McKinsey is requiring job applicants to spar with a simulated AI client.

Meta description: McKinsey & Company plans a 10-minute AI simulated client conversation for entry-level interviews, with human assessors judging candidate responses.

Tags: McKinsey, AI interviews, hiring, consulting, simulated clients

Featured image: abstract technology-style illustration of a simulated client conversation, with waveform lines and a digital interface, no real people, no company logos, no text.

Background: A New Interview Element

A McKinsey AI interview element is moving into the hiring process for some entry-level candidates, according to The Wall Street Journal. The consulting firm is placing an AI simulation of a client into a short interview step, changing how candidates may show readiness for client-facing work.

Development: How The Simulation Is Designed

The simulation aims to reflect 80% of the scenarios McKinsey consultants might encounter in day-to-day work, according to WSJ reporting. It is not built to mimic an unhinged client. The AI will not score the candidates. Instead, human evaluators will be in the room to assess how well candidates handle the simulated situations.

Latest Progress: Testing With Undergraduate Applicants

The tool is in testing for undergraduates seeking business-analyst jobs in some offices. The 10-minute conversation gives candidates a brief setting to respond to a client-style prompt, while interviewers observe communication, reasoning, and composure.

Current Stage: Human Review Remains Central

At this stage, the change is best understood as a controlled experiment in interview realism, not a fully automated hiring system. The AI supplies a simulated client scenario; people still make the judgment. For candidates, the value may lie in how the simulation narrows the distance between interview answers and the client conversations expected in consulting work.