Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 451,000 Peers!

Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!

McKinsey problem solving game

digital assessment DigitalAssessment McKinsey mckinseydigitalassessment PSG
New answer on Mar 24, 2021
5 Answers
3.4 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Mar 23, 2021

Hi everyone, I just finished the digital assessment.

In the first ecosystem game, I built the food chain that maximized the 'kcal provided' relative to the 'kcal needed'. I made sure the energy needed of the higher-tier species can be met by the energy provided by the lower-tier ones. (I separated them into 4 tiers, predator - 2 that can be eaten by the predator & can consume the lower-tiered ones - 2 that are entirely fed by plants - 3 plants). Does anyone have any clues as to how I performed?

For the invader game, I screwed up the first round as I didn't understand the rules well. But for the 2nd round, it lasted for more than 15 rounds (don't remember how many now). For the 3rd round, it lasted for more than 30 rounds. Again, does anyone have any insights on my performance?

Thank you very much for your help!

(edited)

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 24, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

It is difficult to answer for the Ecosystem Game without seeing the full food pyramid. There are specific rules in the game for which animal eats first based on the calories provided, so you may have theoretically a baseline that provides sufficient calories, but, due to the order animals eat, it is still not sustainable.

In terms of the plant defense, I know candidates who had a similar performance as you had and passed. However that’s also linked to how many turns you lasted in the very first round and the performance in the Ecosystem Game.

If you have additional questions please feel free to PM me.

Best,

Francesco

Was this answer helpful?
Christy on Mar 24, 2021

Thank you Francesco!

Florian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 24, 2021
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hey there,

Good answers here already!

Unfortunately, it is really hard to predict whether you passed or not solely on outcome measures since McKinsey / Imbellus also track 100 telemetry variables and calculate a process score, i.e. how you move through the game and approach the different problems.

That being said, your outcome seems promising, provided that

  • Your food chain adhered to other potential boundary conditions (e.g., who eats first)
  • The food chain is properly matched to the location

Fingers crossed! You should soon know.

Cheers,

Florian

Was this answer helpful?
Christy on Mar 24, 2021

Thank you Florian!

Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 23, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

This sounds promisng....that said, there is a lot of nuance in regards to how you are "graded". Best approach is to just wait and see - I know, easier said than done!

Was this answer helpful?
Christy on Mar 24, 2021

Thank you Ian!

Gaurav
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 24, 2021
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360 coach(Ex-McKinsey + Certified Coach + Active recruiter)

Hi there,

It doesn't sound bad at all!, but - as pointed out already - we can only speculate without seeing it whole.

Fingers crossed for you!

GB

Was this answer helpful?
Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Mar 24, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Looks promising, but it´s really hard to say without having the chance to look at the overal picture. Fingers crossed!

Cheers,

Clara

Was this answer helpful?
Christy on Mar 24, 2021

Thank you Clara!

Francesco gave the best answer

Francesco

Content Creator
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching
4,526
Meetings
45,121
Q&A Upvotes
392
Awards
5.0
1618 Reviews