Example output for a fictional student. Your real review uses your own resume and the JD you paste.
McKinsey runs BA applications through an internal review built on top of Workday, with the recruiter scan focusing on structured-problem-solving signal, quantified leadership, and one distinctive personal narrative. A passing McKinsey BA resume hits 80+ on the parser, leads each bullet with a result (not a task), and surfaces 1-2 leadership roles where you owned the outcome. The widget below scores yours against the actual McKinsey JD in 30 seconds.
McKinsey & Company runs every BA application through Internal, which scores resumes against the JD for keyword match, format, and section structure before a single human reads them. A bullet that reads fine to a friend can score in the 40s against the actual JD because Internal matches exact phrases, models, and quantified outcomes the business analyst posting expects. Don't let the bot cut you before the recruiter ever opens the file. The widget above runs that scoring on your PDF against the McKinsey JD you paste, in 30 seconds.
MCKINSEY & COMPANY BA RESUMES, BY THE NUMBERS
<1%
reported acceptance rate for McKinsey BA programs at most target schools
3
PEI dimensions McKinsey screens for: leadership, drive, personal impact
30 sec
what the widget above takes to score your resume against the JD
The flags that drive the score and the rewrites for a McKinsey & Company business analyst application. Calibrated to what Internal matches against and what a McKinsey recruiter looks for in the human pass that follows.
Result-first bullets
McKinsey BA recruiters look for the outcome in the first 5 words of every bullet. "Cut volunteer turnover 18% by..." beats "Led a 12-week diagnostic to..."
Leadership-with-scope
Every leadership role should name the team size, the duration, and the measurable result. "5-person team, 12 weeks, 18% reduction" hits all three.
Case-hint language
Bullets that show structured thinking ("hypothesis-driven analysis", "MECE breakdown", "synthesized findings into a 3-part recommendation") score higher because they signal you have done some case prep.
Quant comfort signal
McKinsey weights quantitative coursework and one statistics or modeling-heavy project. Surface it in coursework or projects.
One distinctive thread
McKinsey filters for "one interesting story per resume." Sports, entrepreneurship, research, arts, anything that gives the interviewer one hook for PEI.
School-section format
School first, GPA visible, expected grad, relevant coursework (4-6 max), study-abroad if applicable. McKinsey reads top-down.
No prestige-stuffing
McKinsey recruiters notice when a resume lists 8 honor societies and 4 conferences. One or two with depth beats a long list with no commitment.
1. Upload your resume
Drop the PDF you would submit to McKinsey. 10MB max, text-based PDF only (Internal cannot parse images).
2. Paste the McKinsey JD
Either the full JD text or the URL of the posting on mckinsey.com / LinkedIn. The score is tailored to that exact JD.
3. Review the line-by-line edits
Critical, notable, and polish edits are grouped by severity. Each shows the original bullet, the rewrite, and why the rewrite is stronger.
4. Download your improved PDF
Click Apply on the rewrites you want. The right-side preview rebuilds the PDF live as you accept edits, ready to submit.
NOT APPLYING YET?
New ATS keyword drops for each McKinsey JD, deadline changes, and the specific resume mistakes that get cut in the first pass.
Yes for BA applications, especially from non-target schools. McKinsey weights the cover letter moderately to heavily; spend ~280 words on it. See our McKinsey BA cover letter page for the format.
McKinsey does not publish a hard floor but the consensus across the 2025 cycle is 3.7+ for target schools, 3.8+ for semi-targets, and 3.9+ for non-targets without other distinctive signal.
McKinsey weights leadership-with-scope and structured-thinking signal hardest. Bain weights culture fit and team athleticism. BCG weights intellectual curiosity and analytical range. Tune the resume slightly per firm.
No. Each firm's application is internal. Recruiters do not cross-reference.
McKinsey uses an internal applicant system built on top of Workday for most regions. Same formatting rules apply: single column, standard fonts, no tables.
Use Offerloop's Find feature to identify USC, NYU, Michigan, or UPenn alumni at McKinsey, then send a cold email asking for 15 minutes. McKinsey alumni respond at notably higher rates than the BB banks.
McKinsey pulled BA recruiting earlier in 2026. Sophomore-fall is now the standard for first interactions; junior-year-summer applications close in early August at most schools.
We keep the parsed text long enough to send you the report. The PDF is processed in memory and not retained.