MBB London Recruiting: McKinsey, BCG and Bain Process

MBB London recruiting follows one sequence at McKinsey, BCG and Bain, an online application, a test and case interviews, but each firm tests differently: Solve at McKinsey, a short numerical assessment at BCG UK, a numerical, logical and behavioural assessment at Bain London. This guide covers roles, 2027 windows, tests, interview rounds and how London differs from the US.

The McKinsey London interview process, the BCG London test and Bain's two case rounds sit side by side below, using only what each firm publishes on its UK pages (checked on 6 November 2026), so you can see where to spend your preparation time.

How do McKinsey, BCG and Bain recruit in London?

Each firm uses one online application, then its own test, then case interviews: McKinsey sends most consulting applicants Solve before a personal experience and problem-solving interview; BCG UK sets a short numerical assessment inside the application before case discussions with senior London consultants; Bain London tests numerical, logical and behavioural skills before two rounds of case interviews. That is how McKinsey, BCG and Bain describe their London processes.

The common skeleton is why generic advice travels; the differences are where London candidates lose offers. The rest of this page takes each step in turn: which role to apply for, when, what the test measures at each firm, what the interviews look like, and what changes if you are used to US recruiting. For the wider UK market (spring weeks, Big 4 schemes, visas), see the UK consulting recruiting guide.

Which London role should you apply for?

Final-year students and recent graduates apply as McKinsey Business Analyst, BCG Associate or Bain Associate Consultant; penultimate-year students apply to each firm's internship; PhD and medical candidates go to McKinsey's Junior Associate or BCG's Senior Associate route. The firms name the same stages differently, so match yourself to the row, not the title.

Sources for each cell: McKinsey's deadline tool with the UK filter lists Business Analyst, Business Analyst Intern and Junior Associate for UK students and says a Junior Associate can be a PhD or medical student; its UK careers FAQ says experienced hires apply year-round for Junior Associate and Associate roles. BCG's UK page sets the Associate at final year or under two years of full-time work and sends PhD and medical degree holders to Senior Associate, and its advanced degree page routes candidates with two or more years of work to the experienced hire pathway. Bain London welcomes Bachelor's, non-MBA Master's and PhD students from any discipline or university and sends anyone with more than two years of industry experience to its Working Professionals page.

Bain London adds that Associate Consultants start several times a year, typically in January, March, May, September and October, so you can pick a start date rather than wait for one autumn intake. MBA students sit outside this table: McKinsey's UK FAQ tells them to search for their business school on the global student site, and the MBA consulting recruiting timeline covers that cycle.

When do the London application windows open and close?

The 2027 graduate windows are closed; the next London deadlines are internships: Bain's ACI opening in November 2026, McKinsey's Business Analyst Intern on 14 January 2027 and BCG's summer internship from 1 to 24 January 2027. These are the MBB London dates on each firm's own pages on 6 November 2026:

Two caveats. McKinsey's tool no longer lists a UK Business Analyst (full-time) deadline for this cycle, so the full-time window has most likely passed; we could not read its closing date on an official page, so check the tool before you plan around a date. Bain's London page still says Associate Consultant applications "are now open" while printing the 15 October closing time, so treat the closing time as the live fact and email the London university hiring team if you are unsure.

If you miss a McKinsey deadline, its campus FAQ says your application will be considered in the next cycle or you will be invited to re-apply. How the firms review also differs. BCG's UK page says all decisions are made after the deadline, so you are not at a disadvantage if you apply later in the window. Neither McKinsey nor Bain London says the same, so for them, apply as soon as your CV is ready. For every other UK firm (Oliver Wyman, OC&C, L.E.K., the Big 4) and for spring weeks, the UK consulting application deadlines for 2027 tracker holds the dates; the Europe recruiting timeline shows how London compares with Germany, France and the rest of Europe. Keeping the three firms in one place is easier with a free application tracker.

What online test does each firm use in London?

McKinsey's is Solve, a gamified problem-solving assessment; BCG UK's is a short numerical assessment that forms part of the application; Bain London's covers numerical aptitude, logical reasoning and behavioural preferences, delivered through Sova or TestGorilla depending on your invitation. The firms publish different amounts of detail, so the table marks what each one actually says.

McKinsey Solve

McKinsey's deadline FAQ says that, depending on role and location, you may get a phone screen, a test or a gamified assessment, and that for most consulting roles you will be invited to play Solve. Its interviewing page calls Solve a test of natural problem-solving ability. McKinsey does not publish the games or timings and says there is no need to prepare; the McKinsey Solve guide collects what candidates report. If you want to see the format before test day, these are the Solve games we simulate:

The online tests McKinsey gives before the case interview

AllMcKinseyBCGBain

Sustainable Futures Lab (Island)Start free runSustainable Futures Lab (Classic)Start free runSea WolfStart free runRed RockStart free run

BCG UK numerical assessment

BCG's UK page is short on test detail: after an initial review of your CV, you are invited to "complete a short numerical assessment, which forms part of your application", then pass a final CV review before first-round interviews. It does not name a provider, a length or a format, and it does not mention Casey, the online case BCG uses in some other markets (the BCG online assessment by country maps which office uses what). Prepare for timed chart and percentage questions with the numerical reasoning test guide, and if your invitation names a different format, follow the invitation.

Bain London assessment

Bain London's page says the assessment covers numerical aptitude, logical reasoning and behavioural preferences, and that use of AI is not permitted. Bain's digital assessment page adds that the email after you apply says whether you take Sova or TestGorilla, that it takes about 30 to 40 minutes, that pen, paper and a calculator are allowed for the assessment only (not in later interviews), and that an application is not considered if the assessment is not finished by the deadline. Sova adjustment requests go to Bain's EMEA talent acquisition team before you start. If your email names Sova, the Bain Sova test guide breaks down its format and you can take a timed run on the Bain Sova simulator; if it names TestGorilla, read the Bain TestGorilla guide instead.

What happens in the London interview rounds?

Bain London runs two rounds of case interviews; McKinsey runs a personal experience interview alongside a problem-solving interview; BCG UK describes case-based discussions with senior members of its London consulting team. Only Bain publishes London dates and round counts, so the details below say where each fact comes from.

McKinsey: PEI plus a problem-solving case

McKinsey's interviewing page says most client-facing interviews pair a personal experience interview (PEI) with a problem-solving interview, sometimes called a case interview, in which you work through a business case; some roles add an expertise interview. This is the McKinsey London interview process as McKinsey describes it for client-facing roles. For the PEI, McKinsey suggests two personal examples for each of four areas, told in detail with your specific role and your reasoning, as a conversation rather than a rehearsed story. The McKinsey PEI guide covers the four themes and the follow-up questions.

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On the case side, McKinsey publishes five practice cases on the same page: Beautify, Diconsa, Electro-Light, Talbot Trucks and one on transforming a national education system. Work through them before the rest of your casebook, then use the McKinsey case interview guide for how the interviewer steers the case and asks for charts and calculations.

BCG: case discussions with senior London consultants

BCG's UK page says the interview stage "includes case-based discussions with senior members of our London consulting team", and that applies to both the Associate and the summer internship. It does not publish the number of rounds or their length. For a BCG London graduate application, that means the test and the CV review come before any conversation. Treat each interview as a full case with a fit conversation and prepare with the BCG case interview guide and the BCG fit interview guide. BCG London also runs free case preparation sessions in September and October each year (the 2026 sessions ran on 7 and 14 October), which are worth booking next autumn.

Bain: two case rounds in November and December

Bain London says interviews consist of two rounds, with first rounds in mid-November and final rounds in late November to early December, that both rounds are case interviews, and that they take place in the London office and/or on Zoom. Bain's general interviewing page describes the consulting process as a digital assessment and then case interviews. This is the Bain London interview process as Bain publishes it. Bain does not say who steers the case; the interviewer-led vs candidate-led guide shows how each style changes your opening, and the Bain case interview guide covers how the first and final rounds differ. If you have not cased before, start with the method:

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What is different from US recruiting?

Five things change in London: a grade screen written into the firms' UK pages, a separate UK process at McKinsey, a single BCG window with decisions after the deadline, a BCG test that is not the one in many guides, and no cover letter at McKinsey or Bain London. Everything else, the case method and the fit questions, transfers.

Grades are a stated screen

McKinsey's UK careers FAQ says campus hires need an AAB minimum at A level or equivalent and must be on track for a 2:1. BCG UK asks for at least a 2:1, predicted for interns. Bain London asks for strong academics and as much detail as possible on grades, without a published threshold. Check these lines before you spend weeks on preparation, and give the grade detail each firm asks for; the UK consulting CV guide shows how UK grades and A levels are usually written.

McKinsey has a UK process, whatever office you want

McKinsey's deadline tool tells UK students to "follow the UK process no matter which office you'd like to join". McKinsey also says that, beyond the US with one campus window a year, some offices such as Germany run several deadlines a year and some roles have none, so a London applicant who wants Frankfurt still applies on the UK timetable. Office preferences are capped: the UK FAQ says up to four, the deadline FAQ says up to three; plan for three.

BCG decides after the window closes

BCG London's Associate window ran from 9 September to 18 October 2026 and its internship window runs from 1 to 24 January 2027, with every decision made after the deadline. That removes the race to apply first that rolling processes create. BCG also recommends applying to no more than three or four offices and keeping your top two office preferences consistent across applications.

The online test is not the one in US guides

If you prepared from guides built around BCG's Casey online case, note that BCG's UK page names a short numerical assessment instead, and Bain London's assessment includes a behavioural preferences section on top of numerical and logical questions. Bain's US Associate Consultant Intern deadlines for summer 2027 were 29 March and 31 August 2026 (see the Bain internships guide), while Bain London's 2027 ACI applications only open in November 2026, so a US timeline will mislead you by months.

Cover letters and AI

Bain says no cover letter is needed for London's Associate Consultant role, and McKinsey's UK FAQ says an online application needs none. Bain London allows AI only to check grammar and spelling in your CV and bans it in the online assessment and virtual interviews; McKinsey says that using AI to generate real-time answers in an interview goes against its values.

How should you prepare for London MBB recruiting?

Give it six weeks before your deadline, in the order the firms test you: CV, online test, case method, firm-specific fit stories, then full mock cases. Interns applying for January 2027 deadlines should start in late November; anyone targeting Bain's ACI should finish weeks 1 and 2 before the window opens, since Bain says that in some markets the assessment link arrives within a week of applying.

Weeks 1 and 2 matter most for London, because both the BCG numerical assessment and the Bain assessment sit inside the application: fail them and no interviewer ever reads your CV. If you are rejected, McKinsey's UK FAQ recommends waiting 12 to 18 months before reapplying; the reapplication guide covers what to change.

Prep plans for McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, Accenture, EY-Parthenon, Kearney, Oliver Wyman, Roland Berger, L.E.K., OC&C, Strategy&, Simon-Kucher, Arthur D. Little, Capital One and your target firm. Choose your firm in the plan builder.

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• Learn how to caseGuided learning · 35 min
• The Case Interview MethodLesson · 8 min
• Profitability & Turnaround: AfrihealSkill drill · 5 min
• Profitability & Turnaround: Berty BankSkill drill · 5 min

Once an offer is close, pay becomes the next question: consulting salary by city compares London pay with other offices. For the other strategy firms hiring in London, see consulting firms in the UK.

Sources

• McKinsey: Campus application deadlines, filtered to Bachelor/Undergraduate and Other Advanced Degrees, school location UK (Business Analyst Intern 14 January 2027 local time; Junior Associate rolling, open to PhD and medical students; follow the UK process for any office; Solve for most consulting roles; PEI and problem-solving interviews; up to three office preferences; checked 6 November 2026)
• McKinsey: Careers in the United Kingdom (AAB at A level and on track for a 2:1; no cover letter for online applications; reapply after 12 to 18 months; up to four office preferences; experienced hires year-round; checked 6 November 2026)
• McKinsey: Interviewing at McKinsey (Solve, PEI, problem-solving and expertise interviews, five practice cases, AI policy; checked 6 November 2026)
• BCG: Early careers in consulting at BCG in the UK (Associate window 9 September to 18 October 2026; internship window 1 to 24 January 2027, eight weeks in July and August; short numerical assessment inside the application; 2:1; decisions after the deadline; case-based discussions; office preferences; events; checked 6 November 2026)
• BCG: Global consulting opportunities for non-MBA UK students (internship and full-time pathways; checked 6 November 2026)
• BCG: Advanced degree candidates, United Kingdom (PhD and medical routes, experienced hire threshold; checked 6 November 2026)
• Bain: London recruiting (Associate Consultant closing 15 October 23:59 BST; assessment due midday 20 October BST; numerical, logical and behavioural assessment; two case rounds, mid-November and late November to early December, office and/or Zoom; start dates; no cover letter; AI rules; ACI 2027 expected to open November 2026; checked 6 November 2026)
• Bain: Digital assessment (Sova or TestGorilla, 30 to 40 minutes, calculator rules, AI ban, deadline rule, EMEA adjustments; checked 6 November 2026)
• Bain: Interviewing (digital assessment then case interviews for consulting roles; checked 6 November 2026)