Just before I went off to Venice a couple of weeks ago, I told Nikesh and Antosh that I was about to send off a couple of applications for some IT consulting opportunities. The intention was to send off the application for Accenture, Customer Systems, and another firm that I cannot remember the name of, and has not even sent an e-mail to notify the receipt of application - I doubt I would want to work there anyway. With Nikesh MSN-ing me over his iPhone from India, Antosh added, “why don’t you try McKinsey’s BTO as well?”
Yeh, why not?!
I remember applying to McKinsey a year ago, sending off the application for the opportunity to be a business analyst in the London office. The reply came back quickly with a rejection. Thanks for the love & support from all friends and family, but it was quite a dream at that time anyway: if you’re going to dream, you might as well dream big, right?
But after having spent some time doing web design & development, I thought I might as well have another shot at McKinsey, this time with the Business Technology Office (BTO). Skipping my reasons for the choice - this isn’t the time nor place for cover-letter-ing - I’d like to share the short but sweet experience of having passed the initial application screening.
Stage 1: Online Application
So I went to the McKinsey & Co. website, making sure that nothing major (i.e. infrastructure, career path, etc.) has changed since I last applied, before hit the APPLY NOW button. The online application interface was well designed. It doesn’t have all the NEXT buttons that the majority of firms have with their application interface. Instead, it’s probably driven with the AJAX technology that gives you more forms and questions “as you fill them in”.
At the beginning, the only sections were Personal Information, Language Skills, and the Position that you’re applying. As you fill in these details, other questions such as Location Preference, Education, and Work Experiences start to appear. Some may think, “is this ever going to end?!” But I personally think that it makes the filling in process psychologically shorter and easier. Followed by the Resume/CV and Cover Letter uploading, I then completed the application and submitted it. The response came at 5AM before I left for Stansted, and it was obvious that the notification of receipt was sent personally by the recruiter, and not generated automatically - a small sign of dedication here.
Stage 2: Problem Solving Test (PST)
Less than a week later, just before Chinese New Year, I received an e-mail on my mobile phone while sitting in Yauatcha saying that McKinsey would like to invite me to the next stage of the recruitment process. They call it the 1st stage, but I’d like to include the initial Resume/CV screening as the initial stage. The stage consists of a multiple choice problem solving test that lasts 60 miniutes.
After some research, it appears that the PST test (excuse the repetition of test) is necessary for all applications, be it applications for the graduate program or for the experienced recruitment. Unlike the numerical tests that investment banks give to applicants, the test much more complex, despite the recruitment team has stated, “the test assumes no specific prior business knowledge.”
Calculators are not allowed, which means fast-paced logical thinking and timing become the two crucial factors of succeeding. Standard case studies usually emphasise on the chain of thoughts of the applicants when dealing with complex problems. However, with only one correct answer each question and the assessment marked on a pass/fail basis, you have to give the one and only correct answer.
What I would advise for the people who get to this stage would be:
- Get a good night sleep and breakfast to keep a clear mind.
- Remember to keep your time. Practise a couple of times with sample tests if you have them.
- The test isn’t (or at least wasn’t for me) negatively marked, so don’t leave any questions unanswered!
- Have fun! You either have it or you don’t. It is true that the test assumes no specific prior business knowledge. The business terms used are only there for you to show that you possess the if-A-then-B logic, even in time limited situations.
At the end of the test, the recruiter came in, stopped the test, and said she would have it marked before the end of the day so that she wouldn’t be keeping our minds hanging (it was a Friday). I left the McKinsey office just after 4PM, and received the e-mail just before 6PM saying I will not be going on to the next stage. Too bad. But the impression that McKinsey has left me remains a majestic one.
Summary
Like I said, you either have it or you don’t. The screening process is rigorous, and the test is well designed, with only a couple of sample tests available on the internet. I was lucky enough to have 2 copies. But I was lucky in more than just one way.
I submitted the application well after the graduate recruiting deadline. In fact, I didn’t even know there was a deadline. First I didn’t apply because I didn’t think I was ready for the management consulting giant, and then I applied because of Antosh’s “why don’t you”. And he was exactly right - why not!?
Only two people took the PST test: myself and another Indian guy who turned out to be my EEE senior that graduated in 2002. He was surprised that I got through to the PST stage because the recruitment process had ended, and he got through to that stage only because someone inside McKinsey recommended him.
As for me? I guess I was either very lucky, or they really liked my CV and cover letter. So my advice for everyone out there who are looking for a job they really want - take my “why-not” attitude, just go ahead and apply.
You would be able to find a copy of the 2001 PST that I found HERE, for which the original link was kindly provided by another person on vault.com.
23 responses so far ↓
1 Mckinsey applicant // Feb 24, 2008 at 06:44 am
First of all, congratulations on getting an invitation for the PST test.
I understand your situations because I am in a very similar one (I applied at the last minute as i thought I am still not well-prepared for McK, but fortunately got an invitation to take the PST test).
I think the basic problem is that there is so much material out there for Case Interview practice (both free & commercial literature) but none whatsoever about the PST!
Do you mind me asking where did you find your two copies of the past PST exams? I’ve been literally crawling the net for the past 48 hours with no significant results.
P.S. How did you score on the Kosher franks practice test? I did bad myself, but as I understand this is a problem that most applicants face intitially with the PST.
Thanks and good luck!
2 Tony // Feb 25, 2008 at 08:43 pm
Thank you for the comment.
Indeed there aren’t many resources across the internet with regards to the PST test.
If you have the time, vault.com is a great place to invest some time and perhaps a small amount of money for a lot of useful materials.
At my first attempt I did not score too well in the Kosher Franks test under the same assessment time limit. However, the test isn’t designed to be hard.
Like I said, once the mind’s settled down, one would realise that the questions are in fact terribly simple.
You would be able to find a copy of the 2001 PST that I found HERE, for which the original link was kindly provided by another person on vault.com.
Good luck!
3 may // Mar 3, 2008 at 05:23 pm
hello…
where can i find an example for a PST test?
i found only one copy and if there is another one somewhere i would be greatful!!!
my test is the day after tomrrow so… if anyone has it- please send it to me a.s.a.p. to hyavin@yahoo.com .
thanks!
4 K // Mar 27, 2008 at 12:21 am
I have a mckinsey PST next week. I did the one they sent me (kosher franks) and the sample you have in the link. I got 11/13 in the first one and 7/10 in the second one. Do you think that is okay or do I need to prepare more?
Thanks
5 Tony // Mar 27, 2008 at 03:05 am
It appears that you’re quite over the sample tests. Keep a clear mind on the day and make sure you’ve plenty of rest the day before, then you should be able to perform at your best.
Don’t under-estimate the real thing though. Instead of consisting two cases as you would expect with twice the number of questions, the PST I had consisted of three cases. The first one was relatively simple, but the difficulty climbed up very steeply, so do time yourself well.
Apart from that - GOOD LUCK!
6 Shiv // Mar 28, 2008 at 04:45 am
Hi,
I have applied for Mckinsey and got a mail (as you have written) from the recruiter. However, this is the third week and there is no response from them. I even mailed the recruiter just 3 days back asking about my application status, till now there is no reponse… do you have any clue from your or your friends’ experiences how long it will take???
7 Tony // Mar 28, 2008 at 09:56 am
It took them just over a week for my case to respond and send off the PST invitation. However, I’d like to think this varies among offices.
8 Karen // Apr 5, 2008 at 06:53 pm
I luv ur advice at the end
9 Bistro // Jul 7, 2008 at 11:46 pm
it took them about 5 weeks to get back to me after they received my app, suggesting i go on to the pst stage. i found the pst to be something like an lsat prep exam i took a while ago–>requiring focus and a level of subjective critical thinking one level higher than the sat.
10 jedileen // Sep 10, 2008 at 02:59 pm
Could someone explain why the answer to q1 is B for the PST on Kosher Franks? I get the others, but have no idea why q1 is B
My test is on friday!!!
Thanks
11 Tony // Sep 12, 2008 at 04:29 am
@jedileen Because Scenario B is the only scenario where you have a 10%+ growth from Year 3 to 4, and Year 4 to 5, as stated by the client
Hope this helps. Good luck!
12 fish // Sep 18, 2008 at 02:06 pm
guys, I’m going to the PST next week. how many points is good on the Kosher test? I mean if that was a real test, how many answers would you need to get to pass on to the interviews? (got 9 right..)
13 Tony // Sep 18, 2008 at 02:45 pm
@fish The pass mark is never published or released. You will simply be told whether you have passed or not. I would suggest going through the Kosher test until you feel that you comfortably understand the logic behind the answers, and that you will be able to reproduce answers under the same reasoning.
14 fish // Sep 18, 2008 at 03:44 pm
Tony: thanks. by the way I just tried the burger case they have on their website and the calculations seem much harder than in the kosher… ;-/
so you got past this reasoning test and they havent told you how many points you have scored?
15 fish // Sep 18, 2008 at 03:45 pm
ah okay, sorry. ignore the last question
do you know if the BCG reasoning test is something similar? I’m doing that one tomorrow…
16 Tony // Sep 18, 2008 at 03:48 pm
@fish No, I was rejected after the PST, and I wasn’t told neither how many points I have scored. Applicants aren’t ever told their scores - else people can easily figure out the pass mark. You can have a go at another sample test that I found HERE.
Best of luck!
17 Tony // Sep 18, 2008 at 03:49 pm
@fish I’m not sure. I’ve never applied to BCG.
18 fish // Sep 18, 2008 at 04:07 pm
great thanks for the tips. can I ask you, If you don’t mind answering :), how many points you got when you first tried the Kosher?
19 Tony // Sep 18, 2008 at 04:21 pm
@fish I honestly don’t remember, but might have been 9 as well.
20 Jihan // Sep 19, 2008 at 12:57 am
Hi, ia m having the PST exam next week and i was wondering about Question 8 why is the answer D… please help.
would it help to get online ebooks like ace the case and stuff like that?
21 Pacemaker // Sep 25, 2008 at 09:25 pm
Hi everybody!
I also did an online application and received the first e-mail telling that “they will contact me shortly”. I have 2 questions,
- At my online application, I submit a detailed CV but no cover letter; is it a big deal?
- I have MSc (Master in Science), so do I fit into Analyst or Associate group?
Thanks!!!
pm
22 Tony // Sep 29, 2008 at 09:45 am
@Jihan The reply has come late. I hope the PST went well. I would however share some opinions on the answer to Question 8. From the standard answer found on McKinsey’s website:
@Pacemaker I’m not entirely sure how they ‘judge’ the candidates in HR, but I would assume if you’ve got what it takes, they’ll see it. They interview thousands of candidate for breakfast, I believe they’d know who’s good and who’s not. As to whether you would fit the Analyst or Associate group? It’ll probably be the (Junior) Associate group if you have recently graduated.
23 Aaron // Oct 5, 2008 at 08:20 am
Hi, Tony:
I would like to ask a question of the advanced one. The 5th question asks what percentage share of over all profit on cola would have been taken by the stores last year? I don’t know how to start. Thanks.
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