McKinsey Solve

McKinsey Solve: what it is, how it's scored, and how to prep

Updated 2026 · ~8 min read

In this guide

  1. What is McKinsey Solve?
  2. The modules you'll face
  3. How Solve is scored
  4. How to prepare

What is McKinsey Solve?

McKinsey Solve is the gamified problem-solving assessment that replaced the legacy Problem Solving Test (PST) for most offices. It's an online, browser-based assessment taken at home (or wherever you have a quiet 65–85 minutes and a stable internet connection). Solve is used at the screening stage — usually shortly after you submit your application — and the result, combined with your CV, determines whether you progress to first-round interviews.

Unlike the PST (multiple choice, timed, pencil-and-paper), Solve presents you with interactive game-like scenarios. You don't need any gaming background; the interface is straightforward. What's being measured is your structured problem solving under uncertainty, not reflexes or trivia.

The modules you'll face

You'll face either two or three assessments, depending on your specific invitation link, and the whole session lasts 65 to 85 minutes in total. You'll either play Redrock and Sea Wolf, or all three (including Sustainable Futures Lab).

The Ecosystem module has been phased out, so don't spend your prep time learning it.

ModuleMinutesWhat you doCore skill
Redrock30–35A data analysis and decision-making task split into an investigation phase and independent case questionsHypothesis-driven analysis
Sea Wolf35An ecological simulation — pick microbes to treat contamination across 3 sitesSystems thinking & constraints management
Sustainable Futures Lab20 (optional / provisional)A third behavioural module balancing sustainability, cost, and throughputStrategy & trade-off reasoning
How to tell which mix you'll face: check the time duration listed in your official invitation email. If it says 65 minutes, you'll sit a 30-minute Redrock and a 35-minute Sea Wolf. If it says 85 minutes, you'll sit all three — adding Sustainable Futures Lab, an optional, provisional third behavioural module included in certain 85-minute versions depending on your office and cohort.
Practise the solvable modules: Our Ecosystem Solver and Sea Wolf Solver run the exact selection logic for those two games, while the Sea Wolf Simulation Redrock Simulation Sustainable Futures Lab lets you rehearse the 3-site game under timed conditions. For a structured schedule, see the McKinsey Solve practice test plan; for the full hiring funnel around Solve, see our McKinsey recruitment process guide.

How Solve is scored

McKinsey does not publish the exact scoring algorithm, but research with candidates and the structure of the games makes the dimensions clear:

  • Correctness of the final solution. Did you reach the optimal (or near-optimal) outcome?
  • Efficiency of moves. How many steps / how much time did you take to get there?
  • Trade-off handling. When objectives conflict, do you make defensible choices?
  • Information use. Did you incorporate the data given (ranges, traits, constraints) correctly?
Important: You don't have to find the perfect solution to score well — but you do have to find a defensible one efficiently. Practicing the underlying logic of each module is the single highest-ROI prep you can do.

How to prepare

  1. Understand each module's logic before you play. Read our Sea Wolf, Redrock, and Sustainable Future Labs guides.
  2. Practice with the solvers. Our Ecosystem and Sea Wolf solvers implement the exact selection logic so you can rehearse the decision patterns.
  3. Run a realistic simulation. Use the Sea Wolf Simulation Redrock Simulation Sustainable Futures Lab after you know the rules, then review your routing and final-selection mistakes.
  4. Brush up mental math. Speed on percentages and ranges matters in Redrock and Sea Wolf.
  5. Play under timed conditions. The biggest score-killer isn't getting it wrong — it's running out of time. See our Solve tips for timing tactics.

Practice with the solvers and simulation

Use solvers for exact logic and the Sea Wolf simulation for timed end-to-end rehearsal.

Bundle all tools → Open simulation →