The McKinsey Personal Experience Interview (PEI) is a critical aspect of the McKinsey selection process for aspiring consultants. It’s a rigorous evaluation of your skills in leadership, personal impact, and entrepreneurial drive/courageous change, and it’s essential that you’re prepared to showcase your strengths and overcome any challenges you may face. In this blog post, we’ll explore the McKinsey PEI survival guide and provide tips and tricks to help you succeed.
Know the Format of the McKinsey PEI
The McKinsey PEI is a behavioral interview that typically lasts 15-20 minutes. During this time, the interviewer will ask you a series of questions designed to assess your leadership and personal impact skills. You’ll be asked to provide specific examples of situations where you demonstrated these skills, and you’ll be evaluated on how you respond to the questions, your ability to structure your thoughts, and your ability to articulate your answers clearly.
Prepare Your Stories
The McKinsey PEI is all about storytelling. You’ll need to provide specific examples of your leadership, personal impact and entrepreneurial drive/courageous change skills, so it’s essential to prepare a list of stories in advance. Choose stories that highlight your strengths and skills, and practice telling them in a clear and concise manner. Be prepared to answer follow-up questions and to elaborate on your experiences, as the interviewer will probe deeper into your stories to understand your precise actions, as well as your decision making rationale.
Practice Active Listening
Active listening is a critical skill in the McKinsey PEI. You’ll need to listen carefully to the questions being asked and respond thoughtfully. Pay attention to the tone of the interviewer’s voice, their body language, and the context of the questions. This will help you to understand what the interviewer is looking for and to provide a more effective response.
Focus on Problem-Solving and Overcoming Challenges
The McKinsey PEI is designed to assess your problem-solving skills to overcome challanges, so it’s essential to demonstrate your ability to tackle complex challenges. Highlight the steps you took to solve a problem, how you thought about it and the outcomes you achieved.
Be Confident and Authentic
The McKinsey PEI is a demanding interview, but it’s essential to remain calm, confident, and authentic. Be yourself, and let your natural personality shine through. Be prepared to admit if you don’t know the answer to a question, and be willing to ask for clarification if you need it. The interviewer is looking for individuals who are genuine, self-aware, and confident in their abilities.
Take Your Time
The McKinsey PEI is principally a fast-paced interview, but it’s essential to take your time and respond thoughtfully to each question. Don’t feel pressured to answer quickly, as this may cause you to miss important details or to provide an unclear response. Take a deep breath, gather your thoughts, and respond in a clear and concise manner.
Looking for McKinsey PEI Coaching with an expert to kick-start your prep and finally secure your McKinsey offer? Click here!
What we typically do together during our coaching:
- Choose the best stories out of all your experiences and match them with the McKinsey PEI dimensions
- Define and structure the overall storyline of your primary and secondary stories
- Crystallize the core challenges to highlight in your Personal Experience Interview (by the way, this is the core part of your evaluation)
- Fine-tune the communication of your story to McKinsey expectations
- Running mock interviews to get a real-life experience of your PEI
Click here for more information to virtually guarantee your PEI success!