If you are planning to have an interview with the Boston Consulting Group soon, you will likely have to take the BCG Potential Test.
And if you have no idea what the BCG Potential Test is or how to successfully pass this test, don’t panic:
This article is going to help you understand the ins and outs of the BCG Potential Test.
Also, you’ll learn how to ace this test feared by so many candidates.
Let’s start right now!
Table of Contents
Understand the BCG Potential Test
The BCG Potential Test is a problem-solving test to screen candidates
The BCG Potential Test (also known as the BCG online test, BCG assessment test, or BCG problem-solving test) takes place between the resume screening and the fit/case interviews.
Why?
Because the recruitment costs are rising in all industries.
On average, for 1 job opening, between 100 and 1,000 applications are received.
And it costs a lot of money to review all these resumes and cover letters.
And the Consulting industry is no exception.
That’s why the BCG is using an automatic problem-solving test to assess 2 of the critical skills (see one of the sections below) that a successful candidate must have.
Plus, the candidates who failed the BCG online test would probably have failed their case interviews as well…
And therefore wasted the precious time of consultants.
To a certain extent, the purpose of the BCG Potential Test is equivalent to the objective of the McKinsey PST (now replaced by the Imbellus test) or the Bain Online Test.
The BCG Potential Test is like a business case
The BCG Online Test starts with the introduction of a business problem.
And you’ll have access to a mix of information (texts, tables, and graphs) that is included in between 5 and 10 ‘Docs’.
Then, you will have to use these pieces of information to answer a series of questions to solve the business problem.
At the beginning of the test, you only have access to a couple of docs.
Also, the more you progress into the test, the more docs are unlocked.
The information included in a doc helps you answer a couple of multiple-choice questions (with 4 options).
And the answers to these multiple-choice questions help you solve the initial business problem.
Important: a question may have more than one correct answer.
Important too: sometimes, you need to navigate in several docs to get the information necessary to answer a question.
The BCG Potential Test can come into 2 formats: computer-based or paper-based
There are 2 formats of the BCG Potential Test: computer-based and paper-based.
And you’ll have only to take one of these two formats.
The differences between these 2 formats?
The number of questions to answer and the time allowed to answer these questions.
Important: the computer-based test is by far the most widely used (about 85%-90% of the time).
Nowadays, the paper-based test is for instance used in Russia and Israel.
However, I recommend checking with the HR from the office you’re applying for which format of the test you will have to take.
The scoring system does not favor wild guessing
As clearly stated in the official BCG document, your final score will be evaluated like this: +3 points for every right answer, 0 points for no answer, and -1 points for a wrong answer.
In other words, if you are not sure about what the correct answer is, it’s better to skip the question and move to the next one.
Also, it is generally accepted that the BCG Potential Test passing score is 70%.
In other words, candidates who successfully passed the BCG Test managed to get 70% of the questions correct (i.e. 16 correct answers for the online test).
Again, this percentage may vary from one location to another (and is impossible to know before taking the test).
Important: about the usage of a calculator
In most offices, the usage of a calculator is not allowed.
Given that many questions involve math questions, you must sharpen your mental calculation skills before taking the BCG Problem-Solving Test.
The main challenge: time management
The questions asked are not difficult per se.
However, answering all the questions (and targeting at least 16 correct answers) given the time allowed can be a challenge (and stressful).
That’s why you should practice (plus, see a section below about how to prepare for this test).
Check if you’ll have to take the BCG Potential Test
Before the COVID crisis, only graduates had to take the BCG Potential Test.
In other words, MBA students and experienced professionals did not have to take the BCG online test (the BCG was using the GMAT score as a way to screen candidates).
However, the COVID has changed the rules.
And now I see more and more MBA students and experienced professionals being invited to take the BCG Potential Test.
Finally, the rule may vary from one office to another (again).
That’s why, whatever your situation, I highly recommend that you check with your HR contacts whether or not you’ll need to take this test.
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Know the 2 skills tested in the BCG Potential Test
Before talking about the effective strategies you can use to ace the BCG Online Test, let’s take a look at the 2 skills tested during the test.
Also, I put some sample questions that can be asked during your Boston Consulting Group test.
The first skill tested: your quantitative skill
In the 5 to 10 docs included in a BCG online test, you’ll get a lot of data in different formats such as texts, tables, or graphs.
And to test your quantitative skill, the BCG Potential Test will ask you to answer Math Questions (also known as Word Problems).
Here the BCG measures your proficiency in chart reading and in mental calculations.
For instance, here are some Math questions you can have:
To answer the Math questions correctly, you must be able to read and analyze data presented in multiple formats.
Also, Math questions involve a lot of mental calculations.
The second skill tested: your logical reasoning skill (also known as critical thinking)
Besides Math questions, the BCG Potential Test assesses your ability to derive logical conclusions from facts by asking you to answer deductive logic questions.
In other words, the test measures your ability to analyze data and draw rational conclusions using your reasoning skills.
And you can recognize a deductive logic question when the question starts like this:
- Which of the following statements is supported by the data provided?
- Which of the following, if true, can explain why XXX?
- Based on the information provided, which of the following statements are true?.
For instance, here are some deductive logic questions you can have:
Improve these 2 skills before taking the BCG Potential Test
I have identified 5 ways to improve your quantitative skill and your critical thinking.
As you can see in the above infographic, most sections of the GMAT exams will help you improve your skills.
Besides, since time management is a critical success factor to pass the BCG Potential Test, I recommend practicing with GMAT’s Reading Comprehension sample questions.
Also, confidence, speed, and accuracy come from practice.
That’s why my free course (sign up here) includes a lot of tests and exercises.
Finally, here are some practical steps to prepare for the BCG online test:
Use these 3 strategies during your BCG Potential Test
Strategy #1: how to ace the Math questions
Here is a strategy for acing the Math questions:
Step #1: Read the question carefully (before reading all the information aimlessly).
Step #2: Determine the different elements you need to answer the question. Think of these elements as the variables of an arithmetic equation. And solving this arithmetic equation should answer the question.
Step #3: Search for the value of these elements in the Docs. Important: you might sometimes need to compute 2 or more numbers to get a value you are looking for.
Step #4: Compute numbers to get the answer. Do not estimate. Instead, use precise numbers.
Strategy #2: how to ace the deductive logic questions
Here is a strategy for acing the deductive logic questions:
Step #1: Read the question carefully (before reading all the information aimlessly).
Step #2: Understand the cause-and-effect relationships. Think of all the conditions that must be true for the statement to be valid.
Step #3: Use the information in the Docs to check if the conditions are true or not.
Strategy #3: how to ace time management
This strategy is simple: do not waste your time by watching the clock constantly.
Instead, check the clock every 3 or 4 questions to check how long you are spending on each question (your target should be a maximum of 2 minutes per question).
Practice with these resources
To begin with, you can sign up for my FREE course here, and you’ll be able to download a BCG Potential Test practice pdf document. It’s the official BCG Potential Test practice example.
In addition, many questions asked in the BCG Online Test are closed to questions asked in the GMAT.
That’s why you can also find free GMAT prep resources to prepare for the BCG Online Test in my free course (sign up here).
Conclusion
To conclude, I hope that this article has helped you better understand what the BCG problem-solving test is and how to ace this test.
Now it’s your turn.
Let me know in the comments below which type of questions you are not comfortable with and how I can help you.
The more important thing is to always progress.
Sébastien
Get 4 Complete Case Interview Courses For Free
You need 4 skills to be successful in all case interviews: Case Structuring, Case Leadership, Case Analytics, and Communication. Join this free training and learn how to ace ANY case questions.
This is a great help, thank you. I can’t believe it’s free!
Thank you! Glald you like it. You should try my paid programs, they are even better 🙂
Hi,
Can I get a link to purchase the Solve Course please?
Thanks for your message.
I don’t sell the course SOLVE as a standalone course.
The only way to access it is to buy the course ESTIMATE (and tick the special offer box): https://careerinconsulting.thrivecart.com/estimate/