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Bain Sova personality test?

Hi,

There are literally no resources online to prepare for this. Obviously there is a pass and a fail, or they wouldn't be doing this part test. I understand the advice of “be yourself” etc. but preparation is about passing the test. If you don't pass, nothing else matters.

Can you list out what personality traits to try to align your answers to, in order to pass this part of the test?

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Top answer
Hagen
Coach
edited on Sep 29, 2023
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | 8+ years consulting, 8+ years coaching and 7+ years interviewing experience

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the invitation from Bain!

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

  • First of all, while I cannot disclose the personality traits, I would advise you to carefully consider the personality traits being tested in your upcoming Bain Sova pre-interview assessment and how they would be desirable in a (Bain) consultant. This might guide you in answering the questions.
  • Moreover, I would advise you to use PrepLounge's Consulting Q&A forum to find firsthand experiences and insights from individuals who have previously taken the Bain Sova pre-interview assessment.
  • Lastly, I would highly advise you to enhance your speed reading skills as the test is time constrained.

You can find more on this topic here: Speed reading techniques.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on authentic Bain Sova personality test questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Ian
Coach
on Sep 29, 2023
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Just to check, did they say it would just be the personality test? I ask because sometimes they have both personality and the quant test.

I know it's not really want you want to hear, but you “can't” really pratice for these.

In essence, don't try to game personality/culture match tests.

Why?

1) Those tests are designed to measure fit. If you're cheating the game you're actually cheating yourself (hard to see when you're in it, but trust me, you don't want to go somewhere you don't belong)

2) You can't predict/outsmart these things. Given that, would you rather fail knowing you answered completely honestly and true to yourself OR, fail knowing you were ungenuine and just said what you thought they wanted? Imagine not getting in, based on answers that weren't you, and always wondering if you'd be in if you were just yourself!

Anonymous B
on Sep 29, 2023
Sorry but I just don’t buy that. It’s like saying that being prepared for math questions is cheating. Being prepared is being prepared, not cheating. This personality test obviously has correct and incorrect answers. For example, it is said they test for risk-aversion. That is one trait that several questions are geared towards (eg. How would you respond to a risky situation?). The original question was: What are these traits that are considered desirable in a consultant?
on Sep 29, 2023
#1 rated McKinsey Coach

Hi there!

Two pieces of advice for the personality test:

1. Research their website to death :) In the sense that you should have a very good understanding of what their values are and their style of communication

2. Read lots of Bain-related materials before the actual test. These should be books written about Bain or by former Bain consultants. This will allow you to absorb their approach, ways of thinking and values. 

Doing these things will basically allow you to ‘influence’ yourself. And this will then show in the results of the personality test.

Best,
Cristian

———————————————

Practicing for interviews? Check out my latest case based on a first-round MBB interview >>> SoyTechnologies  

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