Other McKinsey Fit Interview Questions

 

In addition to the PEI, your McKinsey interviewers will likely ask shorter fit questions. These take 1 to 2 minutes to answer and help interviewers understand your motivations and background.

 

Tell Me About Yourself

 

This question often comes at the very beginning of your interview. It's your chance to make a strong first impression and guide the conversation toward your strengths.

 

What McKinsey wants to hear:

 

McKinsey doesn't want a chronological walkthrough of your resume. They want a compelling narrative that explains who you are and why you're sitting in this interview.

 

Your answer should connect the dots between your experiences and show a clear trajectory toward consulting. Why does McKinsey make sense as your next step?

 

How to structure your answer:

 

Keep your answer to 60 to 90 seconds. Structure it in three parts.

 

First, give a quick overview of your background. Where are you now and what's your most relevant experience?

 

Second, highlight one or two accomplishments that showcase skills relevant to consulting. Pick examples that demonstrate problem-solving, leadership, or impact.

 

Third, explain why McKinsey is the logical next step. Connect your past to your future.

 

Example structure:

 

"I'm currently finishing my MBA at Kellogg, where I've focused on strategy and operations. Before business school, I spent three years at a healthcare startup where I led our expansion into two new markets, growing revenue from $2 million to $8 million.

 

That experience showed me how much I enjoy solving ambiguous business problems, but I want to do it across more industries and at a larger scale. That's what draws me to McKinsey, specifically the healthcare practice where I can combine my industry experience with broader strategic work."

 

Common mistakes:

 

The biggest mistake is rambling. If your answer goes past 2 minutes, you've lost your interviewer's attention.

 

Another mistake is being too humble. This is your chance to highlight your accomplishments. Don't downplay your achievements.

 

Why McKinsey?

 

This question tests whether you've done your homework and have genuine reasons for choosing McKinsey over BCG, Bain, or other firms.

 

What McKinsey wants to hear:

 

Generic answers won't work here. Saying McKinsey is prestigious or has great clients could apply to any top consulting firm.

 

McKinsey wants to hear specific reasons that are unique to their firm. What makes McKinsey different from the alternatives? Why is McKinsey the right fit for you specifically?

 

Three elements of a strong answer:

 

First, mention specific McKinsey differentiators. This could be their global staffing model, investment in research and publications, or strength in government work.

 

Second, reference people you've talked to from McKinsey. Name specific consultants you've met through networking events or coffee chats. What did they tell you about the culture that resonated with you?

 

Third, connect McKinsey to your personal goals. How does what McKinsey offers align with where you want to take your career?

 

What NOT to say:

 

Don't say McKinsey is your top choice just because it's the most prestigious. Don't give reasons that apply equally to BCG or Bain.

 

Don't focus on exit opportunities. McKinsey wants to hire people who want to build a career there, not people who see it as a stepping stone.

 

Why Consulting?

 

This question tests whether you understand what consultants actually do and whether you'd enjoy the work.

 

What McKinsey wants to hear:

 

Show that you understand the reality of consulting, not just the glamorous parts. Consulting involves long hours, constant travel, and working on other people's problems rather than your own.

 

Your answer should explain why these tradeoffs appeal to you specifically. What is it about your personality or past experiences that makes consulting a good fit?

 

How to structure your answer:

 

Connect your answer to specific experiences that showed you'd enjoy consulting work. Maybe you loved a project where you solved an ambiguous problem. Maybe you thrive on variety and get bored doing the same thing every day.

 

Be specific about what attracts you.

 

• Is it the problem-solving?
• The variety of industries?
• The steep learning curve?
• The team environment?

 

Pick two or three reasons and explain each briefly.

 

Common mistakes:

 

Don't give generic reasons like "I want to learn" or "I want to work with smart people." Everyone says these things.

 

Don't focus too much on the benefits like pay, exit opportunities, or prestige. Focus on the actual work and why you'd enjoy it.

 

Do You Have Any Questions for Me?

 

This question comes at the end of your interview. What you ask reveals how much you've thought about McKinsey and what matters to you.

 

Good questions to ask:

 

• Ask about your interviewer's personal experience: What projects have they enjoyed most? What's surprised them about working at McKinsey? How has their career progressed?

 

• Ask about the specific office or practice you're joining: What types of projects does this office focus on? How do staffing decisions work?

 

• Ask thoughtful questions that show you've done research: You might reference a McKinsey publication and ask how that work connects to client projects.

 

Questions to avoid:

 

Don't ask questions you could easily answer with a Google search. Don't ask about salary, vacation, or benefits at this stage.

 

Don't ask questions that suggest you're not committed, like "What do most people do after they leave McKinsey?"

 

How to Answer McKinsey PEI Questions

 

The key to acing the McKinsey PEI is structure. A well-organized answer is easier to follow and demonstrates the clear-thinking McKinsey values.

 

The SPAR Framework

 

Use the SPAR framework to structure your PEI answers. SPAR stands for Summary, Problem, Action, and Result.

 

Summary

 

Start with a one-sentence summary of your story. This gives your interviewer a roadmap for what they're about to hear.

 

For example: "I'd like to tell you about a time when I convinced our CEO to change our product strategy, which ultimately increased our annual revenue by 30%."

 

This summary tells your interviewer the topic, the key players, and the outcome. Now they can follow along more easily as you share the details.

 

Problem

 

Describe the challenge you faced. Set up the context, but don't spend too long here. Your interviewer wants to get to the action.

 

Explain what was at stake.

 

• Why did this problem matter?
• What would have happened if it wasn't solved?

 

Keep this section to 30 to 45 seconds. You should spend most of your time on the Action section.

 

Action

 

This is the most important part of your answer. Explain exactly what you did to address the problem.

 

Use "I" throughout this section. McKinsey wants to know what you specifically did, not what your team did.

 

Be detailed about your thought process.

 

• Why did you approach it this way?
• What alternatives did you consider?
• How did you decide what to do?

 

This section should take 1 to 2 minutes in your initial answer. But be prepared for your interviewer to interrupt with follow-up questions that dig deeper.

 

Result

 

End with the outcome of your actions. Quantify your impact whenever possible. Numbers are more memorable and credible than vague claims.

 

Also include what you learned from the experience. McKinsey values candidates who reflect on their experiences and grow from them.

 

Key Principles for PEI Answers

 

Use "I" not "we"

 

Your interviewer wants to assess you, not your team. Every sentence should focus on your specific contribution.

 

Instead of "We decided to change our approach," say "I proposed that we change our approach, and after presenting my analysis to the team, they agreed."

 

Quantify your impact

 

Numbers make your stories more credible and memorable. Don't say "I improved efficiency." Say "I reduced processing time by 40%, saving the company $50,000 per month."

 

If you can't quantify the direct result, quantify something related. How many people were affected? How much money was involved? How long did the project take?

 

Prepare for follow-up questions

 

Your initial answer is just the beginning. Your interviewer will spend the next 10 minutes asking follow-up questions.

 

Common follow-ups include:

 

• Why did you decide to approach it that way?
• What other options did you consider?
• How did the other person react when you said that?
• What was going through your mind at that moment?
• What would you do differently if you could do it again?
• What did you learn from this experience?

 

Have enough detail prepared that you can answer these questions confidently. If you have to make things up or say "I don't remember," your story loses credibility.

 

Keep your initial answer to 2 to 3 minutes

 

Don't try to tell every detail upfront. Give a structured overview, then let your interviewer guide the conversation with their questions.

 

If you talk for 5 minutes straight without pausing, you're not having a conversation. You're giving a monologue. McKinsey interviewers want dialogue.

 

McKinsey PEI Example

 

Here's an example of how a PEI answer might unfold, including follow-up questions from the interviewer.

 

Interviewer: Tell me about a time when you had to convince someone who disagreed with you.

 

Candidate (Summary): I'd like to tell you about a time at my previous company when I convinced my VP of Sales to completely change our pricing strategy for enterprise clients. This ultimately increased our close rate by 25% and added $2 million in annual revenue.

 

Candidate (Problem): I was working as a product manager at a B2B software company. We were losing enterprise deals to competitors, and I believed our pricing model was the problem. We charged per user, which made us expensive for large companies. But our VP of Sales had designed this pricing model himself and was resistant to changing it.

 

Interviewer: Why was he resistant?

 

Candidate: He had two concerns. First, he worried that changing pricing would confuse our existing customers and hurt retention. Second, he felt that per-user pricing aligned our incentives with customer success since we made more money as customers expanded usage.

 

Interviewer: How did you know pricing was the real problem?

 

Candidate: I analyzed our lost deals from the past six months. I called 15 prospects who had chosen competitors and asked why. Twelve of them mentioned pricing as a factor. I also researched competitor pricing and found that all three of our main competitors used tiered pricing rather than per-user pricing for enterprise deals.

 

Candidate (Action): Once I had this data, I requested a meeting with the VP of Sales. Rather than arguing that his pricing was wrong, I started by acknowledging his concerns. I said I understood why he designed the model the way he did and that his reasoning made sense for our smaller customers.

 

Then I shared my research. I walked him through the lost deal analysis and competitor pricing. I proposed a hybrid model where we kept per-user pricing for small customers but offered tiered pricing for enterprise deals above a certain threshold.

 

Interviewer: How did he react to your proposal?

 

Candidate: Initially, he was skeptical. He pointed out that I didn't have sales experience and might be missing something. So I suggested we test the new pricing with just five enterprise prospects as a pilot. This reduced his risk since we weren't changing our entire pricing structure.

 

Interviewer: What happened with the pilot?

 

Candidate: We closed four of the five pilot deals, compared to our normal close rate of about 30% for enterprise. That data convinced him. He agreed to roll out tiered pricing for all enterprise deals.

 

Candidate (Result): Within six months, our enterprise close rate increased from 30% to 55%. That translated to $2 million in additional annual revenue. The VP of Sales actually thanked me in a company all-hands meeting for pushing back on his original approach.

What I learned from this experience is that data is the most effective way to change someone's mind, especially when they're emotionally invested in their position. I also learned the value of proposing low-risk pilots rather than asking for wholesale changes.

 

Interviewer: What would you have done if the pilot had failed?

 

Candidate: I would have tried to understand why. Were our prices still too high? Was there something else wrong with how we sold to enterprise? Failure would have given me more data to work with. I might have proposed a different pilot based on what we learned.

 

How to Prepare for McKinsey Behavioral Interviews

 

Preparation is the difference between candidates who stumble through PEI and candidates who ace it. Follow these steps to prepare effectively.

 

Step 1: Identify 6 to 8 Stories

 

You need enough stories to cover all four PEI themes without repeating yourself across interviews.

 

Aim for at least two stories per theme. This gives you flexibility if one story doesn't quite fit the specific question asked.

 

Draw from professional experiences, academic projects, extracurricular activities, and personal life. McKinsey cares about the quality of your story, not where it comes from.

 

Prioritize recent examples from the last 2 to 3 years. Older stories are harder to remember in detail and may seem less relevant.

 

Step 2: Write Out Every Detail

 

For each story, write out everything you can remember. Don't edit yourself at this stage. Just capture all the details.

 

Answer these questions for each story:

 

• What was the situation and context?
• What was the specific challenge or problem?
• Who else was involved?
• What actions did you take? Be specific about each step.
• How did other people react to your actions?
• What was the outcome? Can you quantify it?
• What did you learn from this experience?

 

The more detail you capture now, the better prepared you'll be for follow-up questions.

 

Step 3: Practice the 10- to 15-Minute Deep Dive

 

PEI practice is different from normal interview practice. You need someone who will interrupt you with probing questions.

 

Find a practice partner, ideally someone who has been through consulting interviews. Give them permission to ask tough follow-ups and push back on your answers.

 

Practice each story multiple times until you can discuss it comfortably for 15 minutes without running out of things to say.

 

Time yourself. If you can only talk about a story for 5 minutes before you run out of material, you need more detail.

 

Step 4: Prepare Fit Question Answers

 

Draft concise answers to "Tell me about yourself," "Why McKinsey," and "Why consulting."

 

Keep these answers to 60 to 90 seconds each. Write them out, then practice until they feel natural rather than memorized.

 

Your answers should sound conversational, not scripted. Practice enough that you can adapt on the fly if the interviewer asks a variation of the question.

 

Step 5: Research McKinsey

 

Read McKinsey's statement on their purpose, mission, and values. Be prepared to discuss how these values resonate with you.

 

Review recent McKinsey publications on topics that interest you. This gives you material for your "Why McKinsey" answer and questions to ask your interviewer.

 

Learn about the specific office you're applying to. What industries are strong in that city? What types of projects does that office typically work on?

 

Talk to current or former McKinsey consultants if possible. These conversations give you specific names to mention and insider perspectives to reference.

 

Your Next Step to a McKinsey Offer

 

Ready to walk into your behavioral or fit interview with polished, confident answers?

 

My Consulting Behavioral & Fit Interview Course gives you everything you need to master every behavioral question in just 3 hours, not days of stressful prep.

 

Here's what you get:

 

• 20+ video lessons covering every fit question you'll face at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and other consulting firms

 

• 10+ fill-in-the-blank templates that turn your experiences into compelling interview stories

 

• Real example answers from candidates who landed offers at top firms

 

• McKinsey PEI mastery with dedicated strategies for their unique interview format

 

• Comprehensive rubrics and checklists so you know exactly what interviewers are looking for

 

This course is perfect if you're struggling to articulate your experiences, unsure how to structure your answers, or simply want a proven system instead of guessing what works.

 

Stop stressing over behavioral questions. Get the strategies, frameworks, and templates that make consulting fit interviews easy.

 

👉 Enroll in the Course Now