CaseStar practice data · McKinsey Solve # Where candidates lose marks in Red Rock: CaseStar practice data Across 94 graded Red Rock practice sittings on CaseStar (11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026), candidates were least accurate in the Report phase, answering 57.1% of its items correctly. This page reports anonymised results from 94 graded practice sittings by 80 candidates on CaseStar’s Red Rock simulator from 11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026, and what they suggest about where to spend preparation time. [Try the free 8-minute Red Rock sample](https://www.casestar.io/simulators/mckinsey-solve-red-rock)Jump to common questions By the [CaseStar editorial team](https://www.casestar.io/about/editorial-method) · Reviewed 28 September 2026 · Independent preparation, not affiliated with McKinsey & Company. ## What do candidates get wrong most in Red Rock practice? - Across 94 graded Red Rock practice sittings on CaseStar (11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026), candidates were least accurate in the Report phase, answering 57.1% of its items correctly. - In the same 94 sittings, accuracy in the Analysis phase was 71.0%. - In the same 94 sittings, accuracy in the six mini-cases was 67.4%. - The 35-minute clock ran out in 12.8% of graded CaseStar Red Rock sittings from 11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026. - The median graded CaseStar Red Rock sitting scored 69.0% accuracy (80 candidates, 11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026). ## How accurate are candidates in each Red Rock phase? | Phase | Items answered correctly | How to practise it | | --- | --- | --- | | Analysis (study calculations) | 71.0% | [Red Rock math guide](https://www.casestar.io/guides/mckinsey-solve/red-rock-math) | | Report (paragraph blanks and chart) | 57.1% | [Report section of the Red Rock guide](https://www.casestar.io/guides/mckinsey-solve/red-rock) | | Mini-cases | 67.4% | [Six worked mini-cases](https://www.casestar.io/guides/mckinsey-solve/red-rock-mini-cases) | Share of items answered correctly, pooled across 94 graded CaseStar sittings, 11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026. 94 graded sittings (full and exam mode), 11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026. Accuracy is the share of scored items answered correctly in each phase, pooled across sittings. [Download the figures as CSV](https://www.casestar.io/guides/mckinsey-solve/red-rock-mistakes-data/data.csv) (CC BY 4.0). ## Which Red Rock traps catch candidates most often? Not published yet. From 24 September 2026 every graded sitting records which skill each question tests (percentage points versus percent, weighted averages, growth rates, chart choice) and which trap a wrong answer fell into. Sittings before that date only recorded totals by phase, so we will publish the breakdown once at least 20 tagged sittings stand behind each figure, rather than estimate it now. ## What does this mean for your Red Rock preparation? The Report is where practice sittings lose the most. It combines everything before it: a value collected from the wrong period, a share rounded too early, or an Analysis error carries straight into the paragraph, and the chart choice cannot be undone. Two habits help most: label every journal entry with its period and unit, and choose the chart from the message (time → line, parts of a whole → pie or stacked bar, comparison → bar) rather than from its looks. Our [Red Rock guide](https://www.casestar.io/guides/mckinsey-solve/red-rock) walks through a full report. The clock ran out in 12.8% of sittings. Unreached items score nothing, so pacing is worth as much as accuracy: leave Investigation by about 30:00 remaining, Analysis by 18:00 and the Report by 13:00, then protect the last twelve minutes for the six mini-cases. Want to see where you stand? [Try the free Red Rock sample](https://www.casestar.io/simulators/mckinsey-solve-red-rock): the opening eight minutes of a Red Rock study, with no sign-up: collect evidence, run two calculations, fill a short report and answer one mini-case, then see each answer worked through. ## How was this Red Rock data collected? - **Source:** graded full and exam-mode sittings on the CaseStar Red Rock simulator, 11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026. Tutorial and cases-only runs are excluded. - **Engaged sittings only:** graded full or exam sittings with at least one scored answer, excluding sittings left open until the clock ran out (under 10% of marks). That keeps 94 of 108 graded sittings. Sitting durations recorded before September 2026 are unreliable, so we do not publish times. - **Not the same as our usage count:** the Red Rock simulator page counts signed-in candidates who completed a Red Rock sample or sitting in the last 30 days; anonymous samples and test accounts are not counted. This page counts only graded full and exam sittings in the window above, so the two numbers differ. - **Privacy:** only aggregates are published, each backed by at least 20 sittings. Test, QA and staff accounts are excluded. - **Licence:** the figures are free to reuse under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) with a link to this page. - **Scenarios:** CaseStar generates its own Red Rock scenarios. They follow the candidate-reported format but are not McKinsey’s questions, and difficulty differs between scenarios. - **Selection:** candidates who practise on CaseStar are self-selected and many were early in their preparation, so these figures describe practice, not results in the real assessment. - **Updates:** figures are regenerated from the database; the date above shows the latest refresh. ## Common questions **Which part of Red Rock do candidates get wrong most?** In CaseStar practice data (94 graded sittings, 11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026), the Report phase had the lowest accuracy at 57.1%. This is practice data on CaseStar scenarios, not McKinsey results. **Is this McKinsey’s own data?** No. These are anonymised results from practice sittings on CaseStar’s independent Red Rock simulator. McKinsey does not publish Solve results or scoring. **How often does the clock run out in Red Rock practice?** In 12.8% of graded CaseStar Red Rock sittings (11 June 2026 to 2 September 2026), the 35-minute clock expired before the candidate submitted. **How is this data collected?** From graded full and exam-mode sittings on CaseStar. We publish only aggregates backed by at least 20 sittings and exclude test accounts. The page is regenerated from the database by a script, so the figures and dates change as more candidates practise. ## Sources and limits - [McKinsey: Solve assessment overview and integrity rules](https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/mckinsey-digital-assessment) - [McKinsey: Solve FAQ (August 2025)](https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/careers%20redesign/interviewing/getting%20ready%20for%20your%20interviews/faqs-solve-aug-2025.pdf) - [PrepLounge: “Didn’t perform well in Red Rock, did well in Sea Wolf”](https://www.preplounge.com/consulting-forum/i-didnt-perform-well-in-red-rock-study-mckinsey-solve-game-but-did-well-in-sea-wolf-what-are-my-chances-of-being-invited-to-an-interview-24245) - [PrepLounge: McKinsey Solve, June 2026, Paris](https://www.preplounge.com/consulting-forum/mckinsey-solve-game-june-2026-paris-25014) - [PrepLounge: Advice for McKinsey Solve](https://www.preplounge.com/consulting-forum/advice-for-mckinsey-solve-24831) - [PrepLounge: Advice to succeed on Redrock](https://www.preplounge.com/consulting-forum/advice-to-succeed-on-redrock-mckinsey-solve-17074) - [CaseStar: what changed in McKinsey Solve in 2026](https://www.casestar.io/guides/mckinsey-solve/what-changed-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. [Open the McKinsey Red Rock simulator](https://www.casestar.io/simulators/mckinsey-solve-red-rock)[Back to the McKinsey Solve guide](https://www.casestar.io/guides/mckinsey-solve)