Bain Online Sova Assessment

Hello!

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 trying to test. This is common, and the most important skills are:

80-20 analysis: capacity to analyze, 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 recommend 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, VERITAS prep, as well as some free trials for courses such as the one of The Economist (gmat.economist)

Furthermore, you can leverage the MBB tests (in myconsultingoffer, psychometricinstitute, and many others)

Hope it helps!

Best,

Clara

Hi there,

I have a simulation of the test as well as a prep plan. Feel free to message me and I can take you through it!

Now, in terms of preparation.

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:

• Time management (need to think quick)
• Business knowledge/context (incl key formulas)
• Critical thinking (answers that are very similar to each other...clues "hidden" in the text)
• Ability to interpret data/charts

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 (feel free to send a message and I can share some!)

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation by Bain!

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• Generally speaking, the Bain SOVA test is very much like most other analytical assessments of consulting companies and beyond.
• You will be assessed on all the three your verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning skills. Moreover, you will be assessed on particular personality traits (e.g. risk aversion).
• With regards to preparing the Bain SOVA test, I would highly advise you to do the following:
  • Read up on the official SOVA website to get a rough understanding of the test, especially since this is the single source of truth.
  • Practice the different components of the test, e.g. by leveraging official GMAT preparation material or the McKinsey PST, BCG Online Test or old Bain SOVA test. Please feel free in case you need further direction regarding where to get a grip on those resources.
  • Reflect about your own personality, but also reflect about whether you would want to hear this answer as a consulting interviewer in exactly this way. While I would always advise you to be yourself and not lie in interviews, it is still worthwhile to think about political ways of talking about your personality traits.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your upcoming Bain interviews, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

Hello there,

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.
Feel free to write me if you can be interested.

Best,
Luca