Which Cognitive Aptitude Test Will You Get at a Consulting Firm?

Part ofConsulting Online Assessments: Which Test Will McKinsey, BCG or Bain Send You?

Cognitive aptitude tests are timed online reasoning tests that measure how you think rather than what you know about business. Among the MBB firms, Bain relies on them most directly. BCG uses them in some offices alongside or instead of its chatbot case, and McKinsey uses a game-based test instead. This guide sorts out which test you are likely to get and what each one asks.

Which firm uses which test

The invitation email names the platform. That single line decides how you should practice.

Bain: Sova or TestGorilla

Bain's own page says the assessment takes about 30 to 40 minutes and that pen, paper and a calculator are allowed. The platform then sets the rules.

Sova. Sova's candidate hub describes situational judgement questions, video questions and "three different types of ability questions", each part opening with an unscored practice item. Prep sites report numerical, verbal and logical reasoning plus a personality questionnaire in Bain's version. There is no per-question countdown, but prep sites report that completion time is recorded.

TestGorilla. A set of short tests, each on its own hard timer, with no going back once you submit. Hacking the Case Interview reports about 12 numerical questions in about 10 minutes. Wrong answers are not penalised, so never leave a question blank.

drillcase.com

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What each section asks

• Numerical reasoning: read a table or chart and work out percentages, ratios, growth and shares. The math is basic; the pace is the test. See our numerical reasoning tips.
• Verbal reasoning: decide whether a statement is true, false or cannot be determined from a short passage. The trap is using outside knowledge.
• Logical reasoning: deductive puzzles (what must be true) or pattern-based items, depending on the version.
• Situational judgement: rank or choose responses to workplace scenarios. There is a preferred answer, but it rewards judgement, not speed.

BCG: the CCA, the cognitive test and Pymetrics

BCG's main screen is Casey, a chatbot-led case, which is not an aptitude test. Some processes add or substitute one of three others:

• CCA (Consulting Career Assessment). BCG's FAQ says it is designed and administered by SHL, takes about 30 to 35 minutes including the tutorial, allows a calculator and cannot be retaken. Candidates describe behavioral questionnaires and a short timed numerical section. Our Casey vs CCA comparison covers it in detail.
• BCG Cognitive Test. Reported by StrategyCase as 80 numerical and logical questions in 30 minutes with no calculator, used in some German-speaking and Nordic offices.
• Pymetrics. Twelve short behavioral games, now owned by Harver, used by some offices. There are no right answers in the usual sense.

McKinsey: Solve

McKinsey's Solve is not a question-and-answer aptitude test. It is a set of ecology-themed games (currently Redrock and Sea Wolf, with the Sustainable Futures Lab in some invitations), and McKinsey says no business knowledge is needed. The McKinsey Solve guide covers each game.

A three-week plan for an aptitude test

If your invitation deadline is only days away, do the official samples and one timed set per section, then rest.

How DrillCase fits

DrillCase has 450+ Bain-style aptitude questions across 23 timed test sets: numerical, verbal, situational judgement and logical reasoning, plus data interpretation and case items, and 3 full mock tests. Single modules start at $20 and the comprehensive set is $99. A free 50-question verbal sample lets you try the format first. These are DrillCase practice questions, not Bain, Sova or TestGorilla material.