BCG test

Hello!

Seems like BCG is really active globally, since many people are asking about various steps of the process with them.

The online quant test are indeed very similar among them and hence, better to prep.

I would strongly recomment 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, Verits prep, as well as some free trials for courses such as the one of The Economist (https://gmat.economist.com/)

The old McKinsey PST, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so leverage resources across all of them.

https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/

https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

(edited)

The online tests across companies are very similar

Format? Somewhat. Content and what's required from you ability-wise? Not at all.

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.

https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/

https://www.shl.com/shldirect/en/practice-tests

https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp

Hi,

1. Try to find as many people in your country as you can who have done the test. Ask them for the topic, industry and questions they remember. For example in one of the countries there was a test about airlines and reading a couple of articles / company reports / wikipedia artticles with industry terms could significantly improve performance
2. Try to practice tests with strict time-management. McKinsey PST from the official web site and all mck and bcg -like tests you can find online
3. Additional recource can be GMAT Integrated reasoning from the official guides and apps if you feel that you are not p[erforming well
4. As far as I remebmer calculator is allowed on BCG test. Make sure you know how to simplify calculations and use it fast

I agree with Vlad, I reported below some additional tips based on a previous post:

• One of the most important thing to do well in the case is to do at least a couple of Potential tests before the actual test date. Unlike the McK PST, there are not so many available online, but you should be able to find a few at least.
• Commit to a time for each question, and go on if you surpass that time. If you do not set discipline, you will end eating too much time for some questions (these tests sometimes are actually structured to have some questions it is better to skip and review at the end). If time and test allows, you can then go back to the questions at the end.
• Practice a lot of math before – it is normally a key component of all the tests
• Practice graph interpretation: take some random graphs, give yourself 30 seconds and check if you can get the main insides from them. Then repeat till when you get a sufficient level of accuracy
• Practice quick reading and quick understanding of key information only: get a Harvard Business School case, give yourself 2 minutes and check how much information you can absorb. Then repeat till when you get a sufficient level of accuracy
• Use elimination process when in doubts

You can find the original post here:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/online-analytical-tests-483#a992

Finally, you have to take into account you get penalized for wrong answers in the Potential test, so you should adapt your strategy accordingly.

That being said, BCG has been rolling out a new BCG Online Case (also called the Chatbot Interview) since 2019. It is a 8-10 questions test structured in 2 parts:

• 8-10 questions to be taken in 25-30 minutes
• 1 video interview question at the end, where you have to provide a recommendation

The main differences compared to the previous version (BCG Potential Test) are the following:

1. 8-10 questions instead of 23
2. 25-30 min instead of 45
3. Calculators allowed
4. Presence of open questions
5. Video sum up at the end

The main challenges based on the candidates I helped are the following:

1. Time. Questions are not particularly difficult, however you will feel time constraints also due to the fact you don’t know how difficult the next questions could be - thus how much time they may require
2. Chatbot interaction. Unlike a test like the McK PST, you cannot proceed “at your own pace”. You will have to follow the evolution of the test as questions are revealed one by one
3. Math. Candidates often find the math quite challenging given the time constraint

If you want to prepare in the best possible way, I created a guide exactly for that.

This guide will:

• Show you the perfect strategy to answer the 5 types of questions in the Chatbot
• Offer you a clear strategy to optimally structure the One-Way Video Assessment
• Provide insider information from previous applicants who succeeded the Online Case
• Structure a clear preparation plan based on 6 FREE PSTs and Potential Tests
• Replicate the same experience of the interview thanks to 2 FREE Complete Chatbot Cases (Casey-style)

And much more ;)

You can download the guide instantly here:

 https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/bcg-online-case-secrets-69

As an extra bonus, I am currently offering the BCG Potential Test #1 (worth $39) and Graph Analysis Cheat Sheet (worth $29) for free with the guide. That may change in the future so hurry up if you are interested ;)

If you need additional support or have any questions on the guide please feel free to PM me, I will reply within 12 hours. 

Best,
Francesco

(edited)

For most of these tests, the GMAT, especially the integrated reasoning provides a good proxy. Check out GMATClub and other free resources at Veritas, Manhattan Prep and The Economist to prepare for this type of questions and way of thinking.

Hi there, our preplounge experts shared great materials about this topic previously. I believe they will be helpful for you. You can see their posts at the following links:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/i-want-to-get-into-mckinsey-bcg-and-bain-company-2645

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/bcg-potential-test-preparation-2117

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/bcg-online-test-1120

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/material-for-bcg-potential-test-1048

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/bcg-online-test-936

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/prep-materials-for-bcg-potential-test-2712

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/tag-BCG+Potential+Test

Hope it helps

Serhat

(edited)

Hey Margherita,

I've done the BCG on-line test at the end of Sept within my university (Politecnico).There was no numerical test, only a study case with 23 questions / 45 min (or less).

Each question had multiple choice answers, and you had info material whit charts and data to read from - no calculator allowed.

Personally I found it tricky and quite difficoult, especially for the small amount of time available. After all I achieved a great "mark" and now I am through the recruiting process.

If you need further info PM me!

Carlo

…

(edited)

Hi, congrats on getting the test invite. I would recommend first of all doing the free tests floating around the web and then proceeding to the McKinsey PST papers - there are quite a lot of them online.

The main thing here is to understand the concept of the test - time pressure, quick math (revise your percentages, fractions, rule of 72, compounded growth rate) and very speedy reading and understanding.

They also have negative marking as opposed to some other tests.

Good luck!

Hello!

One year ago (November 2014) the structure was as follows:

1st round: paper-based numerical test SHL-like + the dreaded "traffic lights" test . You have to pass both to continue the selection process

2nd round: just before or after the interviews you'll be required to take a computer-based test similar to McKinsey's PST

I hope that helps,

Giuseppe

Agree with Carlo here

Thx Serhat.

The quick answer is: use BCG's and PrepLounge's material. If not enough,and PST prep will go a long way

I just took the BCG potential test last month (Jakarta office). It was 45 minutes to solve 23 questions.

Hello there!

You will be given 45 minutes for 23 questions.

Regarding the question types

• Maths word problems: ~40% of questions.
• Logic - Data interpretation: ~35% of questions.
• Logic - Reading comprehension: ~25% of questions.

You need to be good at reading charts, analytical thinking and mental math.

I have created one for practice, you can try it as well
https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/bcg-potential-testonline-case-2-14

Do you have any further questions?

GB

Hi All,

Anyone has experience with the BCG Copenhagen office? They introduced a new format of 30 minutes and 80 questions that resembles to the IQ test.

Dear A!

BCG test includes 23 questions and you will be given about 45 minutes to complete it. This means you will have two minutes to solve each question on average. The BCG online case is very similar to a regular case the only difference being that your direction in the business case is guided by the questions being asked. So it will be similar to an "interviewer-led" case format. There are a lot of resources online for case solving and all you need to do is Google. If you want to sharpen your case skills in general I would recommend Victor Cheng's Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng and his book. However, since the BCG Online Case is also a single-choice test, you can also use this format to your advantage. You’ll receive+3 points for correct answers and -1 for wrong answers. Currently, the inofficial cut-off score is below 70-75%.

SO:

1) Keeping your math trained with GMAT exercises is always a good idea. Free resourced can be found online, for example:

• http://www.mba.com/global/the-gmat-exam/prepare-for-the-gmat-exam/test-prep-materials/free-gmat-prep-software.aspx
• https://www.mba.com/exams/gmat https://www.mba.com/-/media/files/mba2/assessments/2018/gmat/gmat-handbook-2020-07-10.pdf?la=en&hash=9DCAD3E9A43EEE7B520C84327FBEC6F399A72D82

2) Also, tests that usually are for investment banks (with graphs analysis) are useful. Free resourced can be found online, for example:

• https://www.tptests.com/Candidate/practice/Instructions

3) Official BGC Potential test examples:

• https://www.bcg.com/careers/path/consulting/practice-interview-cases.aspx

Best,

André

(edited)