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

Honestly, all of these online tests are very similar

Format? Somewhat. Content and what's required from you ability-wise? Not at all.

The best way is to really find online tests / questions and practice. Regardless as to whether is a new or old test, the principles are mostly the same:

• Time management (need to think quick)
• Business knowledge/context (incl key formulas)
• Critical thinking (answers that are very similar to each other...clues "hidden" in the text)
• Ability to interpret data/charts

Think of it as a merge of a case and the GMAT/GRE.

You need to be clear on some key case-related and account formulas (margin, growth, breakeven, etc) as well as be good at critically understanding the question (including nuance to questions) and parsing through complicated text with a fair amount of distraction.

You'll also need to be good at chart/graph reading.

The (old) McKinsey PST, BCG Online Test, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so leverage resources across all of them.

https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/

https://www.shl.com/shldirect/en/practice-tests

https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp

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

Hi,

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

Best

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 Anonymous,

The BCG Online Case - also called Potential Test in some offices - 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 if needed.

I recommend the following approach to prepare:

1. Look online for reliable BCG test simulations. You can find an example here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/bcg-potential-test-1-13
2. If possible, don’t print the sample tests; rather, do the simulations on your computer. The day of the test you won’t be able write notes near the questions or turn pages. If you practice on a paper version, you will find different dynamics the day of the interview that could impact your performance. You should also do all the simulations with a time constraint
3. After each test write down the mistakes you did. You will probably find that the mistakes have something in common – eg wrong math, too much time wasted on some questions, wrong interpretation of graph
4. Work on each area of improvement. Many candidates do these simulations checking only the final score and don’t spend time analyzing the mistakes - thus they don’t improve
5. Once you have done all the BCG test simulations, move to PST practice. You can find a good number of PST tests online. The PST is different from the Potential Test – in the PST there are multiple cases, the types of questions are different and you have more time available. However, it may still help to improve your performance

As additional notes:

• Remember you are penalized for wrong answers - you should adapt your strategy accordingly
• Aim to identify the main areas of improvements already with the first test - the typical ones are math, graph interpretation and ability to absorb information quickly
• Try to distribute the tests between the day you start practicing and the day of the test for constant learning – avoid to do them just at the end

If you want to practice on a real example of a BCG Potential Test, you can find the one I created below:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/bcg-potential-testonline-case-1-13

With this test you will be able to:

• Prepare on the exact same format of the BCG Online Case – 23 questions in 45 minutes
• Identify your possible improvements thanks to detailed solutions for all the 23 questions
• Practice on material tested by multiple candidates who did the test and successfully passed the Potential Test.

Below you can find a screenshot of the test:

If you need additional support or have any feedback on the test feel free to PM me, I can provide additional tips for free.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

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,

The BCG Potential Test - also called Online Case in some offices - 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 if needed.

I recommend the following approach to prepare:

1. Look online for reliable BCG test simulations. You can find an example here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/bcg-potential-test-1-13
2. If possible, don’t print the sample tests; rather, do the simulations on your computer. The day of the test you won’t be able write notes near the questions or turn pages. If you practice on a paper version, you will find different dynamics the day of the interview that could impact your performance. You should also do all the simulations with a time constraint
3. After each test write down the mistakes you did. You will probably find that the mistakes have something in common – eg wrong math, too much time wasted on some questions, wrong interpretation of graph
4. Work on each area of improvement. Many candidates do these simulations checking only the final score and don’t spend time analyzing the mistakes - thus they don’t improve
5. Once you have done all the BCG test simulations, move to PST practice. You can find a good number of PST tests online. The PST is different from the Potential Test – in the PST there are multiple cases, the types of questions are different and you have more time available. However, it may still help to improve your performance

As additional notes:

• Remember you are penalized for wrong answers - you should adapt your strategy accordingly
• Aim to identify the main areas of improvements already with the first test - the typical ones are math, graph interpretation and ability to absorb information quickly
• Try to distribute the tests between the day you start practicing and the day of the test for constant learning – avoid to do them just at the end

If you want to practice on a real example of a BCG Potential Test, you can find the one I prepared below:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/bcg-potential-testonline-case-1-13

With this test you will be able to:

• Prepare on the exact same format of the BCG Online Case – 23 questions in 45 minutes
• Identify your possible improvements thanks to detailed solutions for all the 23 questions
• Practice on material tested by multiple candidates who did the test and successfully passed the Potential Test.

Below you can find a screenshot of the test:

If you need additional support or have any questions on the test please feel free to PM me, I can provide additional tips for free.

Best,

Francesco

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,

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

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!

Hello!

Seems like BCG is really active globally, since many people are asking about various steps of the process with them.

The online quant test are indeed very similar among them and hence, better to prep.

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/)

The old McKinsey PST, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so leverage resources across all of them.

https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/

https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hello!

Seems like BCG is really active globally, since many people are asking about various steps of the process with them.

The online quant test are indeed very similar among them and hence, better to prep.

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/)

The old McKinsey PST, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so leverage resources across all of them.

https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/

https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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!

Hi there,

First: There's not much preparation to do for the potential test other than get familiar with the format and prepare for case interviews.

Second: For any application you should be ready to interview in days. It may not be that fast, but it can be.

To calculate gross margin subtract Cost from total revenue and divide that number by total revenue.

In other words, divide the profit by the total revenue. So in the case of the NBA it would be 5/65, and for EBL 4/42 and so on.

So just add up all the profits (5+4+12+2=23) and all the revenues (65+42+67+31=205) and this would be 23/205, or approx 9%. None of the above.

Hi there!

Think of it as a merge of a case and the GMAT/GRE.

You need to be clear on some key case-related and account formulas (margin, growth, breakeven, etc) as well as be good at critically understanding the question (including nuance to questions) and parsing through complicated text with a fair amount of distraction.

You'll also need to be good at chart/graph reading.

There an excellent guide:

https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/

I also have a practice test - shoot me a message and I can send it your way!

Ciao!

Il test in uso uttualmente è un'insieme di quesiti di logica numerica e ragionamento verbale, sullo stampo di SHL.
Sentiti libero/a di contattarmi se vuoi approfondire come poter preparare il test e ricevere supporto.

Spero sia utile,
Luca

HI Julien!
Thanks for reaching out.
McKinsey PST and BCG Potential test are quite different.

Indeed, for BCG Potential Test, you are allowed to use a calculator and the difficulty lies in three main things:
1. the point system: +2 right answer, 0 no answer, -1 wrong answer. The idea here is not to gamble too much when you answer your questions.
2. Being fast and accurate: BCG Potential test gives you two sets of informations at first (with introduction, quants and testimonies from executives in the firm) and then you have to adress one or two problems. The idea here is to navigate between those informations and look for the right one.
3. Qualitative questions: Here the idea is to look closely to the options (give a recommandation to the CEO type) and eliminate irrelevant answers.
For BCG Test, there are some examples that are free in the internet.

For McKinsey PST, the idea is to use math tricks in order to increase your speed and accuracy.
For McKinsey PST, I advise you to work on the examples on McKinsey website as well as old PSTs. I Got An offer has also a pack to prepare for PST (But I don't want to do marketing for them here :) )
Finally, to increase your numerical accuracy (which will be also helpful for the cases), I advise you to work on Math apps/GMAT.
Best of luck and do not hesitate to contact me if you need any help.
Norah

Hi Ilia,

thank you for asking your question on our Consulting Q&A!

There are two relevant Q&As on the McKinsey PST and BCG potential test that might be useful for you.

On the McKinsey PST, our expert Ignacio mentions the following:

The PST is a battle against time but the favourable aspect of the test is that it is not negatively marked so it's a no-brainer to attempt every single question.

Bear in mind that it's very easy to get caught up in the moment with a question - you feel like you've invested a lot of time thinking about a particular one and so feel it's worth taking more time again to get it right. It's important to be ruthless. Imagine someone was looking over your shoulder and giving you objective advice about when to move on. Put yourself in that 'mode'. It's too easy to waste time.

Focus on areas where you are naturally good and try to get better. There might be some areas that you are naturally weaker - don't stress too much about these. Get yourself to a level where you feel competent. It's difficult to be top notch in all areas but easier to be fantastic in one and fine in another. There is only so much practice you can do and so it’s more about developing a strategy to ensure you don't lose against time.

For the full Q&A and more information, please check the following link: McKinsey PST

On the BCG potential test, our expert Vlad gives four tips:

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 artticles 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 remebmer calculator is allowed on BCG test. Make sure you know how to simplify calculations and use it fast

For the full Q&A and more infortmation, check the following link:

• Any tipps for BCG Potential Test?

Hope this helps!

Good luck for the test!

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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