Online tests in strategy consulting: SHL, GMAT, Gorilla, Roland Berger
Before they meet you in an interview, many strategy consulting firms have you take a timed online test. The test changes from firm to firm: Bain sends a Gorilla test, Kearney and Deloitte an SHL test, BCG, EY-Parthenon and KPMG a GMAT-style test, and Roland Berger has its own. This page says which test goes with each application and points, for each one, to sample questions you can try without an account.
Which four tests should you know?
Four tests cover the firms that use one and that FrameLab reproduces in their real format, 660 questions in all. The times in the table are those of one full practice series on FrameLab; the length of the official test is stated in the firm's invitation.
| Test | Firms | Format | Full series | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHL | Kearney, Deloitte, Simon-Kucher, Advancy | Three interactive sections: charts to build, scheduling under constraints, logical sequences | 90 min | 180 |
| GMAT | BCG, EY-Parthenon, KPMG | Two sections: table-based calculations with a typed answer, and multiple-choice rule application | 51 min | 120 |
| Gorilla | Bain | Three multiple-choice sections: syllogisms, business maths, chart reading | 36 min | 180 |
| Roland Berger | Roland Berger | Three sections: reading comprehension, table-based calculations, symbol matrices | 56 min | 180 |
Which test for which firm?
The table lists, firm by firm, what candidates have reported to us about the test step. When FrameLab offers the matching test, the link leads to its page. McKinsey and Accenture Strategy use game-based assessments that FrameLab does not reproduce.
| Firm | Online test | Practise |
|---|---|---|
| McKinsey | Solve, McKinsey's game-based assessment | Not offered |
| BCG | GMAT-style test, after the first interview | GMAT |
| Bain | 30-minute online Gorilla test: logic, maths, business sense, written English | Gorilla |
| Kearney | SHL test | SHL |
| EY-Parthenon | GMAT-style online test, 30 minutes | GMAT |
| KPMG | GMAT-style online test, 30 minutes | GMAT |
| Roland Berger | Recorded logic and numerical test | Roland Berger |
| Oliver Wyman | No online test on record: screening relies on a close reading of the cover letter | Not offered |
| Simon-Kucher | SHL test | SHL |
| Advancy | Online numerical and logical test, followed by an HR interview | SHL |
| Accenture Strategy | Goshaba tests: a 45-minute game-based assessment (memory, logic, comprehension in French and English) | Not offered |
| Deloitte | SHL-style test | SHL |
| Wavestone | No online test on record: a 30-minute qualifying phone interview | Not offered |
When in the process do you take the test?
The online test usually comes right after CV screening and before the first interview: it reduces the number of candidates the firm meets. BCG is the exception in our data, as its GMAT-style test is taken after the first interview.
A good score does not replace case preparation; it gets you through the door. The most effective approach is to settle the test in a few sessions on the real format, then spend the rest of your time on the interviews.
How do you prepare without spending weeks on it?
- 1
Identify your test
Check in the table which test matches the firms you are applying to. There is no point working on all four if you will only sit one. - 2
Try the sample questions
Each test page offers five or six worked questions, with no account needed. In ten minutes they tell you which sections give you trouble. - 3
Take one full timed series
Time is the real difficulty. A full series in the real format shows you where you lose it, which no list of tips can replace. - 4
Review your mistakes, not your score
The traps repeat from one series to the next: wrong base, a missed table note, a hasty generalisation. Learning to recognise them moves you forward faster than piling up series.
Frequently asked questions
Do all strategy consulting firms use an online test?
No. In the processes we have compiled, Oliver Wyman for instance screens on a close reading of the cover letter and Wavestone starts with a phone interview. The firms that do use a test are listed in the table on this page.
Which test does Bain use?
Bain sends an online Gorilla test of about 30 minutes covering logic, maths, business sense and written English, according to the candidate feedback we have compiled.
Which test does BCG use?
BCG uses a GMAT-style test, which comes after the first interview according to our data. EY-Parthenon and KPMG use an online test of the same kind.
Does FrameLab prepare for McKinsey's test?
No. McKinsey uses its own game-based assessment, which FrameLab does not reproduce. The tests on offer are SHL, GMAT, Gorilla and Roland Berger.
Can you practise for free?
The sample questions on each test page can be done without an account, with the full worked answer. The full series in the real format are part of the FrameLab subscription, which starts with 7 free days.