McKinsey PEI questions and STAR skeletons
McKinsey’s four PEI themes with the firm’s own prompts, quoted and dated, a STAR skeleton for each, the follow-ups to expect, and five common mistakes.
Updated October 28, 2026
| Theme | McKinsey’s own prompt | What to pick |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership | “Share an example where you worked effectively with people with different backgrounds despite challenges.” | A team you had to move without authority over everyone in it, where the backgrounds were the obstacle, not a detail. |
| Drive | “Talk about a time when you worked hard to achieve excellence in particularly tough circumstances.” | A goal with a deadline and a reason it was unlikely. Effort alone is not the story; the judgment calls under pressure are. |
| Connection | “Explain a challenging situation you encountered when working with someone with an opposing opinion.” | A real disagreement with someone senior or essential, where you changed either their mind or yours. Avoid the story where you were simply right. |
| Growth | “Revisit a time when you had to rapidly learn something new to tackle a challenging situation.” | A skill or domain you did not have, a clock, and a method. The method is the story. |
What is the McKinsey PEI?
McKinsey runs two kinds of interview for most client-facing roles, in its own words:
For most client-facing roles, you will participate in personal experience interviews and problem-solving interviews, depending on the role, you may also have expertise interviews.
The personal experience interview is the behavioral half. It is one story, told in depth, with the interviewer asking what you did, why, and what happened next. McKinsey says what it wants from it:
Come prepared to discuss these in detail and choose experiences which genuinely mattered to you, talk about your specific role and lead with reasoning, not actions. We want to see your authentic self, so be prepared to have a conversation, not to present a rehearsed story.
We suggest coming prepared with two personal examples that demonstrate how you’ve made an impact in each of the four areas below. Remember to share the details of the challenges and the specific actions you took to drive meaningful change.
Two examples in each of four areas is eight stories. Most candidates can carry four well-told ones that each cover two themes; the table above tells you which to pick.
What are the four themes, in McKinsey’s words?
The careers page names them in an interactive module. Each theme carries one sentence of definition and one example prompt. The definitions, verbatim:
Harnessing the power of diverse thinking requires leadership grounded in understanding; empowering and motivating people to be at their best.
Overcoming obstacles and achieving challenging goals requires resilience, creativity, and judgement.
Working with our clients to deliver the right answer requires respectful debate supported by trust-based relationships.
Growing as a professional requires constant learning and openness to feedback and change.
What does a STAR skeleton look like for each theme?
A skeleton is the shape of a story, not the story. Four beats: the situation in two sentences, the task that was yours, the actions you took in order with the reasoning, the result with a number. The firm’s own instruction, “lead with reasoning, not actions”, is the part most candidates miss: say why you chose the action before you say what it was.
Leadership
Prompt: “Share an example where you worked effectively with people with different backgrounds despite challenges.”
- Situation: Who was in the room and why the mix made it hard: two sentences.
- Task: What you were responsible for, named plainly.
- Actions: The one thing you did that only you did: the conversation, the change of plan, the call you made.
- Result: What the team delivered, with a number, and what you would do again.
Drive
Prompt: “Talk about a time when you worked hard to achieve excellence in particularly tough circumstances.”
- Situation: The goal and the constraint that made it tough: deadline, resources, odds.
- Task: Your part of it, not the team’s.
- Actions: The three choices you made, in order, and the one you reversed.
- Result: The result against the original bar, in a number.
Connection
Prompt: “Explain a challenging situation you encountered when working with someone with an opposing opinion.”
- Situation: The decision at stake and what each side wanted.
- Task: Your position and what you owed the other person.
- Actions: How you found out what they actually needed, and what you conceded.
- Result: What was decided, how the relationship ended up, and the lesson in one line.
Growth
Prompt: “Revisit a time when you had to rapidly learn something new to tackle a challenging situation.”
- Situation: What you did not know and why it mattered right then.
- Task: The scope you set yourself: what to learn first, what to skip.
- Actions: How you learned it: who you asked, what you built, what feedback you took.
- Result: What you could do at the end that you could not at the start, and where you used it next.
What do the follow-up questions sound like?
The PEI is a conversation, so expect the interviewer to stop you and ask for the specific: what exactly you said, why that approach and not another, how the other person reacted, what you would do differently. The follow-ups are where the two-sentence situation pays off, because you have time left for them. Prepare each story to survive ten of them: know the names, the numbers and the day.
What are the common mistakes?
- The team’s story, not yours. “We decided” six times in a row. The interviewer is grading your role; say “I” where it is true.
- Actions without reasoning. A list of things done. McKinsey asks for the reasoning first.
- The rehearsed monologue. Three minutes without a pause. Stop after the situation and let the interviewer steer.
- No number at the end. “It went well.” End on what changed, measured.
- The story where you were right all along. Connection and Growth both need something you conceded or learned.
What does Casepartner show in a behavioral round?
When the question turns behavioral, the window switches to behavioral mode and shows a STAR skeleton: which experience to pick, what to stress, how to end. Never the story, and never a sentence to say. In practice mode, it is a way to drill the shape until the reasoning-first habit sticks; the words stay yours.
On using it in the real PEI: McKinsey’s page lists generating real-time answers during an interview as not allowed, quoted in full in the firm policies guide. Drill with it; walk into the room with the skeletons in your head.
Questions
How many PEI stories do I need?
McKinsey suggests two examples in each of four areas. Four strong stories that each cover two themes are enough for most candidates; the table at the top says what to pick for each theme.
How long is the PEI?
McKinsey’s page does not state a length. It describes the interview as a conversation about one experience in detail, with follow-up questions; prepare each story to survive ten of them.
Should I use the STAR method in the McKinsey PEI?
Use it as a skeleton, not a script. McKinsey asks candidates to lead with reasoning, not actions, and to have a conversation rather than present a rehearsed story. STAR tells you what to cover; the reasoning-first order tells you how.
Can Casepartner help with the PEI?
In practice: run fit questions in a shared tab and the window shows a STAR skeleton for each, so you drill the shape. In a live McKinsey interview, the firm says real-time AI answers are not allowed; see the firm policies guide.