McKinsey Solve
Updated November 5, 2026How do you pass the McKinsey Solve assessment?
McKinsey says no preparation is needed for Solve, and in one sense that is true: there is no business content to learn. But the games are timed, unfamiliar and scored on your process, and the scenario is different for every applicant. What you can prepare is the method: the math, the scoring rules and a steady way of working. Here is how to do that for a summer 2028 application.
65 or 85 min
Total time on the invite
2 or 3 games
30-35 min
Redrock
data study plus short cases
30 min
Sea Wolf
three ocean sites
12 months
Wait before a second try
Quick answer
Learn the two core games before your invite arrives. Redrock is mostly fast percentages, ratios and growth rates on a data study, so drill that math. Sea Wolf scores each ocean site on clear rules, so learn them and filter microbes fast. Then play in an ordered way, because McKinsey scores how you work as well as your answers, and you can only sit Solve once every 12 months.
Key points
- McKinsey bans apps, websites, AI tools and pre-prepared notes during Solve, and may ask you to explain your logic or take an extra task in person.1,2
- Every applicant gets different parameters, so learn the method, not answers.2
- Redrock is mostly math: percentages, percentage points, ratios and growth rates, worked in the in-game calculator.4,5
- Spare minutes do not carry from one game to the next, so pace each game on its own clock.3,6
- Solve runs only on a PC or Mac, after a tech check; sound is not needed and a mouse is optional.2
Know which games you will play
McKinsey puts the total length of your Solve in the invitation email, and each game opens with an untimed tutorial.2 A 65-minute invitation usually means two games, Redrock and Sea Wolf; an 85-minute one usually adds a third, the Sustainable Futures Lab, and that longer version runs in the US.3,4 A three-part Solve before the first round shows up in US McKinsey processes too.7
Older guides center on the Ecosystem Building and Plant Defense games. Plant Defense was replaced by Redrock in 2023, and Ecosystem Building is no longer the default, so spend your time on Redrock and Sea Wolf first.3
Redrock: drill the math and the journal
Redrock is a data study in three phases, investigation, analysis and a written report, followed by a run of short standalone cases on the same theme.3 Prep sites put it at about 30 to 35 minutes, and most of its questions are math, with the rest on reading text and choosing the right chart.3,5
The math is not advanced, but it is fast: percentage change, the difference between percent and percentage points, ratios, weighted averages and compound growth.4,5 Save each number you need to the journal, and do every calculation in the in-game calculator, because McKinsey logs your work there.3,4 The calculator accepts input from your keyboard, so a number pad saves time.5
Leave real time for the short cases at the end. They come after the study, in order, without skipping, and they are where many people run out of clock.3
Sea Wolf: learn the rules, then filter
Sea Wolf asks you to clean up three ocean sites, choosing a team of three microbes for each. Each site sets a range for three attributes, names one trait to include and one to avoid, and scores the treatment out of 100%: 20 points for each attribute average in range, and the rest for getting the traits right.3,4
The fastest method is to cut first: drop every microbe with the unwanted trait, keep the ones with the wanted trait, then average groups of three until all three attributes land in range.4 The game gives about 30 minutes for all three sites, and some sites have no perfect answer, so take the best available treatment and move on.6
US firms that use it
Each line links to that firm's own process page.
- McKinsey & Company: Solve follows the application review for most consulting roles, then a first round of a short personal experience interview plus a case.1,7,8
How to prepare
This answer is general guidance for orientation, not a guarantee. Test formats, timings and employer cut-offs change, so verify the details on the provider or employer site before you apply. Last updated November 5, 2026.
Sources
- 1.Solve, McKinsey's assessment game, McKinsey & Company. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 2.Solve, McKinsey's Assessment Game: FAQs (Sep 2026), McKinsey & Company. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 3.What Is the McKinsey Solve Game and How to Prepare, Practice & Pass (2026), Leland, on Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 4.McKinsey Solve Guide 2026: Redrock, Sea Wolf & SFL Prep, MyConsultingCoach. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 5.McKinsey Solve 2026: Redrock Deep Dive, MConsultingPrep. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 6.McKinsey Solve 2026: Seawolf Deep Dive, MConsultingPrep. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 7.Candidate report on a public forum: Summer Associate intern interview, Detroit (Oct 2026). Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 8.Candidate report on a public forum: Student interview, generalist, New York (Apr 2025). Read Nov 5, 2026.