Written test for McKinsey and Bain

Hey Constance,

I have taken the McKinsey Problem Solving Test. It's a very interesting exam indeed - it's not a math test, it's not an English test, but it's a bit of both and something more. :)

1. Pattern & Question types:

The test contains 26 questions which need to be solved in one hour. The questions belong in the following categories

• Reading questions: These ask you to read the wording of the question, which in most cases is a narrative about a company and its problems. You will be asked to answer questions like "Which of these summarizes the main issue faced by the company?". The main skill tested is your ability to draw pinpoint conclusions from a body of text. (~20%)
• Analytical and Data interpretation questions: These are direct questions about the data. The majority of these questions require you to analyze and draw conclusions based on numbers presented in the data exhibits. Some questions also require you to work out formulae that can be used to calculate a desired result). (~65%)
• Reasoning questions: They test your logical reasoning skills - you are expected to carefully separate correlation from causation to answer questions like "Which of the following statements, if true, would cause...?" (~15%)

You can find some more interesting content about the PST and practice questions on PrepLounge in the Bootcamp and other websites as well. But above all, I would recommend going through the practice tests on McKinsey's website. They resemble the actual test way more closely than anything else online.

All the best!

Achyut

P.S - the percentage breakdown of questions is my estimate only. Take it with a pinch of salt ;)

Hello Constance!

Written case interviews are indeed becoming very fashionable nowadays as a way to interview!

Remember that the skillset tested is the same than in the "usual" cases, hence, all the practice you may have done totally plays in your favor.

One important point to add is the need to be very 80-20, structured and to the point, since the prep time is very short, so we need discipline with the analysis to have enaugh time to prep the communication strategy.

There are many many entries in thsi same Q&A regarding written cases, hence, I would recommend you to look with the keywords "written case"

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

for mckinsey, yes. i think for bain it's some online test, BCG i heard is similar as mckinsey. have you taken it?

Do you mean the Problem Solving Test (PST)?