Hello, does anyone know how to prepare for the computer test at the BCG Paris office? How can you get quicker?

Question

Hello,

The Paris office at BCG has a 45 min online test done in their first round interview, I was wondering how to prepare for it, since i struggled with the sample test provided on their website. Here is the link to the test: http://media-publications.bcg.com/france/Preparation-Etude-De-Cas-En-Ligne-2019.pdf.

I know this question is very specific, but I would greatly appreciate any help. Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi Felix,

I did the test a couple of weeks ago in Germany. The case example is comparable to the one you will receive on the actual interview day. While I prepared I checked which questions were the hardest / easiest for me. Based on this knowledge I answered the questions on the online test and did not answer the difficult ones since you will get a reduction of -1 for each wrong answer.
I guess you should make your own 'personal' strategy. I did not answer all question in the online test and still got to the final round.

All the best

Answer 2

Hi,

I have uploaded both test samples here (Online test is about airlines). I've also added BCG written case sample (Next round) and Bain written case:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zor4m49eyx5qxal/AABeUN6mtiGkWhEklRjszX2Oa?dl=0

(message me for a password)

As for particular recommendations for online test:

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 articles with industry terms could significantly improve performance
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
Additional resources can be GMAT Integrated reasoning from the official guides and apps if you feel that you are not p[erforming well
As far as I remember calculator is allowed on BCG test. Make sure you know how to simplify calculations and use it fast

Best!

Answer 3

Hi Felix, I have some material available to practice it. Feel free to text me

Best

Antonello

Answer 4

Hello!

I would practice leveraging GMAT.

GMAT unfortunately only gets better with practicing. Good news is that there are many ways of doing so!

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/)

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 5

Dear Felix!

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%. Message me if you have any other specific questions and all the best!

Best,

André