Hello everybody
Has anybody taken the Sova Assessment (Bain) - Experienced hire?
I have been asked to complete the test. Can anybody please share his or her experience and specifically I would love to know what they are looking for in the Situational Judgement part. What they are looking for in that?
Also, do they negative markings for wrong answers as they do not have any instructions regarding that?
Hello!
I have not done SOVA myself, but the one that was before, the one I did, did count negative with wrong answers!
The good news is that most of the online tests are very similar, and test the same skillset. It´s a good thing, since you can prep for them with a very unified approach. Although this may not seem so at first sight since the formats may differ, what is important here -as well as when solving cases- is the core skillset they are tryng to test. This is common, and the most important skills are:
80-20 analysis: capacity to analize, interpret and extract conclusions quickly and in a agile way from a ton of data -of which not all is useful-
Analytic and critical thinking: many ways tested with graphs, charts and tables, that you need to understand and derive decisions or insights from
Mathematical skills: are always somehow present, for which you need to be fast int he basics
The way to get better is practicing as much as possible with similar exercises -those targeted at the same skillset-. Hence, I would strongly recomment you practice it with the Integrated Reasoning part of the GMAT exam.
There are free exams in the internet that you can use for practice (the one of LBS MBA page, Verits prep, as well as some free trials for courses such as the one of The Economist (https://gmat.economist.com/)
Furthermore, you can leverage the MBB tests (https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/, https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp, and many others)
Hope it helps!
Best,
Clara
Hi there,
All potential tests are pretty similar. If you have already prepared for case interviews and good at reading charts, analytical thinking, and mental math, this test won't be tough for you.
Basically, to prepare, you can use mock potential tests for Bain, BCG, PST (McKinsey), or GMAT, and after every test, look into a solution to see where you have gone wrong. 3-4 mock test would be enough for you to prepare for the potential test.
I have written two guides on potential tests for McKinsey and BCG, hit me up if you are interested:
Check it here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/bcg-potential-testonline-case-2-14
https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/mckinsey-pst-2-10
Regarding the negative marking for wrong - might easily be the case.
If you have any additional questions, I am happy to help!
Cheers, GB
Hi there,
My understanding is that negative marking can occur for Bain SOVA, but not always.. But, please read the instructions carefully...things change!
All of these tests are very similar
Format? Somewhat. Content and what's required from you ability-wise? Not at all.
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:
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.
https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/
https://www.shl.com/shldirect/en/practice-tests
https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp
Hello,
SOVA Assessment test is very similar to SHL with verbal, numerical and logical (figures sequences) sections. I have good preparation material and some questions that are equivalent to the ones of the real test, that can be leveraged to prepare for it.
Write me if you can be interested.
Best,
Luca
Company case by
