Author: Florian Smeritschnig

Case interview feedback sheet with star ratings and evaluation criteria, illustrating how MBB firms score candidates during consulting case interviews.

Case Interview Feedback Sheet: How MBB Scores You (+ Free Template)

Updated July 2026 by Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant You can grind through 50 practice cases and still walk into your McKinsey interview with no idea whether you’re ready. That’s the trap. Volume without feedback just cements the same mistakes, case after case. A case interview feedback sheet fixes that. It’s a scorecard that…
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Kearney Recruitment Test How to Ace It cover image

Kearney Recruitment Test: 40 Questions, 60 Minutes, and Negative Marking

By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated July 2026 The Kearney recruitment test is a 60-minute online assessment with 40 multiple-choice questions covering quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, and case-style data interpretation. Correct answers earn 5 points, wrong answers deduct 1, and no personality traits are measured. Most candidates lose this test on the…
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Connected nodes, geometric components, and technical diagrams illustrating McKinsey Technical Expertise Interview preparation.

McKinsey Technical Expertise Interview (TEI): Questions, Format, and Prep for 2026

By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated September 2026 The McKinsey Technical Expertise Interview (TEI), also called the Technical Experience Interview, is the interview McKinsey uses for technical and digital roles: one opening question about a real project from your past, followed by 15 to 20 probing follow-ups. It tests how you think…
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Cover image for an article titled “McKinsey Phone Interview: How the Screening Call Works,” showing a sleek smartphone with a call interface on a dark blue consulting-style background, with StrategyCase.com branding in the bottom left.

McKinsey Phone Interview: How the Screening Call Works (2026)

By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated June 2026 The McKinsey phone interview is a roughly 30-minute screening call, by phone or video, that some offices and roles use before the main interview rounds. It comes in two formats: a condensed phone case interview, usually run by HR or a firm alumnus, and…
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StrategyCase.com cover showing a consultant’s laptop, notebook, briefcase, and suit prepared for starting at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain.

How to Prepare Before Starting at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain

By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant. Originally published July 27, 2021. Updated July 14, 2026. To prepare before starting at McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, focus on three things in the weeks before day one: buy durable business attire and a carry-on suitcase that survives weekly flights, settle your home, admin, finances, and health, and…
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