Learn to do the McKinsey Problem Solving Test with ease

All this effort is taken for the sole goal of hiring new consultants who can perform 1) do mathematics accurately, 2) get it done quickly, and (most importantly) interpret information CORRECTLY.

In short, having the ability to solve problems realistically is a BIG DEAL.

McKinsey PST Format

The computer-based test consists of approximately 26 questions plus lasts 60 minutes. No business history is needed to take the test, but being familiar with some commonly used business conditions is useful (see the particular McKinsey PST Frequently Used Conditions section of Part II of this Guide Below). You are permitted to use pen, pencil or even paper. No calculators or computing devices are permitted.

Typically the graphical chart or even table of statistical data is presented along with some detailed text about a firm or industry. four - 5 questions follow that make reference to the chart. The 2 most problem query types are:

1) Math Word Problem - Given the information in Table Times, calculate A, M or C.

The, B or D might be profit margins. It could be figuring out which company’s profits were bigger two years ago. It may be calculating the difference in sales from nowadays vs 2 years back for two different businesses - and figuring out which company had the bigger change.

In the US, all of us call these “word problems”. The purpose of these types of problems is to give you raw data and information conveyed inside a text paragraph, and find out if you can figure out the particular math equation necessary to solve the problem. Often the actual math computation isn’t difficult (its just addition, subtraction, multiplication or department; often math troubles are based on percentages -- growth rate, cost expressed as a percent of sales, or even profits as a portion of sales, product sales of this year versus 3 years ago expressed as a percentage).

Why is the word problem difficult is a) Time, b) Time, c) Time.

Amongst those who pass the McKinsey Problem Solving Test, the consistent feedback was they completed with barely sufficient time. The most common reasons for creating a mistake for a math word problem is misreading, misunderstanding, or misinterpreting the data presented or even what the question had been asking. The other big reason is computational error.

When I took my first McKinsey PST practice test, I actually missed several complications. To be fair, I had developed a newborn baby at home and was resting 3 hours a night at the time, and am made a LOT of careless errors. My mistakes: I thought they were wondering one thing, when they were really asking another. I rushed the particular computation, and produced mistakes.

2) Data Interpretation - “Given X chart, which usually of the following a conclusion are accurate: ”

The other type of question isn’t computationally intense, but rather tests your own logic and critical reasoning skills. You can be asked to refer to a chart or even data table (mini spreadsheet with numbers) and asked several variation of the question: Which conclusion is appropriate?

Variations of this question including presenting you with potential answers that are a) definitively correct, b) could be correct but you can not be 100% sure, c) definitely incorrect. The answers that are trickiest are ones that seem in line with the data, but is NOT totally conclusive. Do you want to ace the McKinsey PST? Read this!, McKinsey PST: the best information and preparation, Learn to do the McKinsey Problem Solving Test with ease