31 consulting interview questions (from McKinsey, BCG, etc.)

Today we’re going to show you the types of consulting interview questions that you’d typically face at companies like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.

These are the same types of practice questions used by the 7,700+ candidates whom we’ve helped to get offers from consulting companies.

And here’s one of the first things you’ll want to know:

Consulting firms ask four broad categories of interview questions, and you’ll need to be ready to answer questions from each of them. 

Let's jump right into the following:

• Fit questions
• Behavioural (PEI) questions
• Market sizing questions
• Case interview questions
• How to prepare for consulting interviews

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with MBB ex-interviewers

1. Fit questions

Fit questions are used to evaluate whether a candidate will thrive within a specific consulting firm. Interviewers know that the candidates who are most likely to be their top performers will be the people who love the company’s culture, people, and projects. You can learn more about fit questions, and how to answer them, in our case interview guide.

Below are several typical questions used to test a candidate’s company “fit.” It's worth mentioning that these are REAL interview questions that were originally reported by candidates on Glassdoor.com. We've just rephrased the questions in some places for better readability. 

2. Behavioural (PEI) questions

Behavioural questions, which are sometimes also called Personal Experience Interview (PEI) questions, are used to assess candidates on three primary skills: leadership, entrepreneurial drive, and personal impact. You can learn more about these questions, and how to answer them, in our PEI interview guide.

Below are several typical behavioural / PEI questions. Again, these are real interview questions that were originally reported by candidates on Glassdoor.com. We've just rephrased the questions in some places for better readability.

3. Market sizing questions

Market sizing questions are used to assess a candidate’s maths skills, and their ability to logically solve problems without any provided data. Market sizing questions are often asked at the beginning of consulting case interviews (more on those later). 

Below are several typical market sizing questions. To learn more about market sizing questions, and to see the original sources and solutions for each of the below questions, visit our market sizing questions guide. 

4. Case interview questions

A case interview simulates the conditions of a real consulting project, so that your interviewer can evaluate how you would perform on the job. Case interviews usually start with a broad question or statement that provides context on the business, then the case will evolve with a series of additional questions or considerations.

Below are paraphrased versions of the opening questions for several case interviews. Each of the cases below are from McKinsey, BCG, and other leading firms. Click the corresponding link to see the full case. And for a larger list of example case interviews, check out our case interview examples article.

5. How to prepare for consulting interviews

Most people won’t be ready to flawlessly solve any of the above consulting interview questions without preparing first. 

To make the most of your practise time and to maximise your chances of landing a consulting offer, we’d recommend you take the following preparation steps:

5.1 Learn a consistent method

Having a framework will help you structure your answers logically and minimise your potential for mistakes. For each category of questions above, we have a separate free guide that will help you develop a consistent approach for answering questions successfully. 

Here’s a quick list of those resources:

1. For fit questions, study the fit / PEI section of our case interview guide.
2. For behavioural / PEI questions, you can dig deeper with our McKinsey PEI guide.
3. For market sizing questions, check out our in-depth market sizing guide.
4. For case interview questions, review our guide on case interview frameworks.

5.2 Practise on your own

Once you’ve learned a repeatable approach for a given category of questions, we recommend answering lots of questions until it starts to come naturally. The question list above provides an excellent starting point. 

And once you’ve used all the questions above, here’s where you can find even more:

1. For fit questions, you can find a few under “other” in our case interview guide.
2. For PEI questions, you can find several more examples in our McKinsey PEI guide.
3. For market sizing questions, look in our separate market sizing questions guide. 
4. For case interview questions, check out our case interview examples article. 

We also recommend interviewing yourself out loud, by asking yourself questions and responding to them. This may sound strange, but it will dramatically improve the way you communicate your answers during interviews.

However, by yourself, you can’t simulate thinking on your feet or the pressure of performing in front of a stranger. Plus, there are no unexpected follow-up questions and no feedback.

That’s why many candidates try to practice with friends or peers.

5.3 Practise with peers

If you have friends or peers who can do mock interviews with you, that's an option worth trying. It’s free, but be warned, you may come up against the following problems:

• It’s hard to know if the feedback you get is accurate
• They’re unlikely to have insider knowledge of interviews at your target company
• On peer platforms, people often waste your time by not showing up

For those reasons, many candidates skip peer mock interviews and go straight to mock interviews with an expert. 

5.4 Practise with experienced MBB interviewers

In our experience, practising real interviews with experts who can give you company-specific feedback makes a huge difference.

Find a consulting interview coach so you can:

• Test yourself under real interview conditions
• Get accurate feedback from a real expert
• Build your confidence
• Get company-specific insights
• Learn how to tell the right stories, better.
• Save time by focusing your preparation

Landing a job at a top consulting company often results in a $50,000 per year or more increase in total compensation. In our experience, three or four coaching sessions worth ~$500 will make a significant difference in your ability to land the job. That’s an ROI of 100x!

Click here to book a mock case interview coach with an experienced MBB interviewer.