages of different European geographies, I want to know the differences in all-in compensation. Where are Europe's highest (and lowest) management consulting salaries? If anyone has a URL to another WSO thread or website that has this information, please post. Thanks in advance for the help.

23 Nov 2016

I'm curious - McKinsey vs Goldman Sachs - which has better brand recognition? For the average Joe (non business/finance people) 1. In USA 2. In Europe 3. In Asia My impression is that in Europe (except for the UK), McKinsey has better recognition, while in Asia (HK/Singapore/China/India, not sure about the rest), GS does. The deal flow is quite strong in Asia nowadays, while the consulting industry has not caught up with the US/Europe. Not sure about the US. I guess it's GS? As the media may have been talking about GS a lot post financial crisis (so GS has better brand recognition, but in a

08 Sep 2018

One of my biggest pet peeves is people giving bad career advice. It drives me nuts when I see worn-out cliches like this being passed on to ambitious young professionals. ![The only place where success comes before work in the dictionary.][The only place where success comes before work in the dictionary.] … … Well, no shit you have to work hard to succeed. So how does that help you solve a real, day-to-day problem that's limiting your success? In short, it doesn't. Most of the well-meaning career advice you get from your mentors, your friends, and your Mom is useless for one of two reasons: *

01 Dec 2016

I am a sophomore at HYP, international. Have a 3.4 which is probably going to go down after this semester. I wanted to do consulting at MBB(Hoping for San Francisco) and I recently got an offer to work on a 5-month project in an international office for McKinsey(loads of networking). I honestly hate being in college so I was thinking would it be wise to take a leave of absence and work there? I have not been doing well in school because I have been disinterested so I thought this would be a good excuse to not do it. At the same time, friends and family are all super-critical about pausing

08 May 2019

I am at a non-target (for MBB )school in the US but have prior strategy consulting experience. I have been granted interviews by all three - MBB, through a mix of cold emails to partners, alumni (at MBB) outreach and by directly writing to the recruiter. Interview process at M appears to be pretty much complete, and BB interviews are to occur over the next 3 weeks. The M interview went well but was not according to any plan that I have heard of earlier. Here's what happened - I ended up being interviewed directly by a senior level partner, who among other things, explained to me why management

20 May 2018

For the last year I have been doing consulting for a small boutique firm focused on Digital Strategy consulting. However, I have the opportunity to move up to a bigger firm. I'm currently in the process with Deloitte Digital's strategy practice (Digital Business & Strategy), and also BCG Digital Ventures. I also have a preliminary conversation scheduled with Digital McKinsey. I would appreciate hearing the perspectives of people here on these three groups. Specifically on the type of work, the future trajectory, career progression, etc. Note: not looking at Accenture or anything of the non

14 Mar 2017

http://www.mckinsey.com/Careers/Apply/University_… This restriction seems kind of random. Does anyone know if they are strict about it or have plans to apply anyway if not from one of the aforementioned schools? Also, does McK offer any other networking opportunities outside of formal recruiting?

26 Oct 2011

So I just graduated from undergrad and accepted an offer to work at Google, in their Dedicated Client Services division (it's like account management with their big advertising clients)... And Google from what I've heard, read, seen and the reactions that I get from people when I tell them I'll be working there, has shown me that Google is an amazing place to work... Culture, perks, etc... But I have recently been presented with an opportunity to work at McKinsey & Co., which is also an amazing place to work. I interviewed with a ton of I-banks and BCG, and Bain during the fall, but ended up with a job at Google... So now that I have to make a decision between the two, the biggest thing for me would be which company has better exit opportunities??? I wanna make the best decision for my future and not just what looks good for now... Any thoughts?

07 Jun 2010

Hi, I found this 80-page document online (unfortunately post-interview) and, if it is not against the forum guidelines, I would love to share it with future BCG applicants on here. It contains extensive information on everything from the firm's general desciption to typical interview styles to what it is like working there. http://gymkhana.iitb.ac.in/~ugacademics/career/bo… Make best use of it;) + EDIT: Through this link you can access documents for many other firms as well, as Armistice pointed out: http://gymkhana.iitb.ac.in/~ugacademics/career/us…

09 May 2012

McKinsey is interviewing at my school, and I was hoping to get a feel for my shot at an interview. I've previously gotten first rounds w/ Bain and BCG, but I hear McKinsey is more selective than even them. I was a summer analyst at MS, and I did get an offer. I've got a 3.6 and solid, but not spectacular, ECs at a semi-target. I've also got the diversity thing going, if that matters at all. I'm fairly certain that I can destroy the case; I just need the opportunity. Given that McKinsey has like a 3.7-3.8 gpa cutoff, should I expect to still get on the closed list, or should I just forget

19 Mar 2018

any info? Or better still, how's the career progression and how can you leverage vast exp in this role

29 May 2021

From my understanding, the recruiting process starts in the Fall with applications due in August/September. However, there are also July deadlines for undergrads seeking full-time consulting roles at least for McKinsey snd BCG. I have no idea when to apply. Will there still be August/Sept application deadlines as well? Should I go ahead and apply in July? If it helps, I'm applying to NYC, another competitive east coast office, and then probably a southern office that I think is maybe at least slightly less competitive. I'm a social sciences major (not econ) at a low/semi-target school, so I

29 May 2021

Hi all, I am considering the McKinsey Associate-Implementation role and was wondering what some of the exit opportunities would be. I know its more of an operations vs. strategy role, but I hear MI (Mck Implementation) folks getting staffed on the same projects and generalists. Do you think this job could lead to looks at PE down the road? Thanks!

10 Sep 2020

29 Jun 2013

Received an offer from all three companies. I know the general differences between the firms, but is one better specifically for those who just finished undergrad?

25 Oct 2015

Recently I've been trying to break into consulting. I studied the sciences in college in pursuit of medical school and after careful consideration now want to go into healthcare management--for the obvious cost/benefits. I want to get into consulting to make headway and have been looking at the top consultancies--McKinsey, Bain and BCG. To make a long story short, after some networking I got a coffee meeting with the COO of Activision who used to work for Bain shortly and knows the managing partner in the LA office well. He forwarded my resume off to the managing partner in LA who forwarded it to the managing partner in Dallas--where I'm living at the moment. A recruiter got into contact with me and now I'm in talks for a possible opportunity.

01 Jul 2011

I've got offers from both for a summer internship (undergrad) in their respective London offices. I suppose I might have liked the atmosphere at BCG slightly more, but I just don't feel that a few interviews is enough for me to draw definitive conclusions -- everyone I interviewed with was lovely. Also, while I'd previously thought there wasn't a big brand difference between the two in Europe, I've recently been hearing the opposite. Has anyone got any opinions/advice for me? Possibly about the London offices in particular (major industries, atmosphere...?) Boston Consulting Group Compared to

05 Mar 2012

Apologies if this question seems a bit naive but wanted to get this forum's opinion on educating oneself on certain topics in order to hold better conversations with longer tenure colleagues. As a 22-year-old analyst I'm not super interested in or knowledgeable about luxury cars, cigars, watches, fine liquors, golf etc the list goes on. Have people faced this issue before? If so what did you do to address it, e.g. should I start stalking watch and car forums? I definitely don't mean to indicate that people in consulting firms only care about those things-most people are actually pretty down to

09 Dec 2014

Can anyone comment on the best way to transition from MBB (analyst level) to PE? I'm joining an MBB office in the fall and understand that PE recruiting generally happens very quickly after that (April/May). Would it be useful to learn/practice some financial modeling before I start work so I can even be considered for interviews? Anything I should be doing well in advance to prepare? Any advice or experience is helpful, thanks.

22 Feb 2012

Which would be the better choice coming out of undergrad? In terms of someone who isn't 100% sure where his career is headed, so exit ops and career prospects.

04 Feb 2016

Hey guys, I just got an offer at BCG and was wondering if I should just take it or ask an interview at McKinsey. BCG was my first interview, so I got a 100% score out of it, but as everybody always says McKinsey has more prestige I was wondering if it is smarter to try McKinsey or just go with the BCG offer. Is McKinsey really better? What do you guys think?

01 Jun 2014

Hi everyone! I'm a summer associate at a competitor firm (Bain/BCG), and am thinking about switching to McKinsey once full-time begins. I'm just trying to get a little bit more information to use as I prioritize my location preferences in the application. Any help would be appreciated -- feel free to PM me as well!

28 Jul 2013

Hey guys, I am a senior at a Public University which I think is a target and I have just found out that I got a first round at McKinsey and another at Bain and another at Accenture. I have recently started practicing cases - maybe 10 in total - and I am really awful at them. Any tips on how to prepare in less than a week for these interviews? I get super nervous and struggle with math - I am quite slow and tend to get lost in the details. I am being very honest here. Literally need any help I can get. I just want to stand out and do well.

30 Sep 2015

You guys are probably aware that McKinsey has 2 divisions that they hire in: Consulting and Research (supporting the consultants). A friend of mine received an offer from McK "Knowledge Network" as a Junior Research Analyst, and wants to know how good are his exit opportunities. I assume not that good, correct? He's not doing any client facing work, brainstorming or anything like that, he will just collect and analyse data that consultants will need/use. I also have a feeling is much easier to get into McKinsey as a researcher than a consultant, it just doesnt have the same prestige, event

03 Mar 2010

Hi everyone, I have offers from both the Bain and McK offices in London. At the moment, I don't know precisely what I'd like to do in a few years time. I'm thinking I'd like to stay in consulting and work my way towards Partner. This may, of course, change as I start work and have new experiences and find out more about exit opportunities. I wanted to reach out to you: Which is better in terms of opportunities it provides? What are the different exit opportunities available from each firm? Which would you take if you were in my position with the amount of knowledge I have now? And what are good questions to ask the people there?

20 Jan 2011

Hey Guys, Which are the best US McKinsey offices in terms of prestige and experience (perhaps even size)? Particularly the Marketing and Sales Practice offices? Furthermore, How do San Fran, New York and Chicago compare? Thanks.

07 Aug 2011

Hey guys! I need to make a quick choice in 1~2 weeks and I would like to hear your sincere advice on this. All the positions are for London. Some thought from my side: 1. Mck: Pros: Best brand name, wider exposure (both corporate finance and strategic consulting), more traveling (I like traveling), less weekends work, and more responsibility (I assume) Cons: Completely new area, language/culture barrier (as I am not Brit), less pay (c. 40% lower in the first two years?), and how much value does consulting really add? 2. Moelis: Pros: Broader exposure within banking (M&A and Restructuring), more responsibility, easy access to senior bankers, strong growing prospect, and training (1 month in NYC)

22 Nov 2010

I'm a senior in a top school in Asia graduating in 2016. I've grinded through school, networked like crazy and completed internships in consulting, VC and Asset Management. I have an MBB offer in Asia (think Singapore/KL/HK) and a BB Equity Structuring offer in London. I need to decide between the two by end of January, and would really appreciate any advice on the pros/cons of either. In the long haul, I would like to end up in PE/value investing - where there's a mix of operational understanding and finance. The positive for MBB is the operational experience, but most of MBB Asia's exits are

29 Nov 2015

I'm new to this forum (in the posting sense - been reading it for a while), and was hoping I could get some advice. I have a friend that just got a job at Disney's Corp Strategy group and seems pretty excited about it. I have been pretty interested in Technology and Media myself for a while, but was planning on originally entering consulting to figure out what I wanted to do (I'm currently a junior thinking about career opportunities for next year). The disney job seems pretty exclusive and do some interesting work (Strategy & M&A work in Media). I wanted to see if you guys knew anything about the opportunity and how it stacks up against other opportunities in the consulting space such as McK/BCG/Bain.

03 Dec 2009

I am a high school who has wanted to work for McKinsey for many years. I am trying to decide Williams and UChicago for college and I would appreciate any information on which consulting firms and investments banks on the east coast look most favorably upon.

28 Apr 2010

Hey everyone, I was lucky enough to make it past McKinsey's resume screen for a summer business analyst position and now I have to take an online assessment. It doesn't seem like the typical PST because it is made up of a 45 minute verbal reasoning test and a 45 minute numerical test. It is all online and even allows a calculator. I am not sure if it is worth studying the PST material on the McKinsey website or if I should just stick with the practice test link they sent me on the SHL site. Does anyone have any experience with this? How should I prepare?

26 Jan 2016

Hello, I had first rounds at McKinsey last week. Made it through but I think my PEI answers were the weak point. Although I knew that would go in depth I wasn't really prepared for how much and I had to spend way too much time thinking and trying to recall details. I'd like to make a list of standard PEI type questions that I should work on strong answers for. So far I can think of: -Tell me about a time you lead a team (through a conflict/to achieve and difficult goal/through a crisis) -Tell me about a time you dealt with a conflict/crisis/difficult member/whatever on a team (difference

28 Jan 2012

I've been offered an MBB position out of undergrad (all in comp probably around $90,000) Alternatively, I also have an offer straight to a post MBA-level industry position (F500 company) paying about $125,000 What should I take (esp. in regards to exit opps, bschool opps, prestige, working environment, lifestyle, learning, etc.) Thanks.

31 Jan 2011

I'm going to be applying for an consulting internship soon. I have a 3.65 GPA as a Chemistry major at Georgetown University. I hold leadership positions in a couple clubs (ex. the investment fund) as well. I know this is not nearly enough information to give an accurate answer, but I wanted to just get a rough answer.

23 Dec 2014

Is the McKinsey PST part of the application process for Advanced degree candidates applying in the US? I'm a PhD candidate from a non-target school. Any info is appreciated!

18 Sep 2020

Hey guys! I'm wondering what is optimal profile for getting into McKinsey BTO (Business Technology Office) right out of college? Let me explain: I live in Central Europe, have a bachelor's in Electrical Engineering (lot of ICT subjects, ERP implementation internship) from the top technical university in my country, now I'm studying for my master's in Management at the same university, did a consulting internship at a Big4, had top leadership positions in a student organization, and I'm member of the university's consulting club.

10 Apr 2014

My friend (MBA in an Ivy school) recently got summer intern offer in Google and McKinsey. She's happy with either choice and want me to post a thread here asking WSO people which offer will you take and which ones look better on your resume with your Ivy MBA? Quick comparisons of the two summer interns: 1) Google: be in the HQ in Moutain View; pay $12,000 per month (still negotiable since Google really likes my friend and wants her to join the team!!!). 2) McKinsey: in NYC; pay $$10,500 per month (non-negotiable). Her Google offer is in Finance and Business Strategy division/department, I

14 Feb 2013