I am suppose to take the BCG Online Test next week. Do you have any suggestions or materials that I should be practicing? Thank you.
BCG Online Test
Hi,
There are 2 types of BCG tests:
- GMAT-like test with questions similar to GMAT
- Online Test that is based on a case and has the questions closer to PST
I have uploaded both test samples here (Online test is about airlines). I've also added BCG written case sample (Next round) and Bain written case. PM me for a password:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zor4m49eyx5qxal/AABeUN6mtiGkWhEklRjszX2Oa?dl=0
As for particular recommendations for online test:
- Try to find as many people in your country as you can who have done the test. Ask them for the topic, industry, and questions they remember. For example in one of the countries there was a test about airlines and reading a couple of articles / company reports / wikipedia articles with industry terms could significantly improve performance
- Try to practice tests with strict time-management. McKinsey PST from the official web site and all mck and bcg -like tests you can find online
- Additional resources can be GMAT Integrated reasoning from the official guides and apps if you feel that you are not p[erforming well
- As far as I remember calculator is allowed on BCG test. Make sure you know how to simplify calculations and use it fast
Best!
Hello!
Good luck with that test, I know they are intimidating (they were the most intimidating part of the whole recruiting process for me).
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/)
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
Hi Ela,
First, good luck!
Second, 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
Hi Ela,
As my colleagues have already mentioned the best option would be practicing GMAT and PST Test.
Make sure you can do simple calculations and mental math without a calculator, understand account formulas, and use key business terms.
Good luck!
André
Hi,
It depends on whethre you are getting the new online test format or still the old one?
If it is the old format, GMAT practice would be quite similar.
However, if it is the new format (AI enabled interacive case with video summary recording), then you should practice differently. For the new format, 3 tips I would suggest:
- Get farmiliar with consulting / business terms; the AI chatbot likely would be looking for some key words in your answer, in order to determine how it would judge your answer and how it proceeds to the next step
- When you open the link within the case, better to open with multiple tabs. It would be easier to toggle between the tabs and compare, than clicking back and forth within one tab (you'd waste time on this and more likely missing info)
- Practice doing summary via a video - make sure you look natural and confident. Look into the camera lens (not your screen) when speaking, record yourself and review for improvement areas.
Best,
Emily