For anyone with a McKinsey Solve invitation and a test date
Stop paying the first-time tax on McKinsey Solve
The first-time tax: the minutes you lose on test day to screens and clocks you're meeting for the first time.
Rehearse the Solve games in your invitation on their own clocks before your test date, with a report after every run, and learn a by-hand method for each. In the last 14 days, the sprint gives you a plan for each day.
One payment, lifetime access. 7-day money-back, even if you've used it.
No solver, no notes for test day (McKinsey bans both), no pass promise. $159 once.
What you get
Timed practice for Redrock, Sea Wolf and the Sustainable Futures Lab, each on its own clock
A report after every run, so you know what to play next
A by-hand method for each game, on pen and paper
A day-by-day plan to your test date
Lifetime access for one payment
▶ Watch3:04Watch · 3:04. Where the minutes go on a first Solve run, and the Decode, Rehearse, Review method, shown on real DrillCase screens. Synthetic voice, captions on screen.
What an invitation adds up toas candidates and prep sites report it
Reported Solve invitations: 65 minutes is Redrock Study (35 minutes) plus Sea Wolf (30 minutes); 85 minutes adds Sustainable Futures Lab (20 minutes).
McKinsey’s FAQ says that, except as a disability accommodation McKinsey has approved in writing, you may not “use applications, websites, AI tools, or pre-prepared notes” or “record or capture screenshots of any part of the assessment”, and that you take it “alone, without assistance from others”.
Solve's arithmetic is simple. The first time on its clock is not.
McKinsey's FAQ says “No preparation is needed”, and each game opens with an untimed tutorial. Both are true. The tutorial teaches you the buttons. It doesn't give you the reps, and the timed part is where hesitation costs.
If you've watched every walkthrough and still feel unready, that isn't a gap in you. Watching someone else play doesn't put the clock on you.
A clock per game
Each game has its own time limit; minutes left over in one game do not carry into the next. That's reported, not stated by McKinsey.
Nothing else on your screen
McKinsey's Solve FAQ (August 2025) bans applications, websites, AI tools and pre-prepared notes during the test. A solver can't come with you. What you know by hand can.
A format that moves
The games have changed several times since Solve began. Our format changelog dates each change and names its sources.
That's why Solve VIP has no solver, no template and no notes for test day. It gives you what does carry into the test: game types you've already played, against clocks you've already felt.
Timed McKinsey Solve-style practice
Solve VIP
Meet the screens and the clocks before they count.
Decode
Your invitation length tells you which games to expect and how long each runs.
$159 once, lifetime access. 7-day refund, even if used.
SubjectWhat's in Solve VIP
Each game on its own clock
This is Solve-style practice, not the real test. It has the parts you have to learn to work with under a timer, and a report that tells you where your minutes and points went.
10 Redrock-style studies on a 35-minute clock, with a research journal and an on-screen calculator
10 Sustainable Futures Lab-style runs on a 20-minute clock
Sea Wolf-style runs across three sites on a 30-minute clock, with new microbes drawn every run
2 legacy Ecosystem games, kept for extra practice
A report after every run: what you got right and what you missed
The Solve Playbook: a by-hand method for each game, on pen and paper
The Sprint to your test date: a day-by-day plan for up to the last 14 days
Lifetime access. One payment; nothing renews
Redrock-style studies
DrillCase clock 35 min
Collect figures into a research journal, answer the questions with the on-screen calculator, write a short report and pick a chart, then answer the short cases.
One clock across the whole study, so you learn to keep minutes for the report
Studies from beginner to advanced, so your last runs are harder than your first
Only the journal and the calculator on screen, no outside apps
Real-test format checked Sources
Redrock Study is reported to run 35 minutes.
Several independent reports agree; not confirmed by McKinsey · verified
Caveat: One MConsultingPrep page gives Redrock 30 minutes; most sources give 35.
Redrock Study ends with a Cases part of 6 short mini-cases (it had 10 when Redrock launched in 2023).
Reported: one source, or sources disagree · verified
Caveat: A forum coach reported 6 by March 2024. Prepmatter lists the cut among the changes it links to the July 2025 rollout, without a date for the cut itself.
Some 95-minute invitations reportedly carry a rebuilt SFL of about 30 minutes: a three-day simulation managing four researchers. McKinsey has published nothing about it.
Reported: one source, or sources disagree · verified
McKinsey’s FAQ says that, except as a disability accommodation McKinsey has approved in writing, you may not “use applications, websites, AI tools, or pre-prepared notes” or “record or capture screenshots of any part of the assessment”, and that you take it “alone, without assistance from others”.
Your invitation is 85 minutes and you want Sustainable Futures Lab practice
You might reapply next cycle and don't want to pay twice
Not for you if
You want a guaranteed pass
We can't promise one, and we won't. McKinsey weighs Solve with your whole application.
You want a solver, a template or notes to use during the test
McKinsey's Solve FAQ bans apps, websites, AI and pre-prepared notes. Its integrity page asks for pen and paper only for notes and calculations; check your invitation's own rules. We teach by hand.
You want real McKinsey questions or recordings
We don't have them. McKinsey forbids recording, and candidates report getting different numbers, so ours is Solve-style practice.
You only want to watch
The practice works only if you put the clock on yourself. Watching someone else play doesn't.
You only have a phone or tablet
The practice needs a laptop or desktop, like the test.
Your invitation says 95 minutes and you need the longer SFL
If your invitation says 95 minutes, VIP doesn't cover its newer 30-minute Lab. A few early reports describe it; ours is the 20-minute version.
Reported; checked Sources
A 95-minute invitation reportedly means Redrock Study (35 min) + Sea Wolf (30 min) + Sustainable Futures Lab (about 30 min).
Reported: one source, or sources disagree · verified
Caveat: Some sources describe a rebuilt, longer SFL. Early reports, possibly a limited test; two coaches read it as the 85-minute test plus a buffer.
We have one scenario, with new microbes drawn every run.
You want someone to review your runs
VIP has no coaching. You get a report after every run and a method to read it.
Your test is tonight
$159 for life is built for a few days or more. Tonight, read the free Invite Decoder guide and McKinsey's own Solve FAQ. Read the Invite Decoder guide
Your invite is 65 minutes and you'll test once this year
Solve Basic ($99, one year, no refund) is the smaller plan for a 65-minute invite, and covers Redrock and Sea Wolf. Upgrade later for the $60 difference. Get Solve Basic — $99
SubjectProof you can check
Check us before you trust us
Here is what you can check for yourself, today, without paying.
The rules we teach within
McKinsey's Solve FAQ (August 2025) bans apps, websites, AI tools and pre-prepared notes. McKinsey's integrity page (undated; read 30 Sep 2026) says to “use only pen and paper for notetaking and calculations”. We teach methods that use nothing else.
McKinsey’s FAQ says that, except as a disability accommodation McKinsey has approved in writing, you may not “use applications, websites, AI tools, or pre-prepared notes” or “record or capture screenshots of any part of the assessment”, and that you take it “alone, without assistance from others”.
Each statement about the real test on this page opens to its sources and the day we last checked it. The format changelog shows how Solve has changed, and how sure anyone is about each change.
A by-hand method for each game, on pen and paper, with one timed exercise per lesson.
Answers: “Isn't there a shortcut?” · “What am I allowed to use?” · “Will practice look like the test?” · “McKinsey says no prep is needed.”
26 lesson titles, by game26 of 26 written so far
S0 Orientation
Read your invite
The rules: your own pen and paper
Work steadily, click with a reason
S1 Redrock Study
How Redrock is built
Work back from the question
The logbook: label every number
The maths kit
Ready before you write it up
Short cases: a limit, then eliminate
Splitting your time
A full run, reviewed
S2 Sea Wolf
How Sea Wolf works
How it is reportedly scored
Step 1: the hardest requirement first
Step 2: this site first, then the next
Check a selection in one line
Step 3: sort before you choose
No perfect set: know when to move on
A full run, reviewed
S3 Sustainable Futures Lab
The format: one ranking, then situations
The situations you meet
Weighing two options
Traps
S4 Mock test day
Full runs at your length
Your machine checklist
The error log: find your first mistake
Done for you
Sprint to your test date
Your invitation length and your date become a day-by-day plan for up to the last 14 days, with a rest day before the test. Every VIP scenario is either on a day or named as cut.
Answers: “Which games will I get?” · “I only have a few days.”
The Playbook and the sprint aren't sold separately, so we don't put a price on them.
SubjectThe offer
Why $159?
One payment buys lifetime access, a written by-hand method and a plan to your test date, and the 7-day refund holds even if you've used it, so you judge VIP on your own runs, not on our word.
Why once, for life?
Candidates can reapply in a later cycle. You shouldn't have to pay again.
One payment · lifetime access · nothing renews
Solve VIP
$159once
10 Redrock-style studies on a 35-minute clock, with a research journal and an on-screen calculator
10 Sustainable Futures Lab-style runs on a 20-minute clock
Sea Wolf-style runs across three sites on a 30-minute clock, with new microbes drawn every run
2 legacy Ecosystem games, kept for extra practice
A report after every run: what you got right and what you missed
The Solve Playbook: a by-hand method for each game, on pen and paper
The Sprint to your test date: a day-by-day plan for up to the last 14 days
Checkout by Polar. Your practice opens once payment is confirmed.
7 days to change your mind.
Email us within 7 days of buying and we'll refund what you paid, even if you've used it. No reason needed. We process it within 2 business days. As our terms put it: refund issued, account closed. Refund terms
Why no reviews? VIP is new, and we have no customer reviews to show you. We won't write any, buy any or borrow anyone's words. The refund is there to carry the risk that reviews usually carry.
Solve Basic is $99 for a year. VIP adds the Sustainable Futures Lab, the Playbook, lifetime access and the refund for $60 more; Basic owners pay only that difference. Get Solve Basic — $99
Applying to BCG or Bain too? All-Access is $250 for all three firms. The top plans are $199, $159 and $99 on their own. Compare on the pricing page
SubjectQuestions
Before you buy
Is DrillCase affiliated with McKinsey?
No. DrillCase is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by McKinsey & Company. McKinsey, McKinsey Solve and the names of its games are used only to describe the test this practice prepares for; they belong to their owners.
How close is it to the real Solve?
It's Solve-style practice, not the real test. It has the parts you have to learn to work with on a clock: a research journal and an on-screen calculator in the Redrock-style studies, a ranking and then situations in the SFL-style runs, three sites in Sea Wolf, and a timer on every game. McKinsey's scoring isn't public, so our report is not your Solve score.
Which games will I get?
Your invitation email states the length. Candidates report 65 minutes for Redrock and Sea Wolf, and 85 minutes when the Sustainable Futures Lab is added. The free Invite Decoder reads it for you.
My invitation says 95 minutes. Does VIP cover it?
Partly, and we'd rather tell you now. Early reports say 95-minute invitations carry a longer, rebuilt SFL of about 30 minutes. Our SFL is the 20-minute version. Redrock and Sea Wolf are covered either way.
Do you give me a solver or notes to use during the test?
No. McKinsey's Solve FAQ (August 2025) bans applications, websites, AI tools and pre-prepared notes during the test, and its integrity page says to use only pen and paper for notetaking and calculations. We teach what you can do in your head and on blank paper.
I only have a few days. Is it worth it?
That's the case it was built for. A simple rhythm: one Redrock-style study, one Sea Wolf-style run and, on an 85-minute invitation, one SFL-style run each day, then read the report. If after a few runs it isn't helping, the 7-day refund applies.
Can I check your approach before I pay?
Yes. How we teach, a free page, shows what's allowed on your desk and how we work by hand. The format changelog dates every change to the test, with sources. The Invite Decoder reads your invitation for free.
Is there a smaller plan?
Yes. Solve Basic is $99 for a year. VIP adds the Sustainable Futures Lab, the Playbook, lifetime access and the refund for $60 more; Basic owners pay only that difference. It has no Sustainable Futures Lab and no money-back guarantee. Not sure of your length? Start with Solve Basic; if your invitation says 85 minutes, upgrade to VIP and pay only the difference ($60).
Is it a subscription?
No. One payment. Nothing renews.
How do refunds work?
Email support@drillcase.com within 7 days of buying and we'll refund what you paid, even if you've used it. No reason needed. Send it from the address you checked out with, with your order number or your card's last 4 digits. We process it within 2 business days. As our terms put it: refund issued, account closed. Polar then takes 3–10 business days to credit your card. Upgraded from Basic? The refund covers the $60 you paid for the upgrade; Basic stays yours under its own terms (§7).
How does this compare with a coach?
VIP isn't coaching: nobody reviews your runs. It's timed practice you do yourself, as often as you like, with a report after every run.
Do you publish pass rates or reviews?
Neither. VIP is new and we have no customer reviews yet; we won't write, buy or borrow any. We have no data on how users score on the real test, so we quote no pass rate.
What device do I need?
A laptop or desktop with a current browser. Practise on the machine you'll test on.
What happens after I pay?
You pay on Polar and come back to DrillCase. You sign in with Google, using the email you paid with. Once payment is confirmed, your practice opens. Start with one timed Redrock-style study to see where your minutes go.
Paid with a different email than my Google account?
The link on your receipt page moves the purchase to the Google account you sign in with.
The only deadline on this page
Your test date won't move.
Every day between now and then is one timed run you either do or don't.
Solve VIP $159 once
Timed practice for Redrock, Sea Wolf and the Sustainable Futures Lab, each on its own clock
A report after every run, so you know what to play next
P.S. If you scrolled straight here: Solve VIP is $159 once for timed, Solve-style practice of the Solve games in your invitation, with a report after every run, plus a by-hand method for each game and a plan to your test date. You have 7 days to get your money back, even if you've used it. Get Solve VIP — $159
— DrillCase
Practice makes the screens familiar. It can't guarantee a result, and we don't claim it does.
DrillCase is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by McKinsey & Company. McKinsey, McKinsey Solve and the names of its games are used only to describe the test this practice prepares for; they belong to their owners.
