what is a practice area focused interview in MBB firm?

Hi there,

For McKinsey it means the following:

In the McKinsey interview you will have to answer three different questions types - broadly speaking:

• Structuring
• Exhibit Interpretation
• Math

Now for Structure and Exhibit Interpretation, there is no right or wrong answer. Some answers are better than others because they are

• deep
• broad
• insightful
• hypothesis-driven
• follow a strong communication (MECE, top-down, signposted)

That being said, there is no 100% that you can reach or the one-and-only solution/ answer. It is important that your answers display the characteristics specified above and supported well with arguments.

As for Math questions, usually, there are answers which are correct (not always 100% the same since some candidates simplify or round differently - which is ok), and others that are wrong, either due to the

• calculation approach
• calculation itself

Now, for the interviewer, the overall picture counts. Mistakes in one area need to be balanced by a strong performance in other areas. McKinsey wants to see spikes in performance in certain areas and a good enough performance in other areas.

The most common example I see almost every day: You can be strong in structure and exhibit, yet make a small mistake in the math section - overall as you might consider 80% - and still pass on to the next round.

On the matter of industry-specific cases:

It will be a mix of cases in a domain-relevant context as well as cases set in a completely different context.

Be aware that frameworks were applicable in the 2000 years, the era of Victor Cheng and Case in Point. McK has long caught up on this and the cases you will get during the interviews are tailored in a way to test your creativity and ability to generate insights, not remember specific frameworks.

In fact, it will hurt you when you try to use a framework on a case that calls for a completely different approach. Also, it gives a false sense of security that will translate to stress once you figure out how your approach won't work during the real interview - I have seen this so many times...

Your goal should be to learn how to build issue trees, interpret charts, and perform math no matter the context, industry, or function of the case. I have a system for that, especially for McKinsey cases, that teaches you exactly this approach + a ton of exercises I give my coachees to progress their ability to come up with deep, broad, and insightful answers for each case individually.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there!

Unless you are applying for a specific practice area such as Gamma or BCG X, the process are standardized: 

I would recommend you:
1. Understand well the recruiting process of each firm, https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles
2. familiar yourself with the type of cases you can get https://www.preplounge.com/en/bootcamp.php and check cases published on PrepLounge
3. Practice math!
4. Dont learn any framework by hard, understand rather how to structure a problem and form a hypothesis to prove/disprove with an analysis
5. Practice with peers and take a few sessions with a coach, eventually do one diagnostic session to tell you where you stand and what your next steps should be

Feel free to reach out if you need a coach to support you, I am rewarded as a top BCG trainer, training new hires all the consulting skills (including how we create frameworks), as well as experienced coach.

Good luck!
Lucie
Was my answer helpful?

Hi there,

Generalist interview could be anything.

Practice area interview could be anything.

I know this sounds unhelpful, but it's true.

Please don't make the mistake of so many candidates thinking you can memorize x thing and expect y thing. Learn the process of solving problems and it won't matter what they hit you with!

All this said, if you have a practice area interview, it is more likely they give you cases + brainstorming questions in that practice area topic…but it is unlikely that that is all they give (as in, you should be ready for “random” cases as well).

Here's some more reading to help: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

Hello,

If you are applying to a specific practice, the practice will often look to assess your level of knowledge on that space.  Often, this means the case interview will be focused on that space.  But sometimes it means that they will be looking to understand your experience in that area, such as data science.  

If you have any more details, feel free to share them with me and I'll try and help!

Best,

Allen

Hi,

Let me add my down-to-earth two cents from recent experience to great answers already given.

It probably refers to so called TEI (Technical Experience Interview) that is efficiently PEI with high exposure to technical details. One of my case partners had it while applying for a McKinsey position with modelling and programming scope. So to prepare yourself for that, mind through the methods, softwares, data you were using in the story while also still keeping attention to behavioural moves as in any PEI.

Your case should probably be also related to the area of your expertise or the practice. What you are expected to show is deeper understanding and ideating both objective and novel approaches. But the other requirements are the same.

Good luck and keep posted!

Marat

Hi there, 

Aside from the advice provided below by my colleagues, I would also suggest that you reach out to HR and ask them. That's because the recruitment process differs between regions, offices and roles. 

In some regions, for practice area focused interviews they might provide cases only specifically from that area. Knowing this will help you prepare more effectively so it's very useful to know it in advance. 

Best,

Cristian

The skills being assessed are the same. But on top of that they may look for either specific experience or specific industry knowledge on your area of focus.