Consulting Assessment Tests: Every Test by Firm, Format, and How to Prepare (2026)

What consulting assessment test will you face? That depends entirely on the firm and office you apply to. BCG uses Casey and Pymetrics. McKinsey uses Solve. Bain uses SOVA in Europe and TestGorilla in the US. Deloitte and KPMG use SHL. Some firms add Hogan personality assessments on top. There is no single "consulting assessment test" — there are at least 7 distinct platforms across the top 10 firms, each with different formats, timing, and scoring.

This guide maps every major test to the firms that use it, breaks down each format, and gives you a prep strategy that accounts for the fact that your Pymetrics results follow you across firms for 330 days.

Every Consulting Assessment Test by Firm

The most common mistake we see: candidates prepare for the wrong test. A candidate targeting Bain London who studies for Pymetrics instead of SOVA loses a week of prep time. Use this table to confirm your test, then verify against your invitation email.

Sources: BCG Assessments Guide, Deloitte Aptitude Test Guide, KPMG Aptitude Test Guide, Bain SOVA Guide.

Pymetrics: 12 Neuroscience Games (BCG, Bain, Accenture)

Pymetrics measures 91 cognitive, emotional, and behavioral traits through 12 mini-games — no questions, no text answers, just gameplay. Each game lasts 1-3 minutes and tracks metrics like reaction time, risk tolerance, attention allocation, and fairness behavior. Your results are compared against the behavioral profiles of high-performing consultants at the firm you applied to.

Critical rule: Your Pymetrics results are stored for 330 days. If you take the test for BCG and then apply to Accenture within that window, Accenture sees the same results. You cannot retake it. This means your first sitting determines your profile across every Pymetrics-using employer for nearly a year.

The 12 Games

Prep strategy: Play the official Pymetrics demo once to understand each game's interface. Do not try to game the system — Pymetrics detects inconsistent behavior patterns and the algorithm is benchmarked against real consultant performance profiles, not ideal scores. Be well-rested, play in a quiet environment, and respond naturally.

Source: Prepmatter Pymetrics Guide, BCG Pymetrics Guide.

For a deeper dive into BCG's full assessment pipeline including Casey, see the BCG online case Casey guide.

SHL Tests: The Big Four Standard (Deloitte, KPMG, PwC)

SHL is the most widely used psychometric platform in consulting — Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, and numerous Tier 2 firms all use SHL's TalentCentral system. The battery typically includes numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and inductive (logical) reasoning, each timed separately.

SHL Format Breakdown

Cut score: The estimated threshold across Deloitte and KPMG is the 70th percentile — you need to outperform roughly 70% of the norm group. The numerical section is weighted most heavily for finance-oriented roles (Audit, Deals, Tax), while verbal reasoning matters more for advisory and consulting lines.

Worked Example: SHL Numerical Question

A table shows quarterly revenue for three product lines:

Question: What was the percentage increase in Gamma's revenue from Q1 to Q4?

Solution: (7.0 - 5.1) / 5.1 = 1.9 / 5.1 = 37.3%. Target time: 45-60 seconds.

Follow-up: What percentage of total Q4 revenue came from Alpha? Total Q4 = 15.2 + 9.8 + 7.0 = 32.0. Alpha share = 15.2 / 32.0 = 47.5%. Target time: 30-45 seconds.

Deloitte adds a twist: Beyond the standard SHL battery, Deloitte uses an Immersive Online Assessment — a 35-question, 80-100 minute scenario simulation where you make decisions as a Deloitte consultant working through a realistic client engagement. This requires separate preparation from SHL drills.

Source: SHL Expert Test Guide, Deloitte Online Assessment Guide.

SOVA: Bain's 5-Section Battery (European Offices)

Bain's SOVA assessment is a 60-75 minute test covering situational judgement, verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, logical reasoning, and personality — scored on both accuracy and speed. It is used primarily by Bain's European and Middle Eastern offices, including London.

We wrote a dedicated deep-dive on this test: Bain SOVA test guide. The key facts:

• 5 sections, ~15 questions each, ~75 questions total
• No visible timer, but speed is tracked and affects your score
• Dual scoring: correct answers given quickly outscore correct answers given slowly
• Benchmarked against consulting-specific norms, not general population
• Cross-section consistency matters — a strong numerical score does not compensate for a weak verbal score

If you are applying to Bain's US offices, you will likely take TestGorilla instead. Check your invitation email.

Hogan Assessments: Personality Under the Microscope

Hogan assessments are used by select consulting firms and many corporate strategy teams as personality screens. Unlike cognitive tests, Hogan has no math, no charts, and no right or wrong answers. It measures personality patterns that predict workplace performance — and derailment.

The Hogan suite includes three instruments:

What gets flagged: Extreme HDS scores are the primary risk. A candidate who scores very high on "Bold" (overconfidence) and very low on "Prudence" (rule-following) may be seen as a liability in client-facing consulting roles. The HPI and MVPI establish baseline personality fit; the HDS identifies potential problems under stress.

Based on 500+ practice sessions we have reviewed, the most common mistake on Hogan is overthinking — candidates who try to reverse-engineer the "right" answer produce inconsistent response patterns that the system detects. Answer at a natural pace and be consistent.

Source: Hogan Assessments Official, Hogan Assessments Guide.

McKinsey Solve and BCG Casey: Case-Based Assessments

Unlike pure cognitive tests, McKinsey Solve and BCG Casey test case-solving ability through digital simulations. These are closer to actual consulting work than SHL or Pymetrics.

McKinsey Solve (2026 format): 2 games — Redrock Study (6 mini-cases with data interpretation) and Sea Wolf (30-minute ocean ecosystem optimization). Total active time: 65 minutes. The old Ecosystem Creation game was phased out globally as of July 2025. For full prep strategy, see the McKinsey Solve guide.

BCG Casey: 30-minute chatbot-based case with 8-10 questions covering structuring, quantitative analysis, data interpretation, and critical thinking, followed by a 60-second video recommendation. No pausing, no skipping, no going back. Full breakdown in the BCG Casey guide.

How to Prepare: The 10-Day Plan

Test Your Knowledge

Related Guides

• Bain SOVA test guide — deep dive on Bain's 5-section European assessment
• BCG online case Casey guide — BCG's chatbot case format and scoring
• McKinsey Solve guide — Redrock Study and Sea Wolf breakdown
• BCG case interview guide — what happens after you pass the assessment
• Behavioral interview consulting — the behavioral skills these tests screen for
• Case interview frameworks guide — the structured thinking Casey and Solve evaluate
• Consulting career path — the full recruiting timeline from assessment to offer

Sources (checked April 8, 2026)

• BCG Online Assessments Guide: https://www.graduatesfirst.com/bcg-assessment-tests
• BCG Pymetrics Guide (CaseBasix): https://www.casebasix.com/pages/bcg-pymetrics-test-ultimate-guide
• BCG Pymetrics Guide (Hacking the Case): https://www.hackingthecaseinterview.com/pages/bcg-pymetrics-test
• Prepmatter Pymetrics Complete Guide: https://prepmatter.com/blog/pymetrics-test
• SHL Expert Test Guide (CareerTestPrep): https://www.careertestprep.com/knowledge/what-is
• KPMG Aptitude Test Guide: https://www.careertestprep.com/knowledge/kpmg-aptitude-test
• Deloitte Aptitude Test Guide: https://www.careertestprep.com/knowledge/deloitte-aptitude-test
• Deloitte Online Assessment (MConsultingPrep): https://mconsultingprep.com/deloitte-online-assessment
• Bain SOVA Guide (CaseBasix): https://www.casebasix.com/pages/bain-aptitude-test-sova-ultimate-guide
• Hogan Assessments Official: https://www.hoganassessments.com/assessment/hogan-personality-inventory/
• McKinsey Solve (CaseBasix): https://www.casebasix.com/pages/mckinsey-problem-solving-game-solve-full-guide
• McKinsey Solve Updates (Prepmatter): https://prepmatter.com/blog/whats-new-in-mckinsey-solve-2025
• PrepLounge Aptitude Tests Overview: https://www.preplounge.com/en/blog/consulting/interview/aptitude-tests