All questions tagged BCG Potential Test - Consulting Q&A - PrepLounge.com

The reason why BCG potential test is so difficult is because of the time constraint.

So what I did was work on any questions from the BCG potential test I could find and try to solve them super quickly. For example, this question should be solved in 30 seconds

"One of the biggest global airlines has decided to buy new aircrafts. The ratio of first class, business and economy seats in the new aircrafts will be 1 to 3 to 8 and the total number of seats will be 240.

Average ticket prices for popular destinations are expected to be €700 for first class, €300 for business and €150 for economy. The average duration of these flights is 3 hours.

First and business customers get free Wi-Fi on board but economy customers need to pay €2 / hour to use Wi-Fi.

Assuming that only 5% of economy customers use Wi-Fi all the time, what are the expected revenues from a flight to a popular destination using a new aircraft at its full capacity?

1. €56,048
2. €56,016
3. €56,480
4. €56,160"

Good luck on the test!

Happy to provide you some extra sources for free, Feel free to pm me.

Hi,

Like any other test - it has a cut-off score. Otherwise, there would be no purpose in taking the test.

Best

Hi Anonymous,

the BCG Potential test is a multiple choice computer test with 23 questions to be answered in 45 minutes. It has one single case only. You receive +3 for each right answer, 0 for no answer and -1 for a wrong answer. Calculators are generally not allowed, but there are exceptions in some countries (you can clarify that with HR for your country).

For the preparation I would recommend the following:

• Practice as much as you can on Potential test simulations. You should be able to find tests online to practice.
• 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 other options.
• 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 the 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.
• If possible, don’t print the sample tests; rather, do the simulations while at your computer. As it is a computer test, during the actual one you cannot write down notes near the questions and you will have to go back and forth to the different parts online; if you practice on the paper version only, you will find different dynamics the day of the interview which could influence your performance.

As additional notes:

• You have to take into account you are penalized for wrong answers, so you should adapt your strategy accordingly.
• Math practice, graph interpretation and quick reading training can also be useful. You can find some more comments on that at the following link: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/online-analytical-tests-483
• Try to distribute the tests between now and the day of the interview for constant learning, avoiding doing them just close to the test day.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi Anonymous,

it seems like the PST has been largely abandoned in the German office. But honestly - the best strategy is to not ask here, but instead pick up the phone and call the recruiting ladies at McKinsey and BCG. They will be able to give you the most reliable information on the current process at their respective firm.

Cheers, Sidi

Hey,

having done both tests and receiving offers from both firms in 2015 I'd say, that - despite already mentioned differneces in the test design - the "type of thinking" that needs to be applied for both test is very similar.

I prepared for both test with the preparation material I received from BCG / McK.

Having that said, I'd recommend to focus on your case preparation, as the cases are really the part of the interview that "turn the needle". If you don't perform on the cases you won't be hired, no matter how good your PST / Potential test results are. Still you should do ok in those ;)

Best,
Isabel

Hi Anonymous,

the BCG online case (Potential test) is a multiple choice computer test with 23 questions to be answered in 45 minutes. It has one single case only. You receive +3 for each right answer, 0 for no answer and -1 for a wrong answer.

For the preparation I would recommend the following:

• Practice as much as you can on Potential test simulations. Although you said you have limited funding, getting at least one test would be a very good investment, as your competition will probably do that
• 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 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.
• If possible, don’t print the sample tests; rather, do the simulations while at your computer. As it is a computer test, during the actual one you cannot write down notes near the questions and you will have to go back and forth to the different parts online; if you practice on the paper version only, you will find different dynamics the day of the interview which could influence your performance.

As additional notes:

• Calculators are generally not allowed, but there are exceptions in some countries (you can clarify that with HR).
• You have to take into account you get penalized for wrong answers, so you should adapt your strategy accordingly.
• Math practice, graph interpretation and quick reading training can also be useful. You can find some more comments on that at the following link:

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

Hope this helps,

Francesco

I recently took the BCG Potential Test.

You are put in a room with a computer to do the test as well as pen and paper.

Depending on the office you might be able to use a calculator, you can ask the HR about that.

Good luck!

PrepLounge has solid materials to prepare for the McK PST, these tests are similar enough that prepping for one will also get you ready for the other.

Hi,

There will be no industry specialized words. I saw some at BCG Online test, but there was a page with the description for each term.

Best

Hi,

From what I have seen in the site you mention the answer is yes, it is quite comparable in both type of questions and difficulty.

Nevertheless, I would say that perhaps what is more difficult in the test is when you really need to do the math right (meaning: you cant just estimate and make quick calculations given how close the answers are to eachother). In the tests I taken online vs the real one, some particular questions were quite calculous intensive (with multiplications and divisions of not easy numbers lets say) so make sure you get that part well covered!

Also, something that I never saw in the online versions of the tst is the interdependence of the questions. In the test I did in real life, many times you could not do Question 3 right if you had not correctly done question 2.

Industries covered can vary quite a lot, in my test there were 3 business cases, one was retail, there was airlines and energy as well... But unlike other tests, I felt the technicality/jargon of the industry was not a deal-breaker, at all. So in that regard, don't worry too much.

Best of luck to the test! :-)

Regards,
Bruno

You are right, not all offices of McKinsey/BCG give out the tests. From anonymous B's answer, it seems that the offices you are applying for do not. However, since he was a lateral hire, it might still be worth checking if the PST is part of the recruiting process for you - depending on whether you are coming out of undergraduate or Business School. Best way to know for sure would be to contact the recruiting team at both companies.

Good luck!

Hi Ben,

Both BCG and McK tests are similar: there are 4 stories with a pack of analysis attached. It includes graph analysis part, calculations, synthesis for each story. However recently BCG started using GMAT-like questions in their test.

To be honest, if you pass McKinsey PST, you will definitely pass BCG test. This works vice versa as well. For specific exapmles of BCG and McK tests you can use the following link:

BCG: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4tl5123a2uh17cg/AADFvljqkdM26p7KfigctHdTa?dl=0

McK:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v7tddzu6y0z4uaj/AACjBpMKQLcD9E_1Jh0O5hHea?dl =0

Hi,

There are 3 types of written tasks you may have:

• Math test - GMAT-like math test
• Online test - problem-solving test with a business situation
• Written case - they give you a case and you have to make a presentation

As you can see there is no "Online case". I also have never heard of BCG giving both Math Test and Online test. However, you should double check with the interviewer

I have uploaded all test and written case samples here (Online test is about airlines, the written case is about wine):

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

(ask me for a password)

Best!

Hi,

I was in your position 2 months ago.

In 1 month, i went from getting 30% on untimed tests, to passing the PST!

This is what i did:

• Igotanoffer practice tests
• Mconsulting practice tests
• Official McKinsey tests
• Practice speed maths - learn shortcuts like rule of 72, become a gun at the times tables, long division, estimation, growth rates, change %
• Use youtube- Cant remember who exactly but there is this Russian guy who has great tips and logic around the PST.
• I learnt to speed read - i went from 350 words per minute to 650. Youll also learn what info to read and what not to bother with by doing enough tests.
• I went through McKinsey presentations and learnt about the type of charts often used, learn how to read them quickly as this will save you minutes in the test working out what the hell they are even representing!

You will identify trends with answers, question types and the flow with time. Its frustrating and hard work, but worth it to pass! Youll also learn about time traps and which questions to estimate, leave and compute.

Start off doing the tests untimed, and re do tests over and over again.

Then slowly introduce time constraints and work to doing them in just 1 hour.

All the best.

Cheers,

Hi,

You'll never know the exact number since there is a range of factors that influence the cut-off:

• Country (office)
• Role (Associate, consultant)
• Economic cycle / hiring needs

Best,

Hi,

At BCG Germany everyone takes the quantitative test. Essentially, this test is about conducting a case study with specific quantitative questions. The objective is to test some deep dives that are might not be frequently tested in the verbal interviews. Focus is on logical reasoning and quick quantitative thinking.

Best,

Jan-Philipp