Online tests?

Recommended: BCG Casey Chatbot Simulation

In my view, if you're prepping for the case interview, you're already building out the skills required to succeed on these tests.

Once it looks likely that you'll get an interview (or you receive the invite), then immediately invest in an online simulation to go through the practice yourself.

Nothing beats live practice. If you grab a realistic simulation you should be able to get ready in a few days.

If you get the BCG test, I highly recommend this simulation (runs based off of 10 real past BCG Casey Chatbots).

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Hi,

You should start preparing before you apply because once the application is in things can move very quickly and you can be called for a test within a week or so; fortunately the online tests need much less preparation time than the interviews.

You cannot prepare for every possible test, but for many of them, though not all, the preparation overlaps heavily: the Redrock study in McKinsey's Solve for example, does not require a very different preparation from BCG's Casey chatbot. There is a lot of free information online to start from for all the main tests.

Good luck.

Best,

Franco

Hi there, 

It's great that you're trying to figure this out in advance. 

I typically recommend candidates to start preparing in advance and to prepare across all types and formats of tests. This way you effectively build a base of skills that you can flexibly deploy across different formats. 

Then, once you've received the invite for a specific test, you can then find more specific simulations to work on. 

Also, if you're just now starting the application process, you might find this guide useful:

• • Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

I would not try to fully prepare every possible MBB online test before applying. Instead, I would split the preparation into two layers:

• Build the common skills first. Spend some time understanding what the main tests usually look like, then identify where you are weakest, numerical reasoning, data interpretation, logic, speed, etc. Work on those weaknesses consistently, even if it is only 15–20 minutes a day. Most of these assessments share a large part of the same underlying skill set.
• Once you know the exact test, switch to format-specific preparation. That is when simulators become really valuable. For example, for McKinsey Solve there are very good ecosystem/game simulations and guides on PrepLounge, and the same applies to BCG-style assessments. At that stage, you are no longer learning the core skills. you are learning how that specific test packages and measures them.

A useful way to think about readiness is this: before applying, your mistakes should mostly be format-related, not skill-related. If you are still struggling with percentages, interpreting charts or basic logic under time pressure, I would work on that first. If the fundamentals are already solid, then a few focused days on the exact assessment after receiving the invite can be enough to fine-tune.

And in parallel, I would keep preparing cases. Once you enter a recruiting process, timelines can be unpredictable, sometimes there is a long gap after the test, sometimes interviews come very quickly. You do not want to pass the online assessment and then realise you are starting case preparation from zero.

So I would not prepare every test exhaustively in advance. Build the transferable skills now, keep case prep moving, and once the invite tells you the exact assessment, go all-in on that format.

Best,
Carlos

Hi there,

McKinsey says on its own site that there is no need to prepare for Solve, and I would weigh that more heavily than this thread does. The part of your question that actually has an answer is the part you set aside: which instrument each of these processes uses is findable before you apply, rather than something to hedge against by preparing for all of them.

A few things I would do first:

• McKinsey names Solve publicly and describes it as a gamified assessment of natural problem-solving abilities, with no need to prepare. A firm telling you not to prepare is information, even if you decide to do a little anyway.
• Bain's own careers page says the email you receive after applying tells you whether you are required to complete Sova or Test Gorilla. You are not guessing; you are waiting a few days, and those two are different enough that preparing for both is a waste.
• Write to the Singapore recruiters and ask which assessment applies at each level. Junior Associate, Associate and Consultant across three firms is three separate processes with three separate instruments, and the recruiters can simply tell you.
• Advance preparation only pays against a weakness you already know you have. If timed numerical work has never been your problem, the general layer has nothing to fix, and the whole question collapses into the days after the invite.

Your constraint is not the gap between the invite and the test. It is that you have named three firms and three levels and are treating them as one task. Preparing for MBB online tests is preparing for a category. Preparing for the one you have been sent is preparing for an exam.

Hey there :)

I wouldn’t prepare for every possible test before applying. The formats can vary by firm and office, and once you receive an invite you usually have enough time to prepare effectively.

I’d do some light preparation beforehand, mainly numerical reasoning, logical reasoning and data interpretation. Then, once you know the exact test, spend a few focused days practicing that specific format. You really don’t need weeks of preparation in most cases.

Best, Alessa :)