Hi there,
I understood that some BCG offices propose a logical aptitude test before actual case studies. This is composed of 80 questions to be answered in 30 mins and is intended to assess 4 skills: 1) numerical and verbal, 2) logic, 3) rapidity and relevance of decisions and 4) learning ability. Do you by any chance have any helpful preparation material to share? Tips?
Many thanks!
Hi there,
Yes I do - feel free to shoot me a message!
Lucky for you the McKinsey PST, BCG Online Test, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so you really can leverage the practice tests for all of them in order to prepare:
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.
PRACTICE TESTS
The (old) McKinsey PST, BCG Online Test, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so leverage resources across all of them. I have a huge list (links + documents) which I can share.
CHART/GRAPH INTERPRETATION
Best Rote Practice
Rocket Blocks
Best Practice Strategy
1) Read the Economist (especially the daily graph and Financial Time frequently
2) Ask case partners to focus particularly on your chart-reading skills (i.e. by providing you with cases with many charts) - Bain and Deloitte cases tend to be chart heavy
Graph Interpretation Tips
1) Read the title - and understand it
2) Read the legends - and understand them
3) Remind yourself of the objective / hypothesis in the case, to see where this might fit
4) Find the differences - where does the line graph plummet or spike? Which column is a lot smaller or bigger than the others? Where does change occur? The differences are what matter
5) Talk outloud while interpreting - first, it helps you think and process your thoughts, second, it lets the interviewer provide guidance and course correct if needed.
Hi there!
Yes, feel free to reach out and I share a library of materials for practice.
Basically, the format of these tests if quite similar. Once you get a hand of the usual structure, it becomes easier to practice for them.
Also, the best thing about it is that the more you practice the better you get. The linear correlation is amazing. When I was practicing for interviews I would calculate the average score every day from practicing and tracked it over two months and a half, and my speed and accuracy almost double in this interval.
To support you with these tests, sharing here also an article that contains the most common terms that you're likely to come up again during interviews:
Best,
Cristian
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