I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company in Oct 2011
Interview
I've initially applied online on the website, but apparently my application was "lost" by the office I ranked first in the process, and then tought I was rejected from all office. Two months later I discovered this fact, and applied directly to the office by email.
In 3 days I was contacted and scheduled for the PST in a 2/3 months (just missed one). But in the end this was good news because I trained a lot, using both online and paper resources: caseinterviews.com; Case in point; How to get into top consulting firms.
I cumulated 50 practice cases, 100+ hours of preparation, and GRE/GMAT training for the PST.
The test was very hard, time is tight and i had to answer a fair number of questions with educated guesses. But I guess the threeshold to pass the test is not so high.
Then I was called back for a motivational interview (eg tell me about a moment in which you demonstrated leadership) with a case, and then a little space for my questions to the interviewer, which are no less important!
Then the final round, with the same motivational + case format repeated 3 times in a day. Then I received the offer.
The only suggestion: be prepared, and think about every single word or assumption before it leaves your mouth! It should be inserted in a structure that you should have already presented to the interviewer.
And be relaxed and relatively friendly: they also want to check if they'd like to work with you till midnight without pick up a fight or get bored, or if you can meet a client and get along with him well without embarassing the firm.
I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (San Francisco, CA)
Interview
Interview was a straightforward case study, and a McKinsey-specific Personal Experience Interview. This was difficult but I was able to prepare, so it was not too challenging after preparation. The team was very kind throughout the process and I was able to request information on the interview style ahead of time.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a challenge and how you overcame it?
Passed the online test and then had a round 1 interview. I got a rejection call shortly after. Interviews were a mix of behavioral and technical. Difficulty depends on difficulty of case.
I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (New York, NY)
Interview
Positive experience until the super day. The scheduling was quite long and they gave me a month's gap between my previous round and my final round. But overall everyone speaks eloquently and thinks logically. My interactions with senior partners are also very positive; they ask insightful, probing questions and were encouraging throughout the interview. I thought I smashed it, but one of the partners called me the other day and rejected me.