McKinsey SolveGame 3Judgment
The Sustainable Futures Lab: 13 calls, no math
SFL is the Solve game where you run an environmental project instead of crunching numbers. Know the format and what it reads for, and you walk in calm instead of guessing what they want.
There is no answer key to memorize. Prep sites report that what shows is inconsistency: a team player in question 3 and a lone decider in question 9.
Free. Pick your length and test date, and get a plan by email to that day.
What your invitation length means, as candidates report it
- 65minNo SFLRedrock Study (35) + Sea Wolf (30)How sure: High: consistent across sources
- 85minSFL, 20 minRedrock Study (35) + Sea Wolf (30) + Sustainable Futures Lab (20)How sure: High since spring 2026
- 95minSFL, about 30 minRedrock Study (35) + Sea Wolf (30) + Sustainable Futures Lab (about 30)How sure: Low: early reports, possibly a limited test; two coaches read it as the 85-minute test plus a buffer
McKinsey's FAQ: “The length of your Solve assessment is outlined in your invitation email.” Rows checked 23 Sep 2026. Decode yours →
The format
13 questions. The choices get wider.
Reported for the 20-minute version: one ranking task, then 12 decisions whose options widen as the project grows.
20 minutes ÷ 13 questions is about 90 seconds each. Ranking and the later four-option questions take longer, so practice at about 75.
Read the goal and the constraint first, then the options. The options are paragraphs, and the right one usually moves the work forward, reduces uncertainty and brings in the right people.
Format: MConsultingPrep, CaseBasix. Pacing and reading advice: DrillCase.
What it reads for
Five traits, and what each sounds like
Prepmatter, case-prep and CaseBasix list the same five traits. McKinsey has published no rubric, so treat this as a well-supported inference, not an answer key.
Prioritization
Sequence work by impact and by what unlocks what; drop low-value tasks.
Sounds like
Agree on the success metric first. Every later analysis depends on it.
Deciding under uncertainty
Act on a working hypothesis, then test it; size your reaction to the evidence.
Sounds like
Proceed with the pilot site, and add a two-week check before scaling.
Reading messy information
Ask why sources disagree before choosing a number; flag the limits of the data.
Sounds like
Report the range and the likely cause, then verify a sample.
Balancing trade-offs
Name what you give up and who bears the cost; look for a partial option.
Sounds like
Split the milestone, so the funder gets the first result on time.
Team and stakeholders
Bring in the people who know, credit them, and keep ownership of the decision.
Sounds like
Raise the concern in the team meeting, credit the researcher, and propose a fix.
Decide what kind of colleague you are before question 1, and answer like that colleague every time. A steady, slightly conservative colleague reads better than one who changes style between questions.
Sample lines are DrillCase's own illustrations, not McKinsey content.
Open questionchecked 23 Sep 2026
What a 95-minute invitation means
Reading 1 · Solve Games Guide, StrategyCase
A rebuilt SFL, about 30 minutes
Three simulated project days in which you spend a limited pool of tokens on information and assign researchers to workstations. Reported since late August 2026.
Reading 2 · two coaches on PrepLounge, August 2026
The 85-minute test plus a buffer
Extra minutes for setup and instructions, with the same 20-minute SFL inside.
How sure Low: early reports, possibly a limited test; two coaches read it as the 85-minute test plus a buffer. Our advice: prepare for the 30-minute version. If it turns out shorter, you are over-prepared, not caught out.
Practice on DrillCase
10 SFL scenarios, on the clock
The walkthrough is DrillCase's SFL practice, not McKinsey footage: the project brief, a ranking question, written feedback and a single-choice decision. Our scenarios follow the reported 13-question, 20-minute format, from urban air quality to mangrove restoration.
They are all in Solve VIP: $159, lifetime access, every other Solve game included, and a full refund within 7 days if it is not for you.
Questions
Sustainable Futures Lab FAQ
The Sustainable Futures Lab (SFL) is a text-based judgment module that candidates report as the third McKinsey Solve game, after Redrock and Sea Wolf. You join a fictional environmental project team and make a series of decisions as the project changes. There is almost no math and no calculator.
No. Candidates report that 65-minute invitations hold only Redrock and Sea Wolf, and that SFL comes with 85-minute invitations, and with some 95-minute ones since late August 2026. The minutes in your own invitation are the best signal you have.
Prep sites report about 20 minutes for 13 questions: one ranking task, then 12 multiple-choice decisions whose options widen from two to four. A rebuilt version of about 30 minutes, split into three project days, is reported with 95-minute invitations. McKinsey has confirmed neither.
McKinsey has not published it. Prepmatter reports that answers are read for consistency across all 13 rather than marked right or wrong one by one, and case-prep says the connected format is built to expose answer-shopping. Be wary of any guide that sells the correct answers.
No, according to MConsultingPrep: each game has its own time limit. The untimed tutorials before each game do not use game time either.
McKinsey says no preparation is needed, and there is no answer key to learn. What you can practice is the format: 13 questions on a 20-minute clock, then a review of how consistent you were. DrillCase has 10 SFL scenarios in that format, all in Solve VIP ($159, lifetime, 7-day money-back guarantee).
No. DrillCase is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by McKinsey & Company.