For anyone with a McKinsey Solve invitation and a test date
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
SubjectWhy Solve catches prepared people out
McKinsey’s FAQ: “No preparation is needed. Solve does not require previous business knowledge or gaming experience.”
McKinsey’s FAQ: “Each task within Solve will begin with an untimed tutorial.”
Timed McKinsey Solve-style practice
Meet the screens and the clocks before they count.
Your invitation length tells you which games to expect and how long each runs.
Free, before you buyPlay each game on its own clock until the screens stop feeling new.
After every run, read the report. Let it pick your next run.
$159 once, lifetime access. 7-day refund, even if used.
SubjectWhat's in Solve VIP
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.
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.
SubjectWho it's for
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”.
SubjectProof you can check
Here is what you can check for yourself, today, without paying.
McKinsey's Solve FAQ (September 2026) 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.
How we teach, and what's allowed on your desk
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”.
SubjectIncluded with Solve VIP
Self-study
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.”
S0 Orientation
S1 Redrock Study
S2 Sea Wolf
S3 Sustainable Futures Lab
S4 Mock test day
SubjectThe offer
One payment · lifetime access · nothing renews
$159once
Weekly
$49/ week
$49 a week, renews weekly until you cancel. Cancel anytime from your account; you keep access to the end of the week you paid for.
See weeklyMonthly
$99/ month
$99 a month, renews monthly until you cancel. Cancel anytime from your account; you keep access to the end of the month you paid for.
See monthlyLifetime: Solve VIP
$159once
One payment, yours for good. Nothing renews.
See Solve VIPSubjectQuestions
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.
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.
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.
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.
No. McKinsey's Solve FAQ (September 2026) 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.
The only deadline on this page
Every day between now and then is one timed run you either do or don't.
Solve VIP $159 once
7-day refund, even if used.
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.
| Redrock Study | 35 min |
|---|---|
| Sea Wolf | 30 min |
| 65-minute invitation | 65 |
| Sustainable Futures Lab | 20 min |
| 85-minute invitation | 85 |
Each game runs on its own clock. McKinsey says only that your invitation email states the length. Read yours with the free Invite Decoder
McKinsey’s FAQ: “The length of your Solve assessment is outlined in your invitation email.”
A 65-minute invitation reportedly means Redrock Study (35 min) + Sea Wolf (30 min).
An 85-minute invitation reportedly means Redrock Study (35 min) + Sea Wolf (30 min) + Sustainable Futures Lab (20 min).
Each game has its own time limit; minutes left over in one game do not carry into the next.
Each game has its own time limit; minutes left over in one game do not carry into the next.
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”.
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.
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.
McKinsey's Solve FAQ (September 2026) 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.
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.
Redrock Study is reported to run 35 minutes.
Redrock Study ends with a Cases part of 6 short mini-cases (it had 10 when Redrock launched in 2023).
DrillCase clock 20 min
Rank the opening moves for an environmental project, then answer each new situation as it arrives.
The Sustainable Futures Lab most candidates report runs 20 minutes: one ranking task, then 12 multiple-choice situations.
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.
DrillCase clock 30 min
Choose microbe traits that match each contaminated site's target ranges, across three sites.
Sea Wolf asks you to pick microbes to clean up 3 contaminated sites in 30 minutes.
Game format guides: McKinsey Solve overview · Redrock study guide · Sea Wolf guide · Sustainable Futures Lab guide
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.
A 95-minute invitation reportedly means Redrock Study (35 min) + Sea Wolf (30 min) + Sustainable Futures Lab (about 30 min).
You want dozens of Sea Wolf variants
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
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.
McKinsey’s FAQ: “The length of your Solve assessment is outlined in your invitation email.”
McKinsey’s FAQ: “Each task within Solve will begin with an untimed tutorial.”
Each game has its own time limit; minutes left over in one game do not carry into the next.
A 65-minute invitation reportedly means Redrock Study (35 min) + Sea Wolf (30 min).
An 85-minute invitation reportedly means Redrock Study (35 min) + Sea Wolf (30 min) + Sustainable Futures Lab (20 min).
Pick the length from your invitation email and the Invite Decoder shows the games and clocks candidates report for it. No payment needed.
The same methods as a book you can print: the Playbook as PDFs, part by part, and a print pack of blank sheets and paper tests. Every page carries your email. Page 3 is a 10-minute Redrock warm-up you can do the day you buy.
Read it before the test, never during it. Independent practice, not affiliated with McKinsey & Company.
Done for you
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.
Included with Solve VIP
Walk into Solve having already done each game once on paper, timed, and graded.
Paper tests for all three games, with answer keys
The Mock-Day Kit: sit your full length once, on paper, before it counts
A 48-hour, 7-day or 14-day route, so you know what to do today
Plus a print pack of blank sheets and the paper tests, ready to print.
Secure card checkout. 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. All-Access includes Solve VIP, so the Solve Playbook comes with it. Compare on the pricing page
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.
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.
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.
No. Solve VIP is one payment and nothing renews. If you'd rather pay as you go, the Weekly ($49 a week) and Monthly ($99 a month) options are subscriptions that renew until you cancel; cancel anytime and keep access to the end of the period you paid for.
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. Solve Playbook PDFs you already downloaded stay yours; you can't download them again. Your bank 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).
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.
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.
A laptop or desktop with a current browser. Practise on the machine you'll test on.
You pay by card on a secure checkout page 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.
The link on your receipt page moves the purchase to the Google account you sign in with.
