McKinsey Solve Game Practice: How to Prepare the Right Way (2026)

Just got your McKinsey Solve invitation, and the deadline is only a week away? ⏳

That short window makes almost every candidate nervous, so you are in good company.

Most advice about McKinsey Solve game practice is either out of date or tells you to play 20 simulations per game. Neither helps when your time is short.

So what should you practice, and how much is enough?

Well, that’s exactly what this article answers. As a coach, I will show you what to practice in each game, a simple plan for your week, and the mistakes that waste most candidates’ time.

Let’s dive in!

Why McKinsey Solve Game Practice Matters (Even Though McKinsey Says It Doesn’t)

The McKinsey Solve game is the online assessment McKinsey sends to most candidates as the first step after they apply. You may also see it called the McKinsey Problem Solving Game (PSG), McK Solve, the McKinsey Digital Assessment, or the Imbellus test, after the company that first built it. They are all the same test, and my guide to the McKinsey Problem Solving Game explains it from the start.

McKinsey says no preparation is needed. I suggest you practice anyway, because the format is new to almost everyone and the time pressure is real. Candidates who have seen the games before spend their time solving, not working out which button does what.

The stakes for your consulting career are high, too. There is no official pass rate, but unofficial estimates say only about 20 to 30% of candidates pass. If you fail, you usually have to wait about 12 months before you can try again.

What Practice Can and Cannot Do

Here’s the thing: you cannot memorize answers. Every candidate generally gets a completely different version of the game, with new numbers, animals, and situations.

What you can practice is everything around the answers: the game mechanics, the interface, your timing, the math, and the decision making behind good choices. That familiarity is worth a lot when the clock starts.

It also matters for how you are scored. McKinsey claims there are two scores: a product score for your results and a process score for how you got there, because the game platform records your clicks. A calm, organized way of working is what you want both scores to show, and practice is how you build it.

Check Which Games You Will 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.

You can skip the Ecosystem game, Plant Defense, and Disaster Management. They are no longer used, so practicing them is time you will not get back.

What to Practice in Each McKinsey Solve Game

Each game tests different skills, so each needs a different kind of practice. Here is where I would spend your time.

Redrock (35 Minutes): Data and Math

The Redrock game tests data interpretation and math, and for many candidates it decides the result. Part 1 is a Study (Investigation, Analysis, and Report), and Part 2 is 6 short case questions. You cannot go back from the cases to the Study, or back to an earlier Analysis question.

Practice these skills:

• Percentages and percentage points. A rise “by 5%” is not the same as a rise “by 5 percentage points”, and mixing them up is a classic trap.
• Picking only useful data. Much of the information is there to distract you, so read the research goal first and collect only what you need to measure or predict.
• Labeling your Research Journal. Rename the cards so you can find each number fast in the Analysis phase.
• Choosing a chart to display your data. Bar charts compare groups, and line charts show a trend over time.
• Speed on the cases. Aim for about 2 minutes per case question, and make your best guess if you get stuck.

For free practice, consulting-style math questions and simple chart-reading exercises work well. Practice with a basic calculator, since the game gives you one on screen.

Sea Wolf (30 Minutes): Logic Under Rules

In the Sea Wolf game, also called Ocean Cleanup or Ocean Treatment, you clean 3 ocean sites with microbes. Each site is a new scenario: you sort microbes, build a small pool, and choose a final team of 3.

The rules sound simple. The average of each attribute must sit inside the site’s range, no microbe can have the undesired trait, and at least one should have the desired trait. Each rule you miss costs points, and some sites cannot reach 100% at all.

Practice these skills:

• Checking traits before doing any math. A microbe with the undesired trait costs points straight away, so rule it out first.
• Timing. Aim for about 10 minutes per site, so you reach all three.
• Accepting the best possible score. If 100% is not reachable, find the best option and move on, because accuracy on all three sites matters more than perfection on one.

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, and practicing with it beforehand makes it feel natural on test day.

Sustainable Futures Lab (30 Minutes): Judgment

The Sustainable Futures Lab has no math. It tests how you set priorities, decide with incomplete information, and handle a team and other stakeholders.

In the new version, you lead a research team over three simulated days. Each day has four stages: Explore, Assign, Support, and Reflect. You get only 2–3 Explore requests a day, in Support you choose from 2 to 4 answer options, and the clock never pauses.

Practice these skills:

• Note-taking. The in-game Notes reset every day, so keep a pen and paper next to you for what people say and how they feel, which you will need in Support and Reflect.
• Asking the right questions. With so few requests, spend them where a new insight would change your choices, usually on the people or workstations you know least about.
• Balanced answers. In Support, the balanced option, the one a good consultant would pick, usually beats options that ignore someone, push too hard, or delay action.
• Not overreacting. When new information arrives, ask whether it really changes your plan before you change course.

How to Build Your McKinsey Solve Game Practice Plan

My strategy here is simple: quality over quantity. You do not need 20 or 25 full simulations per game, because a few solid practice runs, each one reviewed, are more valuable than many rushed ones.

That matters because the window is short. Candidates usually get 1 week after the invitation to take the test, so plan around your deadline from day one.

A Simple One-Week Plan

1. Day 1: Learn the game mechanics. Read how each game works before you play anything. Most mistakes come from not knowing the rules, not from hard math.
2. Days 1–5: Drill the core skills for 15–20 minutes a day. Percentages, ratios, averages, and reading charts cover almost all of Redrock.
3. Day 2: Play each game once without a timer. Focus on the interface and the rules, not the outcome.
4. Days 3–5: Play each game with the real time limit. After each round, write down your single biggest mistake and fix it next time.
5. Day 6: Do one last timed session of each game. Check your pacing per phase and per site.
6. Day 7: Rest and run the tech check. A fresh mind is worth more than one extra run.

If you only have 3 days, keep the order but shrink it. Learn the mechanics on day 1, do one timed run per game on day 2, and review your mistakes on day 3.

Free vs. Paid Practice Resources

Free resources can take you a long way. Videos that explain the games, consulting math questions, and chart-reading exercises all help, especially for Redrock.

The limit of free material is realism. Many simulations online are out of date: they still show 10 Redrock cases instead of 6, only 2 Sea Wolf sites, or the retired Ecosystem game. If a practice tool describes the old version, it trains you for a test you will not take.

That is why we built a playable simulation of each game, including the new 30-minute Sustainable Futures Lab, plus Redrock case drills. Whatever you use, check that it matches the current format before you invest your time.

Make Every Practice Session Count

• Practice under real time limits. Time pressure is the main reason the McKinsey Solve feels difficult, and thinking under time pressure is a skill you can train.
• Review before you replay. Look critically at what went wrong before you start another run, because repetition without review only repeats mistakes.
• Practice all the games in your invitation. Candidates sometimes over-prepare one game and get caught out by another.
• Practice your approach, not just answers. Since the process score looks at how you work, build a calm routine you follow every time, with the flexibility to adapt when a game surprises you.

Common Practice Mistakes and Test-Day Tips

Even good practice can go wrong. These are the mistakes I see most often, and how to avoid them on the big day.

Mistakes to Avoid While Practicing

• Using old guides. If a guide prepares you for the Ecosystem game or describes the wrong game structure, its information is out of date.
• Rechecking everything. Check calculations and close calls, but don’t re-verify choices you already trust, because it eats time and adds stress.
• Practicing only the math. Redrock needs math, but Sea Wolf and the Sustainable Futures Lab reward logic and judgment.
• Clicking through the tutorials. Each real game starts with an untimed tutorial, so get used to reading it calmly.
• Leaving the case interview too late. If you pass, the McKinsey case interview can come quickly, so start your consulting prep in parallel. It also helps with interviews at the other MBB firms, BCG and Bain.

On Test Day

• Run the tech check early. You need a PC or Mac, not a phone or tablet, and a mouse is optional but makes dragging easier.
• Use the most reliable internet you can. A wired connection is safest, even if your Wi-Fi is usually stable.
• Play alone, in a quiet room. McKinsey’s rules say no help from other people and no AI tools.
• Read the untimed tutorials. They are your last chance to check the rules before the clock starts.
• Move on when you are stuck. A best guess on one question is better than no answer on three.

If something breaks during the test, take a screenshot and contact the support address in your invitation email right away. For what happens next, my McKinsey Solve score guide explains your result and why to aim for decile 8 or higher.

Frequently Asked Questions About McKinsey Solve Game Practice