All questions tagged Online test - Consulting Q&A - PrepLounge.com

Hi,

There are 2 types of BCG tests:

1. GMAT-like test with questions similar to GMAT
2. Online Test that is based on a case and has the questions closer to PST

I have uploaded both test samples here (Online test is about airlines). I've also added BCG written case sample (Next round) and Bain written case:

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

As for particular recommendations for online test:

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 resources 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

Best!

Hi!

this is impossible to comprehensively discuss without the corresponding contextual information, data, etc.

However, what you can tell for sure is that 4) and 6) do not make any sense, given the objective of boosting sales.

Cheers,

Sidi

Result is C) +60M$

1. Identify number of stores of Retail Co

• Sales area= sales : sales/m2 = 1.2bn$ : 10,000 = 120,000 m2
• Sales area = 80% of store area
• Store area = ((sales area * 100%) : 80%) : m2/store = ((120,000 m2 * 100%) : 80%) : 1,000 m2 = 150

2. Decrease of number of stores by 10

• Number of stores after acquisition = 140
• Assumption: sales/m2 of RetailCo = 11,250 $/m2
• Store area (=100%) = number of stores * m2/store = 140 * 1,000 m2 = 140,000 m2
• Sales area = 80% of store area = (140,000 m2 * 80%) : 100% = 112,000 m2
• Sales = sales area * new sales/m2 = 112,000 m2 * 11,250 $/m2 = 1.26bn $

3. Increase in sales

• Old sales: 1.2bn$
• New sales: 1.26bn$
• Increase by: 60M$

Hi there,

I'm very sorry but Clara and Udayan's answers are wrong. The answer is A and D. (Though Answer B for Q1 is indeed tempting)

Let's talk through this....

------------------------------------------------------

The key here is to identify what matters. What clues are you getting in the text? I.e. what moves the needle? I see two clear phrases:

1) The current value proposition is not driving profitable economics (loss of profitability)

2) Customer behaviour is highly skewed towards infrequent one-off purchases

3) High Inventory days and non-moving stock leading to sub-optimal throughput.

----------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION 1
(ANSWER) A. Current value proposition and value proposition of competitors, global players etc.

• Value proposition! This is the answer...the text explicitly told us the current value proposition is a big issue. We need to first decide if the big-picture i.e. the highest-level decision makes sense, before we dive into any specifics.

B. Contracts for purchase of various SKUs (stock keeping units)

• Irrelevant...nothing like this is mentioned. It is tempting to pick this one as we know we have a problem with stock. However, the problem is regarding throughput not contracts.

C. Employee wages to be benchmarked against competitors

• Irrelevant...nothing like this is mentioned

D. Store locations to assess spread and focus

• Irrelevant...nothing like this is mentioned

---------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION 2
Which of the following is NOT a priority for the client? Choose One
A. Improving customer loyalty

• Of course it is! Customers aren't coming back..that's a problem...loyalty means they come back...i.e. repeat purchases...i.e. this is a focus

B. Increasing frequency to reduce inventory days

• We have high inventory days. This is a problem for profitability. So, reducing them is good

C. Improving profitability and margins

• Of course! We said we have a profitability issue

(ANSWER) D. Identifying profitable stores and closing down others

• Store-specific profitability isn't mentioned anywhere. We can't make this assumption!

Hi there,

The 8-question test is the new chat bot version of BCG. It is structured in 2 parts:

• 8 questions to be taken in 25 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 questions instead of 23
2. 25 min instead of 45
3. No negative points
4. Calculators allowed
5. Presence of open questions
6. Video sum up at the end

The general logic though is similar to the old test.

I helped several candidates who did the chat bot test and succeeded in it. The main challenges based on their feedback are:

1. Time. Questions are not particularly difficult, however you will feel time constraints also due to the fact you don’t know how difficult could be the next questions - thus how much time they may require.
   • Implication --> Try to practice PST and/or BCG Potential Tests with a strict time constraint
2. Math. Candidates usually find the math challenging
   • Implication --> Many candidates said the old BCG Potential Test is the one resembling the most the math required
3. Chat bot 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. In that sense, it is not dissimilar from the old BCG Potential Test, where information was revealed step-by-step
   • Implication --> Practice on PST/Potential Tests working questions by questions, without skipping any

Please feel free to PM me for more info.

Best,

Francesco

HI Anonymous,

Did mine 2 weeks ago.

18 questions in 25 minutes - you will have a graph or table with data and 2/3 questions per graph.

Most questions are about growth rate, percentages, and logic.

PM if you want more detail.