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Material for BCG Potential Test?

Hi,

has anyone taken the BCG Potential Test (the one similar to Mck's PST)? If so, what material do you suggest to use for preparation? If someone has some material to share, this would be very useful!

Thanks a lot for your help,

Gianpaolo

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Top answer
Vlad
Coach
on Nov 20, 2017
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

Depending on the role and country it will be either GMAT type test or a more sophisticated case type test. I've uploaded both examples:

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

Here are the general recommendations:

  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 articles 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 remember calculator is allowed on BCG test. Make sure you know how to simplify calculations and use it fast. If not - work on fastening your math

Best,

Vlad

 
on Apr 07, 2018
Hi Vlad, thank you for the useful tips! can you please send the password to the dropbox link you posted?
on Jul 08, 2018
Hi Vlad, same here, please provide password for the dropbox link. Thanks!
on Aug 01, 2018
Hi Vlad, can you please provide the password to the dropbox link you posted?
on Sep 13, 2018
Hi Vlad, can you please provide the password to the dropbox link you posted?
on Oct 10, 2018
Hi Vlad, Could you please provide the password as well please?
on Nov 04, 2018
Hi Vlad, thank you for the insights on the test, can you please provide the password for the dropbox link? Thanks again!
on Nov 06, 2018
Hi Vlad, could you please share the password to the two examples in your dropbox folder aswell? Thanks and best, Sinia
on Nov 27, 2018
Hi Vlad, thank you for the useful information. Could you please provide me a password to dropbox link? Thank you!
on Jan 17, 2019
Vlad, can you please share the password for the tests? Thank you!
on Jan 21, 2019
Hi Vlad, thank you for the tips. Can you please send the password to the dropbox? thank you again!
on Feb 18, 2019
Hi Vlad, can you please provide the password to the dropbox link you posted?
on Mar 08, 2019
Hi Vlad! Can you provide the password please for the link?
on Mar 25, 2019
Hi Vlad thanks for the tips. Please kindly share the password to the dropbox folder. Thank you.
on Apr 02, 2019
Hi Vlad, Could you please share the password for the dropbox please ?
on Jun 11, 2019
Can help provide the pass?
on Jun 14, 2019
Hello Vlad, thank you for the link. Could you please provide the password for the dropbox files? Thank you
on Aug 16, 2019
Hi Vlad, would you mind sharing the password with me? Thanks in advance!
on Aug 23, 2019
Hello, could you please share the password for the dropbox as well? your help would be really appreciated!
on Aug 24, 2019
Hi Vlad, same here, please provide password for the dropbox link. Thanks!
on Sep 01, 2019
Hi Vlad, would you mind sharing the password with me? Thanks in advance!
on Sep 25, 2019
Hi Vlad, would you mind providing me the password? Thanks you!
on Sep 30, 2019
Hi Vlad, thank you for your tips and information. Could you share with me the password please?
on Oct 13, 2019
Hi Vlad, thank you for the tips, please could you share the password with me too? Thank you in advance!
on Oct 29, 2019
Hi Vlad, thank you for the recommendations! Could You share the dropbox password with me too? Please and thank you in advance!
on Oct 30, 2019
Hi Vlad - many thanks for posting the dropbox link, can't seem to find the key though... Any chance you're able to share?
on Nov 09, 2019
Hi Vlad, thank you for the tips. Could you share the password for the Dropbox with me too, I would highly appreciate it. Thank you in advance!
on Nov 15, 2019
Hi Vlad, thanks for sharing the tips! Would you mind sharing the password with me? Thanks in advance!
on Nov 18, 2019
Hi Vlad, could you please provide the password to the dropbox link you posted?
on Nov 21, 2019
Hi, Could you share the password for the Dropbox with me too, I would highly appreciate it. Thank you a lot!
on Nov 26, 2019
Hi Vlad, could you share the password for your dropbox? Really appreciate your help! Thank you
on Dec 02, 2019
Hi Vlad, thanks for the tips and posting the link. Any chance you would be willing to share the password for the link? It would be of great help, thanks.
on Jul 09, 2020
Hi Vlad, thanks for the resources, could you please share the password, thank you!
on Jul 15, 2020
Hi Vlad, could you please provide the password to the dropbox link you posted?
on Aug 11, 2020
Hey Vlad, could you please send me the password as well ?
on Aug 29, 2020
Hi Vlad, could you share the password for your dropbox? Really appreciate your help! Thank you
on Oct 14, 2020
Hi Vlad, Thanks for the helpful tips. Could you please share the password? Thanks, Aisha
on Oct 31, 2020
Hi Vlad, could you share the password for your dropbox? Thank you :)
on Apr 21, 2021
Hi Vlad, could you please share the password for your dropbox? Thank you! (:
on Jun 21, 2021
Hi Vlad, could you please share the password with me as well ? Thank you!
on Jul 13, 2021
Hi vlad could you provide me with the password at all?
on Jun 03, 2022
Hey Vlad could you please provide the password - much appreciated
on Sep 20, 2023
Hi Vlad, Could you please provide the password as well please?
on Nov 21, 2017
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Gianpaolo,

I would recommend the following:

  • Practice as much as you can on Potential test simulation. Besides the Med-Lines linked by Vlad, Igotanoffer has several others you can purchase online. I also wrote a simulation of the test, which you can download here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/bcg-potential-test-1-13
  • Once completed the BCG test simulations, move to PST practice. You can find a good number of PST test online for free. PST is different from the Potential test (the structure is not the same, in the Potential test you get penalized for wrong questions while in the McK PST you don’t, etc), but it is definitely closer to that than pure GMAT questions.
  • Do all the simulations with a time constraint. Then, after each test, report all the mistakes you did in the test. You will likely find mistakes have something in common (eg, wrong math; too much time wasted on some questions; wrong interpretation of graph; etc). Then work on these categories one by one. Many people do these simulations concentrating only on the final score and don’t spend time categorizing the type of mistakes, thus not improving their performance.

You can find some additional tips on the BCG potential test at the link below:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/any-tipps-for-bcg-potential-test-487#a1002

BCG Online Case (Chatbot)

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

 

3. BCG Online Case Secrets - Chatbot Interview.png

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

Anonymous
on Jul 09, 2020

Hello 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%.

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

Best,

André

0
Clara
Coach
on Sep 30, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

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/)

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Gaurav
Coach
on Nov 19, 2020
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360° coach(Ex-McKinsey+Certified Coach+Active recruiter)

I would recommend you to practice GMAT for BCG

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 a 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

In case you have already started your preparation for case interviews and good at reading charts, analytical thinking, and mental math, then BCG potential is an additional of probably an hour as what you should plan for. 

Basically, to prepare you can use some mock potential test, and after every test just look into solution to see where you have gone wrong. 3-4 mock test it would be enough for you to prepare for the potential test.

Does it make sense to you?

Cheers,
GB

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