McKinsey & Company Summer Intern Interview Questions and Answers

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: There was a painting on the wall. You have to bid for it in an auction on behalf of your client. How will you do its valuation? How will you justify to your client in case you are bidding for it in excess of Rs. 1 crore?

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: An FMCG company wants to enter into packaged fruit juice segment in India. What all aspects should it take into account?
Value proposition of fruit juices w.r.t to its substitutes? Why different packaging, pricing strategy?
Tips: Try to cover as many aspects as possible.

Skills:
Duration: 2
College Name: IIM Lucknow

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: A successful man wants to open a restaurant in a downtown of a metro. What should be his strategy and how should he estimate his resources?
I started by clarifying the successful part and what does the interviewer mean by resources, I was told that the successful part was to block my analysis along cost part and the resources was limited to number of chairs and tables. After I told about how he might choose the demographics of the downtown area and how he should choose the type of restaurant, the interviewer said to take the restaurant to cater lunch to office goers and is of Italian type.
My numeric analyses started with a clarified assumption that Italian restaurants are expensive and are visited by rich executives on an occasional lunch basis. Then came the assumption to numbers and division to to age group., income group, gender etc and arrived at a decent number which was ok to the interviewer.
Tips: The interviewer wants to look at how we were choosing each step. So think aloud and take it slow because they never urge you to take it fast and you don't have to either.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: Estimate the number of treadmills in Delhi.
I started along the traditional path of diving the population into families and families into rich and poor. And then rich families with health conscious people.
2nd part was about number of gyms and other health centres where treadmill might be there. Here the analysis was in terms of number of gyms and avg number of treadmills in each gym.

An analytical question: A person loses his purse with 1000 bucks in it and there is a second person who also loses his purse with unknown amount in it. A third person finds the purses and asks both of them to bid alternately and whoever bids the highest wins both the purses. If you are that first person who lost purse with 1000 bucks in it, how much would be your highest bid?
I was confused with the question because I thought it was a onetime bid and told him that we cannot find the answer. He found out why I was saying that and told that the bid continues till one of them stops. From here on I took some time to arrive at the solution but it needed decent bit of help. The answer is 2000 because that will take the first person to at least the same state as he was without his pursei.e 1000
Tips: There is nothing wrong in asking for help and in fact it is very well appreciated in most of the cases. But avoid overdoing it.

Skills:
Duration: 3
College Name: IIM Lucknow

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: The case was about a private equity firm which had to take a decision to buy a wine company. If you are the firm how would you proceed? The interviewer wanted to see the approach and he was willing to give data as required to make a decision.
Tips: Be ready to explain each of your assumption.
Practise few calculations as it is also important while solving case.

Round: Case Study Interview
Experience: He told me to select one area and the case will be on that. I told him whatever he likes. He then said that there is a company in Africa which manufactures papers. From past three years its profit has been declining. Suggest ways to improve it.
Tips: Relax draw structures which helps him understand how you are working.

Skills:
Duration: 3
College Name: IIM Lucknow