McKinsey PSG Practice: What Actually Works for the Solve Game (2026)

Looking for McKinsey PSG practice, but every page offers you something different? 🎯

Old PDF tests, free games, paid simulators: with your deadline getting closer, it is hard to tell which of them will really help you.

Much of what you find was built for games McKinsey no longer uses, and McKinsey itself says there is no need to prepare.

So what should you practice, with which tools, and how do you get the most from each run?

As a coach, I will show you what to drill for each game in 2026, how to review your runs, and how to judge any practice material before you trust it.

Let’s dive in!

What Is McKinsey PSG Practice, and Does It Help?

The McKinsey PSG, short for McKinsey Problem Solving Game, is the online assessment game McKinsey uses to screen candidates, usually as the first step after you submit your application. Today’s official name is McKinsey Solve, and you may also see it called the McKinsey Digital Assessment or the Imbellus test. PSG practice simply means getting ready for these games before the actual assessment.

It is not a traditional aptitude test. You don’t answer business questions: you play short games set on islands and in oceans, so the format is new to almost everyone.

McKinsey says there is no need to prepare. I suggest you practice anyway, because the time pressure is real and the stakes are high.

There is no official pass rate, but unofficial estimates say about 20 to 30% of candidates pass. If you fail, you usually have to wait about 12 months before you can take the test again.

No Official Practice Test (and a PDF Trap)

McKinsey does not offer an official practice test for the game. Its Solve page has a short preview of what the game feels like, and each real game starts with an untimed tutorial.

Here’s the trap: search for a McKinsey practice test and you may find PDFs with McKinsey’s name on them. Those are for the old McKinsey Problem Solving Test (PST), a multiple-choice test on business cases that this game replaced. They can warm up your reading of data, but they look nothing like the games you will play.

What Practice Can and Cannot Do

Here’s the thing: you cannot memorize answers. Numbers, animals, and situations tend to change from one candidate to the next, so a copied solution will not help you.

What you can train is everything around the answers: the game mechanics, your pacing, the math, and the way you make decisions. McKinsey also claims that there are two scores: a product score for your results, and a process score for how you got there, because the game records your clicks and choices.

Think of it like a driving test. Nobody can tell you where the other cars will be, but you can practice until the car itself no longer takes up your attention.

Check Which Games You Need to Practice

Before you practice anything, look at the time in your invitation email. Three versions of the test have been used in recent months:

• 65 minutes: Redrock and Sea Wolf.
• 85 minutes: Redrock, Sea Wolf, and the old 20-minute Sustainable Futures Lab.
• 95 minutes: Redrock, Sea Wolf, and the new 30-minute Sustainable Futures Lab.

We have not received recent reports of the first two being used, and the 95-minute version is likely the main one now. That being said, always refer to your invitation email.

Redrock, Sea Wolf and Sustainable Futures Lab are the standard games in the 95-minute version. You can skip the Ecosystem game (also called Ecosystem Building) and Plant Defense, because McKinsey no longer uses them.

What to Practice for Each McKinsey Solve Game

A McKinsey Solve simulation is useful, but each game tests different skills, so full runs alone are not enough. Short drills on the hard steps often teach you more than one more full game.

Redrock Study (35 Minutes)

The Redrock game tests data analysis and math. The clock covers both parts: the Study (Investigation, Analysis, and Report), then 6 short case questions.

Drill these:

• Percent versus percentage points. If a share of 20% rises by 10%, you get 22%. If it rises by 10 percentage points, you get 30%, and mixing them up is a classic trap.
• Picking only useful data. Read the research goal first, then ask which numbers you need for it. Much of the data is only there to distract you.
• Labeling your Research Journal. Rename each card so you can find each number fast, and save your in-between results too.
• Choosing a chart to display your data. Bar charts compare groups, and line charts show a trend over time.
• Pacing. Aim for about 23 minutes on the Study and about 12 minutes on the cases, which is roughly 2 minutes per case question.

Practice with a basic calculator, since the real test gives you one on screen. You cannot go back from the cases to the Study, or back to an earlier Analysis question, so get used to finishing each step once.

Sea Wolf (30 Minutes)

In the Sea Wolf game, also called Ocean Cleanup or Ocean Treatment, you choose a final team of 3 microbes for each of 3 ocean sites. Each site starts at 100% and has 5 checks worth 20% each, and some sites cannot reach 100% at all.

Drill these:

• Traits first, math second. Rule out any microbe with the undesired trait, then make sure at least one has the desired trait.
• A faster way to check averages. Instead of dividing, multiply the site’s range by 3. If the range is 4 to 6, your 3 microbes must add up to between 12 and 18.
• Moving on. Aim for about 10 minutes per site. If 100% is not reachable, take the best option and go to the next site.

For the final pick of 3 microbes, McKinsey says you may not use applications during the test. We still suggest an Excel solver, as Excel is not ruled out as an option in the instructions and it saves a lot of time on the hardest step. We have our own Sea Wolf solver, so practice with it during your runs.

Sustainable Futures Lab (30 Minutes)

This game has no math. It tests how you set priorities, decide with incomplete information, and handle a team.

In the new 30-minute version, you first rank 4 questions, then lead a research team over three simulated days, each with four stages: Explore, Assign, Support, and Reflect. The clock never pauses.

Drill these:

• Spending your requests well. You get only 2–3 Explore requests a day, so use them where a new insight would change your choices.
• Taking notes on paper. The in-game Notes reset every day, so write down what people say and how they feel.
• Choosing balanced answers. In Support, you pick from 2 to 4 answer options with no feedback. The balanced option usually beats one that ignores someone, pushes too hard, or delays action.

How to Prepare for the McKinsey Solve: Make Every Practice Run Count

My line here is simple: quality over quantity. You do not need 20 or 25 full simulations per game, because a handful of runs that you review will teach you more than many rushed ones. If a product sells itself on how many games it has, ask whether those games will teach you something new or just keep you busy.

Candidates usually get 1 week after the invitation to take the test, so plan around your deadline from day one.

A Simple Order for Your Practice

1. Learn the rules first. Read how each game works before your first run.
2. Do the short drills for 15–20 minutes a day.
3. Play each game once without a timer. Focus on the screens and the rules, not the score.
4. Play each game under test conditions. Use the real time limit and a quiet room.
5. Finish with one full run of all the games, in order. Then rest a few hours before you take the McKinsey Solve.

For a day-by-day version, see my McKinsey Solve game practice guide. If you only have a few days, keep the same order and do fewer runs.

Review Before You Replay

The review is where most of your progress comes from. Repetition without review only repeats your mistakes. After each run, ask yourself:

• Where did my minutes go? Write down the time you reached each phase or site.
• What was the first wrong step? Trace your wrong answers back: was it the data you saved, the way you set up the calculation, or the math itself?
• What is the one thing I will change next time? Make it something you can see, such as “check traits first”, not “be more careful”.

If the same mistake shows up twice, turn it into a drill before your next full run.

Which McKinsey PSG Practice Should You Use?

Free Practice

McKinsey’s preview, videos that explain the games, consulting math questions, and chart-reading exercises all help, especially for Redrock. You can practice with our free Redrock case course here.

Some sites also let you play one free game simulation. The limit of free material is realism: many tools still show 10 Redrock cases instead of 6, only 2 Sea Wolf sites, or the old Ecosystem game.

What to Check Before You Pay

Whichever tool you look at, I would ask four questions before paying:

1. Does it match your invitation? If your email says 95 minutes, it needs the new Sustainable Futures Lab, with its Explore, Assign, Support, and Reflect stages.
2. Does it show you what to do and why? Playing a game you don’t understand is like doing homework that nobody ever marks.
3. Can you ask a real person? Find out how fast they reply, and whether the material is updated when the game changes.
4. Can you check the reviews yourself? Look for recent reviews on a site the seller does not control, and for a refund if the material does not help.

We built playable simulations of all three games, and my guide on how to practice with simulations explains how to get realistic practice from one.

Common Mistakes and Test-Day Tips

• Practicing mainly one game. Candidates sometimes over-prepare for Redrock and get caught out by Sea Wolf or the Sustainable Futures Lab.
• Clicking around at random. Because of the process score, build a calm routine in practice and keep it on test day.
• Chasing only a high practice score. It is a guide to your weak spots, not a forecast of your test performance.
• Skipping the tech check. The McKinsey Solve test needs a PC or Mac, not a phone or tablet, and a mouse is optional but makes dragging easier.

Never use AI tools during the test, as they are clearly stated as not allowed. Also, the only time to take a screenshot is when something breaks, so you can show McKinsey’s support what happened.

What Comes After the Game

Results usually come within a few weeks. If you pass, the next step in the McKinsey interview process is usually a case interview, together with a personal experience interview (PEI), so start that preparation early.

Frequently Asked Questions About McKinsey PSG Practice