Duration of McKinsey PEI Interview

Question

I've heard that PEI interview will last for approximately 15 minutes and divided into telling the story and answering follow up questions.

1. From that 15 minutes, what is the recommended duration for telling the story?

2. Is it possible that the interviewer doesn't give follow up questions?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hey there,

Funnily enough, Anon B has the best answer here. Almost 100% spot on!

Adding my 2 cents here:

1. 6-8 minutes. If you follow the SCORE Framework I developed specifically for this kind of interview (Personal Experience Interview), you can create and tell your story with the highest impact within that timeframe (which leaves no questions on the table for the interviewer).

2. Yes, see above. However, some interviewers still like to micromanage the interview and ask questions after every 5th sentence. This is not per se a sign that your story is based, but an interviewer's choice to direct you.

All the best,

Florian

Answer 2

As a relatively recent (1.5 years ago) candidate who made it to McK final round, I can share my experience:

In all my PEI interviews, the interviewer intervened only marginally (each story lasted 8-10 min). Means, typically one clarification question during the story, and one follow-up question afterwards. I got positive feedback for all my PEIs.

That said, this only happens if your story (content, structure, flow) is spot-on. The reason why most candidates experience frequent interruptions and get caught off-guard is due to sub-par preparation.

The reason why interviewers interrupt you or ask questions is not to play bad cop, but to actually learn about the deeper rationales of your actions, and hence give you more chances to showcase the personal fit required for the job. If you have prepared well and know exactly what is required from each PEI part, then a) your story will be so crystal clear that there will be minimal need for interruptions and questions, and b) you will be able to answer every follow-up question with ease, since you will have thought through all the “why’s” in advance.

Answer 3

Hey,

the whole PEI interview (story & Q&A) will take around ~20-30min.

1. I normally recommend talking through the story for ~5-8min.

2. No, this is not possible. The stories do live from the conversation afterward! There are 2 possibilities: either your interviewer will ask questions during your story (interrupting you) or all the questions will be asked after you tell your whole story.

Hope this helps!

BR Alessa

Answer 4

Yes, 15-20 minutes in general. Honestly, the story shouldn't take much longer than 5 minutes. Much longer probably means you are taking a lot of detours and not communicating in a structured way.

The interviewer will always give follow up questions. The interview will always be a conversation, not a monologue.

Answer 5

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