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Yes—according to an October 14, 2026 report, McKinsey is piloting a 10-minute interview in which some entry-level business-analyst applicants speak with an AI that acts as a client. The exercise is not described as a fully automated hiring decision: human assessors remain in the room and evaluate the candidate. McKinsey has not identified the participating offices or said how many applicants are involved.
The client simulation is separate from a January 2026 pilot in which graduate candidates used McKinsey’s internal assistant, Lilli, while analyzing a case study. Taken together, the pilots show McKinsey testing whether applicants can use AI with judgment—not simply accept whatever it generates.
What the reported AI-client interview involves
The newer pilot puts an applicant in a short conversation with software designed to play a realistic client. The reported aim is to recreate situations consultants encounter when they must ask questions, clarify an unclear request, interpret information and shape advice for a specific client.
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The Tech Buzz report says the simulation is intended to cover 80% of the scenarios McKinsey consultants might encounter in day-to-day work. That is a description of the pilot’s design, not a published performance statistic or a guarantee that every consulting task is represented.
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The simulated client is described as realistic rather than deliberately unreasonable. A human assessor stays present and judges the applicant’s performance; the available reporting does not say that the AI assigns the final hiring outcome.
What applicants are being tested on
- How clearly they define the client’s problem.
- Whether they ask useful follow-up questions instead of guessing.
- How they handle ambiguity and adapt when the conversation changes.
- How well they communicate a practical, client-specific recommendation.
The Lilli case-study pilot was a different exercise
In January 2026, McKinsey reportedly tested a separate format with graduate candidates. During a case study, candidates used Lilli, McKinsey’s internal AI assistant, to analyze the problem and refine their conclusion.
The point was not to reward blind acceptance of generated text. The reported assessment focused on prompting skill, curiosity, judgment and the ability to challenge an AI response, identify what matters to the client and adapt the output to that context.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThese two developments should not be treated as one confirmed, universal interview stage. The Lilli exercise involved AI-assisted case analysis; the later pilot involved a conversational AI playing the client. McKinsey has not said that either format is used in every office or for every applicant.
How the pilots fit McKinsey’s established recruiting process
McKinsey’s official recruiting information says consultant applicants may be asked to complete a test or game, and that most client-facing roles include personal-experience and problem-solving interviews. Its Problem-Solving Interview uses a typical client scenario to examine how a candidate approaches a complex problem.
The firm describes Solve as a gamified assessment used for most consulting roles. Recruiters are expected to confirm the interview details in advance, including any assessment instructions. That confirmation is important if an interview includes an authorized AI exercise.
| Reported element | January 2026 Lilli pilot | October 14, 2026 client simulation |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant activity | Use Lilli while working through a case study, then refine the conclusion | Hold a 10-minute conversation with an AI acting as a client |
| Primary skills emphasized | Prompting, curiosity, judgment and contextual interpretation | Questioning, ambiguity management, communication and client-focused reasoning |
| Human involvement | Reported as an interview exercise; detailed assessor arrangements were not stated | Human assessors remain in the room and evaluate performance |
| Scope | Graduate-candidate pilot; broader participation not stated | Some offices and entry-level business-analyst applicants; locations and candidate count not stated |
Can you use ChatGPT in a McKinsey interview?
Not unless McKinsey explicitly permits it for that assessment. McKinsey’s current official guidance allows responsible preparation such as polishing a résumé and practicing interview questions. It prohibits generating real-time answers during an interview and using AI during an assessment when permission has not been given.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe distinction is between disclosed, authorized use and hidden assistance. If the instructions tell you to work with McKinsey’s designated system, that system is part of the exercise. Opening a separate chatbot on your phone or another screen to supply answers during an ordinary interview would violate the stated rules and could misrepresent your abilities.
McKinsey explains that unauthorized real-time assistance compromises fairness, creates an uneven playing field and prevents interviewers from understanding who the candidate truly is. Applicants should ask the recruiter before the interview if the instructions do not clearly state whether an AI tool is allowed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to prepare for an AI case or client interview
- Practice the underlying consulting skills. Work through case problems that require a hypothesis, structured analysis, calculations and a recommendation. An AI interface does not replace the need to reason.
- Train yourself to clarify the brief. Before proposing an answer, identify the client’s objective, constraints, decision deadline and definition of success.
- Challenge outputs. When a tool offers an answer, check its assumptions, missing data and relevance to the client. Be ready to explain why you accept, modify or reject a suggestion.
- Keep the conversation client-centered. Translate analysis into implications, trade-offs and a next step rather than reciting model-generated language.
- Practice concise communication. A 10-minute conversation leaves little time for unfocused exposition. Lead with the issue, support it with the most relevant evidence and state what you would do next.
- Verify the rules. Follow the recruiter’s written instructions about approved tools, devices, notes and timing. Do not assume that permission to prepare with AI extends to live interview assistance.
Why McKinsey is testing this now
The pilots align recruiting with the way consulting work is being reshaped inside the firm. The Irish Times reported that McKinsey’s workforce peaked at 45,000 and fell by more than a tenth between 2023 and the middle of 2025. The same report quoted chief executive Bob Sternfels describing a workforce of 20,000 AI agents in addition to 40,000 staff, with a goal of reaching one agent per human over the following 18 months.
The Irish Times also reported a plan to cut 10% of non-client-facing roles over two years, potentially more than 1,000 jobs. That staffing figure is reported context, not an independently verified McKinsey announcement.
Against that backdrop, an applicant’s ability to supervise, interrogate and apply AI may matter alongside traditional case-solving. The recruiting experiments appear designed to observe that behavior under realistic pressure, while retaining human judgment over the applicant’s performance.
What remains unknown
- McKinsey has not disclosed which offices are running the client-simulation pilot.
- The number of applicants taking part has not been published.
- No public description establishes a universal 10-minute AI interview for all business-analyst candidates.
- The available reports do not specify a numerical score, weighting or pass mark for either pilot.
- It is not established whether the formats will become permanent parts of McKinsey’s recruiting process.
For candidates, the practical rule is simple: prepare for a normal problem-solving and client conversation, then use any AI only in the way the invitation explicitly authorizes. The reported pilots test judgment around AI, not a candidate’s willingness to outsource judgment to it.
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