Free McKinsey Red Rock Simulation
Play the Study and six Cases once, free, with your score and a worked debrief.
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The quick version: Red Rock is the McKinsey Solve case study module. Candidates report roughly 35 minutes across sequential phases, interpreting exhibits, calculating with a built-in calculator, and submitting numerical and written outputs. McKinsey has not published a detailed official breakdown, and details vary by cycle.
By Esteban Ronsin, ex-Deloitte and Accenture strategy consultant. Built and reviewed with former McKinsey, BCG and Bain consultants. Updated .
How a free run works.
Warm up
One warm-up question, then the Study starts.
Play the Study and six Cases
A 35-minute advisory practice clock; answers still count after zero.
Get your score
Your score the moment you finish, phase by phase.
Learn it untimed. Rehearse it on the clock.
Learning mode
Learning mode comes with the pack.
Simulation mode
Visual feedback on every step.
Where your numbers split from the worked ones, line by line.
The worked solution step by step, and the rule to carry over.
Each response marked with its points, so you know what to re-run.
After each answer, your path next to the worked path, before you move on.
Try one complete Red Rock run free: the Study and six Cases on a 35-minute practice clock. Start without an account; create a free account to finish and keep your score and worked debrief, including highlighted calculations and charts. No payment is required for this first run or its worked review. Additional simulations are in paid packs.
What does a full Red Rock simulation include?
One full simulation, start to finish: the Study and all six Cases on one 35-minute clock, scored when you submit. Simulation 1 is free in full. The scenario, exhibits and numbers are original Road to Offer content, not an official McKinsey case.
| Free | Simulation 1 in full (Calderas Mining: should the miner fund an electric-haul rollout?): the Study and six Cases, 13 scored decisions worth 36 points, 35 minutes in Simulation mode. Your score and full worked review are included free. Start without an account; a free account is required to finish and keep the report. Additional simulations are in paid packs. |
|---|---|
| Clock | One advisory 35-minute clock in Simulation mode: answers still count after zero. Paid Learning mode is untimed and lets you repair one answer while preserving your first score. |
| Study: Investigation | Read the briefing and exhibits, then save the values you will need to a research journal. Saving evidence is not scored. |
| Study: Analysis | Three calculations: split an $84 million budget across four categories, compare tonnage growth from 2026 to 2029, and rank pits by average annual growth. |
| Study: Report | Complete the written board memo, choose the chart that fits the question, then build that chart from your numbers. |
| Six Cases | Standalone questions on new data: choose the evidence a plan needs, a supplier percentage share, the hub with the highest certified share, mean versus median delay, a complement probability and a budget reallocation ratio. |
| Tools | Research journal and an on-screen calculator, available through the Study. |
| Scoring | 13 scored decisions worth 36 points in total. |
| Your result | Your points, where you lost them by stage, your strongest and weakest step, and worked feedback on each submitted decision, with highlighted calculations and charts. The completed free run includes this review. Investigation is unscored. |
| Library | The full Red Rock simulation library, including the free Simulation 1. |
| Learning mode | Follow the study step by step with untimed coaching and feedback as you go. Included with the Red Rock pack, the Solve pack or qualifying Annual access; Learning is not free. |
Which other Solve games can you practice?
Each one has a free full run with a worked debrief.
Why does the right calculation start with the right evidence?
The calculation in a Red Rock phase is usually something a competent candidate could do untimed without error. What breaks people is everything around it: a unit line buried in an exhibit footnote, a fixed cost that does not scale with volume, a journal full of true facts that have nothing to do with the question. The assessment is testing whether you read carefully under time pressure and whether you notice which information actually changes the answer. That is the same skill that separates a clean case interview from one where the candidate confidently computes the wrong thing.
How does the Red Rock study work?
You get the client objective, a briefing, and exhibits. The research journal is where you save the facts you think matter: some change the calculation and some are context, and telling them apart is the skill. The built-in calculator handles the arithmetic, so you are testing your reasoning rather than your mental math. Then enter each response in the stated unit. Start without an account; a free account keeps your answer and continues the same attempt through the full Simulation 1, the Study and six Cases, in the app. Free Simulation runs one advisory 35-minute clock and shows the free first-step result and explanation, then holds later verdicts for the final report. Your completed free run includes that worked report with highlighted calculations and charts. The Red Rock pack, Solve pack or qualifying Annual access includes untimed Learning with step-by-step coaching and feedback as you progress, plus one repair that preserves your first score. The examples below teach the method using original practice material, not official questions.
View worked examples →
3 worked
The three Red Rock reading traps
Three original teaching examples. Try each before reading the approach; they are not recorded user answers or a measurement of how often candidates make these mistakes.
- Example 1
An exhibit reports volumes in kilotonnes. The cost figures are per tonne. What happens if you miss the footnote?
ApproachReconcile units before computing anything. When an exhibit's unit differs from the rate's unit, convert explicitly and write the converted figure down rather than holding it in your head.
AnswerYour answer is wrong by a factor of a thousand and looks plausible.
- Example 2
Switching suppliers saves a fixed amount per unit but adds a fixed annual lease. Does the lease affect annual profit?
ApproachFixed costs still hit profit; they just do not scale. Compute the variable saving across total volume, then subtract the fixed charge once.
AnswerYes. Gross saving minus the fixed charge is the answer the client asked for.
- Example 3
The question asks for an answer in thousands of dollars and you computed 6,230,000.
ApproachRead the requested unit last, before you submit, and convert. Assessments that state a unit mark on it.
AnswerEnter 6,230. Divide dollars by 1,000 when the requested unit is thousands of dollars.
Your first Red Rock run is free.
View common mistakes →
4 pitfalls
Four ways candidates lose a Red Rock phase
- Computing before reading the exhibit footnotesFootnotes carry units, scope, and exclusions. Read every one before touching the calculator; it costs fifteen seconds and prevents the most expensive class of error.
- Treating every true fact as a relevant factAsk what changes the number. Employee headcount and unrelated industry trends are usually true, provided deliberately, and irrelevant.
- Forgetting fixed costs because they are not per-unitSeparate variable from fixed explicitly, compute the variable effect across volume, then apply the fixed item once.
- Ignoring the requested unitRe-read the answer field label before submitting. Dollars, thousands, and millions describe different numerical answers; follow the unit stated in your own question.
How do you solve Redrock-style study questions?
Use this order: objective, evidence, relationship, calculation, implication. The same disciplined setup that structure drills build for frameworks applies to a data study.
- Restate the objective. Know the exact quantity or decision the study needs before opening every data point.
- Label relevant evidence. A true fact can still be irrelevant. Save facts because they enter the answer, not because they look important.
- Write the relationship. For example, total impact may equal population multiplied by rate. Writing the relationship exposes missing inputs before the calculator does, and keeping a short menu of consulting math formulas in mind makes this step faster.
- Calculate without dropping units. Keep percentage versus decimal, thousands versus units, and period definitions visible.
- Check the answer against the question. A correct calculation can still answer the wrong comparison.
The three reading traps, worked
Steps 4 and 5 are where most points go. These original examples use invented numbers, not the free simulation's.
Units. An exhibit lists 2,400 kt of ore while every cost is per tonne. Convert first: 2,400 kt × 1,000 = 2,400,000 tonnes. Missing the footnote leaves an answer that is out by a factor of 1,000 and still looks plausible.
Fixed costs. A new supplier saves $9.60 − $6.10 = $3.50 per tonne across 2,400,000 tonnes, or $8,400,000 a year, but adds a $1,200,000 annual lease. The lease is subtracted once: $8,400,000 − $1,200,000 = $7,200,000.
Answer units. The question asks for thousands of dollars and your calculation gives $6,230,000. Enter 6,230, because $6,230,000 ÷ 1,000 = 6,230.
Which Redrock math should you practice?
You do not need advanced mathematics. You need reliable setup, clean units, and enough pacing discipline to avoid spending several minutes rescuing one avoidable mistake. Timed case interview math practice and short math drills build that reliability.
What does a seven-day Redrock preparation plan look like?
Spread the number work across mental math for case interviews and quick case interview math tips so each day targets a different weakness.
McKinsey says Solve is a gamified assessment of problem-solving ability and that performance is considered with the rest of the application. Its official guidance also prohibits recording, screenshots, outside tools, and assistance during the live assessment. Practice beforehand; do the real assessment alone.
How do you review a wrong Redrock answer?
Trace the error backwards instead of repeating the final calculation. Start with the submitted unit, then inspect the equation, the evidence saved to the journal, and finally the original objective. This reverse order finds the first broken link quickly.
A good debrief ends with one changed behavior. "Be more careful" is not observable. "Write the denominator beside every percentage before calculating" is.
Where does Redrock fit in Solve?
The complete Redrock Study guide covers reported format details and more worked math. The McKinsey Solve guide explains how Redrock, Sea Wolf, and SFL fit together — if your invitation includes those tasks, Road to Offer offers a free run of each, with additional simulations in paid packs.
McKinsey and Solve are trademarks of McKinsey & Company. Road to Offer is independent and is not endorsed by McKinsey.
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Practise a McKinsey case next
An EV fast-charging network needs a turnaround: the exhibit maths Red Rock tests, in a live case. Free, scored on every step.
Keep going
- McKinsey Red Rock study guideThe data-heavy game, step by step.
- McKinsey Solve guideAll the games, the scoring and how to prepare.
- Sea Wolf practiceThe other game in every invitation, free to start.
- Does everyone get McKinsey Solve?Who is invited, and which games each invitation lists.
- Free Solve PDF guidesA free preview of the step-by-step guide for every Solve game.
- All McKinsey assessmentsEvery Solve game, free to start.
McKinsey Red Rock questions
Red Rock is the case study module of McKinsey Solve. Candidates report roughly 35 minutes working through sequential phases, interpreting data exhibits, performing calculations with a built-in calculator, and submitting numerical answers plus a structured recommendation. McKinsey has not published a detailed official breakdown, so phase counts and timing should be treated as candidate-reported and cycle-dependent.
The full Simulation 1: a warm-up, a Study where you save evidence to a research journal, run three calculations and write the report, then six standalone Cases. That is 13 scored decisions worth 36 points on an advisory 35-minute Simulation clock, with an on-screen calculator. Start without an account; a free account is required to finish and keep your score and full worked debrief, at no charge.
35 minutes in Simulation mode, the length candidates commonly report for the Study and Cases together. The practice clock is advisory: answers still count after zero. Paid Learning mode has no clock, so you can work through the method step by step with coaching and feedback as you go. It is included with the Red Rock pack, Solve pack or qualifying Annual access. Your own invitation and tutorial set the timing of the real assessment.
Your points out of 36, where you lost points by stage, your strongest and weakest step, and worked feedback on each submitted decision, with highlighted calculations and charts. This full review is included with your completed free run; no payment is required. In paid Learning mode you can repair one answer; the repair is shown, and your first score stands.
No. The client, exhibits, journal facts, and figures are original Road to Offer content, and Road to Offer is not affiliated with McKinsey. McKinsey prohibits recording the live assessment. This study practices the reading and calculation discipline Red Rock rewards using our own scenario.
The free run is Simulation mode: one advisory 35-minute clock across the Study and six Cases. The first-step result and explanation are free; later verdicts are held for the included final worked report. Paid Learning mode is untimed, with coaching and feedback as you go and one repair that preserves your first score.
It performs the same job: arithmetic on screen so you are not tested on mental math. The live assessment's calculator interface differs and may change between cycles.
No. Road to Offer practice results describe your performance on our original questions. McKinsey does not publish a Red Rock scoring formula or universal passing threshold. An unscored journal interaction in a practice version does not establish how the official assessment evaluates your work.
Your responses are what gets scored. The journal is where you keep the exhibit facts you need, and deciding which facts matter is a real part of the module, so the review shows which ones changed the calculation.
Yes. Simulation 1 includes the Study and six Cases on a 35-minute practice clock, plus your score and full worked review free. Start without an account; a free account is needed to finish and keep the report. Road to Offer offers one complete free run of each of our four practice formats: SFL Classic, SFL Island, Sea Wolf, Red Rock. The paid Red Rock pack adds further simulations and Learning mode.
Case math drills. Exhibit interpretation plus clean arithmetic under a clock is the exact overlap between Red Rock and live case interviews, and drills grade every rep.
Every Red Rock simulation, ten in total, including the free examples, with permanent access, Learning mode and worked debriefs.
All four practice formats for US$79 once, with permanent access, Learning mode and 41 practices live, including the free examples, and what you paid for this game counts toward the pack.
Simulation 1 in full: the Study and six Cases on a 35-minute advisory clock, with your score and the full debrief, points lost and worked feedback with visuals on submitted decisions; start without an account, then create a free account to finish and keep the review, with no payment required.
If your invite reads "Red Rock and Sea Wolf, 65 minutes" buy the game it names; if it reads "All three with SFL, 85 minutes" the pack is cheaper than buying them one at a time.
Your first Red Rock run is free.
Road to Offer is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by McKinsey. This is original practice content built from publicly available information about the assessment format, not a copy of the live assessment. Formats change between offices and recruiting cycles.
