The first and most comprehensive guide from former McKinsey consultants with
87% pass rate in Solve, McKinsey’s assessment game*
Your benefit
Crack each of the 6 games with our proprietary guide and video insights on the exact steps
Score high with tailored strategies and gameplay walkthroughs based on successful test-taker feedback
Focus on what matters most and don’t waste time in your preparation with proven ways to master all skills
Prepare with 100% confidence for the latest changes in the scenarios with our constant update policy and free 1-year access and update guarantee
Includes the newest Red Rock Game variation
Latest update: March 2023
Our credentials
Helped 7000 students from more than 60 countries since November 2019
Based on 450 test-taker interviews since the inception of the game, expert game designer input, and our McKinsey experience
Includes a 123-page guide, automated Excel templates, and 8 videos (1 hour in total) on the gameplay and winning strategies A FREE 14-PAGE MCKINSEY INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR CASE AND PEI
100% proprietary content – often copied, never equaled
*based on customer feedback from Jan – Feb ’23
LEARN ABOUT THE GAME SECRETS
Save time to focus on content and strategy by learning about the real games, the gameplay mechanics, the trajectories, the user interfaces, and goals of all Imbellus games with detailed pictures and video explanations.
PREPARE MOST EFFECTIVELY
Prepare effectively with content from real game designers and cognitive assessment experts that helped develop this guide, the tools, exercises and materials to improve your performance and skills as tested by Imbellus.
GET THE PERFECT STRATEGY
Benefit from the step-by-step strategies and practical tips we developed with our McKinsey background, expert input and our unique test-taker feedback and strategy database to score high in all games.
Instantly download the 123-page guide, Excel templates, and videos of all games
Choose your offer
Either choose our fully comprehensive Imbellus Game Guide or combine it with our McKinsey Interview Academy, which covers all aspects of the McKinsey case and PEI interview in a series of 40 videos, teaching you the insider secrets.
SOLVE Game GUIDE
€69 €34
Learn everything about the McKinsey Solve Game. Our program has been developed and evolved since November 2019 as the first on the market with a large database of test-taker feedback. The 123-page guide and 8 videos cover: discussion of each game in great detail, effective preparation advice, and successful test-taking strategies (including an Excel for the Ecosystem game). The program has been created by former McKinsey consultants, game designers, and high scoring test-taker feedback!
includes
MCKINSEY SOLVE GUIDEADD TO CARTGUIDE INTERVIEW PREP
€199 €124
All round carefree package. We got your back, covering all aspects of the McKinsey interview process with our diligently crafted and battle-tested Imbellus preparation and 40-part interview video academy with real McKinsey case questions and Personal Experience Interviews. We have created this program to condense our 9 years in McKinsey and interviewer experience to make it accessible for everyone. Learn the techniques that helped 100s of candidates land their offer.
includes
MCKINSEY SOLVE GUIDEMCKINSEY INTERVIEW ACADEMYADD TO CARTHow we ensure our candidates’ success
1
CONSTANT UPDATES
Latest updates on gameplay, mechanics and interfaces based on constant customer feedback cycles with more than 7000 guides sold and more than 450 customer interviews conducted
2
McKINSEY BACKGROUND
Insights into assessment criteria and skills needed beyond what is communicated by McKinsey and Imbellus with tailored preparation plans and materials to upskill every candidate
3
REAL EXPERT INPUT
Key strategies for high-scores provided by actual logic and tower defense game designers, refined by our continuous test-taker feedback – our candidates score significantly better than the average
Covers all possible games of the McKinsey Solve
McKinsey and Imbellus are constantly adjusting the games to prevent candidates from preparing properly, similar as they did with the McKinsey Problem Solving Test in the past. The specific problems in the games and answers change just as the Problem Solving Test questions and answers changed in the past. We interview 10% of our coachees after they took the Solve Game to gather their input on the newest games or variations of existing games. Currently, our guide covers the perfect strategies for the
– Ecosystem creation (mountain, coral reef, and jungle)
– Plant defense (different map sizes, different invaders)
– Redrock study simulation
– Disease identification
– Disaster identification
– Migration planning
See what our clients have to say
For all reviews of our Problem Solving Game Guide, click hereI can wholeheartedly recommend the materials. There is a ton of screenshots in the guide and the video to explain everything you need to do. I had little time to go through the preparation and upskilling section but the strategies I learned were enough to pass.
Lukasz
If you look for another guide or help in general with the McKinsey-Interviewing process: stop. Florian not only wrote with this guide the most comprehensive explanation of the Imbellus Game you can find on the internet, he is also a great support. He is kind, competent and clear.
Arne
Prepared me well for Imbellus. I got a deep understanding of the games and strategies and had a plan ready. The videos on the games are like the actual games
Neysa
This is the best guide in a consulting context I have ever gotten my hands on. […] This guide is not only detailed and covered everything I needed during the prep and helped me pre=draft my approach but also the service provided was so kind and always very swift. […] I just heard back yesterday that I am invited for the next stage and very grateful.
Eleonore
About the authors
Dr. Florian Smeritschnig
Florian spent 5 years with McKinsey as a senior consultant. He is an experienced consulting interviewer and problem-solving coach, having interviewed 100s of candidates in real and mock interviews. He is the most successful MBB coach on PrepLounge with more than 900 sessions and a 100% recommendation rate over the last 2 years and 1,300 interviews in total. He started StrategyCase.com with the goal to make McKinsey more accessible for top-talent and was the first to write about the Solve Game and produce preparation advice. Apart from StrategyCase.com, he works as a freelance consultant and early-stage VC investor.
A network of game designers
A network of game design experts for cognitive assessments and tower defense games have been instrumental in the compilation of this resource. They have shared their combined know-how of 20 years in the industry to craft their contribution and shape this guide. Their help has made it possible for our candidates to get Imbellus game practice (via app recommendations they devloped) and score high on the McKinsey Imbellus test results, with a significant outperformance in the McKinsey Digital Assessment pass rate. Due to the nature of their work, the names are confidential.
More than 450 test-takers
Since the first version of the guide was launched in November 2019, right after the McKinsey London office introduced the McKinsey Imbellus test, we have been collecting feedback from roughly 10% of our customers. Their input continues to be key in adapting the guide with the latest games, variants, and winning strategies. In September 2021, McKinsey rebranded the game as Solve, McKinsey’s assessment game.
INCLUDES A FREE COPY OF
The McKinsey Interview Primer
14-pages to help you fast-track your preparation for the McKinsey Case Interview and the Personal Experience Interview, written by former McKinsey interviewers
There is more…
By purchasing our guide, you get access to our McKinsey applicants’ inner-circle and are eligible for additional discounts on our 1-on-1 coaching sessions as well as the Ready-for-McKinsey Video Academy, and every other preparation product we offer.
StrategyCase.com and its products are not affiliated with, nor endorsed by McKinsey & Company