McKinsey & Company interview questions

Applied online and submitted resume. Was contacted by email concerning offer of interview but giving only 5 days notice for travel plans to be arranged thus costing more for last minute flight/hotel. Initially arrived was large group of other interviewees none of whom expected such a large group. We were greeted friendly then told we would start the day with a one hour test consisting of 26 questions. Additionally we were told that any additional offer of a second interview would mainly consist of results of the test. Next we had three 30 minute case review sessions each with a different case leader. The first case leader was a woman who seemed to be trying to make the session as difficult as possible and had a severe appearing attitude (very standoff, unsmiling, unfriendly). The case did not go well for anyone in my group. The second and third sessions were lead by different men. One had such a strong accent that it was difficult for everyone in our group to understand what he was saying or asking. He was friendly and encouraging however. The final session leader was very clear, encouraging, friendly, and guided the session as would be expected from most case review studies. Overall, it took 4.5 hrs and was a very stressful day.

I received a pre-screening interview from a experienced hire recruiter. This is the first step in the MK process if you are not applying to the company via a school program. The recruiter contacts you to schedule a phone "conversation". Really, they are looking for whether you (1) Are a good fit for the firm (2) Have a good reason for why you want to go into management consulting and finally (3) Have a great reason for why MK. The conversation lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to about 1 hour and most of the conversation centers around your experiences. Specific questions include: (1) describing a time you were a leader (2) describe a time you had to overcome your teams objections on your plan, and where you successful? The recruiter also takes you through the interview process and describes the case interviews that will come up if you get chosen to advance to the next round. Say the recruiter really likes you, he'll move you to the next round but the ultimate decision of whether you get to the next round rests on the office you're applying to. They take a look at your resume vs. their needs and decide whether they want you this year. The recruiter also gives you an "example" of a case interview which is basically an estimation question to gauge whether you a familiar with the case interview process. He says that your answer does not hurt in anyway - I'm not sure if that's true or not but I think it always looks better that you know what your talking about and have been practicing either way. So, this is the basic phone interview from MK.