I applied through university. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at McKinsey & Company in Oct 2011
Interview
Got the interview through campus recruiting. Upon being invited for a first round interview, I was assigned an interview coach who was very helpful in answering questions, and doing two practice cases over the phone.
Took a relatively hard test prior to the interview on campus.
Day of the interview: Everyone at the office was very friendly. The first round consisted of two interviews that followed the same structure:
1. Behavioral question with detailed follow up questions. Focused on one experience only.
2. Case question: Interviewer presented a case from their practicing area. Was given charts, and graphs. Case interview is very interviewer-driven, and follows a question and answer format.
A week later I was informed by one of the interviewers that I was not going to continue in the interview process. I had a chance to ask questions and get feedback on what I could have done better in the interview.
Interview questions [4]
Question 1
Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership skills
A light bulb company has 3 types of bulbs. Information given on cost and revenue of each type. What should the company do? What are some trends you see?
I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (San Francisco, CA)
Interview
Interview was a straightforward case study, and a McKinsey-specific Personal Experience Interview. This was difficult but I was able to prepare, so it was not too challenging after preparation. The team was very kind throughout the process and I was able to request information on the interview style ahead of time.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a challenge and how you overcame it?
Passed the online test and then had a round 1 interview. I got a rejection call shortly after. Interviews were a mix of behavioral and technical. Difficulty depends on difficulty of case.
I interviewed at McKinsey & Company (New York, NY)
Interview
Positive experience until the super day. The scheduling was quite long and they gave me a month's gap between my previous round and my final round. But overall everyone speaks eloquently and thinks logically. My interactions with senior partners are also very positive; they ask insightful, probing questions and were encouraging throughout the interview. I thought I smashed it, but one of the partners called me the other day and rejected me.