McKinsey Solve Guide 2026: Walkthrough of Every Game
A McKinsey Solve guide and walkthrough for 2026: what each game looks like, 65, 85 and 95 minute invitations, what is scored, and links to every guide.
November 4, 2026 · 27 min readMcKinsey Solve guides: every game, before and after the test
Start with the McKinsey Solve guide, then go deep on each game, your invitation, preparation and results. Every guide is dated, sourced and reviewed by Esteban Ronsin; see what changed in 2026.
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McKinsey Solve 
McKinsey Solve McKinsey Solve Changes in 2026: Dated Update Log
Is there a new McKinsey Solve game in 2026? A dated log of reported changes, including the 95-minute invitation and new SFL, with sources and confidence.
October 19, 2026 · 12 min read
McKinsey Solve McKinsey Online Assessments by Role: What Is Known
Which McKinsey online assessment might apply to your role, what is official versus reported, and how to read your invitation before choosing practice.
October 19, 2026 · 14 min read
McKinsey Solve McKinsey Solve FAQ: 30 Short Answers for 2026
Short, sourced answers to what candidates ask about McKinsey Solve: format, timing, rules, scores, results and retakes, each linked to a full guide.
October 19, 2026 · 15 min read
McKinsey Solve What McKinsey Solve Measures: Skills in Each Game
What does McKinsey Solve test? McKinsey says analytical thinking and problem solving. Where each skill shows up in Red Rock, Sea Wolf and the SFL.
October 19, 2026 · 15 min read
Games
Red Rock McKinsey Redrock (Red Rock) Game: Format, Traps and a Method
McKinsey Redrock, also spelled Red Rock or Redrock Island: the Study and six Cases, a 35-minute budget, the five traps that cost points and a method.
November 4, 2026 · 24 min read
Sea Wolf McKinsey Sea Wolf Game: Practice Method, Sum Checks and Puzzles
McKinsey Sea Wolf, also called the ocean treatment or microbe game: three reported sites, average ranges, trait rules, a sum check and two worked puzzles.
November 4, 2026 · 24 min read
Sustainable Futures Lab McKinsey Sustainable Futures Lab (SFL) 2026: Both Formats and a Worked Example
McKinsey Sustainable Futures Lab (SFL), or Sustainable Future Lab: the 20-minute ranking version, the newer 30-minute team version and a worked example.
November 4, 2026 · 19 min read
Red Rock Red Rock Math: Eight Worked Calculation Types
McKinsey Redrock math on one original dataset: eight calculation types, the tempting wrong answer for each, the seven common errors and a quick check.
November 4, 2026 · 16 min read
Red Rock Red Rock Time Management: A 35-Minute Budget
How long is McKinsey Redrock? Candidates report about 35 minutes. A minute-by-minute budget for the Study and six Cases, and what to drop when behind.
November 4, 2026 · 15 min read
Sea Wolf McKinsey Sea Wolf Tips and Cheat Sheet: Rules for Every Step
McKinsey Sea Wolf tips on one screen: what to read and check at each step, the mistakes that break a treatment, and sum targets on an original example.
November 4, 2026 · 20 min read
Sea Wolf Sea Wolf Excel Solver or Sum Shortcut: Check Any Treatment
Want a Sea Wolf Excel solver? Outside tools are banned in Solve. Check a three-microbe treatment by hand with sum targets, worked on an original pool.
November 4, 2026 · 22 min read
Sustainable Futures Lab Sustainable Futures Lab Ranking Task: A Worked Example
How the reported opening ranking task in McKinsey's Sustainable Futures Lab works, with an original worked ranking, a consistency check and common errors.
October 19, 2026 · 18 min read
Sustainable Futures Lab The 30-Minute Sustainable Futures Lab: What Is Reported
What candidates report about the newer 30-minute Sustainable Futures Lab in 95-minute McKinsey Solve invitations: the team, the days, decisions and prep.
October 19, 2026 · 19 min read
Red Rock Red Rock Practice Questions: Six Worked Mini-Cases
Six original McKinsey Redrock practice questions with worked answers and the tempting wrong answer: percentages, shares, rates, a chart and a finding.
November 4, 2026 · 17 min read
McKinsey Solve McKinsey Solve Sample Questions: One Worked Example per Game
Original McKinsey Solve sample questions for Redrock, Sea Wolf and the SFL, each with a worked answer and the check that catches the usual error.
November 4, 2026 · 7 min read
Before the test
Before the assessment McKinsey Solve 65, 85 or 95 Minutes: Which Games You Get
How long is McKinsey Solve? Candidates report 65, 85 or 95 minute invitations. Which games each length includes, and how to prep for the 30-minute SFL.
October 19, 2026 · 15 min read
Before the assessment McKinsey Solve Timeline: Invitation, Deadline and Results
When the Solve invitation arrives, how long you have to complete it, and when candidates report hearing back, with what is official and what is reported.
November 4, 2026 · 19 min read
Before the assessment McKinsey Solve Invitation: Timing, Deadline and Next Steps
Not everyone gets a McKinsey Solve invitation. What your email tells you, how long you have, who to ask for an extension and how to prepare in time.
November 4, 2026 · 20 min read
Test day McKinsey Solve Test Day: Timeline, Rules, What to Expect
What to expect on McKinsey Solve test day: a PC or Mac, a tech check, an untimed tutorial per game, no AI or notes, and what to do if Solve freezes.
November 4, 2026 · 15 min read
Before the assessment McKinsey Solve Technical Issues: Tech Check, Errors and Fixes
McKinsey Solve needs a PC or Mac and runs a tech check first. What to do if the check fails, graphics performance fails, the link breaks or it freezes.
November 4, 2026 · 18 min read
Before the assessment McKinsey Solve Accommodations: Extra Time and Support
McKinsey offers Solve accommodations for a disability, health condition or learning difficulty. Ask your recruiter early; no set extra time is published.
October 19, 2026 · 13 min read
Before the assessment Is McKinsey Solve Proctored? Camera Rules and Desk Checklist
Is McKinsey Solve proctored? McKinsey does not say so or confirm a camera, but it bans AI, apps and notes and may check your logic after the test.
November 4, 2026 · 15 min read
Before the assessment Can You Use ChatGPT on McKinsey Solve? AI Integrity Rules
What McKinsey's Solve rules say about ChatGPT, other AI, Excel and calculators, what is not published about detection, and how to use AI to prepare.
November 4, 2026 · 6 min read
Preparation
Preparation How to Prepare for McKinsey Solve: 7 Days, 3 Days or 48 Hours
How to prepare for McKinsey Solve: a day-by-day plan for a week, three days or the last 48 hours, how long to prepare, and what to practise per game.
October 19, 2026 · 17 min read
Preparation McKinsey Solve Tips: 15 Tips That Protect Your Score
McKinsey Solve tips and tricks: 15 practical tips for Red Rock, Sea Wolf, the Sustainable Futures Lab and test day, each with the mistake it prevents.
November 4, 2026 · 20 min read
Preparation Is McKinsey Solve Hard? Where Candidates Lose Points
What makes McKinsey Solve hard for prepared candidates: time pressure, Red Rock units, Sea Wolf trade-offs and SFL consistency, and how to train each.
October 19, 2026 · 15 min read
Preparation McKinsey Solve vs BCG Casey vs Bain SOVA: Assessments Compared
How McKinsey Solve, BCG Casey and Bain SOVA differ in format, timing, retake rules and skills, with what to prepare if you only have one invite.
October 19, 2026 · 15 min read
Preparation Red Rock vs Sea Wolf: Which Game to Practise First
How McKinsey Red Rock and Sea Wolf differ in skills, pace and typical errors, with a five-minute self-test that tells you which one to practise first.
October 19, 2026 · 15 min read
Preparation McKinsey Solve Cheat Sheet: Every Game on One Page
A one-page McKinsey Solve cheat sheet for preparation: the Redrock formulas, Sea Wolf sum checks and SFL ranking steps, linked to a full guide for each.
November 4, 2026 · 6 min read
After the test
Scores & results McKinsey Solve Pass Rate: What Is Known and What Is Not
Prep sites put the McKinsey Solve pass rate at 20 to 30%. Where each figure comes from, the hiring funnel, why candidates fail, and what decides advancing.
October 19, 2026 · 15 min read
Scores & results McKinsey Solve Scores and Results: What Your Result Can Tell You
McKinsey publishes no Solve score scale or cutoff. What a good McKinsey Solve score means, how results are reported, and how to tell if you passed.
November 4, 2026 · 16 min read
Scores & results Failed McKinsey Solve? Retake and Reapply Rules
McKinsey publishes no Solve retake rule or waiting period. What to ask your recruiter, how a tech reset differs, and how to practise before reapplying.
November 4, 2026 · 17 min read
History
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