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Consulting Articles > MBB Online/Screening Tests > McKinsey Solve Game: Full Guide [2024]

McKinsey Solve Game: Full Guide [2024]

Updated: September 06, 2024

Table of Content:  

What is mckinsey solve game, how does mckinsey solve game work, what traits is mckinsey assessing in mckinsey solve game.

• Ecosystem Building
• Red Rock Study
• Plant Defense

The Importance of Practicing McKinsey Solve Game

Check out the only, fully-playable, and FREE McKinsey Solve Test (Problem-Solving Game) Simulation in the entire market!

McKinsey Solve Game, also known as the Problem Solving Game, PSG, Digital Assessment, or informally referred to as the "Imbellus Game," is a gamified assessment developed by Imbellus for McKinsey & Company. ( Click to see all screening tests by McKinsey, BCG and Bain! )

Within McKinsey's hiring process, the Solve Game is screening test, positioned between the application and the case interviews. Its primary objective remains consistent with the traditional Problem-Solving Test: to efficiently identify suitable candidates and streamline the resource-intensive case interview phase. This approach optimizes both time and resources in the recruitment process.

The one and only existing platform to practice three McKinsey Solve simulation games for FREE !

The McKinsey Solve Test, also known as McKinsey Digital Assessment or McKinsey PSG, is subject to a total time of approximately 71 minutes. Candidates are given 2 out of 6 possible mini-games. The assessment evaluates both the final results and the solving process. If a candidate demonstrates skills and tendencies similar to those of a McKinsey consultant, they may receive an invitation for an interview.

The McKinsey Solve Test includes 6 confirmed mini-games: Ecosystem Building , Red Rock Study , Plant Defense , Disaster Management, Disease Management, and Migration Management. It's worth noting that almost all candidates, nearly 100%, will start with the Ecosystem Building Game as their first challenge. Subsequently, they will encounter either the Red Rock Study (in approximately 80% of cases) or the Plant Defense mini-game (in about 20% of cases) as their second task. There is a strong indication that McKinsey may be phasing out the Plant Defense mini-game in favor of the Redrock Study.

Please note that the other three games, namely Disaster Management, Disease Management, and Migration Management, were previously used by McKinsey for beta testing purposes. However, they are no longer included in the McKinsey Solve test in 2023.

The time allocated for tutorials is not factored into the overall time limit. It's advisable for candidates to maximize this tutorial period by attempting to anticipate the mini-game's objectives and crafting a general approach before initiating the mini-game itself. This time can also be utilized for essential preparations, such as having pen, paper, and excel sheet readily available.

To familiarize yourself with the interface and how the McKinsey Solve Game works, sign up for our Free McKinsey PSG Simulation and give it a try!

The McKinsey Solve game assesses five critical cognitive abilities:

• Critical Thinking : Your ability to thoroughly analyze information.
• Decision-Making : Your capacity to take appropriate actions based on your analysis.
• Metacognition : How effectively you implement strategies to achieve the game's objective.
• Situational Awareness : Your capacity to maintain focus on the environment and anticipate future changes.
• Systems Thinking : How well you comprehend the cause-and-effect relationships among the elements within the system.

The positive aspect is that many of the assessed skills are interconnected, meaning that improving one area can also enhance performance in others. This is crucial because it allows you to avoid diving into every tiny detail just to achieve a higher score.

Additionally, while showcasing all abilities is essential for success, some skills carry more weight. Based on the insights from this Imbellus research paper , Critical Thinking, Situational Awareness, and Systems Thinking are the core competencies that top candidates must demonstrate.

Advanced abilities such as Decision-Making and Meta-Cognition, on the other hand, are what separate great candidates from the rest.

What does McKinsey Solve Game include?

Game 1: ecosystem building.

What is Ecosystem Building Game?

This is a 35-minute time limit game. You will be placed randomly into either a mountain or a reef scenario. ( Click here to sign up and play the game for FREE! )

Your goal is to construct an ecosystem comprising 8 species from a selection of 39. There are three primary objectives to accomplish:

• The ecosystem should establish a continuous food chain.
• Ensure a calorie surplus for each predator-prey pair.
• Align the ecosystem with the terrain specifications of your chosen location

What does Ecosystem Building Game include?

1.  Terrain Specifications

Each location within the ecosystem is characterized by seven to eight terrain specifications, which can be selected by pinpointing a location.

In the Mountain scenario, there are 8 terrain specifications: Elevation, Soil pH, Precipitation, Temperature, Wind Speed, Air Pressure, Humidity, and Cloud Height.

In the Reef scenario, you'll find 7 terrain specifications: Depth, Water Current, Water Clarity, Temperature, Salt Content, Dissolved Oxygen, and Wind Speed. 

Each species has its own set of required terrain specifications, typically ranging from two to four. Failure to meet these terrain requirements will result in the species dying out. These requirements often come in ranges.

2. Food Chain Continuity

In the game, you will be given a total of 39 species, categorized into two main types: producers and consumers.

• Producers: These include plants and corals. Their sole source of food is typically sunlight or other natural elements. Consequently, they neither have prey nor consume calories.
• Consumers: This category comprises animals, which can further be classified as Herbivores (plant-eating animals), Carnivores (animal-eating animals), or Omnivores (consumers of both plants and animals). Additionally, some consumers hold the status of "apex animals," indicating that they do not have natural predators and are not consumed by any other species within the ecosystem.

3. Calories Balance

Each species in the ecosystem is characterized by two essential figures: Calories Needed and Calories Provided.

A species can thrive under the following conditions:

• Sufficient Energy for Survival: The species' calorie needed is lower than the total calorie provided by the ecosystem.
• Avoiding Extinction by Predation: The species' calorie provided surpasses the combined calorie consumption by the species that prey upon it.

In essence, for a species to thrive, it must have enough energy to sustain itself and should not be consumed to the point of extinction by its predators.

Main Challenges of Ecosystem Building Game:

• Information Overload: Handling a significant amount of data that requires absorption, calculation, analysis, and prioritization. This encompasses the specifications of 39 species, terrain characteristics of each location, and dietary rules.
• Distracting and Irrelevant Information: Certain details provided may not be relevant and are included to divert your attention or lead you into making assumptions. It's essential to refrain from making any guesses or relying on any prior knowledge related to the environment, ecology, or zoology

How to tackle Ecosystem Building Game:

Here's a breakdown of how to approach the game, following a 3-step process:

Step 1: Location Selection

• Use a spreadsheet or scratch paper to record the terrain specifications and calorie provided data for the mini-game's producers.
• Examine the data to identify which terrain specifications remain consistent across all species and which ones change. Focus only on the changing terrain specifications (usually 2 of them), while the others are intended to divert your attention.
• Calculate the total calories provided for the producers in each group of terrain specifications. The group with the highest calorie provision is likely the easiest to construct the food chain.

Step 2: Food Chain Building

• Examine the data to list consumers with compatible terrain requirements in your spreadsheet.
• Select the apex predator with the lowest calorie requirement as the starting point for the food chain.
• Construct the food chain starting from the apex predators and work your way down, listing the food sources for each top-level predator. Keep progressing in this manner until you reach the lowest tier, which includes corals and plants. Ideally, the food chain should encompass 3-4 levels and encompass 8 species.
• Alternatively, you can build the food chain from the bottom up by examining the "Eaten By" specifications of each species, working your way up to the top predators.
• Throughout the process, prioritize species with high calorie provision and low-calorie requirement. This should increase the chances of a calorie surplus in the food chain and allow room for additional species if the initial chain falls short of the required 8 species.
• If your food chain doesn't reach the necessary 8 species, work from the bottom up to identify gaps of unused surplus calories and fill these gaps with predators or plant-eating animals.

Step 3: Sanity Check

• Ensure that each species in your food chain aligns with the chosen location.
• Verify that the food chain is continuous, meaning that the listed food sources match the descriptions of each species.
• Confirm that each species in the food chain has an adequate calorie supply and isn't consumed to extinction based on the provided eating rules.
• If any of the three checks are not met, make adjustments to the food chain.

Game 2: Red Rock Study

This is a game with a 35-minute time limit, during which you will complete the Red Rock Study, consisting of both Part 1 and Part 2. 

Experience the Redrock Study game firsthand by trying our FREE Simulation today.

The McKinsey Red Rock Study divides the tasks into 2 parts:

Part 1: Study

Part 2: cases.

In Part 1, you'll get one study with a main goal and some data to support it. This part has three steps:

Phase 1: Investigation

• Phase 2: Analysis
• Phase 3: Report

In Part 2, you'll receive 6 short cases that are related to the same topic but not directly connected to the Part 1 Study. Each case will come with two different types of questions:

• Multiple choice questions
• Numerical answer questions

You need to finish both tasks (Part 1 & Part 2) within a total time limit of 35 minutes. Although there are no specific time constraints for each part, it's advisable to allocate more time to the first part and less to the second part.

Now, let's delve into the specifics of Part 1 and Part 2 of the tasks.

Your goal is to read through the case description, recognize the main objective and essential data points, and then gather them in an on-screen Research Journal.

The data and information provided are divided into three sections, with each section containing the necessary information required to complete the study:

• Study Information

How to tackle this phase:

• Understanding the study
• Collecting important data points

1. Understanding the study

Your objective here is to identify case’s objectives.

Every piece of information displayed on the screen is crucial for comprehending and resolving the case. However, some are more critical than others. Significant data points are highlighted and displayed in boxes on the screen, allowing you to click and drag these boxes to focus on them while working within the case.

The data provided comes in two formats:

• Movable data points : These text-based data points consist of case objectives and calculation instructions. They clarify the case's goal, specify the mathematical formulas to be applied, and outline which numbers need to be gathered. Typically, these are detailed sentences or paragraphs that describe the relationships (such as higher, lower, etc.) between the elements within the case.
• Non-Movable data points : These text-based data points encompass background information and test instructions. They are not selectable or movable and are intended solely to provide an overview of the case. They do not need to be collected as their purpose is to offer context.
• Number-based data : These typically consist of movable data points and comprise the majority of the data in the case. They can be found in two locations: within charts, diagrams (such as bar charts, pie charts, tables, etc.), or within the text. It's necessary to gather these numbers into the journal for calculations in the next phase.

2. Collecting important data points

You can drag any movable data point into the Research Journal to collect. In the Research Journal, each collected piece of information will appear as a card, with its own name and description. The data in the Research Journal can then be used in the Calculator or as answers in phase 2.

You have the option to change the labels for all the data yourself. We suggest doing this if the default label doesn't describe the contents well enough. Using the right labels will make your analysis faster because it helps you easily find the important data later on.

After you've collected the data, you can also include your own notes with each piece of information. This can assist you in explaining the information required during the Analysis phase.

Here’s a summary of our recommended approach:

• Determine the objectives of the case.
• Identify the mathematical formulas needed to address these objectives.
• Collect in your Research Journal only the essential data points necessary for the calculations during the Analysis phase.

Phase 2 – Analysis

Your objective here is to use the data points gathered during the Investigation phase to answer three quantitative questions using the provided calculator. These answers will be utilized to complete the report in Phase 3.

The three quantitative questions typically consist of 2 to 3 sub-questions, each with an answer input gap that requires a response from the calculator. To address these questions, you need to input the numerical data points you've collected into an on-screen calculator and then transfer the results to the corresponding gaps.

The calculator features a straightforward interface, resembling a digital calculator found on a phone, and includes basic operators such as multiplication (x), addition (+), subtraction (-), and division (÷).

The calculations required for the questions can be categorized into two types:

• Basic Operations : This category includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. While these operations are fundamental, you may need to use them in combination to perform more complex calculations.
• Percentages/Ratios/Fractions : These calculations are used to address questions related to relationships, such as percentage differences, growth rates, and similar concepts.

We advise you to carry out all calculations using the provided calculator since all your actions are documented in a history log. It's safe to assume that the process you follow in arriving at the answers will also impact the final results.

It's crucial to keep in mind that the answers you obtain from these questions are almost always required in the Report phase. Therefore, it's essential to consistently record your answers in the journal.

• Carefully read the questions to understand what is being asked.
• Drag the relevant data points from your Research Journal into the calculator's input screen to perform the necessary calculations to answer the questions.
• Drag the results and drop them into the empty spaces provided under the questions.
• Ensure that you collect the answers in your Research Journal for use in the Report Phase.

Phase 3 - Report

Your objective here is to finalize the textual and graphical report. You will have the option to choose one of three types of graphs to include in the report, and these graphs will be based on the results calculated in Phase 2.

The Report phase is the final segment of Part 1 Study and comprises two sections: the Written Report and the Visual Report.

• Written Report : This summary report involves completing the text-format report by filling in the blanks with numbers obtained in the preceding phases, as well as using expressions like "higher," "lower," "equal to," and so on. The blanks in this phase are likely to resemble the answer inputs in the Analysis phase.
• Visual Report : This aspect involves data visualization, where you select the appropriate chart type and input the numbers to create a meaningful chart for the report.

Your objective is to answer 6 cases, each featuring a question with instructions, textual information, and data exhibits.

In each of the 6 cases, there is an onscreen tool available to aid you. It's essential to solve the cases in a sequential manner, which means you cannot skip ahead and must address one case before proceeding to the next.

All 6 cases will revolve around the same theme or topic as Part 1 of the study, but they are not interconnected. These cases primarily demand a basic level of quantitative or reasoning skills and do not necessitate advanced mathematical abilities. 

However, it can be challenging to solve all 6 questions within a short time limit, so it's important to use your time wisely.

The question types in Part 2 can be grouped into four primary categories:

• Word problems : These involve mathematical exercises where candidates must read the text and interpret data to find solutions.
• Formulae : These questions are similar to word problems, but candidates only need to identify the formula used for calculation.
• Verbal Reasoning : These are single-select multiple-choice questions that ask candidates to determine which statement is true or false.
• Visualization : These questions require candidates to choose the appropriate chart type to represent the provided data.

Game 3: Plant Defense

What is Plant Defense Game?

This is a turn-based tower defense game with a time limit of 36 minutes. ( Click here to sign up and play the game for FREE! )

As of 2024, McKinsey is gradually phasing out this test, but around 10% to 20% of candidates may still encounter it during their assessment.

The objective of this game is to safeguard a plant positioned at the center of a map and fend off invading pests.

What does Plant Defense Game include?

• The game map is divided into a square grid, ranging in size from 10x10 to 12x12. Right from the beginning of the game, you'll encounter natural obstacles known as Terrain Transformations, which are spread across the game area.
• McKinsey recommends allocating 12 minutes for each map, resulting in a total game time of 36 minutes.
• The game is composed of three maps, and each map has two phases: the planning phase and the fast-forward phase.
• The planning phase is divided into 3 waves each comprising 5 turns. New stacks of Invaders appear at the map's border every 3-5 turns and advance toward the central base to attack. Your task during this phase is to strategize and set up defenses or obstacles to counter them. This phase continues until you've eliminated all the Invaders, survived until the end of the 15th turn, or your base is destroyed. 
• The fast-forward phase occurs after the 15th turn of the planning phase. During this phase, all remaining Invaders from the planning phase will persist in their attacks. Your defensive setup remains fixed and cannot be altered. Invaders will continuously spawn and assault your base until it is destroyed.
• After completing the game, the number of turns your base survived becomes the basis for calculating your final score.

Below are the elements and resources in this game:

Your base is represented by the native plant, and your primary objective is to protect it from invaders at all costs. If an invader reaches your base, you will lose the game.

The longer you manage to survive, the higher your score will be.

2. Invaders

In the game, there are two types of invaders. They both move in the same way on the map, and the only difference between them is the type of terrain that can slow them down.

Once an invader appears on your map, it will select the shortest path to reach your base plant. This path will be indicated by an arrow line.

3. Terrains

In the game, three types of terrains exist: Forest and Rocky, each of which slows down one type of invader for one turn, and Cliff, which blocks the path of both types of invaders, preventing them from passing through.

Each terrain occupies one grid on the map, and you cannot place terrain on a grid that already has another terrain or a defender on it.

4. Defenders

In the game, you have access to several defenders that help eliminate invaders by attacking them, though not all of them are available at the same time.

Each defender has two important specifications to consider:

• Damage : Each defender can inflict a specific damage value on an invader's population.
• Range : Each defender can cover a predetermined number of grids on the map. Generally, the higher an invader's damage, the smaller its range is.
• Placement : Some defenders can be placed on the ground, while others can only be placed on trees.

Main Challenges of the Plant Defense Game

In this game, there are 2 main challenges:

• Limited Information and Unexpected Events : You must make decisions with incomplete information and adapt to unforeseen circumstances, including new invaders from various directions.
• Dual Objectives : You need to simultaneously focus on surviving each turn and maintaining your survival for as long as possible in the game.

Here are few tips to help you overcome these challenges:

• Ready for Surprises : Be ready for unforeseen events during the game
• Strategic Resource Management : Develop low-risk solutions using your terrains and defenders.
• Practice : Get hands-on and practice to better prepare yourself for the real test. ( Click here to sign up and enjoy unlimited FREE practices !)

  How to tackle Plant Defense Game :

• Layered Defense : Create multiple layers of defenders starting from the base (inside-out approach), using the terrain to your advantage.
• Close Resource Placement : At first, put your resources near the plant to cover the smaller inner rings of the map better, where paths often come together.
• Resource Priority : Place your strongest resources closest to the plant and gradually expand with weaker, longer-range ones.
• Adaptation Plan : After 15 turns, you can't change or add more resources, so quickly change your strategy based on the invaders' patterns. Experiment during the early turns to figure out what works best for each type of invader.
• Smart Resource Use : Use your resources wisely to create a balanced defense for the plant. Avoid defenses that are too focused in one direction. Remember, the goal in this game is to last as many turns as possible.

The McKinsey Solve Game is meant to assess your critical thinking skills. However, if you haven't practiced beforehand, you might not be familiar with these mini-games, including how they work and what you're supposed to do.

According to our survey, many candidates were surprised when they took the test, even if they had read guides and watched game walkthroughs. These mini-games have complicated interfaces and various functions. Most candidates, when they first encounter them, need to spend time just figuring out how they work, then what the goals are, and finally start playing the game. Going through all these steps in a very short time can be nearly impossible.

You might have the exact set of thinking skills McKinsey is looking for and still not do well in the mini-game. This could happen because you might not understand how the game works, struggle with time management, or get confused by some aspects of the game.

That's why practicing with the McKinsey Game is so helpful. With our FREE McKinsey PSG Simulation , you can become familiar with these types of mini-games and improve the thinking skills you need to do well.

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I Understand

McKinsey Solve (2024)

• Fundamentals
• How it works
• Skills tested
• How to prepare
• A guide to the McKinsey Problem Solving Game

MCC is here to help

McKinsey’s Solve assessment has been making candidates sweat ever since it was initially trialled at the firm’s London office back in 2017 - and things have gotten even more difficult since a new version launched in Spring 2023, adding the Redrock case study and trialling the Ocean Cleanup in 2024.

In Summer 2023, we have seen a new iteration of that Redrock case, as we continue to interview test takers to keep you updated. This replaces the case study about optimising wolf pack populations across Redrock Island with one about boosting the overall plant biodiversity on the same island.

Since its initial roll-out, the Solve assessment has definitely been the most idiosyncratic, but also the most advanced, of the screening tests used by the MBB firms.

It can be hard to understand how an ecology-themed video game can tell McKinsey whether you’ll make a good management consultant, let alone know how to prepare yourself to do well in that game. When you consider that McKinsey are potentially cutting 70%+ of the applicant pool based on this single test, you can hardly blame applicants for being worried.

Matters are definitely not helped by the dearth of reliable, up-to-date information about what could very well be - with a top-tier consulting job on the line - the most important test you will take over your entire career. This was already true with the version of Solve that had been around for a few years, let alone the new iterations.

What information is available online is then often contradictory. For a long time, there was huge disagreement as to whether it is actually possible to meaningfully prepare for the Solve assessment - before you’ve even considered how to go about that preparation. There is also a lot of confusion and inaccuracy around the new Redrock case - largely as it is such a recent addition, and individual test takers tend to misremember details.

Luckily, we at MCC have been interviewing test takers both before and after the Redrock case rollout and have been following up to see which strategies and approaches actually work to push individuals through to interview.

Here, we’ll explain that it is indeed possible to prepare effectively for both versions of Solve and give you some ideas for how you can get started. Understanding how the Solve assessment works, what it tests you for and how is critical for all but the most hurried preparations.

This article makes for a great introduction to the Solve assessment. However, if you are going to be facing this aptitude test yourself and want full information and advice for preparation, then you should ideally get our full PDF guide:

Master the Solve Assessment

What is the mckinsey solve assessment.

In simple terms, the McKinsey Solve assessment is a set of ecology-themed video games. In these games, you must do things like build food chains, protect endangered species, manage predator and prey populations, boost biodiversity and potentially diagnose diseases within animal populations or identify natural disasters.

Usually, you will be given around 70 minutes to complete two separate games, spending about the same amount of time on each.

Until recently, these games had uniformly been Ecosystem Building and Plant Defence. However, since Spring 2023, McKinsey has been rolling out a new version across certain geographies. This replaces the Plant Defence game with the new Redrock case study. Some other games have also been run as tests.

We’ll run through a little more on all these games below to give you an idea of what you’ll be up against for both versions and possible new iterations.

An important aspect that we'll cover in more detail here is that the Solve games don't only score you on your answers (your "product score"), but also on the method you use to arrive at them (your "process score") - considerably impacting optimal strategy.

In the past, candidates had to show up to a McKinsey office and take what was then the Digital Assessment or PSG on a company computer. However, candidates are now able to take the re-branded Solve assessment at home on their own computers.

Test takers are allowed to leverage any assistance they like (you aren’t spied on through your webcam as you would be with some other online tests), and it is common to have a calculator or even another computer there to make use of.

Certainly, we strongly advise every candidate to have at least a pen, paper and calculator on their desk when they take the Solve assessment.

Common Question: Is the Solve assessment the same thing as the PSG?

In short, yes - “Solve” is just the newer name for the McKinsey Problem Solving Game.

We want to clear up any potential confusion right at the beginning. You will hear this same screening test called a few different things in different places. The Solve moniker itself is a relatively recent re-branding by McKinsey. Previously, the same test was known as either the Problem Solving Game (usually abbreviated to PSG) or the Digital Assessment. You will also often see that same test referred to as the Imbellus test or game, after the firm that created the first version.

You will still see all these names used across various sites and forums - and even within some older articles and blog posts here on MyConsultingCoach. McKinsey has also been a little inconsistent on what they call their own assessment internally. Candidates can often become confused when trying to do their research, but you can rest assured that all these names refer to the same screening test - though, of course, folk might be referring to either the legacy or Redrock versions.

How and why does McKinsey use the Solve assessment?

It’s useful to understand where the Solve assessment fits into McKinsey’s overall selection process and why they have felt the need to include it.

Let’s dive right in…

How is the Solve Assessment used by McKinsey?

McKinsey's own account of how the Solve assessment is used in selection can be seen in the following video:

Whilst some offices initially stuck with the old PST, the legacy Solve assessment was soon rolled out globally and given universally to candidates for roles at pretty well every level of the hierarchy. Certainly, if you are a recent grad from a Bachelor’s, MBA, PhD or similar, or a standard experienced hired, you can expect to be asked to complete the Solve assessment.

Likewise, the new Redrock case study versions seem to be in the process of being rolled out globally - though at this point it seems you might be given either (especially as McKinsey has been having significant technical problems with this new online case study) and so should be ready for both.

At present, it seems that only those applying for very senior positions, or perhaps those with particularly strong referrals and/or connections, are allowed to skip the test. Even this will be office-dependent.

As noted above, one of the advantages of the Solve assessment is that it can be given to all of McKinsey’s hires. Thus, you can expect to be run into the same games whether you are applying as a generalist consultant or to a specialist consulting role - with McKinsey Digital , for example.

The takeaway here is that, if you are applying to McKinsey for any kind of consulting role, you should be fully prepared to sit the Solve Assessment!

Where does the Solve assessment fit into the recruitment process?

You can expect to receive an invitation to take the Solve assessment shortly after submitting your resume.

It seems that an initial screen of resumes is made, but that most individuals who apply are invited to take the Solve assessment.

Any initial screen is not used to make a significant cut of the candidate pool, but likely serves mostly to weed out fraudulent applications from fake individuals (such as those wishing to access the Solve assessment more than once so they can practice...) and perhaps to eliminate a few individuals who are clearly far from having the required academic or professional background, or have made a total mess of their resumes.

Your email invitation will generally give you either one or two weeks to complete the test, though our clients have seen some variation here - with one individual being given as little as three days.

Certainly, you should plan to be ready to sit the Solve assessment within one week of submitting your resume!

Once you have completed the test, McKinsey explain on their site that they look at both your test scores and resume (in more detail this time) to determine who will be invited to live case interviews. This will only be around 30% of the candidates who applied - possibly even fewer.

One thing to note here is that you shouldn’t expect a good resume to make up for bad test scores and vice versa. We have spoken to excellent candidates whose academic and professional achievements were not enough to make up for poor Solve performance. Similarly, we don’t know of anyone invited to interview who hadn’t put together an excellent resume.

Blunty, you need great Solve scores and a great resume to be advanced to interview.

Your first port of call to craft the best possible resume and land your invitation to interview is our excellent free consulting resume guide .

Why does this test exist?

As with Bain, BCG and other major management consulting firms, McKinsey receives far far more applications for each position than they can ever hope to interview. Compounding this issue is that case interviews are expensive and inconvenient for firms like McKinsey to conduct. Having a consultant spend a day interviewing just a few candidates means disrupting a whole engagement and potentially having to fly that consultant back to their home office from wherever their current project was located. This problem is even worse for second-round interviews given by partners.

Thus, McKinsey need to cut down their applicant pool as far as possible, so as to shrink the number of case interviews they need to give without losing the candidates they actually want to hire. Of course, they want to accomplish this as cheaply and conveniently as possible.

The Problem Solving Test (invariably shortened to PST) had been used by McKinsey for many years. However, it had a number of problems that were becoming more pronounced over time, and it was fundamentally in need of replacement. Some of these were deficiencies with the test itself, though many were more concerned with how the test fitted with the changing nature of the consulting industry.

The Solve assessment was originally developed and iterated by the specialist firm Imbellus ( now owned by gaming giant Roblox ) to replace the long-standing PST in this screening role and offers solutions to those problems with its predecessor.

We could easily write a whole article on what McKinsey aimed to gain from the change, but the following few points cover most of the main ideas:

• New Challenges: Previously, candidates were largely coming out of MBAs or similar business-focussed backgrounds and the PST’s quickfire business questions were thus perfectly sufficient to select for non-technical generalist consulting roles. However, as consulting projects increasingly call for a greater diversity and depth of expertise, McKinsey cannot assume the most useful talent – especially for technical roles – is going to come with pre-existing business expertise. A non-business aptitude test was therefore required.
• Fairness and the Modern Context: The covid pandemic necessitated at-home aptitude testing. However, even aside from this, online testing dramatically reduces the amount of travel required of candidates. This allows McKinsey to cast a wider net, providing more opportunities to those living away from hub cities, whilst also hugely reducing the carbon footprint associated with the McKinsey selection process.
• Gaming the System: More pragmatically, the Solve assessment is a much harder test to “game” than was the PST, where highly effective prep resources were available and readily allowed a bad candidate with good preparation to do better than a good candidate. The fact that game parameters change for every individual test taker further cuts down the risk of candidates benefitting from shared information. The recent move towards the Redrock version then also helps McKinsey stay ahead of those developing prep resources for the legacy Solve assessment.
• Cost Cutting: A major advantage of scrapping the old pen-and-paper PST is that the formidable task of thinning down McKinsey’s applicant pool can be largely automated. No test rooms and invigilation staff need to be organised and no human effort is required to devise, transport, catalogue and mark papers.

Impress your interviewer

There has been a bit of variation in the games included in the Solve assessment/PSG over the years and what specific form those games take. Imbellus and McKinsey had experimented with whole new configurations as well as making smaller, iterative tweaks over time. That being said, the 2023 Redrock case studies (seemingly added by McKinsey themselves without Imbellus) are by far the largest change to Solve since that assessment's genesis back in 2017.

Given that innovation seems to continue (especially with the lengthy feedback forms some candidates are being asked to fill in after sitting the newest iteration), there is always the chance you might be the first to receive something new.

However, our surveys of, and interviews with, those taking the Solve assessment - both before and after recent changes - mean we can give you a good idea of what to expect if you are presented with either the legacy or one of the Redrock versions of Solve.

We provide much more detailed explanation of each of the games in our Solve Assessment PDF Guide - including guidance on optimal scenarios to maximise your performance. Here, though, we can give a quick overview of each scenario:

Ecosystem Building

Scenario and objectives.

By the way, if you would like the video guide, you can find it below!

In this scenario, you’re tasked with creating a self-sustaining ecosystem in either an aquatic, alpine, or jungle environment. Additional environments may be introduced without altering the core mechanics . We will use an aquatic (ocean) environment as an example for this article but the same advice is applicable to all other environments in the exact same way.

The enviroment will be chacterised by a number of characteristics. For the ocean, for instance, we will have:

• Water current
• Temperature
• Salt Content

You’ll be given 39 species (both plants and animals) to choose from, each suited to specific environmental conditions, like depth and salinity in an ocean. For a mountain ridge, it could be altitude or sun exposure.

Each species has two main sets of data points:

• Environmental Suitability : Conditions like depth or temperature where they can survive.
• Nutritional Needs : The number of calories they need, which they obtain by consuming other species. Some species are producers (providing calories and consuming none) while others are animals (requiring and providing calories). For example, in an ocean setting, algae are producers and fish are animals.

The picture above shows different fishes together with their characteristics. Each card has the following information:

• Environmental Suitability
• Depth: range they can live within
• Water current: range they can live within
• Temperature: range they can live within
• Salt Content: range they can live within
• Nutritional Needs
• Calories needed: calories they need when eating
• Calories provided: calories they provide when eaten
• Can eat: species they can eat
• Is eaten: species they can be eaten by. This can be inferred from other cards but we will see that it is a useful data point.

The game requires you to select a location for your ecosystem. Several different options are given, all with different prevailing conditions. You then have to select a number of different plant and animal species to populate a functioning food chain within that location.

In previous versions of the game, you would have had to fit as many different species as possible into a functioning food chain. However, newer iterations of the Solve assessment require a fixed number of eight or, possibly, seven species to be selected. The strategy for the seven species is the same as the one with eight.

Let's look at the game objectives in more details

• Species Selection : Identify a set of eight (or seven) species that are in equilibrium, meaning all their caloric needs are met within the ecosystem. This means that each animal will need to have their calorie need satisfied while no animal needs to be depleted. Check the eating rules below to learn more.
• Location Selection : Choose a suitable location for your ecosystem from several options, each with distinct environmental conditions.

The former is the actual challenge while the latter is somewhat trivial. Before delving into the strategy, let's outline the eating rules in more details as these are key to successfully tackle the game.

• Species eat only once.
• If a species does not obtain the required calories or their calories are depleted, it dies.
• The species with the highest calories provided feeds first.
• A species eats the prey that provides the highest calories among available options.
• Calories consumed from prey are equal to the calories needed by the predator.
• If multiple prey provide the same amount of calories, the predator consumes an equal proportion from each.
• This process is repeated for the species with the next highest calories provided.

How to approach the game

At its core, this game isn’t really a game but more of a logical puzzle administered through a more advanced User Interface (UI). The limited interactions make it a straightforward problem once you understand that the UI is not required and only adds complexity. All the essential information could be presented in a table , as shown below, and you could easily solve the puzzle on paper. The only real reason why the UI is needed is for environment selection but this is a trivial task that does not require any significant interaction with the system.

Nerdy aside - Skip if not interested

To take abstraction a level further, the problem is in fact a constraint optimisation one. For those of you who are interested (possibly 2 or 3), you can actually model it and solve it analytically. While it does not help in solving the game, I will show the formulation so you can see how this is more of an analytical problem than a game. Entities are

• Producers (P): 9 producers, each with a specific depth range and caloric output.
• Animals (A): 30 animals, each with a specific depth range, caloric need, and allowed prey.

Variables are

• x ij : Binary decision variable indicating if animal i eats species j .
• C i : Caloric need of animal i .
• E j : Caloric output provided by species j .
• D i min , D i max : Constraint range limits for species i (D is a vector) .
• A ij : Binary interaction matrix indicating whether animal i can eat species j .

Enough theory, let’s dive into how to solve the game. You’ll be given 39 species, grouped into three sets of 13, each sharing the same environmental constraints like depth and salinity. Each group includes three producers and ten animals.

Your first task is to pick the group most likely to produce a balanced ecosystem. To do this, quickly estimate the total calorie output for all species, check how many animals can consume the producers, and evaluate how many animals are limited to eating other animals. Use your judgment here , as these factors are equally important. Be aware that some combinations won’t lead to a solution.

Once you’ve selected your group, start building the food chain. Ideally, include all three producers (with at least one animal consuming them) as they provide calories without needing any. Then, choose animals that can:

• Eat one or more producers without depleting them
• Provide the highest calories
• Be consumed by as many other animals as possible - this is where the eaten by info becomes useful

To do this, look at the list of animals that can consume producers without depleting them (there will be one or two), then pick those with the highest calories and that can be eaten by multiple animals. You’ll find this information on the animal card.

Continue adding animals iteratively , checking your solution at every step.

If you don't manage to find a combination, move onto the next group. In order to practice and understand which groups can lead to solutions, you can use our solver.

Once you've established a balanced ecosystem, select a location where the environmental conditions meet the needs of all species. You’re likely to find such a spot. The game provides more conditions than necessary; focus only on the relevant factors mentioned in the species cards. For example, in an ocean scenario, depth and salinity might be crucial, while factors like water speed can be disregarded. This is done to simulate a consulting scenario where you have more data than needed.

Once you have decided on your food chain, you simply submit it and you are moved on to the next game. In the past, test takers were apparently shown whether their solution was correct or not, but this is no longer the case.

Test takers generally report that this game is the easier of the two, whether it is paired with the Plant Defence game in the legacy Solve or the Redrock case study in the new version. Candidates will not usually struggle to assemble a functioning ecosystem and do not find themselves under enormous time pressure. Thus, we can assume that process scores will be the main differentiator between individuals for this component of the Solve assessment.

So far, this sounds pretty easy. However, the complexity arises from the strict rules around the manner and order in which the different species eat one another. We run through these in detail in our guide, with tips for getting your food chain right. However, the upshot is that you are going to have to spend some significant time checking your initial food chain - and then likely iterating it and replacing one or more species when it turns out that the food chain does not adhere to the eating rules.

For ideas on how to optimise your process score for this game, you can see our PDF Solve guide .

We have also developed the Solve simulator to help you practice effectively. It features a purposedly simple UI, allowing you to focus on mastering the game mechanics. It generates an arbitrary number of scenarios for you to practice on. After a scenario is generated, you can download the data or work directly from the table to select the 13 species most likely to create a balanced ecosystem. You can then submit your solution in a CSV file to check its sustainability. More interestingly, you can explore all possible combinations by uploading a CSV of your selected species to see what works best. The simulator is part of the guide package.

Plant Defence

As mentioned, this game has been replaced with the Redrock case study in the new newer version of the Solve assessment, rolled out from Spring 2023 and further iterated in Summer 2023. However, you might still be asked to sit the legacy version, with this game, when applying to certain offices - so you should be ready for it!

This scenario tasks you with protecting an endangered plant species from invasive species trying to destroy it.

The game set-up is much like a traditional board game, with play taking place over a square area of terrain divided into a grid of the order of 10x10 squares.

Your plant is located in a square near the middle of the grid and groups of invaders - shown as rats, foxes or similar - enter from the edges of the grid before making a beeline towards your plant.

Your job then is to eliminate the invaders before they get to your plant. You do this by placing defences along their path. These can be terrain features, such as mountains or forests, that either force the invaders to slow down their advance or change their path to move around an obstacle. To actually destroy the invaders though, you use animal defenders, like snakes or eagles, that are able to deplete the groups of invaders as they pass by their area of influence.

Complication here comes from a few features of the game. In particular:

• You are restricted in terms of both the numbers of different kinds of defenders you can use and where you are allowed to place them. Thus, you might only have a couple of mountains to place and only be allowed to place these in squares adjacent to existing mountains.
• The main complication is the fact that gameplay is not dynamic but rather proceeds in quite a restricted turnwise manner. By this, we mean that you cannot place or move around your defences continuously as the invaders advance inwards. Rather, turns alternate between you and invaders and you are expected to plan your use of defences in blocks of five turns at once, with only minimal allowance for you to make changes on the fly as the game develops.

The plant defence game is split into three mini-games. Each mini-game is further split into three blocks of five turns. On the final turn, the game does not stop, but continues to run, with the invaders in effect taking more and more turns whilst you are not able to place any more defences or change anything about your set-up.

More and more groups of invaders pour in, and your plant will eventually be destroyed. The test with this “endgame” is simply how many turns your defences can stand up to the surge of invaders before they are overwhelmed.

As opposed to the Ecosystem Building scenario, there are stark differences in immediate candidate performance - and thus product score - in this game. Some test takers’ defences will barely make it to the end of the standard 15 turns, whilst others will survive 50+ turns of endgame before they are overwhelmed.

In this context, as opposed to the Ecosystem Building game typically preceding it, it seems likely that product score will be the primary differentiator between candidates.

We have a full discussion of strategies to optimise your defence placement - and thus boost your product score - in our Solve guide .

Redrock Case Study

This is the replacement for the Plant Defence game in the newest iteration of Solve.

One important point to note is that, where the Solve assessment contains this case study, you have a strict, separate time limit of 35 minutes for each half of the assessment. You cannot finish one game early and use the extra time in the other, as you could in the legacy Solve assessment.

McKinsey has had significant issues with this case study, with test takers noting several major problems. In particular:

• Glitches/crashes - Whilst the newest, Summer 2023 version seems to have done a lot to address this issue, many test takers have had the Redrock case crash on them. Usually, this is just momentary and the assessment returns to where it was in a second or two. If this happens to you, try to just keep calm and carry on. However, there are reports online of some candidates having the whole Solve assessment crash and being locked out as a result. If this happens, contact HR.
• Poor interface - Even where there are no explicit glitches, users note that several aspects of the interface are difficult to use and/or finicky, and that they generally seem poorly designed compared to the older Ecosystem Building game preceding it. For example, test takers have noted that navigation is difficult or unclear and the drag and drop feature for data points is temperamental - all of this costing precious time.
• Confusing language - Related to the above is that the English used is often rather convoluted and sometimes poorly phrased. This can be challenging even for native English speakers but is even worse for those sitting Solve in their second language. It can make the initial instructions difficult to understand - compounding the previous interface problem. It can also make questions difficult, requiring a few readings to comprehend.
• Insufficient time - Clearly, McKinsey intended for Redrock to be time pressured. Whilst the newest, Summer 2023 iteration of the Redrock case seems slightly more forgiving in this regard, time is still so scarce that many candidates don't get through all the questions. This is plainly sub-optimal for McKinsey - as well as being stressful and disheartening for candidates. We would expect further changes to be made to address this issue in future.

McKinsey are clearly aware of these issues, as even those sitting the new version of Redrock have been asked to complete substantial feedback surveys. Do note, then, that this raises the likelihood of further changes to the Redrock case study in the near term - meaning you should always be ready to tackle something new.

For the time being, though, we can take you through the fundamentals of the current version of the Redrock case study. For more detail, see our freshly updated PDF Guide .

The interface

The image above shows a very simple wireframe of the UI used. You will find the main sections on the left, main body at the center and the research journal to the right. In the first section you will need to drag key information and data points from charts to the research journal. In the analysis section you will find the calculator while in the last section you will find charts to choose from.

The Scenario

Whilst changes to the details are likely in future, the current Redrock case study is set on the Island of Redrock. This island is a nature reserve with populations of various species, including wolves, elk and several varieties of plant.

In the original Redrock case, it is explained that the island's wolves are split into four packs, associated with four geographical locales. These packs predate the elk and depend upon them for food, such that there is a dynamic relationship between the population numbers of both species. Your job is to ensure ecological balance by optimising the numbers of wolves in the four packs, such that both wolves and elk can sustainably coexist.

In the newer iteration of the case, first observed in Summer 2023, you are asked to assess which, if any, of three possible strategies can successfully boost the island's plant biodiversity by a certain specified percentage. Plants here are segmented into grasses, trees and shrubs.

The Questions

The Redrock case study's questions were initially split into three sections, but a fourth was added later. These sections break down as follows:

Here, you have access to the full description of the case, with all the data on the various animal populations. Your task is to efficiently extract all the most salient data points and drag-and-drop them to your "Research Journal" workspace area. This is important, as you subsequently lose access to all the information you don't save at this stage.

To solve the case, focus on the key data points highlighted in boxes on the screen, which you can move around for easier analysis. These include case objectives, calculation instructions, and numerical data. While background information and instructions provide context, they aren’t crucial for your calculations. Only about 10-15% of the numerical data is essential for solving the case, so prioritize collecting and using those figures in your analysis. Ideally, you should read instructions carefully, understanding case objectives, figuring out which formulae you need and then collect the necessary data.

In the Redrock test, you can drag important data points into the Journal for collection, where they appear as labeled cards. These cards can be used in calculations or answering questions. You can edit labels for clarity and highlight key data with an "I" button for easier analysis. Organize collected data within the Journal, as McKinsey might evaluate your organization method. This organization process is subject to updates, so stay tuned for the latest recommendations.

You must answer three numerical questions using information you saved in the Investigation section. This can include you dragging and dropping values to and from an in-game calculator.

According to recent reports, it is better to use the in game calculator to perform calculations as McKinsey will use the log to calculate your score. You will only need to perform basic operations, such as fundamental arithmentics, ratios and percentages. The only tricker operation to perform will be compound growth rates so make sure you are comfortable with these. Make sure to collect your data into the journal.

Formerly the final section, you must complete a pre-written report on the wolf populations or plant biodiversity levels, including calculating numerical values to fill in gaps and using an in-game interface to make a chart to illustrate your findings. You will leverage information saved in the Investigation section, as well as answers calculated in the Analysis section.

You will also have to choose a chart to display your results. The choice will be among simple ones, such as bar, line, and pie. Some guidelines:

• Bar Chart: Use for comparing quantities across different categories (e.g., sales by region, number of products sold).
• Line Chart: Ideal for showing trends over time (e.g., monthly revenue growth, temperature changes throughout the year).
• Pie Chart: Best for displaying parts of a whole, usually as percentages (e.g., market share distribution, budget allocation).

Visit our Our consulting math page for more details.

This section adds a further ten individual case questions. These can be wolf-themed, so are thematically similar to the original Redrock case, but are slightly incongruous with the newer, plant-themed version of Redrock. In both instances, though, these questions are entirely separable from the main case preceding them, not relying on any information from the previous sections. The ten questions are highly quantitative and extremely time pressured. Few test takers finish them before being timed out.

• Critical reasoning : understanding and elaboring information
• Understanding charts : getting information out of charts and graphs
• Math problems : these are simple math questions that can be formulated as word problems or formulae problems, where the output answer is a formula.

Approach this game with a structured, top-down strategy to demonstrate your problem-solving skills. Always label your data clearly to showcase your ability to work with metadata, a crucial skill for consultants. Additionally, minimize back-and-forth actions in the game; although it’s possible in the interface, doing so suggests ineffective data collection and planning.

This is a very brief summary - more detail is available in our PDF Guide . You will also find 100+ Redrock specific exercises for you to practice.

Ocean Cleanup (2024)

The Ocean Cleanup is a new game that McKinsey began rolling out in the spring of 2024. This game is played after the Solve and Redrock assessments. Although it's not part of the official assessment yet, McKinsey is currently testing it as a potential addition to their suite of evaluation tools. You will still have to sit through the assessment. It does not count towards your final score.

The objective of the Ocean Cleanup game is to identify microbes that can survive in a specific ocean area. While it shares some similarities with the Solve game, particularly in its focus on selecting viable species, it has a different logic.

Game mechanics and strategy

The first step in the Ocean Cleanup game involves defining attributes (continuous variables) and traits (binary variables) to characterize each ocean area. Attributes might include factors like rigidity or size, while traits could be binary qualities such as being water-repellent or not. These distinctions help in precisely characterizing the environment and determining which microbes are best suited for survival. This process should be relatively straightforward.

Once you selected your variables, you will be given a value for each parameter each ranging from 1 to 10 for 2 sites. You'll be given specific goals, such as 2 for the parameter one, 3 for two, and 8 for the three. You then select up to 4 microbes to match the characteristics of your sites as closely as possible. In each of the 4 rounds, you'll choose 1 microbe from a group of three, aiming to find the best fit for the site's conditions. The system will automatically fill the remaining slots automatically filled to create a total set of 10. This process allows you to strategically build a group of microbes that best meets the objectives.

After selecting your 10 microbes, you’ll narrow it down to 3 that, when averaged, best match your target values. For instance, if your goal is to achieve specific values like 2, 3, and 8, you’d choose microbes where the first parameter is consistently close to 2. For the second parameter, you might opt for values which would average to your target of 3. This strategy ensures that the selected microbes closely align with your desired outcomes. There will be an element of iteration involved since microbes with an average close to parameter 1 may have an average which is off for parameter 3. You will have to repeat this for both sites

Note that the game is still being rolled out so details may change - we will try to keep this page as updated as possible.

• Selecting the initial parameters and 4 microbes is straightforward , but aim to match the parameters closely to the target to simplify choosing the final 3 microbes .
• When selecting the 3 microbes, focus on the most extreme values first , as they are the hardest to adjust. For example, if a target value is 1, you’ll only have options for higher numbers.
• After addressing the extreme values, fine-tune the remaining variables by adjusting the averages .
• Keep pen, paper, and a calculator handy . Excel is an option, but the calculations are simple enough that it might not provide a significant advantage.
• Avoid using Excel Solvers or advanced techniques . The test isn’t scored, so just focus on doing your best.

Other Games - Disease and Disaster Identification

There have been accounts of some test takers being given a third game as part of their Solve assessment. At time of writing, these third games have always been clearly introduced as non-scored beta tests for Imbellus to try out potential new additions to the assessment. However, the fact that these have been tested means that there is presumably a good chance we’ll see them as scored additions in future.

Notably, these alternative scenarios are generally variations on a fairly consistent theme and tend to share a good deal of the character of the Ecosystem Building game. Usually, candidates will be given a whole slew of information on how an animal population has changed over time. They will then have to wade through that information to figure out either which kind of natural disaster or which disease has been damaging that population - the commonality with the Ecosystem Building game being in the challenge of dealing with large volumes of information and figuring out which small fraction of it is actually relevant.

Join thousands of other candidates cracking cases like pros

What does the solve assessment test for.

Whilst information on the Solve assessment can be hard to come by, Imbellus and McKinsey have at least been explicit on what traits the test was designed to look for. These are:

• Critical Thinking : making judgements based on the objective analysis of information
• Decision Making : choosing the best course of action, especially under time pressure or with incomplete information
• Metacognition : deploying appropriate strategies to tackle problems efficiently
• Situational Awareness : the ability to interpret and subsequently predict an environment
• Systems Thinking : understanding the complex causal relationships between the elements of a system

Equally important to understanding the raw facts of the particular skillset being sought out, though, is understanding the very idiosyncratic ways in which the Solve assessment tests for these traits.

Let's dive deeper:

Process Scores

Perhaps the key difference between the Solve assessment and any other test you’ve taken before is Imbellus’s innovation around “process scores”.

To explain, when you work through each of the games, the software examines the solutions you generate to the various problems you are faced with. How well you do here is measured by your “product score”.

However, scoring does not end there. Rather, Solve's software also constantly monitors and assesses the method you used to arrive at that solution. The quality of the method you used is then captured in your “process score”.

To make things more concrete here, if you are playing the Ecosystem Building game, you will not only be judged on whether the ecosystem you put together is self-sustaining. You will also be judged on the way you have worked in figuring out that ecosystem - presumably, on how efficient and organised you were. The program tracks all your mouse clicks and other actions and will thus be able to capture things like how you navigate around the various groups of species, how you place the different options you select, whether you change your mind before you submit the solution and so on.

You can find more detail on these advanced aspects of the Solve assessment and the innovative work behind it in the presentation by Imbellus founder Rebecca Kantar in the first section of the following video:

Compared to other tests, this is far more like the level of assessment you face from an essay-based exam, where the full progression of your argument towards a conclusion is marked - or a maths exam, where you are scored on your working as well as the final answer (with, of course, the major advantage that there is no highly qualified person required to mark papers).

Clearly, the upshot of all this is that you will want to be very careful how you approach the Solve assessment. You should generally try to think before you act and to show yourself in a very rational, rigorous, ordered light.

We have some advice to help look after your process scores in our PDF Guide to the McKinsey Solve Assessment .

A Different Test for Every Candidate

Another remarkable and seriously innovative aspect of the Solve assessment is that no two candidates receive exactly the same test.

Imbellus automatically varies the parameters of their games to be different for each individual test taker, so that each will be given a meaningfully different game to everyone else’s.

Within a game, this might mean a different terrain setting, having a different number of species or different types of species to work with or more or fewer restrictions on which species will eat which others.

Consequently, even if your buddy takes the assessment for the same level role at the same office just the day before you do, whatever specific strategy they used in their games might very well not work for you.

This is an intentional feature designed to prevent test takers from sharing information with one another and thus advantaging some over others. At the extreme, this feature would also be a robust obstacle to any kind of serious cheating.

To manage to give every candidate a different test and still be able to generate a reliable ranking of those candidates across a fundamental skillset, without that test being very lengthy, is a considerable achievement from Imbellus. At high level, this would seem to be approximately equivalent to reliably extracting a faint signal from a very noisy background on the first attempt almost every time.

(Note that we are yet to confirm to what extent and how this also happens with the new Redrock case studies, but it seems to be set up to allow for easy changes to be made to the numerical values describing the case, so we assume there will be similar, widespread of variation.)

Preparation for the McKinsey Solve assessment

Understanding what the Solve assessment tests for immediately begs the question as to whether it is possible to usefully prepare and, if so, what that preparation should look like.

Is it Really Possible to Prepare for the McKinsey Solve Assessment?

In short, yes you can - and you should!

As noted previously, there has been a lot of disagreement over whether it is really possible to prep for the Solve assessment in a way that actually makes a difference.

Especially for the legacy version, there has been a widespread idea that the Solve assessment functions as something like an IQ test, so that preparation beyond very basic familiarisation to ensure you don’t panic on test day will not do anything to reliably boost your scores (nobody is going to build up to scoring an IQ of 200 just by doing practice tests, for example).

This rationale says that the best you can do is familiarise yourself with what you are up against to calm your nerves and avoid misunderstanding instructions on test day. However, this school of thought says there will be minimal benefit from practice and/or skill building.

The utility of preparation has become a clearer with the addition of the Redrock case study to the new version of Solve. Its heavily quantitative nature, strong time pressure and structure closely resembling a traditional business case make for a clearer route to improvement.

However, as we explain in more detail in our PDF guide to the Solve assessment, the idea that any aspect of either version of Solve can't be prepared for has been based on some fundamental misunderstandings about what kind of cognitive traits are being tested. Briefly put, the five key skills the Solve assessment explicitly examines are what are known as higher-order thinking skills.

Crucially, these are abilities that can be meaningfully built over time.

McKinsey and Imbellus have generally advised that you shouldn’t prepare. However, this is not the same as saying that there is no benefit in doing so. McKinsey benefits from ensuring as even a playing field as possible. To have the Solve test rank candidates based purely on their pre-existing ability, they would ideally wish for a completely unprepared population.

How to prep

We discuss how to prep for the Solve assessment in full detail in our PDF guide . Here, though, we can give you a few initial pointers to get you started. In particular, there are some great ways to simulate different games as well as build up the skills the Solve assessment tests for.

Playing video games is great prep for the legacy Solve assessment in particular, but remains highly relevant to the new Redrock version.

Contrary to what McKinsey and Imbellus have said - and pretty unfortunately for those of us with other hobbies - test takers have consistently said that they reckoned the Problem Solving Game, and now the Solve assessment, favours those with strong video gaming experience.

If you listened when your parents told you video games were a waste of time and really don’t have any experience, then putting in some hours on pretty much anything will be useful. However, the closer the games you play are to the Solve scenarios, the better. We give some great recommendations on specific games and what to look for more generally in our Solve guide - including one free-to-play game that our clients have found hugely useful as prep for the plant defence game!

PST-Style Questions

The inclusion of the Redrock case studies in the new version of Solve really represents a return to something like a modernised PST. Along with the similar new BCG Casey assessment, this seems to be the direction of travel for consulting recruitment in general.

Luckily, this means that you can leverage the wealth of existing PST-style resources to your advantage in preparation.

Our PST article - which links to some free PST questions and our full PST prep resources - is a great place to start. We also include PST questions in our McKinsey Solve preparation bundle so that you can practice for the Redrock case as well.

Quick Mathematics With a Calculator and/or Excel

Again, specifically for the Redrock assessment, you will be expected to solve math problems very quickly. The conceptual level of mathematics required is not particularly high, but you need to know what you are doing and get through it fast using a calculator nand/or Excel, if you are already comfortable with that program.

Our article on consulting math is a great place to start to understand what is expected of you throughout the recruiting process, with our consulting math package (a subset of our Case Academy course) providing more in-depth lessons and practice material.

Learn to Solve Case Studies

With the Redrock case studies clearly being ecology-themed analogues to standard business case studies, it's pretty obvious that getting good at case studies will be useful.

However, the Solve assessment as a whole is developed and calibrated to be predictive of case interview performance, so you can expect that improving your case solving ability will indirectly bring up your performance across the board.

Of course, this overlaps with your prep for McKinsey's case interviews. For more on how to get started there, see the final section of this article.

Learning About Optimal Strategies for the Games

The first thing to do is to familiarise yourself with the common game scenarios from the Solve assessment and how you can best approach them to help boost your chances of success.

Now, one thing to understand is that, since the parameters for the games change for each test taker, there might not be a single definitive optimal strategy for every single possible iteration of a particular game. As such, you shouldn’t rely on just memorising one approach and hoping it matches up to what you get on test day.

Instead, it is far better to understand why a strategy is sensible in some circumstances and when it might be better to do something else instead if the version of the game you personally receive necessitates a different approach.

In this article, we have given you a useful overview of the games currently included in the Solve assessment. However, a full discussion with suggested strategies is provided in our comprehensive Solve guide .

With the limited space available here, this is only a very brief sketch of a subset of the ways you can prep.

As noted, what will help with all of these and more is reading the extensive prep guidance in our full PDF guide to the Solve assessment...

The MCC Solve Assessment Bundle

Preparing for the Solve assessment doesn’t have to be a matter of stumbling around on your own. This article is a good introduction. From here, though our new, McKinsey Solve Assessment bundle is your first stop to optimise your Solve preparation.

• Access to our McKinsey Solve simulator , where you can practice by playing the game and building your ecosystem. The simulator not only provides scenarios but also calculates all possible combinations with a detailed consumption log for each scenario you encounter, allowing you to fully understand the problem and strategy. This approach is more beneficial than simply playing the game, as it gives you a comprehensive view rather than just confirming whether you're right or wrong. The guide inclues the password and link for the simulator.
• A comprehensive PDF guide covering everything you need to know about the test .
• A set of targeted exercises for the RedRock game .

Does it make sense to invest in a Solve Preparation bundle?

Short answer: yes. If you just think about the financials, a job at McKinsey is worth millions in the long run. If you factor in experience, personal growth and exit opportunities, the investment is a no-brainer. And if this is not enough, we also offer a 30 days money back guaranteed no questions asked .

How our bundle can help you ace the test

Don't expect some magic tricks to game the system (because you can't), but rather an in-depth analysis of key areas crucial to boost your scores. This helps you to:

As noted, the bundle is based on interviews with real recent test takers and covers the current games in detail. Being familiar with the game rules, mechanics and potential strategies in advance will massively reduce the amount of new information you have to assimilate from scratch on test day, allowing you to focus on the actual problems at hand.

Despite the innovative environment, the Solve assessment tests candidates for the same skills evaluated in case interviews, albeit on a more abstract level. Our guide (part of the bundle) breaks these skills down and provides a clear route to develop them. You also benefit from the cumulative experience of our clients, as we have followed up to see which prep methods and game strategies were genuinely helpful. Playing with the simulator will allow you to further strengthen these skills.

A clear plan of how to prepare is instrumental for success. Our guide includes a detailed, flexible preparation strategy, leveraging a whole host of diverse prep activities to help you practice and build your skills as effectively as possible. Importantly, our guide helps you prioritise the most effective aspects of preparation to optimise for whatever timeframe you have to work in.

Overall, the MyConsultingCoach Solve bundle provides the tools for an efficient and effective preparation. Our guide is designed to be no-nonsense and straight to the point. It tells you what you need to know up front and - for those of you in a hurry - crucial sections are clearly marked to read first to help you prep ASAP. Our simulator helps you uncover the fundamental mechanics of the game.

For those of you starting early with more time to spare, there is also a fully detailed, more nuanced discussion in the guide of what the test is looking for and how you can design a more long-term prep to build up the skills you need - and how this can fit into your wider case interview prep.

Importantly, there is no fluff to bulk out the page count. The market is awash with guides at huge page counts, stuffed full of irrelevant material to boost overall document length. By contrast, we realise your time is better spent actually preparing than ploughing through a novel.

If this sounds right for you, you can purchase our Solve bundle here:

McKinsey Solve Assessment Bundle

• Full guide to both the legacy version of the Solve assessment and the newer Redrock Case Study versions
• Solve Simulator: unlimited scenarios, solution checker and solution generator
• In-depth description of the different games and strategies to beat them
• Preparation strategies for the short, medium and long-term prep
• No fluff - straight to the point, with specific tips for those without much time
• Straight to your inbox
• 30 days money-back guarantee, no questions asked. Simply email us and we will refund the full amount.

Also preparing for case interviews? When you purchase access to our Case Academy , the Solve Bundle comes included!

Case Interview Course

• 16+ hours of lectures  covering  all aspects of the case interview (Foundations, Approach, Business Concepts and Solve Examples)
• 30+ logical reasoning  with detailed solutions 
• 15 Structure exercises on how to build a problem driven, MECE structure with in-depth solutions 
• 60+ chart-based questions with detailed solutions
• 100+ business math problems with detailed solutions
• 5 full case exercises included with varying  difficulty level 
• 20+ full case self-assessment modules
• Full Fit Interview Course
• Roadmap for preparation planning
• McKinsey Solve Package
• Lifetime access
• Mental math tool to improve mental calculation speed
• Available on all devices

The Next Step - Case Interviews

You’ve put in the time to craft an amazing resume and cover letter, and you've thoroughly prepared for the Solve assessment with our Bundle . On test day, you ace Solve and receive an invitation to a McKinsey case interview.

Now the real work begins…

While resume writing and Solve prep might have been challenging, preparing for McKinsey case interviews is even more demanding. McKinsey advises not to prepare for Solve, but they explicitly expect rigorous preparation for case interviews.

The depth of business knowledge required, along with the complexity of cases, means you’ll need to put in significant effort, learn the essentials, and practice extensively. If you’re serious about landing that McKinsey offer, you must dedicate time to mastering case studies.

Traditional framework-based approaches often fall short in dealing with McKinsey’s challenging, unique cases. At MCC, we teach a method rooted in how McKinsey trains its consultants, bypassing generic frameworks and focusing on solving cases like real consultants.

Learn more about our case-cracking method here , or dive deeper with our Case Academy course . If this all seems overwhelming and you want expert guidance through your entire prep, we can help! Click below to learn more.

Looking for an all-inclusive, peace of mind program?

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McKinsey Problem Solving Game (Imbellus): a Complete Practice Guide to Pass the Digital Assessment

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There is a lot of secrecy around the McKinsey Problem Solving Game, aka Imbellus.

This gamified assessment is used to filter out a large chunk of the many McKinsey applicants, and it’s supposedly crack-proof.

The internet is packed with blog posts, Reddit discussions, and forum threads about the McKinsey PSG, some even contradicting.

This information overload coupled with the huge importance of the test makes the whole preparation process nerve-wracking.

That’s why this practice guide strives to give you accurate and easy-to-digest information about your upcoming test.

It includes:

• A complete overview of the mini-games
• The best things to keep in mind while playing them
• The most helpful practice options available right now
• Useful tips and tactics to increase your chances of passing it

So, buckle up, and let’s get started.

Find out everything you need about the  McKinsey Problem Solving Game , aka Imbellus, and prepare using actual simulations!

What is the McKinsey Problem Solving Game (PSG)?

The McKinsey Problem Solving Game, also named McKinsey Imbellus, McKinsey Digital Assessment, and Solve Game, is a gamified test that replaces the previous assessment, PST, in the recruiting process. The PSG consists of two mini-games lasting for 70 minutes and evaluates candidates on five key cognitive abilities.

Only candidates who pass this stage are invited to the next hiring step, the case interviews.

What Skills Does the PSG Evaluate?

The PSG evaluates the consulting traits and qualifications of a candidate and then compares them to a real McKinsey consultant. If the test taker appears similar or better than the actual consultant, they'll pass the test.

Five main thinking skills are being assessed :

• Critical Thinking : The ability to solve problems by breaking them down into smaller parts.
• Decision-Making Process : The ability to take in large amounts of information and process it efficiently to make the best possible decision within time constraints.
• Meta Cognition : The ability to monitor your cognitive processes and improve them.
• Situational Awareness : The ability to keep track of several tasks or activities concurrently.
• Systems Thinking : The ability to identify the root causes of problems and possible solutions.

Do All Candidates Get the McKinsey Problem Solving Game?

As of 2024, almost all candidates for nearly all Mckinsey offices receive the McKinsey Solve Game. The PST, on the other hand, is no longer in use.

Get to Know the McKinsey PSG Format Inside Out

The Problem-Solving Game is sent to candidates once they pass the initial resume screening, making it the second hiring step.

McKinsey has created five mini-games, but you'll need to take only two of them. The most common ones are Ecosysystem Building and Redrock Study , and there are four other less common mini-games that only a fraction of the applicants receive (outlined below).

The time limit for the two common mini-games is 70 minutes , and for the others, it may range between 60 to 80 minutes. Each game will also have a tutorial, which is untimed.

Now, let's dive into each of the mini-games so you'll know what to expect on the test.

• Ecosystem Building

The first mini-game you'll need to pass is Ecosystem Building. In this game, you'll be randomly placed in either a mountain ridge or a coral reef scenario.

Your main objective in this mini-game is to build a sustainable ecosystem using exactly eight species from a collection of 39 species.

To achieve this goal successfully, you must strictly follow these guidelines:

• Terrain specs : The chosen location in the ecosystem must provide suitable living conditions for all eight species.
• Calories balance : Each species must be fed with enough calories from food to sustain itself.
• Food chain continuity : Each species must not be eaten into extinction by its predators.

The gaming platform provides specific information to help you meet these guidelines (some are seen in the game's "guidebook"):

Terrain Specs

Each location in the ecosystem has seven to eight terrain specs. You can choose a location using a pinpoint.

Of these seven or eight specs, only four can be displayed at any given time, using a checklist table in the upper-right corner of the screen:

Now, here's what's crucial about these living conditions:

Each species has specific terrain specs that have to be met. If they aren't met, the species won't survive, and you won't achieve the game's main objective.

Luckily, the species' living conditions usually come in ranges, allowing you to be more flexible with the species you choose for your ecosystem.

Additionally, each species has only two to four terrain specs , when Depth/Elevation and Temperature appear for all species:

Knowing that you only need to look at specific terrain specs on the checklist table helps eliminate species or locations that are not suitable for creating a sustainable ecosystem.

Food Chain Continuity

The 39 species are divided into producers and consumers.

Producers are plants and fungi (in the Mountain scenario) and corals and seaweeds (in the Coral Reef scenario). They don't have any calorie needs, so their "calories needed" spec is always zero.

Consumers are animals that eat either plants, other animals, or both. Some consumers are at the top of the food chain and therefore not eaten by any other species.

While creating the food chain, it's important to ensure that no species is eaten to extinction. This can be monitored using the " calorie needed " and the " calorie provided " specs that each species has (shown below).

Calories Balance

Each species has a calorie needed and a calorie provided, as you can see below:

A species lives if its "calories needed" are less than the sum of the calories provided by other species it eats (other consumers or providers).

Furthermore, the species' "calories provided" must be higher than the sum of the calories needed by other species that eat it.

The Main Challenges of the Ecosystem Building Mini-Game

Ecosystem creation is first of all a decision-making game.

You get all the information you need to deliver correct decisions so there's no uncertainty or inaccurate details.

The problem is that you have a vast amount of information to absorb, calculate, analyze, and prioritize . This includes the specs of 39 species, the terrain specs of each location, and eating rules.

Some of the information is irrelevant and is there to distract you or tempt you to make assumptions . In this mini-game, you must not make any assumptions and you don't need to have any environmental, ecological, or zoological knowledge.

So, your ability to make quick and accurate calculations and ignore irrelevant data will have a great impact on your performance.

The preparation course we recommend on this page includes a replica of McKinsey's Ecosystem Building game. It enables you to practice using a like-for-like game experience and learn about every single rule, move, and item in detail. Plus, you’ll master calculation methods and other tactics to ensure the food chain survives in your chosen location.

Redrock Study

The second mini-game you'll most likely encounter is Redrock Study. 

In the game's storyline, your task is to analyze the species inhabiting an island, which includes wolves and elks. The objective of your analysis is to formulate predictions and conduct various calculations , specifically focusing on percentages, by examining data on the evolution of the animal population.

The game has 4 sections:

• Investigation   You will be presented with a written text that includes tables and graphs. Your task is to sort information and gather valuable data points for the following test sections.
• Analysis   You will be presented with 3 or 4 math problems ; each is separated into two parts. You will be given a calculator and a Research Journal to gather information relevant to the questions.
• Report You will be presented with two types of questions - 
• 5 written questions regarding your findings in the analysis section
• 1 visual question in which you will need to choose a graph and use it to show what you found in the analysis.
•  Cases You will be presented with 6 to 10 questions that are unrelated to the analysis you did so far. 

You will have 35 minutes to complete all four sections , with a short, non-timed break before each one. 

Alternative Mini-Games

As of 2024, the Ecosystem Building game is constant, but the second mini-game may vary in rare cases. This means that there's a slight chance you won't get the Plant Defense mini-game, but rather one of the three we show below.

Disaster Management

In the Disaster Management game, you have to identify what type of natural disaster has happened to an animal population in an ecosystem.

Then, based on the data and information given, you need to choose a different location that will ensure the survival of the ecosystem.

The Disaster Management mini-game has only one objective - the sustainability of the ecosystem, similar to the Ecosystem Building mini-game.

Disease Management

In the Disease Management mini-game, you have to identify patterns of a disease within an ecosystem and predict who will be infected next. You can then use the information given about each species to help you solve the problem.

Migration Management

Migration Management is a turn-based puzzle game. The candidate must direct the migration of 50 animals while helping them arrive at their destination with minimal casualties and with a pre-determined amount of resources.

• Plant Defense

Plant Defense is a turn-based mini-game (similar to popular Tower Defense games). Your main objective is to defend a native plant that's located at the center of a 10x10, 10x14, or 12x12 grid from invader species, using defensive resources for as many turns as possible .

This mini-game consists of three maps, and each map is divided into two - the planning phase and the fast-forward phase. McKinsey recommends allocating 12 minutes per map, which makes it 36 minutes in total.

The 36-minute time limit is not fixed though, as it depends on how long it took you to finish the first mini-game, Ecosystem Building.

Many candidates mention that the Plant Defense game is more challenging than the Ecosystem creation. So, keep that in mind while taking the first one and plan your time wisely .

Now, let's take a closer look at the different elements and resources of this mini-game:

Your base is the native plant that you have to defend from invaders at all costs. Once an invader reaches the base, you lose the game.

Note that eventually, everyone loses, and you can't hold your base forever. But the more turns you manage to survive, the better .

There are two types of invaders in the game - Groundhog and Fox. Their movements on the map are the same, and the only difference between them is the terrain type that holds them back (more on terrains below).

Once an invader appears on your map, it will choose the shortest path to reach your base plant. This path will be shown as a yellow arrow .

There are three types of terrains in the game:

• Forest : Slows down the Groundhog for one turn
• Rocky : Slows down the Fox for one turn
• Cliff : Blocks both the Fox and the Groundhog from passing this square

Each terrain holds one grid on the map, and you cannot place terrain on a grid that already has another terrain or a defender on it (more on defenders below).

As opposed to terrains, defenders don't just slow down or block an invader, they eliminate it for good.

There are several defenders you can use in the game: Bobcat, Falcon, Wolf, Python, and Coyote.

Note that you won't see all of the defenders at once.

Each defender has two important specs you must take into account:

Range : Each defender can cover a pre-determined number of grids on the map. For example, a Python can cover only one grid, while a Falcon can cover as many as 13 grids.

Damage : Each defender can cause specific forms of damage to an invader's population. When an invader attacks, you'll be able to see its population number and the damage that your defender can cause him. A Wolf, for example, has a damaging impact of 60, while a Falcon has only 20.

The Main Challenges of the Plant Defense Mini-Game

In this mini-game, you have to make decisions based on limited information and face unexpected events (like new invaders from any direction). Also, you must achieve two simultaneous objectives - survive each of the turns separately and for as long as possible.

This is the complete opposite of the Ecosystem Building game, in which you have all the data in front of you, and you have just one objective.

Two things that can help you overcome these challenges are (1) preparing for the unexpected events that will happen during the game and (2) planning low-risk solutions based on your resources (terrains and defenders).

The prep course that we recommend on this page has the closest simulation possible to the actual Plant Defense game. It has the same gameplay, invaders, and resources, and it's based on the same algorithm that appears in the McKinsey Solve Game. This will enable you to learn the most effective tactics to ensure your base plant survives as many turns as possible.

How to Beat the McKinsey Problem Solving Game?

The proven way to beat the McKinsey PSG is by properly preparing beforehand.

There's no way around it. That’s because the mini-games include an immense amount of information, rules, and patterns you must master . And they require you to use tactics and strategies that are not obvious and take time to plan and execute.

All of that is under great time pressure and the high stakes of possibly failing it and losing an opportunity to work at McKinsey.

Now, there are a few practice options you can use to get a better understanding of the PSG and improve your chances of passing it, with the PSG Interactive Simulation being the most accurate one.

McKinsey Problem Solving Game Practice Options

Psg interactive simulation.

The  PSG Secrets simulation is an interactive platform that includes accurate practice for every part of McKinsey’s PSG. It mirrors what the actual game scenarios look like, what each button does, how the logic of the games works, how it generates the data, and more.

It has a full simulation option (two mini-games, 70 minutes), which includes:

• A full video course in 24 videos and 2h30m of content on Ecosystem, Redrock, and Plant Defense
• 2 excel solvers for the Ecosystem Game
• 10 Redrock test drills specifically for the case section
• 152 page-pdf guide 
• 60-day money-back guarantee.

Tips to Improve Your Performance on the McKinsey Problem Solving Game

Here are several specific tips to help improve your overall performance on the test as well as tips to avoid any disturbances that could hurt your score:

#1 Sharpen Your Mental Math Abilities

The ability to make fast and accurate calculations can help a lot in this Solve Game. That’s because one wrong calculation might ruin your carefully built Ecosystem or cause an invader to reach your Native Plant.

There are several free apps and sites, like the renowned Khan Academy , that can help you improve your math skills quickly.

#2 Learn Fast Reading Skills

Mckinsey’s PSG requires you to absorb and analyze a tremendous amount of information under strict time constraints.

Fast reading skills come in handy in this test and can help reduce the amount of time needed to understand the numerous guidelines of the mini-games.

There are certain apps and browser extensions that allow you to practice this important skill , even on the go.

#3 Focus Only on What Matters

Don't get nervous when you first see the immense amount of data on the mini-games. That’s because a lot of the data is irrelevant, and you’ll be only using some particular parameters .

For example, in the Ecosystem game, you’ll only have to use specific species and terrain specs for your calculations, while ignoring others that are there only for distraction.

In the complete   PSG Simulation Practice , you’ll see how to remove as much as 70% of the irrelevant data and remain just with the information that matters.

#4 Ignore Outside Information

While taking the assessment, especially the Ecosystem game, try to ignore any outside knowledge and information.

For example, if you’ve learned biology or zoology and you see that your food-eating rules don’t seem logical but the numbers are correct, always go with the numbers .

If you start to rely on previous knowledge, you might get confused and mess up your progress in the game.

#5 Learn to Solve Problems Like a Consultant

The PSG measures your consulting traits and compares them to a model McKinsey consultant.

That’s why learning to think and solve problems like a real consultant can help you pass this assessment.

Two main problem-solving skills you should practice are decision-making in fully controlled situations and with limited information.

Both of these skills can be trained using complex strategy games (examples are mentioned above) as well as  practicing with the   full PSG interactive simulation .

#6 Cut Down on Calculation Time Using Microsoft Excel

Mental math is an effective way to make calculations in the mini-games.

But as you’re only human, it’s not error-free. That’s why using a calculation tool, such as Excel formulas, can be a great way to make super fast and accurate calculations.

You can use it to gather all the relevant data, arrange it with columns and formulas (even in advance!), and turn the whole process into a no-brainer.

That said, you’ll need to use another monitor (preferably with a different browser) or another laptop since the assessment’s platform will take over your entire screen.

#7 Prep Your Hardware and Internet Connection

The last thing you want during the assessment is a “blue screen of death.”

It may happen if your hardware is not strong enough, since the McKinsey PSG is pretty demanding in its system requirements.

Any computer that is more than five years old or without an HD screen will likely encounter lags and performance drops.

Also, you must have a fast and stable internet connection. If you get disconnected in the middle of the test, you might need to start all over again or even reschedule for another testing date.

The PSG scores are divided into two types -

• Product score - the final outcome of your performance
• Process score - the efficiency (time and number of clicks) of your performance 

If you get the   PSG Practice Simulation , you’ll have a mock grading system that monitors your results and behavioral patterns.

This will allow you to track your progress while you practice for the test and see which areas demand improvement.

Why Did McKinsey Develop the Problem-Solving Game?

McKinsey created the Problem-Solving Game as an unbiased way to identify candidates from around the globe with strong cognitive abilities. The former assessment, Problem Solving Test (PST), was less challenging for candidates who were familiar with standardized tests, such as SAT and GMAT, or used the numerous mock tests found online.

The PSG, on the other hand, is supposedly crack-proof. That's because it takes into account the approach you use to solve the problems and not just the final solution. This seemingly removes any lucky guessing and shortcut techniques that were common on the McKinsey PST.

While on the PST you had just your final score, on the PSG your score is comprised of dozens of scoring criteria apart from your final result , including mouse movement, keystrokes, and clicks.

McKinsey can analyze these factors for every recorded candidate, which allows them to compare candidates more fairly.

What Does Imbellus Mean?

Imbellus is a company that creates immersive simulation-based assessments to assess cognitive processes. To develop a new testing format for the McKinsey recruitment process, they've teamed up with McKinsey consultants and UCLA Cresst psychologists.

In 2020,  Imbellus was purchased by Roblox , an online gaming platform, to help sharpen its recruitment practices.

This was an in-depth prep guide for the McKinsey Problem Solving Game. It gave you an overview of the different mini-games, explained their main challenges, and offered some useful solving tips.

Additionally, you saw the best ways to prepare for the assessment, when the PSG Practice Simulation being the most realistic and accurate one.

McKinsey Recruitment Process

McKinsey's selection process consists of several key phases:

• Application Review: The first step involves submitting your resume, which is briefly examined to filter out unsuitable candidates.
• Online Assessment: Within 7-14 days of applying, you'll likely receive an invitation to participate in the Solve Game, an interactive assessment that evaluates your analytical and decision-making abilities.
• Performance Analysis: McKinsey's team thoroughly examines your Solve Game results with your application materials.
• Case Interview: Candidates who excel in the previous stages advance to face-to-face case interviews. These sessions assess your capacity to tackle real-world business challenges, interpret data, and articulate clear solutions, demonstrating your problem-solving prowess and communication skills.

What is the McKinsey solve game?

The McKinsey Solve Game or Problem Solving Game (PSG) is a gamified evaluation incorporated into McKinsey's hiring process. This assessment features two mini-games that take approximately 70 minutes to complete, measuring candidates across five essential cognitive skills: critical reasoning, decision-making, metacognition, situational awareness, and systems thinking. Test takers who excel in this assessment move forward to the case interview phase. The game replicates real-world challenges, demanding strong strategic problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

How to solve the McKinsey problem-solving game?

To succeed in the McKinsey Solve Game, you should concentrate on enhancing key skills such as critical thinking, pattern recognition, and decision-making. The game assesses test takers' abilities in resource management and environmental evaluation. It's essential to practice organizing your approach, logically analyzing scenarios, and making decisions grounded in data. Additionally, working with simulations that replicate real-world complex systems can be beneficial.

Is the McKinsey solve game hard?

The McKinsey Solve Game can be challenging, requiring critical thinking, decision-making, and adaptability under pressure. The game simulates real-world scenarios that demand strategic problem-solving and analytical skills, which can be difficult for some candidates. However, with adequate preparation, including practicing relevant skills and familiarizing yourself with the game format, you can improve your performance and increase your confidence in tackling the assessment.

How many people pass the McKinsey solve game?

The specific percentage of candidates who pass the McKinsey Solve Game is not publicly disclosed by McKinsey & Company. However, it's known that performing well in the game is critical for advancing to the next stage of the hiring process, the live case interview. The assessment is designed to be challenging, and only those who demonstrate strong problem-solving and analytical skills typically move forward.

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McKinsey Problem Solving Game (Solve)

Welcome to our market-leading interactive McKinsey Solve Game Simulation. You'll have the chance to experience the assessment firsthand with our proprietary software. Our simulation includes three games from the assessment:

• Ecosystem Creation: Create over 6 distinct ecosystems within the Mountain Ridge and Coral Reef scenarios.
• Redrock Study: Practice with 4 full-length scenarios that include both study and cases sections.
• Plant Defense: Protect the native plant across an unlimited number of scenarios.

Explore Our Interactive Demo Today

We invite you to dive into the first few minutes of the Ecosystem Creation: Coral Reef game through our free demo provided below. Experience the tutorial, browse the guidebook, select four monitors, and hover over the ecosystem to pick your starting location.

As you purchase the full game, you can browse the entire set of species and start building your ecosystem. Alternatively, you'll also get access to the other ecosystem creation game, Ecosystem Creation: Mountain Ridge, as well as Redrock Study and Plant Defense games.

Video Guide: Tips and Game Walkthrough

Dive into the McKinsey Solve (Problem Solving Game) with our detailed guide, featuring exclusive in-game footage from Prepmatter's interactive simulation. Our video offers a comprehensive look into the game's structure, covering the Ecosystem Creation (including both Mountain Ridge and Coral Reef scenarios), the Redrock Study, and the Plant Defense game. 

For the Ecosystem Creation game, we break down the general layout and share key eating rules and strategic tips on selecting the optimal location to establish a sustainable ecosystem, supplemented with practical examples. This segment is designed to equip you with the knowledge needed to navigate through the complexities of ecosystem management.

The Redrock Study, a newer addition to the Solve game, receives an in-depth analysis across its Study and Cases sections. We dissect the Investigation, Analysis, and Report phases, providing in-game visuals to demystify the game's setup. Our guide includes best practices for gathering relevant data points, performing accurate calculations, and effectively summarizing findings in both written and graphical forms. Additionally, we delve into the Cases section, where you'll encounter 6 mini-cases, offering insights into what to expect and how to approach each scenario.

Although the Plant Defense game has been largely replaced by the Redrock Study, we haven't overlooked it. Our guide presents the game setup, detailing essential strategies for terrain transformation and the deployment of animals to defend the native plant. Through strategic advice, we aim to help you extend the plant's defense for as long as possible.

Full Game Reveal: Master McKinsey's Problem Solving Game

Dive into the comprehensive gameplay experience with our brand-new video guide! We're excited to unveil the first complete walkthrough of the McKinsey Problem Solving Game in the market, providing an unmatched practical learning opportunity. Follow along as we navigate through the intricacies of Ecosystem Creation, Redrock Study, and Plant Defense.

In the Ecosystem Creation section, discover how to identify the optimal habitat, select a balanced group of species, and employ strategies that pave the way for a thriving ecosystem. Progressing to the Redrock Study, we dissect the study and case phases of the intriguing Nolotiles scenario, exclusively provided through Prepmatter. Concluding with Plant Defense, our guide imparts tactics for positioning animals and barriers to safeguard the native plant.

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McKinsey Problem Solving Game – Guide 2023

Games-based assessments are being used by a number of the top strategy consulting firms now. BCG has partnered with Pymetrics and launched a BCG Online Case, Arctic Shores is working with Strategy& (via PwC), and McKinsey launched their problem-solving game developed with Imbellus in 2019.​

The game (officially called Solve, but also referred to as the problem-solving game/ PSG , the Imbellus game, or the digital assessment) replaces the in-person, pen-and-paper te­st that McKinsey has used for many years up until recently (the McKinsey Problem Solving Test). The game proved very effective in assessing candidates more holistically while reducing bias against those unfamiliar with standardized testing and helping scale recruitment during the era of pandemic-driven lockdowns. As of May 2020, it has been used to test 15,000 McKinsey applicants in more than 30 countries. These numbers have undoubtedly grown exponentially since then as more cohorts take the test and McKinsey rolls it out to the rest of its firm network.​

Overall games-based assessments are gaining popularity for the ability to filter down the candidate pool in an intuitive, unbiased way that tests both numerical reasoning and logical reasoning skills . The McKinsey digital assessment is used for exactly that purpose.

Table of Contents

• 1. Traits They Are Testing in the McKinsey Digital Assessment​
• 1.1 Critical Thinking
• 1.2 Decision-making
• 1.3 Metacognition
• 1.4 Situational Awareness
• 1.5 Systems Thinking
• 2. Look And Feel of the McKinsey Digital Assessment
• 3. Structure of the McKinsey Digital Assessment
• Scenario 1: Ecosystem Management
• Scenario 2: Plant Defense
• Scenario 3: Disaster Management
• Scenario 4: Disease Management
• Scenario 5: Migration Management
• Scenario 6: Redrock Study
• 4. Top Tips For the McKinsey Digital Assessment
• 5. About the Author

The McKinsey digital assessment provides a way of testing candidates' thinking ability and personality traits that are harder to revise for and therefore offers a way of testing that does not reward those that prepare more extensively. It also provides a safe environment to test how comfortable candidates are making decisions with imperfect information , a skill particularly important for strategy consultants .​

McKinsey prides itself on being a firm with some of the leading thinkers in the world and has been described as the ‘ CEO factory ’ for its alumni list that includes Cheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook), Sundar Pichai (CEO of Alphabet and Google), James Gorman (CEO of Morgan Stanley), and many more. For this reason, it is unsurprising that their games-based assessment focuses on testing thinking over personality traits .​

The five skills that McKinsey specifically looks to test with their digital assessment are:​

Critical thinking is the conceptualizing, analyzing, and synthesizing of information based on observation, experience, reflection, or reasoning. For strategy consultants such as McKinsey, this is an important skill as client problems are often unique and complex . To reach clear and concise recommendations or conclusions, strategy consultants must practice strong critical thinking skills to reduce the noise down to the critical points only.​

Decision-making based on fragmented, imperfect information is critical as McKinsey advises some of the world’s largest companies. The discipline of strategy consulting brings structure and logic to some of the most important decisions CEOs will make in their tenure and so McKinsey expects all their consultants to be competent and comfortable making decisive decisions .​

Metacognition is the ability to assess your own thinking and learning . Throughout a client engagement, a consultant’s knowledge and information base will increase and perhaps change the previous opinions put forward. The ability to critique and change thinking and logical reasoning based on the emergence of new information is important to reach the best possible outcome for the client.​

Situational awareness has historically been tested using situational judgment tests and is the decision-making of an individual in a social-based scenario, such as the workplace. As consulting is a project-based, client-facing profession, the ability to make sound, appropriate decisions is important to building and maintaining working relationships .​

Systems thinking is the holistic approach to analysis that considers the whole system, its individual parts, and how they interact with each other. Organizations and business models can all be conceptualized using systems thinking and it is also a strategy consultant's preferred way to isolate issues and present recommendations as it makes it easy for clients to understand their thinking and where it fits in the wider picture.

It is important to note that candidates are continuously assessed on these traits throughout the game and not just based on the outcomes at the end. Even something as minor as a keystroke, a click, or a movement of the mouse will be tracked and assessed. The traits will then be benchmarked against a benchmark to see if the candidates will be a good fit for the firm.

The McKinsey digital assessment is played on a desktop rather than a smartphone like other types of games. It looks and feels like a PC game similar to those that were popular 15 years ago such as SIMs and is highly intuitive for the user to navigate .

In the McKinsey digital assessment, candidates have around 70 minutes to complete two game scenarios (tutorial time is excluded), selected from a pool of six known ones.

The six possible scenarios in the digital assessment that have been published by McKinsey include:​

Objective : To build a self-sustaining natural ecosystem in a coral reef or a mountain range.

The candidate is provided with a selection of different animals and plants, each requiring and providing varying amounts of nutrients, as well as needing different living conditions. The candidate must assess the benefits of each and select an optimal combination of species and location that will ensure a sustainable ecosystem .​

The candidate needs to build a sustainable chain of 8 species in order to successfully pass this game.

Objective: To protect an endangered species of plant from incoming invaders​.

The routes of invaders are shown on a grid that increases in size during the game. Using the combination of a limited number of defenders (i.e., predators that hunt the invaders) and terrain (which slows down or blocks the path of the invaders), the user must prevent the plant in danger from being reached by the invader for as long as possible.​

Objective : To identify an incoming natural disaster and take necessary evasive action for a group of animals.​

Symptoms of a natural disaster are presented to the candidate such as wind speed, precipitation, and air temperature. Using this information, the candidate has to identify a natural disaster . Each type of disaster has a different expected impact on the island, where a group of animals lives.​

Knowing this, the candidate must choose where to relocate the group of animals whilst ensuring they will be protected, sheltered, fed, and watered sustainably in the new location.

Objective : To identify a mysterious disease spreading through a population and the animals that could be affected by it.​

An animal population is showing symptoms of a disease . Based on the symptoms detected, the candidate must conclude which animals will be affected next and the rules that will lead to the infection.

There are usually two maps in this game, with the second one being substantially more complex since the number of variables for each animal will increase.

Objective : To migrate a group of animals on a path from point A to point B while maximizing the number of animals surviving.

The candidate starts each map with a set of allocated resources (e.g., apples, water, nuts) and is presented with many branching paths to help their animal group reach the final destination. At each step, a certain number of resources will be consumed; the candidate will also be able to collect additional resources and animals at each step. If the candidate has insufficient resources for a specific step, a few animals will be lost.

With this in mind, the candidate must identify the resources needed for survival, plan the path to collect those resources and minimize movements to ultimately reach the final destination with as many animals as possible.

Objective : To select relevant information out of text, graphs, and tables provided and answer a few numerical questions.

This is the new entry between the McKinsey games as it was first launched in 2022.

The candidate will see information related to a few animal species, including text paragraphs, graphs, and numbers, and will have to select relevant parts to use for his/her research. The information can be dragged and dropped into a separate part of the screen and collected in a research journal.

After the research phase, the candidate will have to use the information collected to answer three quantitative questions related to the animal species.

Here are some key tips to ensure you ace the McKinsey digital assessment:​

1. Use trusted prep material for the test – Guides like the Imbellus Solve Game Secrets guide or the Imbellus Solve Combo can help you to be ready for the game and learn tips and tricks to save precious time during the assessment. With 300+ 5-star reviews, you can be confident that these guides will deliver what they promise.

2. Utilize an Excel template to speed up time during the Ecosystem Game – During the common first game - the Ecosystem Management - you can greatly increase your speed with an Excel tool. The Imbellus Solve Combo includes an automated Excel that can help you to build a chain in as little as 16 minutes and complete the Ecosystem in less than 70% of the time required.

3. Take advantage of the tutorials to get ready – Before each game, you will have a short tutorial during which time is not counted. You can use the tutorial to have a break, understand the rules of the game and get ready for the next part of the assessment.

4. Take the assessment in a quiet environment – The games take approximately 70 minutes. Ensuring you are taking the test in an environment without distractions will increase the chances of optimal performance in each game.​

5. Complete the assessment at the time of your peak performance – For most people, the cognitive ability is higher in the morning when they are most awake and alert. For tasks requiring focus and attention, this is particularly important, thus taking the games in the morning will likely increase your performance.

Make sure to check out the Consulting Q&A threads about the McKinsey Problem Solving Game to receive insights from former management consultants as well as candidates who have passed the Imbellus test !

By now you have learned a lot about how to master the McKinsey Problem Solving Game . With all the information from the article and further preparation material , you will be perfectly prepared to ace the Imbellus test and make it to the first round of the McKinsey interview !

As soon as you receive the invitation to the interview, don't forget to read through the articles on the McKinsey Problem Solving Interview as well as those on how to master the McKinsey Personal Experience Interview (PEI) . Those will give you guidance for your further case interview preparation and will help you land the job you want at McKinsey!

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McKinsey Problem Solving Game: the ultimate guide

McKinsey's Problem Solving Game (PSG), also known as the Imbellus test or Digital Assessment, is a virtual "test" used to evaluate McKinsey candidates during the application process.

McKinsey says that no specific preparation is needed for the new assessment. However, in our experience you can (and should) prepare for the test. In the guide below we've compiled key information about the McKinsey Problem Solving Game and some tips to help you get ready. Let's get started!

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with McKinsey ex-interviewers

1. background, 1.1 what is the mckinsey problem solving game (psg).

Let's start high-level. The McKinsey Problem Solving Game is an assessment that the firm is using in order to evaluate their applicants during the early stages of the interview process. 

If you're familiar with the McKinsey PST (Problem Solving Test), then it will be helpful to know that the Problem Solving Game is intended to serve a similar function (i.e. screen candidates early in the process) but in a very different way.

McKinsey's Problem Solving Game is really the first assessment of it's kind in the consulting industry. For a brief overview of the assessment that comes straight from McKinsey, check out this video .

1.2 Purpose

At the end of the day, McKinsey's business is dependent on hiring exceptional problem-solvers to serve their clients. The purpose of the Problem Solving Game is to help McKinsey do a better job of finding the best talent among their vast pool of annual applicants. 

Now, to be more specific, the Problem Solving Game is intended to help the firm do a few things in particular:

• Hire the candidates who will perform best on-the-job, not just the candidates who can do well on a test
• Evaluate the thought process of candidates, rather than just their final answers
• Increase diversity by reducing the biases of other methods of standardised testing (like the McKinsey PST)

McKinsey's global director of people analytics and measurement, Keith McNulty , alluded to the above priorities when he made this comment about standardised multiple-choice tests: " [T] here’s a large amount of strategy, preparation, and luck involved in multiple-choice tests, and if you use them in the selection process, it reinforces the status quo—at a time when you are looking to widen the scope of candidates you’re hiring.”

1.3 Imbellus (acquired by Roblox)

The McKinsey Problem Solving Game was not built in-house by the firm. Instead, they worked directly with a start-up called Imbellus, in order to develop the assessment. In 2020 Imbellus was acquired by Roblox but McKinsey has continued using the digital assessment.

The core idea of the Problem Solving Game is to evaluate how people think, not just what they know. McKinsey believes that standardised testing is a poor predictor of real-world performance, and so they aim to evaluate candidates in a more robust and less biased way with this test.

1.4 Pilot and roll-out

The Problem Solving Game was tested with an initial group of 527 McKinsey candidates  at the London office in November of 2017. Then in late 2018 , the test was given to additional candidates from additional McKinsey offices. During these tests, the assessment could only be given on McKinsey-owned computers at a local McKinsey office. 

But then, a new version of the assessment was developed that allowed it to be taken online. The online version of the assessment was rolled out in late 2019, and as of the writing of this article, the Problem Solving Game has been played by over 15,000 people in at least 30 countries. 

Today McKinsey uses the PSG as its default initial assessment in the interview process.

2. Game structure

Now let's dig into more details about the Problem Solving Game and what you can expect on the assessment. Let's start with an overview.

2.1  Overview

Here is a brief summary of the way the PSG is structured:

• A computer-based assessment
• An experience similar to a video game
• About 70 minutes of total run time
• 2 scenarios
• 2-4 tasks within each scenario

Although the above elements are fairly consistent, the game is actually different for every candidate.

2.2 Different for every player

When you are invited to take the PSG, you will be given a unique link which will allow you to do three things:

• Run a tech diagnostic programme to ensure your computer and network meet the requirements needed to complete the assessment
• Schedule a specific time slot for you to take the assessment
• Take the assessment during your scheduled time slot

Here's where it gets interesting. When you begin the assessment during your scheduled time slot, the system will load a unique version of the game just for you. That means that the iteration of the game that you face will be different than every past or future iteration of the game.

With that said, all versions of the game contain something called "scenarios". 

2.3 Scenarios

The assessment is divided into two primary components: scenarios and tasks. A scenario is the digital world and situation where you find yourself. Each scenario has an over-arching objective and contains several tasks, which are smaller "bite-sized" objectives. When you take the Problem Solving Game, you should expect to face 2 different scenarios .

One is called Ecosystem, and the other Redrock. These are the only two scenarios currently being used. There are other scenarios which you might have heard of (Plant protection, Disaster management, Disease management, Migration management) but these aren't used anymore.

So to summarize, as of writing this article, here is what you need to know about the scenarios:

• Ecosystem creation - Currently used
• Redrock study - Currently used
• Plant protection - Not used anymore
• Disater management - Not used anymore
• Disease management - Not used anymore
• Migration management - Not used anymore

Let's dig deeper into the two scenarios currently being used.

Ecosystem management

The McKinsey Ecosystem game is a crucial part of McKinsey's recruitment process. In this game, candidates are tasked with creating a sustainable ecosystem on an island and selecting an appropriate location for it, all within a strict 35-minute time limit. To succeed, candidates must choose 8 species out of a pool of 13, considering factors such as whether they are producers or animals and their environmental requirements.

The game challenges candidates to create a balanced food chain within the chosen environment, ensuring that each species receives enough calories from its food source. To simplify the process, an Excel Solver tool is available to quickly identify if a selection can lead to a sustainable chain. This tool can be a valuable resource during the game.

Ultimately, the Ecosystem game assesses candidates' ability to make rapid and strategic decisions under pressure, demonstrating their problem-solving skills in creating a sustainable ecosystem.

Redrock study

The Redrock is a new addition to the McKinsey game, introduced in 2022 in the United States and replacing the previous second game, Imbellus – Plant Defense, as of February '23. This change brought a different format to the Problem Solving Game (PSG), focusing more on calculations, especially percentages, similar to the older McKinsey PSTs.

In the Redrock game, players are sent to an island to analyze the population of animals, specifically wolves and elks, and make predictions based on the data. The game consists of four phases: Investigation, Analysis, Report, and Cases, with a total time limit of 35 minutes, including short breaks before each phase.

The Investigation Phase involves gathering information from provided text, graphs, and tables, which can be used in later phases. The Analysis Phase requires answering math questions related to different animal groups, with access to a calculator and the Research Journal. The Report Phase includes both written and visual components, where you answer questions and choose a graph to represent analysis results. Lastly, the Cases Phase, introduced in 2023, involves answering up to 10 unrelated questions, typically taking around 2 minutes each.

Overall, the Redrock game represents a significant shift in the McKinsey recruitment process, focusing on analytical skills and calculations, and it may be challenging for candidates to complete within the time limit.

3. Skills tested

McKinsey is using the Problem Solving Game for a reason. They want to make sure that the candidates they hire, have what it takes to succeed on the job as consultants. 

So, what exactly is McKinsey evaluating when you play the game? You could call them skills, but skills isn't quite the right term to use here.  This abstract describes the areas upon which candidates are assessed during the PSG as "cognitive constructs".

This makes it sound complicated, but you can simply think of these "cognitive constructs" as the areas of your thinking that McKinsey wants to measure. There are 5 of these areas, and we've covered them in more detail below:

3.1 Critical thinking

As you may be aware, consultancies (and other employers) place a high value on their candidates' critical thinking abilities. Just so we're working off of the same definition, here is how Stanford defines critical thinking: "critical thinking is careful goal-directed thinking".

When a consultant begins on a project, they will typically have (or form) a set of objectives that the client wants to accomplish. At the same time, they will likely encounter competing priorities and a combination of relevant and irrelevant data.

The best consultants will have a knack for focusing on objectives, and systematically identifying the most relevant information to form an approach and recommendation. That's why critical thinking is one of the primary areas that McKinsey wants to evaluate with the assessment.

3.2 Decision making

The Problem Solving Game also evaluates your decision making. And one of the elements of the test that distinguishes it from more traditional standardised tests is that it evaluates both your end result and HOW you came to that decision. Whereas a multiple-choice test (like the McKinsey PST) is only capable of assessing candidates based on their end results.

For example, as you progress through a scenario within the Problem Solving Game, you'll gather information, do some analysis, and then take action to implement your approach. During each interaction you have with the game, the software is gathering data. It's measuring details like the amount of time you spend on each task, what information you are looking at onscreen, as well as the actions you ultimately take.

In the real world, McKinsey would rather have candidates who can make decisions strategically, even if they are wrong occasionally, rather than candidates who are good at guessing on standardised tests. Some people can do both, but you get the point.

3.3 Metacognition

Candidates are also evaluated on their metacognition. As described by Nancy Chick of Vanderbilt University , metacognition can be summarised as "thinking about one's thinking". 

You could also characterise metacognition as a person's ability to take a step back and recognise their own understanding and knowledge gaps for a particular topic. 

Having strong metacognition can make a significant difference in a person's ability to learn and adapt to new situations. McKinsey consultants often work on complex projects, and it's important for the firm to hire people that can learn quickly and excel in changing circumstances.

3.4 Situational awareness

When a candidate interacts with the scenarios within the PSG, their  situational awareness  is also put to the test. Situational awareness is a person's ability to understand their environment as well as it's likely future outcomes. To illustrate this point, situational awareness is an important ability for firefighters.

Imagine a home catches on fire and the fire department is called. When they arrive on the scene, the firefighters need to quickly assess the situation and understand key pieces of information (e.g. are any people inside? Where are the nearest fire hydrants? Etc.). At the same time, the firefighters will also understand the likely future outcomes of a particular fire, and they can use this insight to help them prepare their approach for extinguishing the flames.

In a similar way, McKinsey wants to hire candidates who are able to understand the key elements of a new situation, anticipate the likely outcomes, and use their situational awareness to prepare a strategic approach.

3.5 Systems thinking

Finally, the Problem Solving Game is meant to test candidates' systems thinking . Systems thinking is a person's ability to understand and work with the complexities of an interconnected system. To test this ability, the Imbellus test uses the natural world, which provides some excellent examples of complex systems. 

For example, a coral reef is a system with a variety of interdependent parts, including plants, animals, water, the water temperature, and more. If you change one element of the system, it can impact the system as a whole.

Likewise, the clients that McKinsey serves are deeply impacted by systems (e.g. the global economy, data processing, and more). As a result, hiring candidates that can understand and work within a systems-context, will be an advantage for McKinsey.

4. How to prepare

Now let's talk about beating the game. 

First, we want to remind you that every candidate who plays the Problem Solving Game is encountering a completely unique game. You can't memorise a set pattern or sequence that will consistently get you a high score.

Also, remember that the game is measuring HOW you approach the problem and not just your outcomes. So, even if you have good results, if you got there using a strange or illogical approach, that could pull down your overall score.

Due to these factors, you can't prepare for McKinsey's Problem Solving Game in the same way that you would prepare for other tests (like the PST). In fact, according to McKinsey you DON'T even need the following for the Problem Solving Game:

• Any specific preparation
• Experience with video games
• Specific business knowledge

That's what they say, but if you have the opportunity to interview with McKinsey, we know that you'll want to be as prepared as possible! So, we've compiled the below tips, which we recommend you use to get ready for the assessment.

 4.1 Play video games, seriously

Even though no video game experience is required to play the Problem Solving Game, it was designed (at least in part) by game designers. And if you play the right kind of video games, there are elements of the strategy and mechanics that will be similar to what you may encounter on McKinsey's assessment.

We recommend that you specifically play two types of video games to help you prepare: 

• A "world builder" simulation game like SimCity
• A "tower defense" game like Kingdom Rush

To be clear, the graphics and experience of the games above will likely look quite different than what you'll find within the Problem Solving Game. BUT, by playing games like these, you'll pick up helpful strategies and a better understanding of the game mechanics and flow. 

We would also recommend that you practise these video games on the same device that you would use to take the Problem Solving Game (likely your primary laptop or desktop computer). That way you will be replicating the style of play as closely as possible.

The two games we've mentioned above are most closely aligned with the ecosystem creation and plant protection scenarios of the Problem Solving Game that we mentioned in section two of this article.

Similar to the ecosystem creation scenario on the Problem Solving Game, in SimCity you have to build a system (in this case a city) with a variety of interdependent parts. And in both games, you have to achieve a level of balance between different parts of the system. 

Similar to the plant protection scenario on the Problem Solving Game, in Kingdom Rush, you have a variety of elements that you can build to slow or stop invaders. And although the elements that you'll have will be different (e.g. predators vs. archers) the basic strategies involved in most tower defense games are similar.

Now, as you may have already noticed, these games are useful for two of the scenarios we mentioned in section two above. For the other scenarios, we have not found any video game that is clearly relevant. So, for those scenarios, you'll need to rely more on the other preparation steps below.

4.2 Study the known scenarios

As we mentioned previously, there are four publicly known scenarios that have been used on the Problem Solving Game. As a recap, here's what they are:

• Ecosystem creation
• Plant protection
• Disease management
• Disaster management

We'd encourage you to carefully review the information that we've summarised for each scenario in section two of this article. This will help you to start getting comfortable with the situations you'll encounter (note: McKinsey could add new scenarios not listed above).

As you learn the basic details of each scenario, you could also outline potential strategies for each one, as a mental exercise.

For example, in disease management, you'll need to identify the disease you're dealing with, and then take action to contain and treat it. Until you play the PSG, you won't have all the data, but you do know the basic objective of the game. So, make-up a hypothetical disease situation, and then outline a few potential strategies that you could take to help local wildlife.

A mental exercise like this obviously won't match the exact way the Problem Solving Game operates. However, it will get you to start thinking strategically, within the context of the specific scenarios that you will face. This alone will likely make you feel more confident when you take the assessment, and you may find that some of your ideas will come in handy on game day.

4.3 Prepare your workstation

This is a bit more logistical, but it's very important.

The McKinsey Problem Solving Game is somewhat demanding from a hardware perspective. You'll need a computer that runs pretty quickly and has at least 8GB of RAM. If you have an old or slow computer, then we would recommend that you either borrow or purchase a new one prior to taking the test. 

You'll also want to make sure you have a fast and stable internet connection before taking the assessment. If your wifi is spotty, you could try connecting to the internet through a direct ethernet connection. Or, you could ask a friend or relative with a good connection if you can take the assessment at their place.

Prior to taking the test, you will need to run McKinsey's "tech diagnostic" to ensure you have the processing power to run the Problem Solving Game. When McKinsey invites you to take the assessment, they'll send you more details on how to access this tech test. 

As much as possible, you'll also want to carve out a time and space to take the assessment with no distractions. It's important to plan this in advance, and it also helps if you can do your preparation in the same environment.

4.4 Start practicing case interviews

The McKinsey Problem Solving Game is very different than a case interview. However, if you get good at solving case interviews, some of those skills will also be helpful on the Problem Solving Game. 

For example, in the game, you'll need to develop a strategy with incomplete or inconclusive information. You also have to do this when you're solving a case interview. 

This is also a great strategy because it will help you get a head start on your preparation for the case interviews that you'll encounter later in the McKinsey interview process.

After getting some practice on your own, you should find someone who can do a mock interview with you, such as a friend or family member.

We’d also recommend that you do mock interviews with ex-interviewers from McKinsey. This is the best way to replicate the conditions of a real interview, and to get feedback from someone who understands the process extremely well. You may not have the connections to do this on your own, but we’ve made the connections for you. Book your McKinsey mock interview now .

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