Fit Interview Preparation

Hey there,

The McKinsey PEI is very different from all other firms' fit interviews.

Why?

1. There are 3 dimensions you need to talk about (a 4th one is currently being rolled out) and that is it
2. For each dimension, you will go very deep into one story where you displayed certain characteristics
3. If you want to learn more about the dimensions, communication, and structure, check out my article here: https://www.preplounge.com/mckinsey-pei

Typical fit questions are very rare at McKinsey interviews (< 5%) and are usually just asked as ice-breakers or in partner-round interviews. If they come up, they carry little weight in the hiring decision.

Now for every other firm, the fit interview is much more of a black box and interviewers have much more leeway in what they might ask and how they evaluate you. For firms other than McKinsey, do the following (high-level).

1. Prepare answers for the most common fit questions (there are great lists online)
2. Make your answers structured and authentic
3. Do not panic if you get a different question than what you expected. Always keep it natural, show your motivation, and dedication

All the best!

Cheers,

Florian 

Hi there,

If you prepare good stories for MBB interviews, all will work for non-MBB ones. Be ready to have a more unstructured interview and get more variety on the type of questions you'll get.

Best,

Alberto 

I always recommend having two stories for each of the areas of leadership, taking the initiative and working with difficult people. These stories should be presented in the STAR format (situation, task, action, result) and be about 4 mins long.

The McKinsey FIT interviews are longer (typically 15 mins) as they ask you very in-depth questions about your story - you’re not expected to just present for 15 mins! I recommend having 2 stories for each area in case for some reason your favorite story doesn’t answer exactly what is asked.

You then want to be able to answer the standard questions of tell me about yourself, why consulting, why this firm, what are you proud of. These questions tend to not get asked by McKinsey but often are by other firms.

Good luck! 

Hi there,

It's quite “simple” really. Make your story smaller/shorter! The structure is essentially going to be the same!

Make the context/complication just a few sentences. Still focus on your 2-3 key actions but don't elaborate to the 9th degree! Finally, your conclusion should also be just a couple of sentences.

You need to prepare to a broader range of questions, meaning that just having 1-2 stories in 3-4 dimensions may not be enough (or at least you have to prepare beforehand the delivery of those stories in order to fit the questions being asked in a smooth, non-forced way).

The fit interview in non-McKinsey is also more interviewee led as well. So you need to know what is the “story” you want to tell, i.e. what are the 3-4 attributes that you want to highlight and put that in the form of storytelling. Having a strong domain of “why you”, “why consulting” and “why xyz company” is a must (please not that these three questions are still “why you” just in a different format).

It won't hurt you to prepare your stories in-depth. You can always trim it down in the interview in case they ask less or want a shorter answer. Have a set of stories prepared that cover the typical dimensions (e.g. leadership, team player, excellence, entrepreneurship/drive) and you can always tailor them a bit to the specific question at hand - it's not like you need to memorize a script as if you were to perform in a play. 

Best wishes

I don’t think you need to prepare any differently for ‘non-MBB’ firms. It’s just that McK might probe you a bit more on your stories. As long as your stories are engaging, follows a structure (‘star‘ format as highlighted below) it should be good. 

Happy to provide you input in an offline discussion if needed 

good luck !