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Ecosystem in Solve went badly

Just wondering is the Ecosystem part in McKinsey's solve always solveable?

I'm not sure if I messed up my calculations but I couldn't find a decent match for any of the three groups. I heard this is usually the easiest section... Trying to figure out how badly it could have gone. Other parts went ok though!

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Alessa
Coach
on May 09, 2025
xMcKinsey & Company | xBCG | +200 individual & group coachings | feel free to schedule a 15 min intro call for free

hey there!

Normally SOLVE should be challenging but technologically doable. It's more a matter of how you rationally and consistently evaluate things' interrelations.

It's understandable that candidates second-guess themselves or question their thought process, especially if none of the options are exactly right. McKinsey knows this and is more concerned with logical flow than simple end answers.

So if you:
=> Consistently maintained the same train of thought,
=> And didn't completely guess,

then a rough Ecosystem section does not amount to failure. Other parts of Solve (e.g. Redrock, Plant Defense) are weighted more heavily.

Good that the other segments went all right — Solve test is evaluated holistically. 

Hope this helps. 

Alessa

on May 11, 2025
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about the issue with the Ecosystem game. Regarding your question:

Q: Just wondering is the Ecosystem part in McKinsey's solve always solveable?

Within the dataset of 39 species, yes, there is always a sustainable ecosystem. However, within one of the three subsets (there are 13 species in each subset), there might not be any sustainable chain. Therefore, it is possible that you picked one of the subsets where a sustainable chain was not present.

(Source: I collected thousands of data points from people who used my Solve guide here).

Best,

Francesco

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