McKinsey interview process: the PEI and the case

What are the rounds in the McKinsey interview process?

McKinsey's Interviewing at McKinsey page, checked October 26, 2026, describes a test or game first and interviews after it. For most client-facing roles that means Solve, then Personal Experience Interviews and Problem Solving Interviews, plus expertise interviews for some roles. McKinsey doesn't publish how many interviews you'll have or how long each one runs.

Internal roles work differently. McKinsey says several include "an online assessment, writing test, or group exercise," and the number of interviews is "role dependent." Technical candidates get a Candidate Preparation Booklet from their recruiter. Whatever the role, the page says "Your recruiter will confirm your interview details in advance," so their outline beats this one.

What does the McKinsey Solve assessment test?

McKinsey's Solve page calls it "a gamified assessment" of your problem-solving, and says there's "no need to prepare." Its Solve FAQ, dated September 2026, adds that it needs no business knowledge or gaming experience. Each task opens with an untimed tutorial, and your results are weighed with the rest of your application, never alone.

The FAQ sets the rules plainly. You can't use "applications, websites, AI tools, or pre-prepared notes," and you can't record or screenshot any part of it. Solve varies each scenario so that no two people get the same data, and you may be asked at random to take an extra task in person or explain your logic.

Two practical limits matter if you're applying more than once. Solve scores are valid for one year, and you can take it only once every 12 months. It runs in English, Spanish, Portuguese or Japanese, and only on a PC or Mac.

What happens in the McKinsey Personal Experience Interview?

The Personal Experience Interview, or PEI, asks about real experiences, "both accomplishments and challenges." McKinsey asks you to talk about "your specific role," to "lead with reasoning, not actions," and to be ready for the details. Its prep section suggests two personal examples for each of four areas, which is eight examples if none overlap.

The four areas and their sample questions sit in an interactive panel on the Interviewing at McKinsey page, so open it in a browser before you plan. McKinsey also says to "be prepared to have a conversation, not to present a rehearsed story." In practice the interviewer stops you and asks why, what you did next, and who else was involved.

That follow-up is the point of the round. A story you can only tell in one order breaks when the interviewer jumps to the middle of it. A story built on facts you remember holds up wherever the questions start.

Why do PEI stories drift between McKinsey interviewers?

McKinsey's page refers to "your PEI interviews," in the plural, so the same stories may be told to more than one person. Each interviewer digs into "your specific role" and the details. Drift shows up in exactly those details: who made the decision, how big the team was, and what the number was.

The first trap is the role. Under pressure to show your own part, "we decided" turns into "I decided" for one interviewer and back to "we" for the next. Pick the honest version once, before the first interview, and keep it.

The second trap is the reasoning. McKinsey asks you to lead with why you acted, and reasons made up on the spot change between tellings. One interviewer hears that you cut the budget because of a client deadline, and the next hears it was a cost target. Both may be partly true, but the two notes don't match.

The third trap is the number. With eight examples across four areas, you'll reuse a story, and the second telling tends to grow. McKinsey's own AI rules list "Exaggerating or creating achievements that aren't yours" as not allowed, so a number that inflates between rooms is a problem twice over. The 5-item check for consistent answers shows how to repair a story that already changed.

How do you keep McKinsey PEI stories consistent?

Write one fact line for each of your examples before the first interview, and treat it as fixed. Note the team size, your exact role, the decision you made, why you made it, the date and the one result figure. Then tell the story in any order the interviewer wants while those facts stay the same.

A line might read, for example, "team of 5; I owned the supplier analysis; recommended dropping 2 of 7 vendors because of late deliveries; 2025; delivery delays halved." That example is made up, so use figures from your own records. A figure you can't check is better left off rather than invented, because the guessed number is the one that moves.

You can't bring that sheet into the room. McKinsey's integrity page allows pen and paper only for notes taken during the interview, says your notes may be reviewed, and asks you to discard them afterward. So learn the facts, and leave the wording loose, which is what "a conversation, not a rehearsed story" asks for anyway.

What does the McKinsey case interview test?

McKinsey's Problem Solving Interview, "sometimes referred to as a case interview," presents a business case "to evaluate your approach to solving complex problems." Its practice cases on October 26, 2026 were Beautify, Diconsa, Electro-Light, Talbot Trucks and a national education system case. McKinsey says there isn't one logical solution and asks for tailored answers over standard frameworks.

The Beautify practice case shows the format. It asks what a beauty company should consider when moving in-store consultants to virtual selling, then gives figures such as €50 million for IT and €25 million for training and asks how many years until the investment turns profitable. Its hints say calculators aren't allowed and to talk your interviewer through each step.

The case has its own consistency trap. An assumption you state in minute 3 has to be the one you use in minute 20, or your answer drifts away from your own numbers. Write each assumption on your paper as you say it, since McKinsey may ask to see that paper.

Can you record a McKinsey interview?

No. McKinsey's Assessment Integrity Expectations, checked October 26, 2026, ask candidates to refrain from "recording any portion of their assessment/interview or taking screenshots." It says breaking these rules "may result in disqualification from our process, rescinding of an offer, restrictions on future applications, or legal action." So don't ask to record a McKinsey interview at all.

McKinsey doesn't name its video platform on these pages. Its virtual interview tips say to keep your camera on, turn off virtual backgrounds and blurring, and "Disable previously installed AI software (such as note-taking tools or virtual assistants)" because these "may unintentionally record or assist with the interview." The integrity page adds one screen without overlays and a camera that shows your upper body and hands.

At other employers you can often ask. The guide on how to ask to record your interview gives the one-sentence request, and what Zoom, Teams and Meet show the other side explains why a recorder on your laptop still counts as recording. At McKinsey the published answer is no, so the debrief has to come from memory.

Does McKinsey allow AI tools in its interviews?

For preparation, yes. During interviews and assessments, no. McKinsey's interviewing page marks polishing your resume, practicing interview questions, and asking AI to explain concepts as "Encouraged." It marks exaggerating achievements, generating real-time answers during an interview, and using AI in assessments "unless specifically permitted" as "Not Allowed."

The page explains why: misuse "creates an uneven playing field," and McKinsey says "We want to get to know you, not your AI tool." The integrity page repeats the ban on "generative AI, a calculator, or prepared notes" in any assessment or interview. The roundup of employer AI interview policies sets McKinsey's rule beside those of four other employers.

What should you do after a McKinsey interview?

Write down, the same day and from memory, the facts you used in each PEI: team sizes, your role, your reasons and every figure. Compare them with your fact lines before the next round. McKinsey asks candidates not to share interview content such as specific questions or case scenarios, so keep these notes private and about your own answers.

The free 10-minute debrief template has a slot for each figure you used, which is the part that drifts. The same method fits the Accenture interview process, the Deloitte interview process, and the Amazon interview process, where Leadership Principle stories repeat across a loop.

Prept's recorded debrief is analysis after the call, never during it, and only for calls everyone agreed to record, so it doesn't fit a McKinsey interview and the written template is the right tool here.