So, the time came for me to take the written test. Already quite exhausted, since I just completed and turned in our team's ATCC stage one proposal this morning. In fact, had less than 5 hours of sleep, and I didn't even complete the practice test. Arrived at the Taipei 101 'office' building for the first time. The visitor entry process is really cool ~ you go to this machine and find the company you are visiting. Then, the machine places a direct call to the company's front desk which you have to report your name through a speaker on the side. Once the confirmation is done, the machine receives authorization and spits out a temporary visitor's pass. Past the entry gates, first took the elevator to the 35th floor. The elevator is not the same 'fastest, smoothest' in the world which takes visitors to the scenic observatory, but it is fast and smooth nonetheless.
McKinsey & Company occupied the entire 47th floor alone. Shiny marble glass and floor and ceiling impose a sense of greatness on visitors the moment they step out of the elevator. The office itself is really nice too, the rest area has two side of flat-panel windows that overlooks taipei city from this altitude, and all the offices looked modern and westernized.
Our batch of test-takers totaled to 12 people, all are from NTU. We are seated around a oval table in probably one of the largest conference rooms of the office (since rental rate of Taipei 101 is staggeringly high). To be honest, it felt like one of the many major tests I'd taken in the past. We have the test booklet, instructions, erasers and the all-but-too-familiar scantron couple with the number two pencils. After making sure everyone is in place and are clear of the related rules, a timer for 60 minutes is set and we flipped to page 3 and began.
The test was very much like the sample test attached to our invitation letter. Basically, it is a real case that McKinsey had done in the past. So we are presented with multiple charts, diagrams, tables and exhibit, and sections of written text. There are 26 multiple choice questions that requires takers to induce, deduce, infer, draw conclusion or calculate certain ratios based on the data given. 26 multiple choice questions may sound simple, hey, 60/26 that's about 2 minutes for each question! Isn't it more than enough when all you have to do is find the correct answer among 4 choices? Well, not quite. The amount of reading and data analysis exceeds my expectations. Sometimes, you have to look at two or more graphs and charts and combine the information to come up with the correct answers. In reality, taking away the time you need to read and analyze, you have only about a minute to actually think through each question. What's more, the most difficult ones are not the quantitative ones but rather the induction kinds. For example:
From the text presented, the opinion of the CEO of Pharma Co thinks that.....
or
From the data given, which one of the following is a valid conclusion?
or
Which one of the following statements, if TRUE, will significantly help the team's analysis?
The above types of questions go beyond the wording of the answers themselves. Since the correct choice is usually more subtle and not as obvious as the quantitative counterparts ~ where 1+1 has to equal 2.
I barely finished the whole 26 questions with 3 minutes on the clock. Once the papers are collected, we were ushered back into the rest area and was told the results will be out in 10 minutes. We will then be notified whether we met the standard and whether we are invited to tomorrow's Case Interview Workshop. Standing near one of the window-side sofas, I said jokingly to my friend, 'Hey, take in as much of the view here as you can, this might be the last chance standing in this office~XD'
In 10 minutes time, the lady responsible for our tests returned to our rooms and called out 3 names and told them to follow her. A silent 'Shit ~ I told you so' went off in my mind. Yesterday, Ping came and took this test, and she said out of 3 takers only 1 made it. So I was assuming out of us 12, the 3 names just mentioned made it to the next round. However, the remaining 9 of us weren't told to go home....
A minute or so later, a Business Analyst came in and told the rest of us to follow him. We were led into a smaller meeting room, where he announced that we all passed the standard! Apparently, the 3 names previously mentioned were the ones that didn't make it! A rush of joy flushed over me ~ I passed the written test!!!!
We were invited to tomorrow's Case Interview Workshop, where the unique 'McKinsey Case Interviews' will be explained in detail, preparing us for the final Batch Day Interviews that will take place on 4/5 (next week !) that, will be the final determinant as to whether or not we get to work as a BA here at McKinsey this summer!
From resume to written test, now getting ready for the interview!!!! Man, this feels pretty exciting!
