The GMAT-style test at BCG, EY-Parthenon and KPMG: format, sample questions and practice

These questions come from the bank our members practise on. Answer, and the correction appears straight away with the reasoning.

The GMAT-style test rests on two sections. The first, which we call the Potential Test, shows you a table of figures (results by division, a price grid, commissions) and a question whose answer you must type: there are no options to guide you. The second is a situational judgement section. You are given a company rule, then the way it was applied in a specific case, and you must say two things at once: was the rule followed, and is the outcome the one you would expect.

The table below describes the format we reproduce on FrameLab. The exact set-up at each firm is spelled out in your invitation.

On FrameLab, a full series has 15 questions per section, that is 30 questions in about 51 minutes. The bank holds 120 questions for this test, split into 4 series with no question in common.

Three firms in our directory use this format. BCG runs a GMAT-style test after the first interview, which makes it a full step of the process rather than a mere entry filter. EY-Parthenon and KPMG, for their strategy consulting practice, send a GMAT-style online test of about 30 minutes.

• BCGGMAT-style test, after the first interview
• EY-ParthenonGMAT-style online test, 30 minutes
• KPMGGMAT-style online test, 30 minutes

Table questions seldom call for a single calculation. You first have to find the right rows, discard a column that serves no purpose, then chain two or three operations. Judgement questions always offer the same four answers, and everything turns on a threshold or a deadline tucked into the rule. The five questions below come from our bank.

1. Question 1, Situational judgement

   • Rule: Purchase orders must be signed by two people: the requester and the budget owner. An order signed by only one person is invalid.
   • Application: A purchase order was signed by the requester and the budget owner. The supplier refused to process it.

   Was the rule applied correctly, and is the outcome the one you would expect?

   • A.The application follows the rule correctly and the outcome is expected.
   • B.The application follows the rule incorrectly and the outcome is expected.
   • C.The application follows the rule correctly and the outcome is unexpected.
   • D.The application follows the rule incorrectly and the outcome is unexpected.
   Show the answer and the worked solution

   Answer: The application follows the rule correctly and the outcome is unexpected.

   Handle the two halves of the question separately. The rule first: both required signatures are there, so it was applied correctly. Then the outcome: a valid order should be processed, yet the supplier refuses it, which is unexpected. Correct application, unexpected outcome.

2. Question 2, Situational judgement

   • Rule: Expense claims above €200 require an original receipt. Without a receipt, the refund is capped at 50% of the amount.
   • Application: An employee submitted a €350 expense claim without a receipt. He was refunded €350.

   Was the rule applied correctly, and is the outcome the one you would expect?

   • A.The application follows the rule correctly and the outcome is expected.
   • B.The application follows the rule incorrectly and the outcome is expected.
   • C.The application follows the rule correctly and the outcome is unexpected.
   • D.The application follows the rule incorrectly and the outcome is unexpected.
   Show the answer and the worked solution

   Answer: The application follows the rule incorrectly and the outcome is unexpected.

   The claim is above €200 and has no receipt: the refund should have been capped at half, that is €175. The employee receives €350, so the rule was misapplied, and this full refund is not the outcome the rule leads you to expect. Incorrect application, unexpected outcome.

3. Question 3, Situational judgement

   • Rule: Any customer who makes a purchase of more than €500 automatically gets a 10% discount on their next purchase. The discount is valid for 90 days.
   • Application: A customer bought a €600 product. 60 days later, he made another purchase but received no discount.

   Was the rule applied correctly, and is the outcome the one you would expect?

   • A.The application follows the rule correctly and the outcome is expected.
   • B.The application follows the rule incorrectly and the outcome is expected.
   • C.The application follows the rule correctly and the outcome is unexpected.
   • D.The application follows the rule incorrectly and the outcome is unexpected.
   Show the answer and the worked solution

   Answer: The application follows the rule incorrectly and the outcome is unexpected.

   Check every numerical condition: €600 is indeed above the €500 threshold, and 60 days falls within the 90-day window. The customer was therefore entitled to the discount. He does not get it: the rule was misapplied and the outcome is unexpected. These questions nearly always turn on a threshold or a deadline read too quickly.

4. Question 4, Potential Test

   Quarterly results (in €k)

   Division	Revenue	Variable costs	Fixed costs
   Industry	2400	1680	320
   Services	1800	990	280
   Retail	3200	2240	450

   Which division has the highest net margin rate, computed as (revenue - variable costs - fixed costs) / revenue? Give that rate as a percentage.

   Answer to be typed in %

   Show the answer and the worked solution

   Answer: 29%

   Industry: (2400 - 1680 - 320) / 2400 = 400 / 2400, or 16.7%. Services: (1800 - 990 - 280) / 1800 = 530 / 1800, or 29.4%. Retail: (3200 - 2240 - 450) / 3200 = 510 / 3200, or 15.9%. Services has the best margin, about 29%. You can save time by estimating first: Retail has the largest revenue but also the heaviest costs, so it cannot win.

5. Question 5, Potential Test

   Marketing budget by channel (in €k)

   Channel	T1	T2	T3	T4	Conversion rate (%)
   Paid search (Google Ads)	45	52	60	70	3.2
   Social media	30	38	42	48	1.8
   Email	8	10	12	15	5.5
   Outdoor	25	20	15	10	0.4
   Partnerships	18	22	28	35	4.1
   Events	35	40	25	55	2.6

   The conversion rate is the average yearly percentage of leads converted into customers.

   What is the total marketing budget for the year, across all channels?

   Answer to be typed in €k

   Show the answer and the worked solution

   Answer: 758 €k

   Add up the four quarters of each channel: paid search 227, social media 158, email 45, outdoor 70, partnerships 103, events 155. The total is €758k. The conversion rate column is there to distract you: it has no place in a budget. Adding by column (Q1 = 161, Q2 = 182, Q3 = 182, Q4 = 233) gives the same total and lets you check.

1. 1

   Read the question before the table

   A ten-row table is not meant to be read in full. Start from the question, find the two or three cells you need and ignore the rest, apart from the notes under the table.
2. 2

   Estimate before you calculate

   An order of magnitude worked out in five seconds tells you whether your result is plausible. Since the answer is typed, a misplaced decimal point will not show up any other way.
3. 3

   Split the judgement in two

   First answer "was the rule followed?", then "does the outcome follow from the rule?". Handling them together pushes you towards the answer that feels fairest rather than the most logical one.
4. 4

   Practise against the clock

   Under a minute and a half per calculation question is short when you have to type an exact figure. Only timed series give you the right pace.