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Tipps for final month of prepearation for McKinsey Superday

Hi all,ย 

I have my McKinsey Superday (r2) in a month and wanted to ask what your reccomendations for the final month of preperation are. Also if anybody has advice on how to prepeare for the partner interview on values and what I can expect there, I would love to hear ย :)

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Florian
Coach
on Nov 04, 2024
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 500+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

Congrats on making it this far! :-)

1. How to get ready for every case, partner round or not

  • The key reason why candidates fail their case interviews and don't improve with practice is because they never learn the right approach and techniques to begin with. They might go through 30-40 cases, just repeating the same mistakes over and over again. There is often no strong baseline.

  • So even if your timeline is compressed, make sure you understand and learn the basics for each part of the case (structuring, charts, math), which is

    • A replicable step-by-step for each part of the case interview

    • The right thinking techniques around the individual parts (e.g., what's a framework, what is evaluated, how can I ensure I think about it the correct way, what are some shortcuts to get to the answer quickly, etc.)

    • Simple communication templates to help you communicate your insights as well as ask for data in the right way to drive the case forward

  • There are several approaches you can take, such as hiring a skilled coach, reading the right materials, or enrolling in relevant courses. For example, while some chatbots may suggest a list of books, my book, The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview, provides direct guidance tailored to modern case interviews. It covers all the essential points mentioned here, and more, while also offering a detailed preparation plan. You can find it on Amazon
  • Avoid generic advice and framework memorization approaches. This will only hurt your performance and waste a ton of time (why -> check out the first post here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/how-goodrelevant-is-the-case-in-point-book-for-case-prep-1984)

  • Once you have that baseline it's time to practice and internalize the skills to create the right profile, polishing your strengths and lifting your weaknesses to a robust-enough level

  • Practice drills alone (structure, chart, math) and practice full cases with other excellent candidates that know the right habits and approach. It is crucial that you are practicing with really good peers, otherwise, it's a waste of time. Practicing drills on your own is a huge effectivity and efficiency booster since you can go over many more questions in a shorter amount of time compared to practicing with peers. Do both in parallel! You want to spend your time where it is most useful, e.g., if you struggle with math focus on math drills, etc.
  • Focus on quality over quantity. Doing 50+ cases does not mean much if you are not applying the right habits to score high and do a detailed debrief after every case to improve. You want to move from bad to good for your weaknesses and good to great for your strengths --> use the feedback from your previous experience and tailor your prep accordingly

  • Consider booking at least an initial coaching session to get a detailed and objective evaluation of your performance + learn the right habits for every case regardless of context and framework + get a tailored preparation plan out of the session that will set you up for an effective and efficient prep.

  • For your prep, tailor the cases to the firm you are applying to. McKinsey cases for instance are quite different from BCG and Bain

  • Don't forget the fit interview part. Prepare answers for all the typical fit questions and stories (3-5 hours) and rehearse them a couple of timesย (5 hours)

2. When to stop

Stop doing cases when you can solve every case and drill thrown at you with relative ease. If you follow the above - depending on the starting level - this should be happening between 50 and 100 hours of practice.

3. How to deal with the partner round

95% of partner rounds are just as standardized as the first round, yet be prepared to expect everything. Sometimes they are more conversational and friendly, only with light-touch evaluation, other times they are more challenging. Usually, they are the same.ย 

The reason why you read about freestyle partner experiences is that they deviate from what people expect, hence they post about it more frequently online, hence giving others the impression it is much more common.

Additionally, partner rounds are often perceived as more challenging, just because it's a partner sitting across the table rather than a more junior colleague. It is purely based on the impression and not on the content. :-)

If there are any deviations from the standard interviewer guidelines, expect them to be in the following realm:

  • Focus on one or two areas where you were perceived as not as strong in round one, which can be specific case questions or PEI
  • Only doing a case, only doing fit instead of both
  • Doing two shorter cases in quick succession
  • Challenging your answers more
  • Not providing any time for you to think about the answer, making it more conversational

In any case, the most important thing is not to be startled by this and just keep working on the case and fit in a calm manner.ย 

Have a look at the following two articles that I wrote:

Case: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-interview

PEI: https://www.preplounge.com/en/mckinsey-pei

All the best for your superday!

Cheers,

Florian

on Nov 04, 2024
+600 Interviews | Free 30-min alignment call | Ex-Principal & Member of the Recruiting task force | 360ยฐ Coaching

Hi there,

Congratulations!

Focus on these points:

  1. Build mental flexibility โ€“ Train yourself to handle any case without relying too heavily on pre-set frameworks. This will help you adapt quickly in the interview.
  2. Prep your personal fit โ€“ Highlight who you are and why youโ€™re a strong fit for McKinsey during the personal fit portion of the interview.
  3. Mindset matters โ€“ Approach the interview with confidence and a positive mindset. This often forgotten in the training prep and I guarantee will make a big difference.

For the Partner interview, be ready for anything - it could be a case, a discussion about current global issues, a "getting to know you" conversation, or a mix of all three. The key is to stay adaptable and confident, ready to engage thoughtfully no matter what direction the conversation takes.

I offer a free 30-min chat if you'd like some more personalized tips for your prep.

Best of luck!
Kairavee

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