McKinsey & Company: the guide
A personal experience interview plus a problem-solving case in each interview, the Solve assessment, and an AI-assisted case now used in selected offices.
Last reviewedWhat strong candidates can do
- Understand how interviews typically run at McKinsey & Company, and what varies by office
- Know what each stage is designed to test
- Follow a preparation plan for this firm
How it positions itself
States its purpose as helping to create positive, enduring change in the world, and its mission as helping clients make distinctive, lasting, and substantial improvements in performance.
Case style (as commonly reported; varies by office)
Interviewer-led
Common questions
How does McKinsey & Company interview candidates?
McKinsey & Company tends to run interviewer-led cases, where the interviewer steers each step. There is also a fit or experience interview. The personal experience interview asks for one real story on one dimension and then probes it with many follow-up questions, often for 10 to 15 minutes (reported). The four dimensions were renamed in summer 2025 to Leadership, Connection, Drive, and Growth (reported by several prep sources that cite McKinsey's careers page). McKinsey suggests preparing two personal examples. Because each interviewer usually covers one dimension and candidates are advised not to tell the same story to a second interviewer, plan for at least two stories per dimension, eight or more in total. Processes vary by office, role and year, so confirm the steps in your invitation.
What does McKinsey & Company look for in candidates?
Commonly reported priorities: Leadership (earlier name: Inclusive Leadership); connection (earlier name: Personal Impact); drive (earlier name: Entrepreneurial Drive); growth (earlier name: Courageous Change); structured problem solving, tested in the case interview.
How should you prepare for McKinsey & Company?
Practice interviewer-led cases until you can answer each question in a clear, answer-first way. Build a story bank with at least two stories each for Leadership, Connection, Drive, and Growth, eight or more in total, each detailed enough for 10 to 15 minutes of questions. Plan which story you will use with which interviewer, so you do not repeat a story within one process. Read McKinsey's Solve page and your invitation. McKinsey says no special preparation is needed; being calm when reading data quickly and deciding under a time limit still helps. Practice giving your answer first and then your reasons, in every case.
Go deeper
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