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Bain's test rejection: when to apply

Hello, 

 

I just did Bain's SOVA test for the London office. I know that I underperformed and may not have many chances to pass the screening because of that.

When you fail an online test (and then don't pass the screening step), is it possible to apply for another country just after the rejection or will I have to wait?

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Top answer
on Oct 24, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success: ➡ interviewoffers.com | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Sorry to hear that and hope you will be able to pass anyway.

In case you are rejected, you have two options if you want to apply again to Bain:

  1. Wait until the end of the ban (usually 12 to 24 months)
  2. Find someone that can refer you in a different country, mention explicitly the previous rejection, and see if they can help, ideally having them interact first with HR. There are no guarantees this will work though. In this second option you will have to:
    • Show relevant improvements in your CV that justify the earlier application
    • Wait a minimum amount of time anyway (so that you can show the improvements)

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Agrim
Coach
on Oct 24, 2021
Top Awarded Coach | BCG Dubai Project Leader | Master Casing in only 3 Hours | 10y in Consulting | Free Intro Call

Hey! The results are not out yet. Unless it's absolutely certain that you didn't make it, you must stay patient and prepare for the next stage.

Failing/not-passing will be the equivalent of rejection - so ban should apply. 

Having said that - please check with HR on all these specifics since they will be the final authority. We can only speculate.

But once again, try to hang in there and wait for the result!

Clara
Coach
on Oct 24, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

The theory says no, and the approx time is 12-18 months so you have time to enhance your CV. 

However, I have seen recently cases of people who tried in different countries (it was McK, in all cases) and it worked! I couldn´t believe it, but apparently there are cases in which the systems don´t talk to each other…

Good luck!

 

Cheers, 

Clara

Pedro
Coach
edited on Oct 24, 2021
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

In theory, if you fail you face a ban period.

In practice, you can give it a try and you may be lucky. You have nothing to lose.

Ian
Coach
on Oct 24, 2021
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately no it is not possible - you're going to have to wait the full ban period before you re-apply.

on Oct 25, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi!

In case you failed the test, the ban should apply and therefore you wouldn't be able to apply in another country.

However, I'd double-check with HR and/or your referral in the other country (if you have one).

Good luck,

Anto

Hagen
Coach
on Oct 27, 2021
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | 9+ years consulting, interviewing and coaching experience

Hi there,

First of all, I am deeply sorry to hear you think you have not performed well in the Bain SOVA test!

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:

  • First of all, I would advise you to wait for the results. These tests are meant to be very tough and short in time thus most candidates end up having a bad gut feeling.
  • Contradictory to what some coaches said, while there is the official waiting period of ~12-18 months for this specific country, recruiting systems across consulting companies tend to be not that well connected. Thus, I would advise you to just give it a try and apply with other countries in case you might get a rejection. Worst thing you will just receive a rejection.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare the Bain tests (it might be a different vendor in other countries), please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

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