Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!
Back to overview
Question merged
This question is read-only because it has been merged with
BCG "Quantitative Math Test" / GMAT like

BCG quant test vs Potential Test

I have been invited to do the quant test for BCG - is this the same as the Potential Test? 

4 Answers
1.6k Views
0
Be the first to answer!
Nobody has responded to this question yet.
Top answer
Clara
Coach
on Oct 30, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

TBH, I am not 100% sure if they are the same thing, let´s see what hte BCG people say in the post. 

However, what is for sure is that those tests are always the same, preparing for them always requieres the same steps and exercises. 

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/)

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/ , psychometricinstitute.co.uk/Free-Aptitude-Tests.asp)

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Ian
Coach
on Oct 29, 2020
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

The online tests across companies are very similar

Format? Somewhat. Content and what's required from you ability-wise? Not at all.

The best way is to really 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

Anonymous D
on Oct 30, 2020

I have just taken the test and from what I can gather, they are quite different. The Quant test, in my experience, is much less graph and interpretation heavy. I would say, as they advise in the email, to use GMAT resources to practice. The material in the test was very different from what I have experienced at other firms and included algebra and some basic geometry etc. I would also point out though, that this seems to be a new test they are trailing, as there is a disclaimer before the test highlighting that the results will actually be given minimal weighting when considering the application. How true that is though, I don't know. 

1
Gaurav
Coach
on Dec 27, 2020
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360° coach(Ex-McKinsey+Certified Coach+Active recruiter)

Hello there!

Though the format of the quant test may differ from the BCG Potential, it's still worth practicing as there's almost no difference in the core principles implemented.

Practicing GMAT tests could be a great help to get used to the format, timing, interpretation of charts and graphs.

Hope it helps.
Cheers,
GB

Similar Questions
Consulting
Working hours for McKinsey and BCG New York offices
on Dec 31, 2023
Global
8 Answers
2.8k Views
Top answer by
121
8 Answers
2.8k Views
+5
Consulting
Time to apply and the intake for new hire?
on Feb 29, 2024
Global
7 Answers
4.8k Views
Top answer by
Florian
Coach
161
7 Answers
4.8k Views
+4
Consulting
When should I expect to hear back from BCG London?
on Mar 05, 2024
Global
7 Answers
2.9k Views
Top answer by
Dennis
Coach
138
7 Answers
2.9k Views
+4
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely
You are a true consultant! Thank you for consulting us on how to make PrepLounge even better!