What is BCG Consultant Career Assessment (CCA)? How do you prepare for it?

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from BCG!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• First of all, the CCA is BCG's pre-interview assessment in some of its regions. Contrary to what other coaches have said, it seems not to have changed since then, takes exactly 30 minutes, and consists of three sections: 1) isolated behavior and values, 2) problem-solving, numerical, and reasoning exercises, and 3) situational behavior. It’s not very deep, but it still gives BCG a quick sense of how you think and behave.
• Moreover, while you can certainly prepare reasonably well for the second section, since it seems to be provided by SHL, it will be harder to do so for the first and third sections.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming BCG pre-interview assessment, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there, 

The BCG CCA is an online screening test that typically takes about 30-35 minutes, and is essentially a "light-version" of the in-person interviews.

So, this means that similar to the interviews, this Assessment has 2 key sections: 1) Behavioural / Values Alignment; 2) Logic / Quantitative / Pattern Recognition

The first is essentially questions aimed at assessing how your traits and values align with those BCG looks for: e.g., leadership, communication, teamwork, adaptability. The second is a section focused on logic, pattern recognition, basic quantitative reasoning. E.g., sequences, matrices, light algebra or data interpretation.

Thus, some key ways to prepare for this Assessment would be:

a. Reflect on your behaviours and values
Think of situations where you showed leadership, communication, teamwork, adaptability. Be ready for questions about how you and others see you. Knowing how your traits align with BCG’s values helps --> Finally, stress-testing your thoughts with a friend or coach can help immensely.

b. Practice pattern recognition / logic reasoning
Work on exercises like identifying missing items in matrices, sequences, figure-series, basic quantitative puzzles. There are tons of these resources online, including e.g., the quick math tool here on PrepLounge.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely, 

Thor

I see Thor already provided a breakdown below. 

I would strongly recommend that you reach out directly to the recruiter to ask for more details about the test. 

These tests are constantly evolving and vary from region to region and role to role. 

The only person who can give you the latest, most reliable info on this is the actual recruiter. 

Don't be afraid to ask. Most of them are really helpful and clarifying your expectations about the test will make the prep a lot easier. 

Best,
Cristian