For career services
McKinsey Solve game: a briefing you can share with students.
Give students a clear account of what is published, what is reported and what optional practice can help them notice. Start with McKinsey’s instructions, then offer the sample as a choice.
Lead with the published guidance.
VERIFIED — McKinsey describes Solve as a problem-solving assessment and says no preparation is needed. The FAQ says neither prior business knowledge nor gaming experience is required, and that Solve is considered alongside other application information. Source and context.
VERIFIED — The invitation gives the assessment length. Each task starts with an untimed tutorial. The FAQ specifies a PC or Mac and explains how to contact support during a technical problem. Source and context.
VERIFIED — McKinsey’s rules require candidates to work alone and prohibit outside applications, websites, automated assistance, pre-prepared notes and assessment screenshots, except for an accommodation approved in writing. Close practice tools before starting the real assessment. Source and context.
VERIFIED — Candidates should request an accommodation through the invitation’s named contact and wait for the outcome before starting. The FAQ says not to include a diagnosis in that request. Source and context.
Keep reported formats in perspective.
CORROBORATED — The fidelity register records candidate reports of Red Rock, Sea Wolf and Sustainable Future Lab, with different invitation lengths. These reports help organise practice; they do not replace an individual invitation. Source and context.
REPORTED — A September candidate describes a team-based Lab with researchers and workstations across three days. This is a single candidate’s account of that format, not an official announcement of a universal change. Source and context.
UNKNOWN — A universal passing threshold, the internal weighting of actions and the relationship between a CaseStar score and a recruiting decision are not established by these sources. Source and context.
Make an optional practice session useful.
Ask students to play the free sample individually, then discuss their method after the sitting. What did the objective require? Which evidence did they use? Where did they infer something the exhibit never said?
Keep practice results private unless the student chooses to share them. Avoid ranking students by a sample score or presenting it as a selection forecast. A useful outcome is a student who can explain one decision and name one habit to improve.
CaseStar practice choice: the sample uses original scenarios and feedback. It does not contain private assessment questions. A school can share this page and its sample link without making a purchase or endorsing a predicted result.
Common questions
Does McKinsey say students need preparation?
VERIFIED — McKinsey’s Solve page says no preparation is needed. Its FAQ says previous business knowledge and gaming experience are not required. Optional CaseStar practice is for format familiarity and reflection; advisers should not present it as a requirement.
Does Solve alone decide the application?
VERIFIED — McKinsey says it considers Solve alongside the rest of the application and other assessments. UNKNOWN — the sources do not establish a universal passing threshold or a conversion from a CaseStar score to a hiring result.
Can students try CaseStar before paying?
Yes. The free Red Rock sample linked on this page is original CaseStar practice. The simulator brief explains current access to full sittings. Students can use the sample without a school purchasing access.
Where should an accommodation request go?
VERIFIED — the September 2026 FAQ directs candidates to the contact in their invitation, asks them not to include a diagnosis, and says to wait for the request’s outcome before beginning Solve.
Sources and limits
- McKinsey: Solve assessment overview and integrity rules
- McKinsey: Solve FAQ (September 2026)
- September 2026 candidate account: variation in the Lab format
- CaseStar: what changed in McKinsey Solve in 2026 (dated change log with confidence labels)
CaseStar (casestar.io) is an independent practice platform for consulting recruiting: timed McKinsey Solve simulators, including Red Rock, and voice case interviews. It is not affiliated with McKinsey & Company.
McKinsey publishes only a broad description of Solve. Details labelled as candidate-reported come from debriefs and can differ between candidates, regions and test versions. Worked examples on this page are original CaseStar exercises, not assessment questions. Your invitation and recruiter take precedence.