The recruitment process at McKinsey, BCG and Bain

The selection process in strategy consulting has two major phases — the initial application and case interviews — and once it starts, it goes incredibly fast. You can send your resume during the year, but when the recruiting cycle opens everything accelerates: the test can be one week, and the next week you're already doing the two rounds of interviews. Four interviews total, each with an FIT part, a business case, and a Q&A. After each round, you're notified in one or two days whether you passed or not, with feedback. It's a process where 95% of candidates fail due to lack of preparation — and paradoxically, 95% believe they are prepared. Understanding exactly how each stage works is the first step to not being part of that statistic.

Phase 1: The initial application — resume, cover letter and tests

The first phase is the hardest filter in terms of volume. Out of every 100 applications an MBB office receives, fewer than 10 make it to interview. The recruiting team reviews the resumes and cover letters, looking for clear signals of an MBB profile: solid education, quantified achievements, relevant experiences, and a coherent narrative of why consulting. To get to know the full process end to end, our Crack The Interview Process (PDF) is a direct download.

If you pass the resume screening, the next barrier is the tests. McKinsey has Solve (formerly PST), BCG and Bain have their own online tests. Many candidates fall here. The tests are constantly changing in format and content, so it's very difficult to practice them as such, but they're always related to problem-solving and reasoning with data and graphics. The best advice is to practice that: solve problems with data, interpret graphics quickly, and make decisions under time pressure.

A point many candidates ignore: talk to the recruiting team before taking the test. Ask what happens if you fail a question or don't answer. Tests usually have more trick to them than you'd think — some penalize wrong answers, others don't, and the strategy changes radically depending on the case. It's important to think through the strategy before you start answering.

Phase 2: The case interviews — first and second round

If you pass the test, you enter the interview phase. At MBB, the standard format is two rounds, each with two interviews. Each interview lasts between 45 and 60 minutes depending on the round and interviewer, and has three parts: FIT questions (between 10 and 15 minutes), the business case (between 20 and 40 minutes depending on complexity and round), and a final Q&A (about 5 minutes).

The FIT part evaluates your interpersonal skills and motivation: why consulting, why this firm, leadership experiences, teamwork, failure situations, and learning. Data shows that 40% of candidates fail here by "being a robot" — answering with memorized stories without real thought. Another 20% fail by talking too much: they ask a question that takes 1 minute and give a 10-minute answer.

The business case is the heart of the interview. The interviewer presents you with a real business problem and you have to solve it in real time, demonstrating structured thinking, analytical ability, and ability to communicate. The most frequent errors here, based on over 300 real interviews: forgetting the framework mid-case (40% of candidates), losing the thread of the story (40%), calculation errors from nerves (40%), and not communicating your thought process to the interviewer (20%).

The final Q&A seems harmless, but 60% of candidates do it wrong — either they're not listening to the interviewer's answer because they're thinking about something else, or they ask generic questions that demonstrate they haven't researched the firm. It's your last chance to make a good impression, and wasting it is an error you see constantly.

Some firms are beginning to experiment with separate formats — one interview just FIT and another just case — but it's not the norm at MBB today.

The decision committee: how it's really decided who moves forward

This is something few candidates understand from outside. Each firm has its own evaluation sheet, but the general principle is the same: a candidate advances when the two interviewers of the round agree. If one of them thinks you don't pass, it's very unlikely you'll advance, although there's always a dialogue to understand what went wrong and how serious it is.

In first round, where the goal is to filter out candidates who are clearly not at the level, there's a bit more flexibility. There have been cases where a candidate with mixed evaluations has had the opportunity to advance to the second round. But in the second round things change: that's when the offer is given, and the two interviewers should be more or less in agreement. The standard is stricter because the risk of a "false positive" — hiring someone who isn't at the level — is something firms try to avoid at all costs.

In one exceptional occasion — just once in almost a decade of interviews at Bain — a candidate did a spectacular second round with one interviewer and a very weak one with another. The decision was made to do an additional third round. But that's extremely rare, and it's not something you should count on. The rule is clear: you have to convince both interviewers in each round.

An important detail: the interviewer receives your resume and cover letter before the interview, but not notes from other interviewers or test results. This is deliberate — MBB firms want to avoid the evaluation coming biased by previous opinions. Each interview is an independent evaluation. During the years I spent interviewing at Bain — first and second rounds, analysts, MBAs, and experienced hires — I never saw notes from another interviewer before making my own evaluation. Only after both of us had filled out our sheets were they shared and discussed. The system is designed so evaluation is as clean as possible.

What happens if you get rejected: cooling off and second attempts

Rejection is not necessarily the end of your path to MBB. Each firm has its own cooling off policy — the minimum time that must pass before you can reapply. Years ago, policies were very strict: some candidates couldn't reapply for two years. Today, some firms let you apply in the next cycle. The most important thing is to ask recruiting directly when you get the negative feedback: "When can I reapply?"

There are candidates who were rejected in their first attempt and then got in the second. It's not rare. What's key is that they did something different between attempts: they identified their specific weaknesses, worked on them systematically, and came back with a noticeably higher level of preparation.

For Spain and LATAM offices, the process is essentially the same as in Anglo-Saxon offices. The main difference is the language: interviews are done mostly in the official language of the country of the office, with some rounds in English. The type of case and level of difficulty are identical. There's no "easier" version of the process in any geography — the MBB standard is global. You can check the differences between firms and offices in our guide to types of consulting firms.

Frequently asked questions about the consulting recruitment process

How long does the complete process take from when I send my resume to when I get an offer?expand_more

The resume can be sent anytime during the year, but interviews are concentrated in specific cycles. Once the cycle starts, the process is very fast: test one week, first round the next, second round a few days later. From when interviews start until offer (or rejection) can be between two and three weeks. After each round, you get feedback in one or two days.

How many interviews total will I have?expand_more

At MBB the standard format is four interviews: two in the first round and two in the second round. Each one includes FIT + case + Q&A. At other consulting firms the format may vary — there are firms that do group interviews followed by a second individual round, and others that go straight to second round.

Is the process different for analysts, MBAs, and experienced hires?expand_more

The structure of the process is the same for all levels. The cases can be somewhat more complex for profiles with more experience, but the format, rounds, and evaluation criteria are essentially the same. What does change is the level of expectation: an experienced hire will be asked for greater business depth and a more senior perspective in their answers.

Can I reapply if I get rejected?expand_more

Yes. Each firm has its own cooling off policy. Some allow you to reapply in the next cycle, others ask you to wait a year or more. Always ask recruiting when you get the rejection. And if you decide to try again, make an honest assessment of what went wrong and work specifically on those areas.

Are the interviews in Spain and LATAM in English?expand_more

Mostly in the local language (Spanish or Portuguese), with some interviews in English. The mix depends on the office and round. What doesn't change is the type of case or level of difficulty — the standards are global.

What information does the interviewer have about me before the interview?expand_more

Your resume and cover letter. Nothing else. They don't see notes from other interviewers or test results. This is deliberate: MBB firms design the process to minimize bias and so each evaluation is independent.

Is it worth doing networking before applying?expand_more

Absolutely. An internal recommendation has a lot of weight for your candidacy to pass the first filter. Check out our networking guide for consulting to learn exactly how to do it.

The selection process at MBB is designed to identify the best candidates with the greatest precision possible. There are no shortcuts, but there are ways to prepare that multiply your chances. Understanding the process is a necessary condition before you start preparing it. Crack The Interview Process details each stage — application, tests, first round, second round, and offer — from the perspective of someone who was on the other side of the table for years at Bain. It's the starting point. Available on the Preparation platform alongside all our practice books in digital format. To go deeper into each phase: the book Crack The FIT Interview for the personal part and Crack The Case Interview for business cases. For a complete view of the entire journey, check out our complete preparation guide for consulting.