Hi there,
For Bain’s SOVA test, here’s how it typically works:
- Timing: The guidance of ~40 minutes is the recommended average completion time that most successful candidates fall within. It’s not a strict cut-off. Some candidates do take closer to 60 minutes. It doesn’t mean an automatic fail, but it can be a negative signal since SOVA is designed to measure both accuracy and processing speed. The key is to balance accuracy with efficiency.
- Sections:
- Personal / situational judgment – No strict right or wrong answers, more about consistency and alignment with Bain’s values.
- Logical reasoning – Timed, accuracy under time pressure is important.
- Quantitative reasoning – Often the bottleneck, because of data interpretation under time limits.
- Pass/Fail Criteria: SOVA (like other psychometric tests) doesn’t have a hard number of “mistakes allowed.” Instead, it uses a percentile ranking system. Bain will typically benchmark you against a pool of other candidates. A few mistakes are fine, but consistent errors or taking much longer than average lowers your percentile.
- What this means practically:
- If you finish in ~40–45 minutes with good accuracy → strong signal.
- If you take ~55–60 minutes but accuracy is high → still possible to pass, but less competitive.
- If you rush and make many mistakes → also a risk.
- Roughly, think of 70–80% correct within the suggested timeframe as the safe zone.
Best,
Evelina
