For anyone with a McKinsey Solve invitation and a test date
Stop paying the first-time tax on McKinsey Solve
Every screen you meet for the first time on test day costs minutes from a fixed clock. Solve VIP lets you pay that tax at home: 21 timed scenarios across Redrock, Sea Wolf and the Sustainable Futures Lab, with unlimited Sea Wolf runs.
Get Solve VIP — $159
One payment, lifetime access. 7-day money-back, even if you've used it.
- 0–35Redrock Study35 min · data analysis10 studies to rehearse
- 35–65Sea Wolf30 min · systems thinkingUnlimited runs
- 65–85Sustainable Futures Lab20 min · decision making85-minute invitations only
What you get
- 10 Redrock studies on a 35-minute clock, with the Research Journal and calculator, so the report phase stops being a scramble
- 10 Sustainable Futures Lab scenarios so the long judgment task isn't new on an 85-minute invitation
- Sea Wolf with new microbes drawn every run so a second attempt is practice, not memory
- A report after every run so you always know what to play next
- Not ready? Play the Ecotopia study free first. No sign-in, no card.
- Just got your invitation? Decode it first, free →
01 / 07Why Solve catches prepared people out
The math is simple. The first time is not.
McKinsey 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.
A fixed clock per game
Candidates report 65- or 85-minute invitations, with Redrock taking about 35 of those minutes. Reported; sources in our Solve guide, checked 23 September 2026.
Tools you've never touched
Candidates report a research journal and, in some versions, an on-screen calculator. McKinsey bans outside apps, websites, AI tools and prepared notes during the test.
Numbers you can't memorise
McKinsey says every candidate gets different numbers. The method is the only thing that carries over.
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.
02 / 07The method
The Clocked Rehearsal: Decode, Rehearse, Review
Decode
Your invitation length tells you which games you'll get and how long each runs.
Rehearse
Play each game on its own clock until the screens feel boring.
Review
After every run, read where the points went. Let that pick your next scenario.
Solve VIP is where you rehearse and review: all 21 scenarios, every game type, on the clock.
03 / 07What's inside
Every current game, on its own clock
Real DrillCase screens. Pick a game to see what it asks and every scenario in it. The Solve test format · Sources for each claim
Measures Data analysis
Redrock Study
10 scenarios in Solve VIP · 35 min clock
Collect figures into a Research Journal, answer quantitative questions with the on-screen calculator, then write a short report and pick a chart.
- 10 studies from Beginner to Advanced, so your last runs are harder than your first
- One clock across Investigation, Analysis and Report, so you learn to keep minutes for the report
- Practise with the in-game journal and calculator, not outside apps (which McKinsey bans)
The 10 Redrock Study scenarios, by name
- EcotopiaIntermediate
- Costa ThalesIntermediate
- Kokona FalliAdvanced
- Bali VillageBeginner
- Isla AzulIntermediate
- Zahari PlainsAdvanced
- Selva NovaIntermediate
- Cedarburn RidgeAdvanced
- Purple LineBeginner
- NolotilesIntermediate
Measures Systems thinking
Sea Wolf
Unlimited runs in Solve VIP · 30 min clock
Choose microbe characteristics that match each contaminated site's target ranges, across three sites. Unlimited runs: each one is generated from a code you can replay or share, and checked before you play: skip the preference stage and each site has a 100% answer.
- Three contaminated sites, each with its own target ranges
- A new microbe draw every run, so a rerun is new practice
- Unlimited runs, each from a code you can replay or share, and checked before you play: skip the preference stage and each site has a 100% answer
The 1 Sea Wolf scenario, by name
- The Sea Wolf (Ocean Cleanup)Intermediate
Measures Decision making
Sustainable Futures Lab
10 scenarios in Solve VIP · 20 min clock
Rank and prioritize actions in an environmental project as new information arrives, one question at a time.
- 10 projects, from urban air quality to mangrove restoration
- Rank the opening moves, then respond to each new situation as it arrives
- Feedback after every choice, so you see how each decision was judged
The 10 Sustainable Futures Lab scenarios, by name
- Urban Air Quality ImprovementIntermediate
- Wetland RestorationIntermediate
- Forest Biodiversity RestorationIntermediate
- Coastal Mangrove RestorationIntermediate
- Urban River RestorationIntermediate
- Coastal Habitat RecoveryAdvanced
- Urban Green Space ExpansionIntermediate
- Alpine Wildlife RecoveryIntermediate
- Grassland Regeneration ManagementIntermediate
- Freshwater Ecosystem BalanceIntermediate
Measures Phased-out game
Ecosystem Creation (archive)
2 scenarios in Solve VIP · 35 min clock
The food-chain game (Coral Reef, Mountain Ridge). Candidates and prep sites report McKinsey phased it out of most Solve invitations during 2025. Kept as an archive in VIP; practice it if your invitation names it.
- Coral Reef and Mountain Ridge
- Candidates report it phased out of most invitations during 2025
- Kept as an archive; skip it unless your invitation names it
The 2 Ecosystem Creation scenarios, by name
- Coral ReefAdvanced
- Mountain RidgeAdvanced
04 / 07Who it's for · proof
Honest about who this is for
| You… | For you | Not for you |
|---|---|---|
| You have a Solve invitation and a date in the next few weeks | For you | |
| You've never played Solve's games against a clock | For you | |
| Your invitation is 85 minutes and you want SFL practice | For you | |
| You might reapply next cycle and don't want to pay twice | For you | |
| You want someone to guarantee a pass. Nobody honest can | Not for you | |
| You only have a phone. The simulator needs a laptop or desktop, like the test | Not for you | |
| You want dozens of hand-built Sea Wolf scenarios. We have one, generated fresh for unlimited runs | Not for you |
Don't take our word. Check it yourself instead.
- Verify 1/3
Play a full Redrock study, free.
Ecotopia, 35 minutes, on the same simulator as VIP. No sign-in, no card.
Play Ecotopia free - Verify 2/3
Formats checked on 23 September 2026.
Every claim about the real test names its source and date.
See the sources - Verify 3/3
Numbers you can count.
Our database holds 23 Solve scenarios. 2 are the Ecosystem archive game, so this page counts 21 current ones. When we round, we round down.
How we count and check
From our inbox
The breakdown showed I was checking every species twice.
It went well. I think better than well. I want to tell you the full story, because two weeks ago I was sure I would fail.
When the Solve link came, I thought I can wing it. I was top of my class at home and I have a 3.9 in my master's here. Then I tried a free Ecosystem mock from Reddit and the timer finished before I even chose my species. Two times.
Eleven days before the deadline I was awake at 2am watching the fourth YouTube "strategy" video, and every video said something different. I moved across the world for this chance and I was going to lose it because of a video game. That is honestly how I felt.
A friend from our consulting club posted DrillCase in the group chat. My first two runs were 31st percentile, then 44th. The breakdown showed I was checking every species twice. Then Redrock was hard for me because English is my second language, so I learned to find the numbers first and read the rest only if needed. By run 9 I was above the 80th every time.
On the real test I finished with around 4 minutes left. The first-round invite came yesterday (Boston office!!).
Thank you. I already shared the link with the other international students in our club.
honestly the percentile thing is why.
Read the whole email
went well!! passed actually, just got the first round email for chicago
honestly the percentile thing is why. did like 2 weeks of free youtube sims before and had zero clue if i was improving. went 38 → 61 → stuck for 3 runs → 77 once i stopped rushing the last question
only thing, more redrock scenarios pls. saw a couple twice by the end
On the real one I didn't panic and I finished.
Read the whole email
Honestly? Not sure yet. But I wanted to reply anyway.
I got Redrock, not Ecosystem, which is exactly what I was afraid of. Four days before the test I'd already paid $60 for an Ecosystem-only package, and then a Reddit thread said I might get something completely different. I'm a biology PhD. I can run a CRISPR screen, but I couldn't figure out which test I was taking. That was a low point.
Your site had both, so I did three Redrock runs in two days (22nd, then 51st, then 68th percentile). On the real one I didn't panic and I finished. Whether that's enough, I'll find out.
Either way, here's what I'll tell other PhDs at our career office: it's not an intelligence test, it's a format test.
Emails from paying users, shared with their permission. We don't track real-test results; yours will depend on your preparation.
05 / 07Solve VIP · one payment
One payment. Every Solve game. Yours for good.
DrillCasePaid once, at home
Solve VIP
- Redrock studies
- 10
- Sustainable Futures Lab scenarios
- 10
- Sea Wolf runs, new draw every run
- Unlimited
- Ecosystem archive
- 2
- A report after every runA PDF for every task, showing what you got right and what you missed.
- ✓
- Scenario updates
- incl.
Total, one payment$159
Lifetime access · nothing renews · 21 scenarios
21 current scenarios: 10 Redrock, 10 Sustainable Futures Lab and 1 Sea Wolf (unlimited runs), plus 2 Ecosystem archive games. 1 Redrock study, Ecotopia, is free to everyone.
Get Solve VIP — $159
7 days to change your mind.
Email us within 7 days of buying and we'll refund you in full, even if you've used it. We process it within 2 business days. Refund terms
Why $159, once? It's in line with what full Solve simulators cost elsewhere, and invitations come in waves. If you reapply next cycle, you don't pay again.
One session of case coaching costs roughly $150–300 at most coaching sites we checked on 26 Sep 2026. Solve VIP is 21 timed scenarios for $159.
Solve Basic · for a 65-minute invitation
- Redrock studies
- 3
- Sea Wolf runs (three sites each)
- Unlimited
- Sustainable Futures Lab
- —
- Ecosystem Creation (archive)
- —
- Access
- 1 year
- 7-day money-back
- —
- Price, one payment
- $99
Candidates report the 65-minute Solve as Redrock plus Sea Wolf, which is what Basic has. Basic is final sale. Not sure of your length? Start with Basic; if your invitation says 85 or 95 minutes, upgrade to VIP and pay only the difference ($60). Get Solve Basic — $99
Applying to BCG or Bain too? The All-Access Pass ($250) includes every McKinsey, BCG and Bain product, with the same 7-day refund. Bought separately, the top plans are $457. Compare on the pricing page
06 / 07Questions
Before you buy
No. DrillCase is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by McKinsey & Company.
It has the parts you have to learn: the Research Journal, the on-screen calculator, multi-exhibit studies, Sea Wolf's site ranges, SFL's ranking and situations, and a clock on every task. McKinsey's scoring isn't public, so our report is not your Solve score.
Your invitation email states the length. Candidates report 65 minutes for Redrock and Sea Wolf, and 85 minutes when SFL is added. The free Invite Decoder reads it for you.
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.
That's the case it was built for. A simple rhythm: one Redrock, one Sea Wolf and, on an 85-minute invitation, one SFL each day, then read the report. If after a few runs it isn't helping, the 7-day refund applies.
Because we'd rather count honestly. It's one scenario with three sites, played as unlimited runs. Each run is generated from a code and checked before you see it: skip the preference stage and each site has a 100% answer (set preferences, and the debrief shows the best treatment your deal allowed). So every attempt is new practice, and any run can be replayed or shared.
Yes. The Ecotopia Redrock study is free in full, no sign-in, no card, on the same simulator.
Yes. Solve Basic ($99, 1 year access) is for a 65-minute invitation, which candidates report as Redrock plus Sea Wolf: 3 Redrock studies and unlimited Sea Wolf runs. It has no Sustainable Futures Lab, no Ecosystem archive and no money-back guarantee. Not sure of your length? Start with Basic; if your invitation says 85 or 95 minutes, upgrade to VIP and pay only the difference ($60).
No. One payment. Nothing renews.
Reviews, yes: emails from paying users, published word for word with their permission. Pass rates and ratings, no. We have no independent data on how users score on the real test, so we don't quote any.
A laptop or desktop with a current browser. Practise on the machine you'll test on.
You pay on Polar and come back to DrillCase. Once payment is confirmed, all 21 current scenarios and the Ecosystem archive are open. Start with one timed Redrock to see where your minutes go.
07 / 07The 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.
DrillCaseYour copy
Everything in Solve VIP
- 21 timed scenarios: 10 Redrock, 10 SFL, unlimited Sea Wolf runs, plus the Ecosystem archive
- The Research Journal and calculator
- A report after every run
- Lifetime access, updates included
- 7-day money-back, even if used
Total, one payment$159
Get Solve VIP — $159— DrillCase
P.S. If you scrolled straight here: Solve VIP is $159 once for 21 timed Solve scenarios across Redrock, the Sustainable Futures Lab and unlimited Sea Wolf runs, plus the Ecosystem archive, with a report after every run. You have 7 days to get your money back, even if you've used it. Get Solve VIP — $159
Practice makes the screens familiar. It can't guarantee a result, and we don't claim it does. Independent practice. Not affiliated with McKinsey, BCG or Bain.