BCG Amsterdam- Experience with BCG Online Case Experience/ assessment?

Hey there,

I did not take it but have a few coachees who did it specifically for the AMS office.

1. They all received the same type of case about a tractor company. Overall, the feedback was that it was quite difficult and stressful.

2. The questions are similar to what you get in the free test that they send out beforehand, however, some say they are more difficult, especially on the math part of things

3. Timing is a key issue here and some ran out of time, so it's very important to install temporal monitoring on your end when you go through the case. Additionally, expect some technical glitches with the video recording + sometimes unclear instructions, which makes it tough.

How can you prepare? Go through older BCG Potential Tests and McKinsey PSTs in addition to your normal case interview practice. Reach out if you can't find them online --> happy to share.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

The new BCG Online Case (also called Chatbot Interview) is a new 8-10 questions test BCG started to use in 2019 and now expanded globally. It is structured in 2 parts:

• 8-10 questions to be taken in 25-30 minutes
• 1 video interview question at the end, where you have to provide a recommendation

The main differences compared to the previous version (BCG Potential Test) are the following:

1. 8-10 questions instead of 23
2. 25-30 min instead of 45
3. Calculators allowed
4. Presence of open questions
5. Video sum up at the end

The main challenges based on the candidates I helped are the following:

1. Time. Questions are not particularly difficult, however you will feel time constraints also due to the fact you don’t know how difficult the next questions could be - thus how much time they may require
2. Chatbot interaction. Unlike a test like the McK PST, you cannot proceed “at your own pace”. You will have to follow the evolution of the test as questions are revealed one by one
3. Math. Candidates often find the math quite challenging given the time constraint

If you want to prepare in the best possible way, I created a guide exactly for that.

This guide will:

• Show you the perfect strategy to answer the 5 types of questions in the Chatbot
• Offer you a clear strategy to optimally structure the One-Way Video Assessment
• Provide insider information from previous applicants who succeeded the Online Case
• Structure a clear preparation plan based on 6 FREE PSTs and Potential Tests
• Replicate the same experience of the interview thanks to 2 FREE Complete Chatbot Cases (Casey-style)

And much more ;)

You can download the guide instantly here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/bcg-online-case-secrets-69

As an extra bonus, I am currently offering the BCG Potential Test #1 (worth $39) and Graph Analysis Cheat Sheet (worth $29) for free with the guide. That may change in the future so hurry up if you are interested ;)

If you need additional support or have any questions on the guide please feel free to PM me, I will reply within 12 hours. 

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

I have a simulation of the test. Feel free to message me and I cna take you through it!

Now, in terms of preparation.

The best way is to really find online tests / questions and practice. Regardless as to whether is a new or old test, the principles are mostly the same:

• Time management (need to think quick)
• Business knowledge/context (incl key formulas)
• Critical thinking (answers that are very similar to each other...clues "hidden" in the text)
• Ability to interpret data/charts

Think of it as a merge of a case and the GMAT/GRE.

You need to be clear on some key case-related and account formulas (margin, growth, breakeven, etc) as well as be good at critically understanding the question (including nuance to questions) and parsing through complicated text with a fair amount of distraction.

You'll also need to be good at chart/graph reading.

The (old) McKinsey PST, BCG Online Test, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so leverage resources across all of them (feel free to send a message and I can share some!)

Do the practice test at least once, maybe twice after a couple of days. Look at the answer key (save if you can), that will give you an idea of how to answer qualitative questions - they can be short answers which will save you time for the math. The video question at the end is usually the recommendation, practice recording yourself a few times. You will be able to re-record if necessary, but there may be a glitch and you may not. The video is only for a minute or so, make sure your recommendation is crisp and covers the most important points - again, this comes with practice. It can be a little intimidating because it's a different experience, but it's still a business case and if you're comfortable with the regular cases, you will be fine with the chatbot. Good luck!