Recently did McK SOLVE but got a newer version of SFL. Would this affect my score if it's still in "trial" phase?

Question

I recently did SOLVE, and my SOLVE had 3 games: Redrock, Sea Wolf and SFL. I was surprised to get a new version of SFL. The SFL that is more well-known online has 13 sequential questions to reflect what working on a case is like. Mine was more like a role-playing game on an island with 4 researchers and 4 workstations, spread across onboarding, Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.

After finishing the 3 games, I had to do a survey, but it focused mainly on the new SFL. They asked around 20 questions to rate and comment on different components of the game. They only asked this for SFL, not the other two, which is why I thought it was still in "trial" phase.

I talked to a few people from the US, Asia and Africa and found this new version was likely introduced this week or early this month, which is why I couldn't find any guide or sources to prepare. Most people found the game unclear and confusing. I also found the instructions hard to follow since they were all text rather than hands-on like the other 2 games, and I had no idea whether I was doing it correctly.

Since the game seems to still be in "trial" phase, would they still consider my SFL score in my overall score? Would be great if anyone who is or was in McK recruiting could answer this.

Answer 1

Hi,

Nobody outside the recruiting team can tell you how a game that is still being piloted is weighted. The part I would hold on to is that everyone who sat Solve in that window received the same version, so if the instructions were unclear, they were unclear for the whole pool you are compared against.

A new component is always introduced alongside the established ones and validated before it carries its full weight, so it may well be that you are in the pilot phase and that your results are used to fine-tune the assessment for future candidates. It is impossible to know, even for someone inside McKinsey who does not work in recruiting.

I wish you good luck though,

Best,

Franco

Answer 2

Hi there,

I would not assume that getting a newer version of SFL puts you at a disadvantage, and I would be careful with the word trial here, because it is an inference about McKinsey's internal process rather than something you were told.

From what candidates report, McKinsey assigns Solve versions by region and role, and you do not choose which one you sit. The version you got is an artefact of how you were routed, not a judgment about you, and it is not a variable you had any control over before, during or after the assessment.

A few things I would hold on to:

Do not try to reverse engineer your score from the version you were given. McKinsey publishes no scoring rubric for Solve, and everything circulating on prep sites about the mechanics is inference.
Treat the result date as the only signal that exists. Anything before it is speculation, including your own recall of how the scenario went.
If the recruiter contacts you, ask what the next step is and when, not how you scored. The first question gets answered and the second does not.
Keep preparing the case and the personal experience interview as though you passed, because the waiting period is the only prep time you still control.

Candidates who were given an unfamiliar or newly rolled out module consistently read their own uncertainty about the format as evidence that they did badly on it. Feeling disoriented inside a scenario you had never seen described anywhere is what a new module feels like from the inside, not what failing it feels like.

Answer 3

Hey there :) I wouldn’t worry too much about this. If McKinsey included the new SFL version as part of your official Solve assessment, I’d assume it is being used for assessment purposes, even if they are still collecting feedback on the experience. The post game survey does not necessarily mean the score is excluded.

Also, the fact that you found it confusing is probably not unique to you. If the version was genuinely newly introduced, McKinsey will be aware that candidates had no established preparation material for it. I would therefore focus more on your overall Solve performance rather than trying to interpret the new SFL specifically.

Best, Alessa :)

Answer 4

Hi there,

To be honest it depends…but it's probably unlikely.

But, ultimately, no answer here will really provide what you're looking for (i.e. whether you'll get an interview or not).

This is based off of overall profile, strength of resume, referral strength, office dynamics, etc.

Sit tight. Hope for the best (case prep) and plan for the worst (apply to other firms)

Answer 5

The survey does not prove that the new SFL was unscored or in a trial phase. It may have been collecting usability feedback while the module still contributed to the assessment. McKinsey does not publish the weighting, and people outside the assessment team cannot tell you how this version was used.

Treat it as an official part of the Solve session. If you experienced a concrete technical problem, such as a broken link, frozen screen or missing instruction, report that fact to recruiting promptly. Feeling confused by an unfamiliar format is different from a technical failure.

Do not try to estimate your score from the version you received or compare it with people in other regions. Save the completion confirmation, wait for the stated timeline, and prepare for cases and personal-experience interviews as though you will advance. Continue other applications as well. Those are the actions still under your control.