McKinsey Solve game

Question

I've been asked to complete McKinsey's online assessment game, Solve. In the email, it says "The assessment will take approximately 65 minutes".

Question: Given the 65 min timeframe, am I guaranteed to get (3) Sea Wolf and either (1) Ecosystem Management or (2) Redrock Study, since the total time sums to 65 min? Put another way, if the email had said The assessment will take approximately 70 minutes, would it be safe to assume I would NOT receive the (3) Sea Wolf game? Or does the word approximately do a lot of work in this sentence, lol?

Ecosystem Management (35 minutes)
Redrock Study (35 minutes)
Sea Wolf (30 minutes)

I'm planning on studying for all three just in case, but would love to prioritize my efforts if possible.

Any insights/guidance is hugely appreciated. Cheers!

Answer 1

Hey Charles,

The “approximately” really does a lot of work here. McKinsey mixes and matches, so the timing in your email doesn’t guarantee which games you’ll get. Some candidates get Ecosystem + Redrock, some Ecosystem + Sea Wolf, some all three. The safest prep is to know the basics of each, since you can’t predict the exact combo.

best,
Alessa :)

Answer 2

Hey! not sure where you're from but I'm US based and I took the assessment last week. It was Redrock and Seawolf.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi there,

The “~65 minutes” in the invitation is only an approximation. McKinsey rotates different game combinations, and you can’t predict in advance which ones you’ll get. Some candidates get Ecosystem + Sea Wolf, others Redrock + Sea Wolf, and in some cases Ecosystem + Redrock. The time estimate is just an average across these mixes.

So, don’t assume Sea Wolf is guaranteed (or excluded) based on the stated duration. The safest prep is exactly what you’re doing—review all three formats so you’re ready for whichever two appear.

Happy to help you further / suggest sources that worked for other candidates who passed.

Best,
Evelina