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BCG Casey online assessment impact

BCG BCG Case Interview germany
New answer on Feb 05, 2023
9 Answers
3.1 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Feb 02, 2023

Hi all,

I just finished the BCG online assessment called Casey in Germany and I don't have a great feeling about it…

Therefore my question to you is: Do you have any insights or experience on how important and what impact this online test has in your application? Or is the “real” case interview more important?

Thanks!

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Cristian
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Content Creator
replied on Feb 02, 2023
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Hi there, 

Sorry to hear it didn't go according to expectations. However, this doesn't mean you failed it. Most people feel like they didn't perform well and still many of them are progressed to the next round. 

Basically your performance with Casey will be assessed together with the other application documents you submitted (CV, cover letter, referral). This is how it works with most offices. Then based on your score from the test and all these other documents they will decide whether to invite you to the first round of interviews. 

The ‘real’ case is more important, but if your performance on the test was not good enough it doesn't matter because you won't even be invited to the first round of interviews. Let's hope that won't be the case. 

Best,

Cristian 

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Anonymous A on Feb 07, 2023

Hi all! Thanks for all your helpful replies. that was really comforting and calmed me down. I had my "regular" case interviews on Friday and actually I got the feedback for my first round yesterday. Apparently I completed the online casey test above average! On top my personal fit was extremly strong and only in the case itself the interviewer found some weaker spots and gave me some hints for the second round. But therefore I am super happy to share that I made it to the second round! I am really relieved and overwhelmed that the online case was really good. Good luck for all of you and don't worry about a bad feeling after casey ;)

Cristian on Feb 07, 2023

Congrats! I'm really happy to hear that. Good for you :)

Florian
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replied on Feb 02, 2023
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hi there,

The live case interview is always more important than an online test. Let's put it like this:

Scenario 1: move to the second round

  • Average Casey
  • Distinctive live case 

Scenario 2: rejection

  • Distinctive Casey
  • Average live case

Scenario 3: (likely) rejection

  • Bad Casey
  • Distinctive live case

There are many factors that are considered and these situations are always hard to judge from the outside, especially since many people don't have a transparent or accurate view of their performance. Some think they are extremely strong while - in fact - they are not and vice versa.

Hopefully, it all goes well!

Florian

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Victoria Christine
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updated an answer on Feb 02, 2023
1st&2nd session 33% off|Incoming BCG Consultant ME|President of the Consulting Club|Esade MBA|Offers from McKinsey & BCG

Hello A,

 

As Florian mentioned, it is not very clear.

 

In my opinion though, and based on what I know, whether they’ll reject/ask you to move to the 1st round, is a combination of your CV/profile and your performance at Casey.

I’ll give you an example to make it clearer:

If they see that you have a lower GMAT score, they’ll expect you to have correct calculations and be fast at math, so you can balance that. 
 

This is how it works generally in the recruitment process, not only on the initial screening.

 

Having said that, most of the people don’t feel great after the online case, myself included. So this doesn’t mean anything. It might be way better than you expect.

 

Try to relax and wait. :)

 

Good luck and let me know if you need anything!

(edited)

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Francesco
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replied on Feb 03, 2023
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: Do you have any insights or experience on how important and what impact this online test has in your application? Or is the “real” case interview more important?

Usually you have two situations for Casey – it can be assigned as an initial screening or together with another interview. 

If they sent the invitation for Casey only, you should be screened based on that. If you also have an interview scheduled, you should be assessed based on both.

Good luck!

Francesco

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Pedro
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replied on Feb 02, 2023
30% off in April 2024 | Bain | EY-Parthenon | Roland Berger | Market Sizing | DARDEN MBA

Consulting firms realized at some point that they were just focusing on the 20% talent pools and profiles that have more potential, but that the other 80% would have some real talent there that was not being found. The problem was that interviewing all of those people was not effective, so they needed a process that would pre-filter candidates. And of course, once you do it, why not use it as well to go into those top 20% and filter out those who may be a waste of time? That's where these online tests come in.

They're just a pre-filter and don't replace a real interview. Meaning that one still needs to look at the profile and evaluate whether the candidate is high-potential or not. So you take both information (CV and test result) in combination.

If your profile is average and your performance is average, you will not get an interview. If your profile is great, and you have average performance, or if your profile is average but you have a strong performance, you get the interview.

Based on this, you should be able to assess in which group you would fit in.

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Dennis
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replied on Feb 02, 2023
Ex-Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Often these tests are also designed in a way that you can't complete everything in time or generally feel ambiguous about how you did. That said, a bad test result usually filters you out of the process, even with a strong CV. There is also a limited upside as to what a strong test result can do for you - meaning it won't overcome a weak CV for instance. So there is some middle ground where the differences are made.

Unfortunately you'll just have to wait for the official feedback - anything on here is mere speculation.

But fingers crossed your feedback is positive

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Ian
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replied on Feb 03, 2023
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Everything is important!

Unfortunately, the honest answer is that the casey chatbot is important. It is a filtering mechanism.

Is it all over? Nope. 

There's nothing you can do now. Control what matters (your other applications and your interview performance come interview day).

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Hagen
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updated an answer on Feb 03, 2023
#1 Bain coach | >95% success rate | interviewer for 8+ years | mentor and coach for 7+ years

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about the bad feeling you have with the BCG Casey!

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

  • The BCG Casey online assessment is just one aspect of the overall application process. The results of the assessment will be evaluated alongside your CV, cover letter, and potentially referral.
  • The final decision on whether to invite you for the first round of interviews will be based on a combination of your BCG Casey score and the other application documents. Keep in mind that this is how it typically works in German offices, and it could very well be different outside of Germany.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your upcoming BCG interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

(edited)

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Benjamin
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replied on Feb 05, 2023
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hello,

Like other coaches have mentioned, it is assessed together with the other aspects of your application. It is the first ‘filter’ before you even get to the ‘real’ case interview. There is a score that you get and when I was involved in recruiting its not uncommon to hear that a candidate had a good CV but a poor Casey score.

It is an important filter nevertheless - just a bit of context, more FYI also for other candidates. Firms have basically started to shift towards digital/automated assessments in order to achieve scalability in recruiting but also to lessen the load on consultants.

All the best!

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Cristian gave the best answer

Cristian

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