Updated July 2026 · By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant To answer “Why consulting?”, lead with the work itself, the variety of problems, the speed of learning, and early exposure to senior leaders, then back it with a specific example from your own experience and connect it to why you want that firm. Keep…
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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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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated November, 2026 The BCG one-way video interview is a recorded, asynchronous screen, run on the Spark Hire platform, where you answer about three behavioral and motivation questions on camera, roughly three minutes each, with unlimited time to think but effectively one take. You opened an email…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated October 2026 The McKinsey PEI (Personal Experience Interview) is the behavioral half of the McKinsey interview, and it counts for as much as the case. Most candidates spend 95% of their prep on the case and treat the PEI as an afterthought. That is exactly why…
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By Florian Smeritschnig, former McKinsey Senior Consultant · Updated June 2026 The SCORE framework is a five-step method for answering behavioral interview questions: Situation, Complication, Outcome expectation, Remedial action, End result. I developed it for the candidates I coach because the standard advice, STAR, kept producing the same flat answers: a situation, a task, some…
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Florian spent five years at McKinsey as a Senior Consultant and is a highly experienced consulting interviewer and problem-solving coach. Having conducted interviews with hundreds of candidates, he understands exactly what top-tier firms look for in successful applicants.
He founded StrategyCase.com to make top consulting careers more accessible by providing tailored, up-to-date insights into the recruiting process. Recognized as the most successful case and fit interview coach, Florian has helped his clients secure 700+ offers at MBB, Tier-2 firms, Big 4 consulting divisions, in-house consultancies, and boutique firms over the past four years.
He is the author of “The 1%: Conquer Your Consulting Case Interview,” “The 1%: Case Interview Workbook,” and “Consulting Career Secrets”, all available on Amazon.
