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      Summer Associate Interview

      Feb 26, 2014
      Anonymous interview candidate
      Chicago, IL
      No offer
      Neutral experience
      Average interview

      Application

      I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Chicago, IL) in Feb 2014

      Interview

      Started with info session for summer internships for APD's (advanced professional degrees, e.g. PhD, MD, JD etc, but not MBA) on campus late November-early December. Applied for the summer internship and got invited to 1st round, IWIA, at the local office which involved the PST (Problem Solving Test) and 2 group interviews. PST was 26 questions that you had to answer in 60 mins. Lots of info available about it online. We were told that we will just be evaluated for the PST and that group interviews are for practice purposes. However, once I passed the PST, I was assigned a buddy and she was able to provide me w/ feedback from those sessions, and you can ask them for more details. The results were given 2 days after the test and I was shortly invited to 2nd round interview at the regional office (e.g. Chicago for all midwest locations). It was ~3 weeks between the 1st and 2nd rounds and they shared the contact info of everyone who passed so we could practice together. Also, at this point, you can finalize your office selection (up to 8 offices). They also held multiple workshop through Cisco webex. One was a group case interview and there were some where different offices tried to have you choose them in your preferences. You can also ask for a phone interview with your buddy. Sadly, my buddy did not do one with me. Round 2 was two 1-hour interviews. 15 mins personal experience (PEI) where they ask you questions, sometimes related to your CV. Do check their website, b/c they ask you questions mainly from 3 categories: achievements, leadership, and challenges. You can easily find most of the questions on their own website and other places online and it's good to have 3-4 stories for each category. Then, you spend ~30 min on an interviewer-led case. Again, detailed info available online. At the end, if you have time, you can spend 10-15 asking questions from them. You should know that these last mins are as important as the rest of the interview. The only negative part of my experience was how much I needed to wait to get the response for the 2nd round and at the end I was not passed to 3rd round. We were told that we should get the results anytime within the 2 weeks after the interview. All my friends got their results (positive or negative) 1-2 days after the interview. However, in my case, they missed their own deadline and finally I had to email the recruiter for the results. One of my interviewers called me 3 days after that. Be sure to ask them for detailed feedback in case you are applying to other firms. The feedback you receive for round 2 is the most valuable. Finally, we were also told during the info sessions that 3rd round is just like 2nd round but with 3 cases as opposed to 2 and with more senior people (principals, partners, or directors) and would be at one of the offices you chose. For me most of the experience was positive. Their HR is a force to be reckoned with. They make you feel like a part of them as you go through the process. The only negative experience for me was to wait more than 2 weeks for a rejection. However, all the consultants were very nice and especially my interviewer who returned to me was very helpful. I feel like you learn a lot just going through the interview process. However, if you get rejected once, they recommend that you at least wait 18 months before reapplying.

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Nothing was unexpected. Most info, especially for PEI, is available online.
      Answer question
      4

      Other Summer Associate interview reviews for McKinsey & Company

      Summer Associate Interview

      Feb 17, 2026
      Anonymous interview candidate
      Miami, FL
      No offer
      Neutral experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Miami, FL)

      Interview

      On campus, met with three different partners/associate partners. Behavioral question followed with case. Behavioral interview they were fishing for something very specific in the story and more often than not I didn't even get to the end of what I prepared. Case was much shorter than Case Book examples. They take your scrap work so make sure it's clean. 1)Framework (MECE is very important to them) 2)Insights from Graph (Important to hit 3rd level insights) 3) Math Calculation (Math wasn't complicated but had many coponents, organization is key)

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Tell me about a time where you handled a conflict with a coworker
      Answer question

      Summer Associate Interview

      Feb 10, 2026
      Anonymous interview candidate
      Denver, CO
      No offer
      Negative experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (Denver, CO)

      Interview

      Long and hard. Overall, the people were really nice, but one of the partners in my very last interview gave me a very difficult time with one specific chart. The cases were much harder than I had actually prepared for.

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      All case studies and PEI questions
      Answer question

      Summer Associate Interview

      Jan 14, 2026
      Anonymous interview candidate
      No offer
      Positive experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I applied online. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company in Jan 2026

      Interview

      It consisted of three case interviews and a personal experience interview question. Mine were in one day back to back. The PEI was pretty standard. the case interviews were difficult.

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Describe a challenging situation you encountered when working with someone of an opposing opinion
      Answer question