Built for McKinsey Solve · Ecosystem & Sea Wolf tasks

A solution to McKinsey's recruitment puzzles every time — eliminate the guesswork.

Two focused solvers for the trickiest McKinsey Solve games. The Ecosystem Solver finds the optimal starting location, locks in the highest-calorie producer set, and derives the optimum 8-species food chain. The Sea Wolf Solver walks you through microbe selection across three contamination sites — set filters, categorize, build prospects, and pick the final three. One fair price per solve.

Get access — from $15 See pricing
Pay-per-use · single solve · no subscription Runs entirely in your browser

Optimum food chain · example output

🔒 Single-use pay-per-use access ⚡ Instant results from your data 🛡️ No data leaves your device
How it works

Two solvers, one disciplined approach.

Each McKinsey Solve game rewards a structured, repeatable method. Our solvers implement the exact selection logic you'd do by hand — instantly and reproducibly — so you arrive at the optimal answer every time.

1

Enter your producers

Drop in the producer species from your case: name, calories provided, min/max depth, and min/max temperature. The solver groups them by environment and finds the cell with the highest total calorie yield.

Optimal starting location
2

Build the species matrix

Your locked-in producers are pre-filled (calories required = 0). Add the remaining species with their calories provided and required, then tick which species eat which. A clear matrix, no spreadsheet gymnastics.

Producers locked in
3

Get the optimum chain

The solver sorts species by calories provided and greedily builds the longest viable 8-species chain, choosing the best prey for each predator and tracking remaining calories as it goes.

Optimum food chain
What's inside

A focused tool, not a spreadsheet template.

No fragile macros, no hidden columns, no risk of breaking the case workbook. Just clean interfaces that run the exact selection logic you'd do by hand — instantly and reproducibly — for both the Ecosystem and Sea Wolf tasks.

  • ◈

    Optimal producer selection (Ecosystem)

    Groups producers by environmental cell and picks the highest-calorie set, then sorts it for you.

  • ⛓

    Greedy food-chain builder

    Sorts species by calories provided and greedily chains predators to the best viable prey, accounting for calories consumed.

  • 🦠

    Trait-based microbe selection (Sea Wolf)

    Filters microbes by aerobic/anaerobic, temperature, and pH traits, scores prospects, and picks the optimal three per site.

  • ↻

    Re-runnable within a session

    Tweak inputs and re-solve as many times as you like within your paid solve window.

SpeciesCal. providedCal. requiredEats
Algae3200producer
Kelp2800producer
Shrimp14090Algae
Cod220150Shrimp
Seal400260Cod
Illustrative snippet · full matrix supports up to 8 chain positions.
From recent candidates

What people said after their assessment.

Real reviews from buyers who used the solvers to prepare for the McKinsey Solve and Redrock assessments.

★★★★★ 4.89 average · 510 verified reviews 🌿 Ecosystem · 4.91 (312) 🦠 Sea Wolf · 4.86 (198)
JM
James M.
MBA candidate · INSEAD · final round
★★★★★

I'd already failed the Ecosystem game once before my MBA by guessing the producers. Ran the solver on my second attempt... it flagged something I was completely missing and the food chain came out to 8 species and complete/sustainable. Got the email inviting me back the week after.

AR
Aisha R.
Strategy consultant · London
★★★★★

The Sea Wolf solver saved me on Site 2 — I kept picking the wrong microbe because I wasn't weighting the trait priority correctly. Seeing the prospect ranking update as I typed made it obvious which one was actually best. Worth the $20 on its own.

DK
David K.
Engineering graduate · Cambridge
★★★★☆

Honestly skeptical at first — thought it'd be some vague "framework." It's not. The producer-selection logic is genuinely how the game works. Took me about 4 minutes to punch in the table and get the optimal set back. Docked one star only because I had to read the guide first.

SP
Sofia P.
Redrock applicant · 2026 intake
★★★★★

Bought the bundle the night before my assessment. Didn't expect much for Sea Wolf but the categorization step clicked once I saw it laid out. Finished both games with time to spare — normally I'm the one rushing the last screen.

TW
Thomas W.
Career switcher · ex-engineer
★★★★★

I'm not from a business background so the food-chain calorie math was doing my head in. Plug in the matrix, mark who eats who, and the chain just appears. The bit where it subtracts calories-required at each link is the part I kept getting wrong by hand.

LN
Lena N.
Undergrad · target school
★★★★☆

Used it purely for practice since I had a mock coming up. The output matches what the real game wants — longest viable chain, producers placed, calories positive at every level. My only gripe is I wish you could save a session and come back, but for $15 I get why it's single-use.

Reviews reflect individual experiences. The solvers are preparation tools and are not affiliated with McKinsey & Company.

Pricing

One solve. One fair price.

Pay-per-use means you only pay when you actually need to solve a case. No subscriptions, no recurring billing, no surprises. Bundle both solvers and save $10.

🌿
Ecosystem
★★★★★ 4.91 · 312 reviews
$15 / solve

Single-use access to the Ecosystem Solver.

  • Optimal starting location & producer set
  • Full species matrix with eats-marks
  • Optimum 8-species food-chain output
  • Unlimited re-runs within the session
Unlock Ecosystem →

Runs in your browser · data never leaves your device

🦠
Sea Wolf
★★★★★ 4.86 · 198 reviews
$15 / solve

Single-use access to the Sea Wolf Solver.

  • Set filters & species categorization
  • Prospect building & final selection
  • Optimal 3-microbe picks per site
  • All three contamination sites in one solve
Unlock Sea Wolf →

Runs in your browser · data never leaves your device

⬡
Bundle
★★★★★ 4.89 · 510 reviews
$20 / both

One solve of each solver — save $10.

  • Full Ecosystem Solver access (1 solve)
  • Full Sea Wolf Solver access (1 solve)
  • All guides + re-runs within each session
  • Everything runs in your browser
Unlock both solvers →

Best value · $10 cheaper than buying separately

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Is this affiliated with McKinsey?

No. Ecosystem Solver is an independent study aid for the McKinsey Solve ecosystem task. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with McKinsey & Company.

How does the paywall work?

After checkout you receive a single-use access token. The token unlocks the solver for one solve session — re-run as many times as you like within that session, but each token is consumed once the chain is solved.

Does my data leave my browser?

No. The entire solver runs client-side. Your producer and species data is never sent to a server.

How long will I have access to the solver for?

Access lasts for a single solve session. After payment you receive a token that unlocks the solver — re-run as many times as you like within that session. The token is consumed once you complete a solve, so each purchase is one full solve. There's no time limit on how long the session stays open before you solve.

Stop guessing. Start solving.

One payment, one solve, one optimal answer. Get instant access to the Ecosystem Solver, the Sea Wolf Solver, or both.

Get access — from $15 →