Mars, Tony I'm in a really tricky and sort of an embarrassing situation. Took the McKinsey PST recently after having been approached by the recruiter for an experienced hire position directly. The telephonic chat had gone really well and I was really looking forward to getting on with the rest of the selection process.So, here's the deal: candidates were led to a small meeting room where the test was administered. The guy opposite me was rather strange as in he kept sighing really loudly as soon as the test commenced (and it was just a few of us in the room with me being the closest to him) and was talking to himself every now and then mumbling/cursing himself for some random calculation error, animatedly tapping his pen, feet, more loud sighs, shuffling around etc.It may sound like I am making allowances here but even a few minutes into the test I knew it would be extremely difficult for me to concentrate on what were already quite a lengthy calculation based set of problems in a time pressured scenario (without a calculator!) and with this outrageously distracting person the task was rendered impossible. I, as well as the person next to me did give this guy a couple of lingering glares but to no result. I was so frustrated I just had to guess a number of questions and obviously knew it was all over there.I know I had options: could have called the test administrator and said, "a fellow candidate is being distracting?" I just couldn't especially when the rest didn't seem majorly inconvenienced. I could have said something to the guy but who does that? I obviously wasn't successful on the PST but my question is this: should I say something to the recruiter? Or just dismiss the failure at my dream of a McK position as a stroke of bad luck and due to what many would argue an inexplicably low tolerance of noise (to be fair to me I've never been in an exam situation in such cosy surroundings!). Should I ask for another chance? I wish I could just blame the obnoxiously loud candidate but I guess I know deep down only I am responsible. I need to either invest in some ear plugs if I am going to sit another exam or demand a separate room or just forget strategy consulting because there'll always be assessments in less than ideal situations.Apologies for the length of this. You have no idea how crushing this is.

This may sound a bit brutal, but I think you have to accept that you have blown it. Freud (I think) once said something along the lines of "when you’re in love you are unbothered by toothache" - by which he meant that if you are in a happy place then trivial discomforts are an irrelevance. Conversely if you are on the edge of your comfort zone then every small intrusion will be magnified and will disrupt your performance. Anyone that was about to ace that test would not be put off by a bit of shuffling and spluttering.Complaining now will just sound like whinging. All you can do is learn from the experience and toughen up for the next time. The good news is that you obviously have the CV to get to the interview stage at MBB level.

I have to say I'm largely with Mr Cool here. The reality of consulting is that you'll need to get your work done any place you find yourself, whether that's within uncomfortable earshot of some noisy workers on the client site, being disturbed by building work outside your hotel room, etc. You just have to do whatever's needed to deliver in the circumstances - and the fact that you didn't doesn't reflect well on your candidacy, albeit you've certainly learnt now for the future. I'd say there's even an outside possibility that McKinsey plant people into the test rooms to distract like this, precisely to see how candidates respond in the circumstances (ie. all part of the assessment). Unlikely but certainly not out of the question if they had spare bodies in the office that day!I differ slightly from Mr Cool in that I'd say it's probably worth trying your luck with calling up for a second shot. What have you got to lose and / or mightn't you regret not doing this for years to come? The chances of you being offered a second shot I suspect are slim, but if you work out what you're going to say fastidiously before the call then you might just come across well enough that you get your second shot.Good luck in any case and I hope this is some small help.Rgds, Tony RestellFounder, [url]http://www.Top-Consultant.com[/url] and [url]http://www.Social-Hire.com[/url]

I agree with Cool and Tony. And that includes that I think you've blown your chances with McKinsey to be honest - even if you got through the call again in a year or so, it'll be on file you applied and failed at test before, and that will go against you.You have the mettle to get there - chalk this up as a learning experience and focus on Boston, Bain, Wyman etc. I know this must be crushing, but here's the rub. You were distracted because you were too nervous i.e. placing too much emphasis on getting into McKinsey. Yes interviews and tests are stressful, but to make it to McKinsey you need to be (paradoxically) almost too good for McKinsey. By this I mean to say you need to be confident in yourself that they are but one of several attractive options you could win, and therefore to fail there is simply part of a selection process. You placed too much unnecessary pressure on yourself, and that is why you ultimately blew it. And I'm typing this while someone plays 'gansta rap' over the sound system here in the office.