Unconventional question and leadership survey post Solve

Question

Hi! I completed Solve last week and received an interesting post-survey question.

After finishing the usual post-game survey, I was presented with a question that felt very personalized. It began with something like, “Imagine you belong to the Redrock strategic planning office…” and went on to describe a scenario in which someone with a similar educational and professional background to mine had to handle a client request that challenged their existing knowledge and way of working. It concluded by asking how I would demonstrate adaptability to meet client's requirements while maintaining technical and professional rigor.

After that, I was given a short leadership and team-mindset survey (about five or six questions).

Is this uncommon, or is it a new stage of Solve? I took Solve before and didn’t got questions or surveys like these.

For context, I'm applying for an associate level position.

Answer 1

They are piloting these personalized scenarios and leadership surveys as an extra layer beyond standard Solve. Not every office or candidate gets them yet-depends on region and role level. The fact they customized the scenario to your background (mentioning someone with similar education/experience) shows they're layering in situational judgment and culture fit assessment directly into the game process instead of waiting for interviews.

Treat it seriously. Answer structured and clear, like you would in a PEI-show how you would adapt without losing rigor, land a concrete outcome. The leadership survey is likely measuring team mindset and collaboration style.

Answer 2

This is not uncommon. McKinsey has been adding these elements over the past year.

The personalized scenario question is a behavioral or situational judgment test. They want to see how you think about real consulting situations like adapting to client needs and handling ambiguity. The fact it referenced your background means they are tailoring prompts to your profile.

The leadership survey is also something McKinsey uses more now. It helps them assess team mindset alongside the problem-solving tested in Solve.

What this likely means

It is part of their evolving process, not a signal about your performance. McKinsey updates their screening regularly. If you didn't see this before, it is probably just a newer addition.

How I would think about it

Don't read too much into it. Focus on preparing for the next stage. If you move forward, case interviews and PEI are where the real evaluation happens.

If you answered thoughtfully and honestly, you did what you were supposed to do.

Feel free to reach out if you want help preparing for interviews.

Answer 3

hey!

This is not unusual, especially for Associate level. In recent cycles they have added more tailored post game questions and short behavioral or leadership surveys. The “Redrock strategic planning office” scenario is typically a situational judgment style question designed to assess adaptability, client orientation, and professional judgment, not technical knowledge.

It is very likely part of an updated assessment flow rather than a separate stage or signal about performance. Different candidates can receive slightly different follow up modules, which is why your previous Solve experience may have looked different.

I would not overinterpret it. It is generally standardized and part of their broader evaluation of problem solving plus leadership traits. If you want, happy to reflect with you on how you approached that adaptability question.

best,
Alessa :)

Answer 4

This is rather new.

It is most likely a new format being piloted.

There are very few accounts at the moment of how this works.

Hope it went well and that you're going to hear back from them soon!
Best,

Cristian