Asking for adjustments: extra time and other accommodations
What three large firms say publicly about accommodations, what to ask for, when and how to ask, and general information on the law in the UK and the US.
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
- A short request works best: what makes a standard format hard for you, and the specific change that removes the problem.
- Ask before you start any test.
- Ask the recruiter named in your invitation, or use the channel the firm's page names.
- Be ready for a request for documentation.
This lesson quotes what firms and governments publish about adjustments for disabled and neurodivergent candidates. Firms, schools and programmes change their rules every year, so confirm the details on the linked page before you rely on them.
If you are disabled, neurodivergent (for example with ADHD, dyslexia or autism) or have a health condition, you can ask for changes to how you are assessed, often called reasonable adjustments or accommodations. Asking is normal and it is part of the process at large firms. No firm promises a particular adjustment in advance; each request is decided case by case.
What firms say publicly
- BCG's careers site says: "If you need any reasonable accommodations as part of the interview process, please let your recruiter know as soon as possible."
- Bain's digital assessment page says you can request an accommodation for the TestGorilla assessment during its setup, before you begin. For the Sova assessment, it asks you not to start and to contact the talent acquisition address on that page first.
- McKinsey has a page on navigating McKinsey with a disability that, according to search result snippets, says you may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting the recruiting team. The page did not load for our checker, so read it yourself before relying on this.
- Candidates on a public forum describe extra time and quiet rooms being handled case by case, usually with documentation from a clinician (reported, unverified).
What you might ask for
- Extra time on online tests, chatbot cases or written cases.
- Rest breaks between interviews on a long day.
- A quiet room, or an in-person interview instead of a video one (or the other way round).
- The case prompt in writing as well as spoken, or captions on video calls.
- Assistive technology such as a screen reader, or an accessible version of a test.
- Clear instructions in advance about the format and timing of each round.
A short request works best: what makes a standard format hard for you, and the specific change that removes the problem. "I have dyslexia, which slows my reading of dense text. I would like 25 percent extra time on the online assessment." The more concrete the change, the easier it is to arrange.
When and how to ask
- 1Ask before you start any test. Most online tests cannot be paused and restarted with new settings once begun.
- 2Ask the recruiter named in your invitation, or use the channel the firm's page names. Keep it in writing.
- 3Be ready for a request for documentation. In the US, the EEOC says an employer may ask for reasonable documentation when a disability is not obvious.
- 4Confirm what was agreed in writing, round by round, including who will tell the interviewers.
- 5Practise with the adjustment: use the relaxed timer in the case simulator, or ask your partner to give you the prompt in writing.
The law, in general terms
- UK: under the Equality Act 2010 it is against the law for employers to discriminate because of a disability, including in recruitment. GOV.UK says an employer may make limited enquiries about health or disability during recruitment, for example to find out whether you can take part in an interview or whether the interviewers need to make reasonable adjustments.
- US: the EEOC says to let an employer know as soon as you realize you will need a reasonable accommodation for the hiring process, and that an employer cannot refuse to consider you because you need one. When to disclose a need for an accommodation on the job itself is, in the EEOC's words, a personal decision.
- Elsewhere: rules differ by country. Look for your national equality or employment authority.
- This is general information, not legal advice. If a request is refused and you think it should not have been, a disability rights organization or a lawyer in your country can advise you.
You have ADHD and an online assessment invitation arrives. What is the best first step?
Last reviewed: 2026-09-30. Sources, official pages first. "Reported" means a secondary source, not the firm, school or government itself.
- BCG: Accessibility, careers site (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/culture/accessability
- Bain: Digital assessment (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/hiring-process/digital-assessment/
- McKinsey: Navigating McKinsey with a disability (read from a search result snippet; the page did not load for our checker, so treat it as unverified): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/navigating-mckinsey-with-a-disability
- GOV.UK: Disability rights, employment (official government source): https://www.gov.uk/rights-disabled-person/employment
- GOV.UK: Reasonable adjustments for disabled workers (official government source): https://www.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments-for-disabled-workers
- US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Job applicants and the ADA (official government source): https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/job-applicants-and-ada
- Reported (candidate forum): PrepLounge consulting forum, BCG and ADHD accommodation (read from a search snippet, unverified): https://www.preplounge.com/consulting-forum/bcg-adhd-accomodation-25113
Sources for this lesson (7)
- BCG: Accessibility, careers site (official)
- Bain: Digital assessment (official)
- McKinsey: Navigating McKinsey with a disability (read from a search result snippet; the page did not load for our checker, so treat it as unverified)
- GOV.UK: Disability rights, employment (official government source)
- GOV.UK: Reasonable adjustments for disabled workers (official government source)
- US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Job applicants and the ADA (official government source)
- Reported (candidate forum): PrepLounge consulting forum, BCG and ADHD accommodation (read from a search snippet, unverified)
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