BCG Online Case SouthEast Asia

Hi there,

Answering to 1,2,3,4: the new BCG Online Case (also called Chatbot Interview) is a new 8 questions test BCG started to use in 2019 and now expanded globally. It is structured in 2 parts:

• 8 questions to be taken in 25 minutes
• 1 video interview question at the end, where you have to provide a recommendation

There are some variations in some countries, which is why sometimes you hear it is a 10-questions test in 30 minutes. The 8 question format is the most common though.

The main differences compared to the previous version (BCG Potential Test) are the following:

1. 8 questions instead of 23
2. 25 min instead of 45
3. No negative points
4. Calculators allowed
5. Presence of open questions
6. Video sum up at the end

The general logic though is similar to the old test.

I helped several candidates who did the chatbot test and succeeded in it. The main challenges based on their feedback are:

1. Time. Questions are not particularly difficult, however you will feel time constraints also due to the fact you don’t know how difficult could be the next questions - thus how much time they may require.
   • Implication --> Try to practice PST and/or BCG Potential Tests with a strict time constraint
2. Math. Candidates usually find the math challenging
   • Implication --> Many candidates said the old BCG Potential Test is the one resembling the most the math required
3. Chatbot interaction. Unlike a test like the McK PST, you cannot proceed “at your own pace”. You will have to follow the evolution of the test. In that sense, it is not dissimilar from the old BCG Potential Test, where information was revealed step-by-step
   • Implication --> Practice on PST/Potential Tests working questions by questions, without skipping any

Answering to 5: there is no fit interview at this stage if you have the test only.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hello!

Most of the online tests are very similar, and test the same skillset. It´s a good thing, since you can prep for them with a very unified approach. Although this may not seem so at first sight since the formats may differ, what is important here -as well as when solving cases- is the core skillset they are tryng to test. This is common, and the most important skills are:

80-20 analysis: capacity to analize, interpret and extract conclusions quickly and in a agile way from a ton of data -of which not all is useful-

Analytic and critical thinking: many ways tested with graphs, charts and tables, that you need to understand and derive decisions or insights from

Mathematical skills: are always somehow present, for which you need to be fast int he basics

The way to get better is practicing as much as possible with similar exercises -those targeted at the same skillset-. Hence, I would strongly recomment you practice it with the Integrated Reasoning part of the GMAT exam.

There are free exams in the internet that you can use for practice (the one of LBS MBA page, Verits prep, as well as some free trials for courses such as the one of The Economist (https://gmat.economist.com/)

Furthermore, you can leverage the MBB tests (https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/, psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests, and many others)

Hope it helps!

Best,

Clara

Hi there,

First of all, congrats on getting to the online test round and good luck!

The best way to prepared is to find online tests / questions and practice. Regardless as to whether is a new or old test, the principles are mostly the same:

• Time management (need to think quick)
• Business knowledge/context (incl key formulas)
• Critical thinking (answers that are very similar to each other...clues "hidden" in the text)
• Ability to interpret data/charts

Think of it as a merge of a case and the GMAT/GRE.

You need to be clear on some key case-related and account formulas (margin, growth, breakeven, etc) as well as be good at critically understanding the question (including nuance to questions) and parsing through complicated text with a fair amount of distraction.

You'll also need to be good at chart/graph reading.

The (old) McKinsey PST, BCG Online Test, Bain SOVA test, etc. are all quite similar so leverage resources across all of them.

https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/case-study-interview-prep/bcg-online/

https://www.shl.com/shldirect/en/practice-tests

https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp