I applied through university. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Toronto, ON) in Sept 2010
Interview
Pre-interview communication was excellent. I received a phone call from the recruiter in Toronto to go over some initial details about the process (e.g. number of interviews, expected dates, interview format, etc.) He also informed me that I would be assigned a 'buddy' who would help me with interview preparation. My buddy went above and beyond even delivering a case to me in the middle of night (for him) as 8 time zones separated us and that was the only time that worked.
There were 2 x 60 minute first round interviews conducted by 2 Senior Associates/EMs in the Toronto office. Standard 20 minutes of deep behavioral probing questions and a 30 minute case. Plus a few minutes of chit-chat at the end.
Second round interviews were conducted by Associate Principals and Partners. There were 4x60 minute interviews in this round and they were held back-to-back over a 4 hour stretch one Friday morning. Two of these interviews were face-to-face and two were conducted over video conference. Format was similar to the first round but the partners were a little more free-form moving from behavioral questions to case and sometimes back.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
A high level of personal preparation is required to succeed in the McKinsey interview process. Candidates should know that they need to do a lot of self-reflection to understand their own strengths and weaknesses. There was nothing too difficult in the case portion of the interviews for someone who is well prepared. The difficult questions are the probing behavioral questions. Expect to go into great depth in your answers to behavioral questions (e.g. expect to quote verbatim what was said in conversations).
I applied through university. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Cambridge, MA)
Interview
they let you prep for cases and do what the book says. this is only a question of how hard you prepared. then they take the people one by one and repeat again and again. sometimes the people who give you interviews have been there for less time than 1 yr
I applied through university. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Gurgaon, Haryana)
Interview
The selection process is rigorous and highly competitive, involving multiple rounds of case interviews along with a personality assessment. Candidates are evaluated not only on their problem-solving and analytical abilities but also on their communication, leadership potential, and overall fit with the organization’s values and culture. The process is designed to identify high achievers who have demonstrated consistent excellence throughout their academic and professional journeys, maintaining strong performance over time rather than relying on isolated accomplishments.”
The interview is structured exactly as the preparation materials describe, i.e. personal fit and case. All interviewers were friendly and supportive. After each interview round I received helpful feedback. The cases are not easy but fair.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Questions regarding the case. Interviewer will led the case though