This comment was left on yesterday’s post and I thought that some of you might find it helpful.
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Mike wrote:
“As a soon-to-be Ph.D. starting at McK in the fall, I thought I’d offer my perspective. APDs at McKinsey attend a three-week “Mini-MBA” course in addition to the week of “Basic Consulting Readiness” that all new consultants get. You’d also learn a lot on the job, of course, but friends have told me that after an Associate has been with the Firm for about six months it’s hard to tell the MBAs and APDs apart.
Several APDs have told me that the “people skills” are the hardest part of the job to pick up; the MBAs generally have more experience in that area.
As Marquis mentions, you’ll need to learn about business strategy and terminology before the interview. Most of the interview tips for MBAs also apply to APDs. You won’t be expected to have as much in-depth knowledge of concepts and terminology, but you should be able to solve the same types of problems. While the initial rounds of interviews will be a little different for APDs, in the final round(s) APDs and MBAs will be interviewed together.
I suggest subscribing to the Wall Street Journal to pick up the terminology. Practicing cases will also help with the terminology, and having 50-100 hours of face-to-face case practice before the interviews is essential. Check with the consulting club (if there is one) and career services office of your university to find case practice partners.
Mike”
————–
Mike wrote:
“As a soon-to-be Ph.D. starting at McK in the fall, I thought I’d offer my perspective. APDs at McKinsey attend a three-week “Mini-MBA” course in addition to the week of “Basic Consulting Readiness” that all new consultants get. You’d also learn a lot on the job, of course, but friends have told me that after an Associate has been with the Firm for about six months it’s hard to tell the MBAs and APDs apart.
Several APDs have told me that the “people skills” are the hardest part of the job to pick up; the MBAs generally have more experience in that area.
As Marquis mentions, you’ll need to learn about business strategy and terminology before the interview. Most of the interview tips for MBAs also apply to APDs. You won’t be expected to have as much in-depth knowledge of concepts and terminology, but you should be able to solve the same types of problems. While the initial rounds of interviews will be a little different for APDs, in the final round(s) APDs and MBAs will be interviewed together.
I suggest subscribing to the Wall Street Journal to pick up the terminology. Practicing cases will also help with the terminology, and having 50-100 hours of face-to-face case practice before the interviews is essential. Check with the consulting club (if there is one) and career services office of your university to find case practice partners.
Mike”
