A few years ago, a well-built CV led straight to a first case interview. Today, at most large firms, a step has slipped in between: the online test. A problem-solving game, a timed case in front of an interface, a numerical or verbal reasoning test, a personality assessment: formats vary from one firm to another, and sometimes from one office to another within the same firm. This article describes the main families of tests as the firms themselves present them, proposes realistic preparation and explains the often-neglected link between the test and your CV.
Why firms test before inviting you
Consulting firms receive far more applications than they can interview. Each case interview takes a consultant or a manager away from their engagement for an hour. The online test makes it possible to filter at lower cost, on identical criteria for every candidate.
Firms also put forward a fairness argument: a standardised test assesses abilities regardless of the candidate’s school or network. McKinsey thus presents its Solve game, on its interviewing page 🔗, as an assessment of natural problem-solving abilities, adding that, depending on the role, assessments focus on skills related to the job.
In practice, the test most often comes:
- just after the application is submitted, sometimes automatically, before the CV has even been read in detail;
- or after a first CV screening, to decide between the shortlisted candidates before the interviews.
In both cases, a failed test ends the process, even with an excellent CV. It must therefore be taken seriously.
Problem-solving games
The most recent format is the game: a simulated environment (an ecosystem, a situation to manage) in which the candidate must understand rules, identify the factors that matter and make decisions.
McKinsey states that Solve requires no particular preparation, and that it is enough to approach it with curiosity and creativity. What is known about this type of game, from public descriptions:
- it measures the way you reason as much as the final result: gathering information, forming hypotheses, managing time;
- it requires no knowledge of business or finance;
- it is taken remotely, without outside help; the firm specifies that using artificial intelligence tools is not allowed, unless specifically permitted.
The best preparation is therefore indirect: be well rested, sit in a quiet environment, read all instructions carefully before starting and keep an eye on the time remaining.
Timed online cases
Several firms use an online case: a client scenario presented on screen, followed by a series of multiple-choice questions, short answers or calculations, within a time limit. For its US offices, BCG describes for example on its application page 🔗 a two-stage sequence: a consulting career assessment of about thirty minutes, sent shortly after the application, then, for some candidates, an online case of about thirty-five minutes.
An online case resembles a case interview, with three differences:
- no one guides you: there is no interviewer to rephrase a question or put you back on the right track;
- time is counted question by question, which penalises hesitation;
- data is often plentiful, in the form of tables and charts, and only part of it is useful.
Preparation is that of a classic case interview, with an emphasis on fast data reading and mental arithmetic. The methods described in our article on the profitability case apply directly: locate the useful information, calculate accurately, conclude.
Numerical and verbal reasoning tests
Some firms, or some offices, use more classic tests, close to those of large companies: numerical reasoning (reading a table, calculating a percentage, comparing trends), verbal reasoning (deducing what a text does or does not allow you to assert) and logical reasoning (sequences, figures).
BCG describes for example, for its offices in Germany and Austria, on its recruitment process page 🔗, a thirty-minute cognitive test, multiple-choice and without aids, which assesses numerical, verbal and logical abilities, in the first round alongside a case interview. KPMG, for its part, states on its consulting careers page 🔗 one or two rounds of tests (personality, language, technical or cognitive) before the interviews.
These tests have one particularity: they can genuinely be prepared for. Familiarity with the format, the pace and the classic traps improves results, which is not the case with games.
Investment banks’ online tests rely on similar families of exercises; for a candidate targeting both sectors, the page on assessment centres and tests at investment banks 🔗 helps prepare for both at the same time.
Preparing without spending weeks on it
The trap of online tests is to devote too much time to them, at the expense of cases, which remain the decisive test. Reasonable preparation fits into a few sessions.
- Identify the exact format of the target firm, on its careers page or in the test invitation. Recruiters often send a guide or a practice test: use it.
- Do two or three practice tests of the same type as the firm’s, in real conditions: timer, no interruptions, no calculator if it is not allowed.
- Work on mental arithmetic ten minutes a day for two weeks: percentages, multiplications, orders of magnitude. It is useful for every format, and for cases afterwards.
- Prepare the practical conditions: a stable connection, a charged computer, paper and pencil, a quiet room, a slot when you are at your best.
- Read every instruction to the end on the day of the test, even if it seems obvious. Many mistakes come from a rule misread.
Personality questions, when there are any, cannot be prepared for: answer consistently and honestly, without trying to guess the expected profile.
The link between the test and your CV
The online test and the CV are not two independent steps. In many processes, the test is sent automatically after the application, and the results are then read together with the CV. An average result can be offset by a very strong CV; an excellent result does not save a confused CV.
Three practical consequences:
- polish your CV before sending the application, not after the test: it is often read at the same time as the results;
- check the consistency between what your CV says and what the test assesses: if you highlight quantitative skills, the test must confirm them;
- prepare for the first interview as soon as the test is sent, because the invitation can come quickly.
For an example of a student CV ready for this type of process, see the strategy consulting intern template. And for the rest of the path at a large firm, our article on recruitment at McKinsey describes the steps that follow the test. So as not to lose time on form during this busy period, the ConseilCV editor handles the layout and produces a PDF that screening software reads correctly.
Frequently asked questions
Can you retake a failed online test?
Generally not for the same application. Some firms keep the result for a given period, and a new application after that period lets you retake it. Ask the recruiter.
Are test results communicated?
Rarely in detail. Most often you learn whether or not you are invited to the next step. Some firms give general feedback, particularly after interviews.
Should you take the test immediately after receiving it?
No. Use the time allowed to prepare and choose a moment when you will be in good conditions, without waiting until the last minute.
Are the tests in English?
Often, especially at international firms. Check the language in the invitation and practise in that language, particularly for verbal reasoning tests.
Sources
- McKinsey & Company, Interviewing at McKinsey 🔗
- Boston Consulting Group, Associate job opportunities, United States 🔗
- Boston Consulting Group, Bewerbung und Interviews 🔗
- KPMG France, Expertise Conseil 🔗