Kearney · Business analyst / associate · Business Analyst (undergraduate) / Associate (MBA / advanced degree)
Behavioral interview (first round)
A distinct named round run by consultants and read against five stated Kearney values
What they actually ask
The question shapes this round uses. Larpy does not read these out. It builds each one from your own resume, because the generic version is the one you have already rehearsed.
- “Walk me through a past experience and the people and influences that shaped your decisions in it.”
- “Tell me about a time you went out of your way to help a teammate succeed.”
- “Tell me about a time you took a bold or unpopular position and stuck with it.”
- “Tell me about a time you were genuinely curious about something and chased it down.”
- “Tell me about a time a team you were on struggled and what you personally did about it.”
- “What are you passionate about outside of work?”
What this round is judged on
- Curiosity · one of Kearney's five published fit dimensions
- Capacity for generosity · Kearney screens for it by name, which no MBB firm publishes
- Boldness · conviction and initiative you actually acted on
- Solidarity · collaborative, team-first behaviour under pressure
- Passions · what you genuinely care about, inside and outside work
- Structure · STAR-shaped answers, which Kearney explicitly asks for
Where this round sits
Kearney’s published process. Lime marks the stage this round runs.
- 01Application & screening
- 02Competency assessment (role-dependent, not simulated here)
- 03Behavioral interviewsthis round
- 04Case interview (not simulated here)
- 05Full interview slate
- 06Offer decision
What happens in each stage›
- Application & screening
- Application through Kearney's global jobs board, followed by a screen. Kearney frames it as deliberately not score-driven: 'the spotlight isn't on just application forms or exam scores; it's about the people.' Its specialist track explicitly begins after screening.
- Competency assessment (role-dependent, not simulated here)
- Kearney says general consulting candidates 'may also be asked to complete an additional competency assessment piece', and that specialist processes may include 'technical and functional competency assessments'. Format and vendor are not published. Not a spoken round, so out of scope here.
- Behavioral interviews
- Kearney's own term, and a distinct named interview type rather than a preamble to the case. Described as 'a classic get-to-know-you conversation where you share your past experiences, the setting, people, and influences shaping your decisions', plus 'your purpose, passions, interests, personality'. Conducted by consultants. This is the round this product simulates.
- Case interview (not simulated here)
- Kearney asks candidates 'to provide a solution to a new challenge' and stresses 'we are more interested in the solution that you truly believe is best, not the one you think we want to hear.' Candidate-led and hypothesis-driven rather than a scripted question sequence. Verbal, not coding, and excluded from this product by design.
- Full interview slate
- For general consulting Kearney states the process 'typically consists of four to five interviews of behavioral and case interviews'. How that slate splits into a first round and a final round is not published by Kearney and is candidate-reported. Specialist roles run three to five interviews; internal roles two to three behavioral interviews.
- Offer decision
- Judged against Kearney's core values as well as case performance. Kearney does not publish turnaround times.
Sources
Built from what Kearney publishes about its own process. No leaked question lists. The questions you get are generated against your own resume, so they are not from anyone else's interview.
General consulting 'typically consists of four to five interviews of behavioral and case interviews'; specialists run three to five after screening; internal roles two to three; the optional 'additional competency assessment piece'; interviews conducted by consultants; definitions of the behavioral and case interview types.
The five named fit dimensions ('curiosity, capacity for generosity, boldness, solidarity, and passions'); the explicit STAR endorsement; 'not looking for the loudest candidate or the one who uses the most consulting buzzwords'; case preparation flagged 'for consultant roles only'.
Hypothesis-driven, candidate-led case guidance: 'Hypothesize', 'avoid forcing your solution to fit a standard framework', 'think top down', and 'be coachable... At the same time, be firm about the things you believe in'.
A single open question plus an additional-information block released on request, with answer guidelines structured as identify issues, formulate hypothesis, validate and refine, synthesize, recommend.
The consulting level ladder: business analyst, senior business analyst, associate, manager, principal, associate partner, partner.
Business analyst as the undergraduate entry role and the 10-week summer business analyst program.
Summer associate and full-time associate as the MBA-level entry roles.
Sources last checked . Hiring loops change, so this date is the honest limit on everything above.