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McKinsey & Company
Lesson 2 of 2 Last reviewed 28 September 2026 10 min

McKinsey & Company: the process and its assessments

The stages, the digital screens, and what varies by office, with dated sources.

Firm processes and online tests change from year to year and differ by office. Use this to prepare, and confirm the exact current steps on the firm's own careers page.

Key takeaways

  • Application and Solve: You apply online.
  • First round: Usually two interviews (reported).
  • Final round: Usually two or three interviews with more senior colleagues, often partners (reported), in the same format.
Checked on 2026-09-28

This lesson was checked against the sources listed at the end, official pages first. Firm processes change between offices, roles, and years, so use it as a guide and confirm the details in your invitation and with your recruiter.

The interview process, stage by stage

  1. 1Application and Solve: You apply online. Many candidates are then invited to Solve, McKinsey's gamified assessment. McKinsey says Solve results are considered together with the rest of your application, not on their own. What it tests: Problem solving in unfamiliar, timed scenarios. McKinsey says no business knowledge is needed.
  2. 2First round: Usually two interviews (reported). Each combines a personal experience interview and a problem-solving (case) interview. What it tests: Case skills, and whether your stories are specific, true, and clearly told.
  3. 3Final round: Usually two or three interviews with more senior colleagues, often partners (reported), in the same format. What it tests: The same skills at a higher bar, and whether senior colleagues would trust you with a client.

The assessments it uses and where they sit

  • Solve: a gamified assessment taken on a computer (PC or Mac only). McKinsey does not allow AI tools, other apps or websites, prepared notes, screenshots, or help from others during it.
  • The personal experience interview: part of every interview, usually one dimension per interviewer.
  • The problem-solving (case) interview: usually interviewer-led.

What varies by office, region, and role

  • Whether you are invited to Solve, and which version, depends on office, role, and recruiting year. Follow the timing in your invitation.
  • The number of interviews in each round differs by office.
  • Titles and eligibility (Business Analyst, fellow, Associate) differ by office.
  • The AI-assisted case is used in selected offices and roles only, most often in European offices, according to McKinsey's talent attraction lead (as reported by CaseCoach, September 2026).

Points from public candidate accounts and prep sources

  • Reported: in 2026 invitations, Solve usually includes the Redrock study and the Sea Wolf game, and some versions add a third module. Older guides describe an Ecosystem game that is reported to have been retired in early 2026. These names come from prep sites, not from McKinsey.
  • Reported: PEI follow-up questions go into detail, such as what you said, what the other person said, and what you would do differently. Real, specific stories hold up well; memorized lines do not.
AI-assisted case interviews: what McKinsey has said (as reported), 2026

McKinsey's talent attraction lead described the format in on-record interviews, telling CaseCoach (22 September 2026) that the AI-assisted case is about as long as a normal case interview, usually replaces one of the usual cases, feels more free-flowing, and is not a standard part of the process worldwide. Candidates are more likely to meet it in European offices, and where it is used, your performance counts toward the decision to move you forward or make an offer. The same lead told Business Insider (24 May 2026) that the component asks candidates to use a publicly available generative AI tool on hypothetical client problems. Earlier reports from a prep company, repeated by Fortune in January 2026, described a pilot in US final rounds using Lilli, McKinsey's internal AI tool; McKinsey did not confirm those details. McKinsey had not published the format on its careers pages when we checked. If your invitation mentions an AI-assisted case, ask your recruiter how it works.

The honest line on assessments

This platform builds the underlying skills these screens test and gives realistic practice in similar formats. It never provides or reproduces a firm's actual test, and firms do not allow AI tools, notes, or outside help during their assessments unless they say otherwise in writing.

Last reviewed: 2026-09-28. Sources, official pages first. "Reported" means a secondary source, not the firm or government itself.

  • McKinsey: Interviewing at McKinsey (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/interviewing
  • McKinsey: Solve, McKinsey's assessment game (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/mckinsey-digital-assessment
  • McKinsey: Our purpose, mission, and values (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/about-us/overview/our-purpose-mission-and-values
  • McKinsey: Undergraduate degree careers (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/students/undergraduate-degree
  • McKinsey: MBA careers (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/students/mba-degree
  • Reported: PrepLounge, McKinsey PEI (2025 dimension names): https://www.preplounge.com/en/blog/consulting/interview/mckinsey-pei
  • Reported: RoadToOffer, McKinsey PEI guide: https://www.roadtooffer.com/blog/mckinsey-pei-guide
  • Reported: Hacking the Case Interview, McKinsey PEI questions: https://www.hackingthecaseinterview.com/pages/mckinsey-pei-questions
  • Reported: MyConsultingCoach, McKinsey Solve guide: https://www.myconsultingcoach.com/mckinsey-problem-solving-game
  • Reported: CaseCoach, 22 September 2026, interview with McKinsey's talent attraction lead on AI-assisted cases: https://casecoach.com/b/how-mckinsey-bcg-and-bain-are-testing-ai-skills-in-interviews/
  • Reported (news): Business Insider via Yahoo Finance, 24 May 2026, McKinsey on AI in recruiting: https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/mckinsey-wants-job-candidates-practice-095201522.html
  • Reported (news): Fortune, 14 January 2026, earlier report of a McKinsey AI interview pilot: https://fortune.com/2026/01/14/how-to-get-hired-at-mckinsey-ai-tools-liberal-arts-creativity/
  • Reported: StrategyCase, McKinsey AI interview: https://strategycase.com/mckinsey-ai-interview/
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