I have been invited to take imbellus test for Mc Kinsey London office. I am wondering do we know much about what they are looking for in terms of passing the game?
Also wondering is it a straight forward pass fail situation or is it just an addition to your application?
It's in addition to your casing + fit interview
There really isn't any material on it (it's an immersive simulation, so hasn't been replicated). However, there is a good Q&A here on what to keep in mind: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/imbellus-test-mckinsey-5682
You should prepare to be open-minded, flexible, turn on your problem-solving, and pay careful attention to the time + instructions
Hi Oisin,
it is an addition to your application. It's a gamified test for which different environments are been developed. It's pretty easy and no preparation is needed: only pay attention to time and instructions. It's usually divided into 2 games and you have 1h to complete both of them (you can decide when passing to the next game).
- In the first one you are going to create a balanced ecosystem based on the rules of the environment you choose (e.g. in a mountain scenario you fix a point with certain values of elevation, humidity, wind, ... and then you have to choose animals and plants that can survive each other and in the environment).
- In the second game, you have to defend an object (usually a plant) from the enemies (usually rodents) with the help of slowers (barriers) or killers (predators). I developed some good strategies to handle it, feel free to text me.
Here the introductory McK video about it: https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/mckinsey-digital-assessment.
Hope it helps,
Antonello
Hi,
I believe there is no way to prepare, so just relax and have a good rest before that
One thing to know - it's not about winning the game, it's about how you do that. ML algorithms literally track the movements of your cursor and compare it vs the best consultants
Best
Hello Oisin,
I have an interesting paper about the Imbellus test, feel free to text me if you want to have a look.
Best,
Luca
Hi Oisin,
Yes, it's addition to your application. To pass successfully this test, you can keep in mind the following tips:
Hope it helps,
André
Hello!
On top of the descriptions below, the only thing that could indeed help you prep are logic test or games (GMAT perhaps, or some MENSA tests)
Hope it helps!
Good luck,
Clara
Hi Oisin,
This is likely too late for you, but hopefully useful for someone else.
The test is used at the moment before the first round as screening for it. This means you have to pass it to move to interviews. This may change in the future though.
I did an in-depth study on the Imbellus. Most of the comments I found online are something like this:
Not sure what you think, but I don’t believe that’s very useful. Nor did the several people I coached who had to do the test.
So I worked hard with the candidates that actually did the test and created a guide with everything you need to know on the Imbellus.
This guide will:
This guide will cover every single part of the Game, so you can be 100% confident the day of the assessment, without worrying “I should have prepared better for this”. You won’t need any additional material to prepare after it.
You can download the guide instantly here:
https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/mckinsey-imbellus-game-secrets-48
As an extra bonus, I am offering for a limited time the Consulting Industry Cheat Sheet (worth $29) for free with the guide. You will get access to key insights of the 17 most common industries in case interviews.
If you need additional support or have any questions on the guide please feel free to PM me, I am happy to provide extra tips for free.
Best,
Francesco
Hi,
The games change a bit every recruitment season - so it’s difficult to predict what exactly will you get.
Whilst you don't have to be a gamer to perform well, the game will certainly test your problem solving ability and your ability to navigate in challenging circumstances.
Which skills are tested?
The game records all of the candidate’s actions (e.g., every movement of the mouse, time spent to choose an action) and uses machine learning to assess candidates’ way of thinking. It’s as much about how close candidates come to the best solution as about how they tackle the problem through. During the game McK assesses 5 cognitive abilities that are critical for a career in consulting:
How to cultivate these skills?
Let’s break down each skillset and find ways to improve.
Critical thinking could be broken down into the following subskills:
In order to improve your critical thinking I would suggest using mind mapping technique. It exploits the fact that our brains process information visually much more effectively than they do when it’s presented in a written document.
The idea behind mind mapping is that you start with a central theme or idea, typically drawn in a box in the middle of the page, and then from that you create branches, which lead to other ideas, or to supporting evidence or ancillary information.
Decision making could be broken down into the following subskills:
In order to improve your decision making skills I would suggest that you start applying it to your everyday life situations and start developing small decision making frameworks for each situation (e.g. going to the shop)
Self-awareness could be broken down into the following subskills:
The best way to improve your self-awareness is to reduce your EGO barrier and blind spots. You can read Ray Dalio Principles for more details.
Situational awareness could be broken down into the following subskills:
In order to improve your situational awareness I suggest that you take typical life situation and:
Systematic thinking could be broken down into the following subskills:
This skill could be largely improved by solving business cases.
ALSO I suggest that you should start investing your time into playing different computer/mobile game, where you can practice applying these skills.
Hope it helps!
Anton
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