McKinsey First Round Simulation (2 Cases + 2 PEIs)
A McKinsey first round is two back-to-back interviews, each around an hour, each containing a case and a PEI. This is that, run at full length with nothing softened. Two cases. Two PEIs. Two hours back-to-back — then 30 minutes of feedback. Most candidates walk into a first round having practiced cases in isolation. Forty minutes with a study partner here, a drill on market sizing there. Almost none have done two full interviews consecutively with a PEI wedged into each, under time, with someone who isn't rooting for them. The distance between those two experiences is where a lot of offers quietly go. Why me: I was a consultant at McKinsey, interview-trained by the firm, and I led Midwest recruiting — which meant delivering hiring recommendations after on-campus interviews. I've run 250+ live cases since. You'll get the read I'd have given the room, not an encouraging one. How it runs: • Interview 1 — one case, one PEI, roughly 60 minutes. Cold start, no warm-up. • Interview 2 — a new case and a different PEI dimension, roughly 60 minutes. • 30-minute debrief — a component-by-component scorecard, the moments that would have decided it, and a specific list of what to fix. The cases are unseen and drawn from real McKinsey-style problems. The PEI questions come from different dimensions so you're not running one story twice. One thing worth saying plainly: the PEI carries close to the same weight as the case, and it is consistently the part candidates under-prepare. Half of what you're buying here is an honest read on your stories. Bought as separate sessions, two cases and two behavioral hours would run $1,560. This is $975, because the case and the PEI sit inside the same hour, the way the firm runs them.
What's included
Here's how I run a simulation, so there are no surprises on the day. Before: I'll ask for your resume and a short note on where you are — how many live cases you've done, whether you've got PEI stories built, and which office and round you're actually facing. That's it. I don't want your prepared answers in advance; the whole point is that I see what a partner would see. During: we run it straight through, at real length, with no coaching mid-interview. I won't rescue you from a bad structure or feed you the next step. That feels uncomfortable and it's deliberate — the version of you that shows up when nobody helps is the version McKinsey is going to meet. After: 30 minutes of feedback, and I'm direct about it. I spent time inside the firm delivering hiring recommendations after on-campus interviews, so the format I use is the one I actually used: component by component, what moved the vote, what didn't. If you'd have gotten the offer, I'll say so. If you wouldn't have, I'll tell you exactly where it came apart and what to do about it. You're not paying me to make you feel prepared — you're paying me to find out whether you are. Scheduling: this runs as one continuous block, so we'll find a window that genuinely works for both of us. Come to it the way you'd come to the real thing — rested, dressed for it, and somewhere you won't be interrupted. A note on what this isn't: this is a simulation, not a teaching package. If you're still learning to structure, or your math is shaky under pressure, book case sessions first and come back to this when you want to know whether you're ready. And it doesn't cover McKinsey Solve — that's a separate digital assessment and I don't run it. Questions before you book? Just message me.
- Two back-to-back interviews at full length — one case and one PEI in each, matching McKinsey's real first-round format
- Two unseen cases drawn from real McKinsey-style problems, with a cold start and no warm-up
- Two PEI questions from different dimensions, so you can't run the same story twice
- A 30-minute live debrief with a component-by-component scorecard on all four pieces
- A written scorecard within 48 hours, in the format I used to deliver hiring recommendations at McKinsey
- A straight answer on whether you'd have advanced, and exactly what to fix if not
Meet your expert
Ben L.
Top McKinsey Interviewer | Quant Skill-Building & PEI Pro | 50+ MBB Offers
• Stanford GSB Alum, Class of 2021 -- see relevant background & experience below: • Coaching | Advised 400+ admits into Stanford GSB, HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, INSEAD, Haas, and more (230+ Leland reviews), while teaching multiple courses through Leland • What I'm Doing Now | Based in NYC, building a publication 'Staying Human', working on a stealth, marketplace startup, coaching and playing chess profssionally, and advising a slate of Seed to Series C startups through Elevate LLC • Public Policy | Prior to Stanford, worked on the Policy Team for the Chicago Mayor's Office under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, focusing on 5G infrastructure policy, criminal justice policy, and citywide corporate/economic development deals • McKinsey | Before policy, worked at McKinsey & Co , with casework focused on job training for the formerly incarcerated and workforce development for at-risk youth • PE / VC / Startup Advising | After Stanford, worked in Bain's Private Equity Group on various due diliegences, managed deals with several venture capital firms, and advised multiple startups on growth and go-to-market strategy • Professional Writing | Speechwriting in public policy & political environments, Lead Editor for Nondisclosure (Stanford GSB's magazine) and Managing Editor for the Stanford International Policy Review • Additional Writing | Crafting op-eds, ghostwriting for major publications, developing a fictional short story collection, policy deep dives, a book on chess applications to life, and application essays of all sorts • GMAT / Test-Taking | Scored in the highest percentile of GMAT test-takers, but more importantly I've honed my ability to help others extrapolate top test-testing strategies in the areas they're weakest • Additional Coaching Details | 5+ years experience working with >750 individuals on essay writing and resume professionalization for top consulting firms, MBA programs, execs, and the broader job market • Interview Training | I was interview-trained with McKinsey, helping me give high-quality mock interviews for MBBs and any MBA program; I've also held 10+ events through Leland on interview prep for McKinsey's PEI and GSB's interview process in particular
