What previous applicants, now McKinsey consultants

are saying about the PEI Toolkit & PEI Coaching

"AtthebeginningthePEIwasablack "TobehonestIamnotsureIwouldhave "Amazing!Ireallyhadnoideahow

boxformeandIcouldnotquiteimagine
thepreciserequirements.Itwas
unbelievabletoseethedouzensof
aspectsthatneedtobeconsideredin
masteringthispartoftheselection
process.
Jessica,
London
securedanofferwithoutRobert'shelp
andguidance.Hedefinitelydidan
excellentjobofguidingmethroughthe
wholepreparationprocess,especially
puttingmyfullattentiontothePEIafter
workingonthecases.Withoutallthis
knowledgeaboutit[thePEI]Iwould
haveblownit.
Marc,
Kiev
complexit[thePEI]isandhowmuch
preparationandinsightisnecessaryto
reallymasterthePEI.Thanksforsharing
yourpreciousknowledge Ireally
appreciateitandalsoneedtosaythanks
forhelpingmeoutonthisoneaswell!
Tim,
Beijing

Greatinterviewer thefeedbackwas Robert'sdirectandextensivefeedback Thiswasthe2ndsessionIhadwith

insightful,precise,spotonanddetailed. onmyperformancemademefeel RobertandIwasonceagainvery
NowIknowwhatIneedtofocusmy uncomfortableatsomepointintime, pleased.Verydetailedandhelpfull
preparationon.Idefinitelyrecommend butattheenditallhelpedmeto feedback,andgoodpointsonwhereto
him! improveandsucceed.ThereforeIcan improve.
clearlyrecommendhisassistancein
Juliette, preparingforMcK,thanksmate! Joao,
U.S. Brasil
Soeren,
Germany
Table of Contents

The Big Picture

McKinsey Candidate Assessment Dimensions Overview

The PEI Dimensions

The PEI Preparation Process

PEI Sample Questions

PEI Sample Stories From Successful Candidates

PEI Tactical Issues to Consider

PEI Common Mistakes to Avoid

Bonus: Must-Read Books on Consulting

4
Sample Chapter

The Big Picture

3
The Big Picture
PEI is the most underestimated part of the recruiting process but
matters more than you might think (1/4)

ThePersonalExperienceInterview(PEI)isthemostunderestimatedpartoftheMcKinsey
recruitingprocess,mainlyduetothefollowingissues:

McKinseyisquitecageyaboutthePersonalExperienceInterview thereishardlyany
informationavailableonthisverypartofyourinterviewsessions.Eventhoughthisiscertainly
true,afuturetopmanagementconsultantisatleastexpectedtopreparehimselftothebest
extentpossiblewiththeinformationthatisavailablebeforehand.Beinglazyandnoteven
takingtheefforttogathersomebasicinformationorpreparingthebasicsisdefinitelynotthe
impressionyouwanttocreate.

AlotofcandidatesthinkthatpreparingsomegeneralCVrelatedquestionsandlookingover
pastexperiencesandachievementsisenoughtoprepare however,thisapproachis
fundamentallywrongasthePEIisaninterviewformatofitsownandneedstobeprepared
carefully.Otherwisethecandidatewillmostlikelybyrejected(anditdoesnotmatteratallif
youwerethetopperformerinthecasestudyand/orProblemSolvingTest!).

4
The Big Picture
PEI is the most underestimated part of the recruiting process but
matters more than you might think (2/4)

Knowingtheoreticallywhattodoandtosayisnotenough youneedtodeliveryourstoryin
arealworldinterviewsettingonaconsistentbasis.Therefore,youreallyneedtointernalizeon
howtostructureyourthinkingandyourstoriesandmakeitahabit andthistakesquitesome
time,sostartpreparingnow:
Startpracticingonyourownwithallthecompressedknowledgeavailableinthisguide learnfrom
otherpeoplesmistakessummarizedinthisguidethatmostlikelywouldhavecostyouyourown
McKinseyoffer!
Practicewithsomeoneinterviewingyoutodeliveryourstoryinaninteractivesetting
Practicewithaskilledconsultinginterviewerifsomehowpossible

Withthesesteps,youwillrefineyourstoryalongthewayandmakeaprobablyaveragestory
toarealoutstandingstorytoimpressyourinterviewer!Keepinmindthatthedifference
betweenthosecandidatesactually receivingMcKinseyoffersandthosenearly receiving
McKinseyoffersisverysmall,sothebarisextremelyhighandtimeinvestmentnecessaryis
substantial,consideringdiminishingmarginalutilitytoreachthetopperformancelevel
necessarytoactuallyreceivetheoffer.Tomakealongstoryshort:

SuperiorknowledgeonPEI>superiorPEIstories>superiorperformanceinPEIinterviews!

5
The Big Picture
PEI is the most underestimated part of the recruiting process but
matters more than you might think (3/4)

MostcandidatesarenotreallyawareofthePEIimportanceforMcKinseyandthereforedo
notspendalotoftimepreparingforit.

Letmeshareapersonalstorywithyouonthisone:

IrecentlyhadacoachingclientinEuropewhoaskedmetofocusonthecasestudyonlyasshe
feltvery(unfortunatelyoverly)confidentaboutthePEIandhencedidnotwanttospend
valuablecoachingtimeonthispart.

Shescoredextremelyhighintheanalyticalpartoftherecruitingprocessandtherewasnota
singleissuetheinterviewerscouldgiveherasafeedbackforfurtherimprovementinthe2nd
round(whichwasonadifferentday,fortunately).Atthesametime,however,shewastoldthat
herperformanceonthePEIwasdefinitelylessthanidealandmuchworsethanshewouldhave
beenexpectedonthebasisofherbackgroundandexperience.

6
The Big Picture
PEI is the most underestimated part of the recruiting process but
matters more than you might think (4/4)

Seeminglyandfortunatelyenough,herPEIperformancewastemporarilyacceptablyforthe
interviewers,asshewaspassedtothe2ndroundinterviews.However,shehadaclearwarning
signattachedthattheonlywaytofinallyreceiveanofferwastoreallyimpresstheinterviewers
onthePEIdimensionsinthe2ndround.

Withthisfeedbackinmind,mycoachingclientturnedbacktome,focusingsolelyonPEIfor
severalcoachingsessions1,5hourseachinwhichweworkedveryintenselyonclearly
separatingthesingledimensionsfromeachother(whereactuallymostcandidatesfailalready),
clarifyingthebackgroundofeachdimensionandwhatisespeciallyimportanttoseefor
McKinsey,aswellaschoosingandstructuringherPEIstoriesanddiscussingsometactical
issuesforthePEI.

Ijustcansaythatluckilyenoughshewasevenpassedtothe2ndroundinterviewsatall,asthis
timeshealsonailedthePEIonthespotandsubsequentlyreceivedtheMcKinseyoffershewas
workingforsohardforseveralmonthsalready!

HavingthecorrectinformationaboutthePEIinhand,clearlyunderstandingthespecificsofeach
dimensionandpreparingseriouslyiskeytomasteringthePEIandreceivingaMcKinseyoffer.

7
The Big Picture
The PEI is part of at least 3 interview sessions and is approx. 10-12
min. in duration, even though length can vary substantially

TypicalMcKinseyrecruitingprocessoverview
1stroundusuallyconsistsof4sessions 3casestudyinterviewswithPEI+theProblem
SolvingTest(PST)
Eachinterviewsessionprincipallyhasthesamesequence,includingthePEIpart
ThesequencefortheProblemSolvingTest(PST)variesinthefirstroundinterviews
2ndroundusuallyconsistsof2ormoreinterviewsessionswithmoreseniorstaff

15min. 1012min. 2035min. 15min.

WarmUp/ PersonalExperience Candidates

CaseStudy
IceBreaking Interview Questions
round

Interview Interview Interview ProblemSolving

1st

Session1 Session2 Session3 Test(PST)

round

Interview Interview
2nd

Session4 Session5

8
The Big Picture
Duration is not correlated to importance of interview components,
especially considering the PEI

WhenlookingatthedurationofeachinterviewcomponentintheMcKinseyrecruitingprocess,
donotfallintothecommontraptothinkthatthePersonalExperienceInterviewisnotthat
importantbecauseitisjustsoshortcomparedtotheothercomponents.

Duration

Importance

PST Case PEI

EventhoughthePersonalExperienceInterviewisonlyasmallportionintimecomparedtoan
averagecasestudyandtheproblemsolvingtest,theimportanceisequaltothecasestudyand
evenmoreimportantthantheProblemSolvingTest.

9
The Big Picture
Both hard analytical skills and soft interpersonal skills are
required to be successful as a top management consultant

Alongsidedoingalotofdataanalyticsespeciallyinthemorejuniorranksoftheconsulting
firms,thereisstillahighlevelofveryintenserelationswiththeclientorganizationstartingwith
dayoneasaconsultant.Afterall,consultingisapeoplebusiness.

DuetotheimportanceandimpactofMcKinseyprojects,thereisaninherentlyhighpotential
forconflictswithintheclientorganizations.Moreoftenthannot,theprerequisitesforworking
belowtheclevelexecshierarchyarenotdesirable andyouasafutureMcKinseyconsultant
aremainlyleftalonewithallthis:
Personalinterests,hiddenagendasandofficepolitics
Crisissituationwithaneedofimmediateaction
Generalreluctanceofsharinginformationwiththeconsultant
Clientemployeesfearaboutsecretprojectgoals
Highuncertainty
Timepressure

Duetomassivechallengesfacedbyinteractingwiththeclientorganization,alotofweightisput
onthesoftskillssideintherecruitingprocess.Ayesforlettingyoupasstothe2ndroundof
interviewsisimpossiblewithalowscoreonthePersonalExperienceInterviewdimensions.

10
The Big Picture
Slightly simplified, you just need to be client-ready
and company-compatible

Actually,whatdoesclientreadymean?
Apartbeingconfidentaboutacandidatesanalyticalskills,theMcKinseypartnerbearingtheoverall
responsibilityfortheclientrelationshipandprojectoutcomeneedstobea100%surethathecan
sendyouonabusinesstriparoundtheworldtotheclientonyourown,knowingthatyouwill
definitelydeliverthedesiredresultsevenwithinahostileclientorganization,anddonotscrewup
andputtheclientrelationshipatriskinyourfirstweekalready.

Andwhattheheckiscompanycompatible?
Lookingonthismatterfromacompanyinternalperspective,theoftencitedairporttestcomes
in:beingstrandedataremoteairport,couldyourinterviewerimaginespendingagoodtimewith
younevertheless?Well,youalsomightendupspendingalotofdaysandmostlikelynightsworking
togetherontoughproblems...

Whenindoubt,therecruiteralwaysgoesforthecandidatewithexcellent softskillsandgood
analyticalskills,andnotforthecandidatewithexcellent analyticalskillsandgood softskills.

11
 Sample Chapter

PEI Tactical Issues to Consider

79
PEI Tactical Issues to Consider
Take your time before you actually start off with your story

Asitistruemostofthetimes,itisnotonlyaboutwhatyoudo,butalsohowyoudoit.Thesame
istrueforthePEI therearesometacticalissueswhichareworthwhileconsideringduringyour
preparationprocess.

Thinkforasecondortwo,beforeyouactuallyanswertheinterviewersquestion.
Eventhoughyouare(hopefully)wellpreparedtoansweranyPEIquestionimmediately,just
pauseforasecondortwobeforeyouactuallystartansweringthequestion.
Answeringimmediatelymightleavetheimpressiontotheinterviewer,thatyoujustdelivera
wellpreparedspeech.Obviously,thebetteryouprepareforthePEI,theharderitgetsforthe
interviewertoreallyjudgeyourskillsandbehaviorinspecificsituations.Ofcoursemyintention
isnottomakethelifeoftheinterviewerharderbyprovidingallthisinsideknowledgetoyouto
helpyourpreparationprocess,butthismightbeasideeffect.Inanycase,asaninterviewerI
wouldexpecteachseriouscandidatetoprepareasmuchaspossible buttheissuehereisthat
itisjustcounterproductivetoshowitopenlytoyourinterviewer.

80
PEI Tactical Issues to Consider
Make sure to really answer the question asked by your interviewer

Answertheveryquestionyouwasaskedtoanswerbytheinterviewer.
WheneverIworkveryintenselywithcandidatesdevotingseveralcoachingsessionstothePEI
only,Irecognizethephenomenonthatthemoreacandidateprepares,thelessheisfocusedon
thequestionIamaskinghimtoanswer.
Sothemoreyouprepareandthebetteryourstoriesaredeveloped,youneedtomakesureto
listencloselytotheinterviewersquestion.Itistemptingtoimmediatelystartwithyourstory
whenyouhearthetriggerforaspecificdimension,withoutreallylisteningexactlyathowthe
interviewaskedthequestions,onwhichyouwouldprobablyneedtoadapttheframingofyour
story.

81
PEI Tactical Issues to Consider
Follow your interviewers guidance to talk about those issues he is
really interested in

Donotworryiftheinterviewerinterruptsyouinquiteadirectway.
Itisnotnecessarilyabadsignifaninterviewerinterruptsyourstoryabruptly.Basically,the
interviewerjustwantstogetyoutotalkaboutthoseissuesheisparticularlyinterestedin.So
lookatthisasawayofhelpingyouandfollowhisguidance.
Needlesstosay,thebetteryouarepreparedthelesstheinterviewerwillneedtoguideyou.
But,contrarytothecaseinterviewwhereyouarebasicallyrequiredtodrivethecase(even
thoughespeciallyatMcKinseytheinterviewerwillleadyoumoredirectly),thisisnot
somethingbadforyourevaluationaslongasyougettotalkaboutthoseissuestheinterviewer
isinterestedin.

82
PEI Tactical Issues to Consider
As an absolute minimum, you should prepare two stories for each
dimension (1/2)

Asaminimum,youshouldprepareatleasttwo,butbetterthreeorevenmoreconcrete
situationsforeachPEIdimension.
Sometimes,thisisatacticalmovefromtheinterviewertoletyoustartwithonestory,andin
casehegetstheimpressionthatitisawellpreparedscript,hewillsimplyaskyoutodescribea
differentsituation,hopingthatyoudidpreparejustonesituationsodiligentlythatrightnow
youreallyneedtotalkfreely,sothattheinterviewercanevaluateyourskillsandbehavior
easierthanwhenconfrontedwithawellpreparedscript.
Ingeneralitisbettertousedifferentsituationsalsoforthedifferentdimensions.The
interviewerswillsitdowntogetherafterthefirstroundanddiscusstheirimpressionsfromeach
candidate.Incasethereisanyslightestdoubtwhetherornotheshouldbepassedontothe
secondround,theywillalsodiscusssomemoredetailedaspectswheretheyareunsure.In
casethatthisisthePEI,eachinterviewerwillprobablybrieflysummarizeyourPEIandgivehis
personalimpression.Ifnoweveryoneofthose3interviewerscomeupwithasimilarstory,itis
justsomehowstrangeandtriggeringthequestionifthisistherightcandidate,ifthereis
basicallyjustonebasissituationwhichyouneededtouseforalldimensions(questioning
themselveswhetherthiscandidatehastheexperiencetheywouldliketoseeiftherewasjust
onesituationinhisrecentpasthecouldtalkabout).

83
PEI Tactical Issues to Consider
As an absolute minimum, you should prepare two stories for each
dimension (2/2)

SometimestheinterviewerbrowsesthroughyourCVandseessomethingofinteresttohim
whereheassumesthattheremusthavebeenacertainPEIdimensioninvolved.Soitcan
happenthattheinterviewerasksyoudirectlyaboutaspecificdimensioninthecontextofyour
CV.Ifyounowhavejustpreparedoneparticularstory,thismightnotbetherightonehere...
Here,alsotheissuebetweenfirstandsecondroundinterviewscomesin.Whattypically
happensinthesecondroundoftheinterviewsisthattheywilltrytobetterunderstandthose
aspectswhereyoucouldnotfullyconvincetheinterviewersinthefirstround.Sothe
interviewersinthesecondroundwillbringupthisaspectagain andincasethatthiswasa
specificPEIdimension,itisnotveryclevertotellthesamestoryasecondtimeifitwasnot
convincinginthefirstplace.
Finally,thereisalsoatrivialreasonforthis.Ithappensfromtimetotime,thataninterviewer
justmixesuphisinterviewscheduleandasksyouaboutadifferentdimensionthanitwas
previouslyplanned.Inthiscaseyouwillmostlikelyendupinthesituationthatyouareasked
aboutthesamedimensiontwice andagainyoushouldhaveadifferentstoryavailable.

84
Get your copy of the McKinsey PEI Toolkit right now!
Make sure you don't fail at your McKinsey Personal Experience
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If you feel that my McKinsey PEI Toolkit is not useful at all for your PEI prep, let
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all the knowledge contained in the PEI Toolkit, but that you actually did apply it!

1
PS: Other consulting prep material
you might be interested in

Case Interview Frameworks - www.case-interview-frameworks.com

The #1 Guide for Structuring Your Consulting Case Interview

How to structure your Consulting Case Interview:

Strikingly 9 out of 10 candidates say their single largest issue in solving case
interviews is getting the structure right!

Going slightly into more details of this little survey, candidates mostly refer to
both the initial, overall structure at the beginning of the case, as well as
structuring individual parts at later stages of the case interview...

The McKinsey Case Book - www.mckcasebook.com

Your Secret Resource for Ultimate McKinsey Case Interview Practice

280+ pages of real McKinsey cases with detailed solutions for serious McK case
interview prep.

Be more confident and have less stress in your case interviews with this proven
resource...

(external resource)