The BCG online case is a timed business case run by a chatbot, widely nicknamed "Casey". BCG's own candidate guide describes about 40 minutes in total: a short intro video, 35 minutes for 8 to 10 case questions (multiple choice, short answer, fill-in), then a one-minute recorded video answer. It is not BCG's only online screen: US and Mexico Associate applicants also take the Consulting Career Assessment (CCA), built by SHL, and some European offices use a 30-minute cognitive test instead. Below: which test you will get, how each works, and an original Casey-style case.
Key facts
- Platform
- Online case via HireQuotient; CCA built by SHL
- Format
- One case, 8–10 questions, then one video question
- Time
- About 40 min: intro, 35-min case, 5-min video block, 1-min answer
- Answer format
- Multiple choice, short answer, fill-in; multi-select reported
- Navigation
- Forward only; all submissions final
- Calculator
- Required for the online case; allowed in the CCA
- Adaptive
- Not stated; fixed case storyline
- Scoring
- No score shown; questions carry different weights
Which BCG online assessment will you get?
BCG publishes no global test list; its global process page names no online test. From BCG office pages and guides, plus prep-site reports where marked:
| Test | Status | Where documented | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Case / Casey (also "Online Case Experience", OCE) | Current | BCG US (select candidates, ~35 min), BCG Mexico (~30 min) | Chatbot-led business case + 1-min video |
| Consulting Career Assessment (CCA) | Current | BCG US and Mexico, Associate track | SHL assessment of "cognitive functioning and behavioral traits", about 30–35 min |
| Cognitive test | Current | BCG Switzerland (official); Germany/Austria (reported) | 30 min, numerical, verbal and logical multiple choice, no tools |
| Numerical / logical tests | Reported | UK numerical, Nordics logical (prep sites) | Office-specific aptitude tests |
| Pymetrics (Harver) games | Legacy, some offices | Prep sites only | About 12 behavioural mini-games |
| BCG Potential Test | Largely historical | Prep sites only | Timed case-based maths, data and reading test, online or paper |
Your invitation e-mail is the authority. A HireQuotient sender means the online case; an SHL link means the CCA.
What the BCG online case looks like
The facts below come from BCG's "Online Case Assessment" user guide for candidates (2024 edition, linked from BCG's Mexico careers page). Prep-site reports are marked as such.
Before you start. The HireQuotient invitation links a practice case for the chatbot and recorder. A "Take Tour" button explains the interface; reading time does not count against the case.
The case. A client situation in text and exhibits, then questions one at a time in a chat window, each with its number and how many remain. A timer shows time left, and the progress bar moves by expected time per question, not question count (a 3-minute question in a 30-minute case moves it 10 %). Use it to pace yourself.
Question types. The guide lists multiple choice, short answer and fill-in. Prep sites add detail from candidate reports: multi-select items with up to about ten options, numeric entry, and free-text answers of four to six lines. A frequently reported opener asks which of roughly eight data sources you would request.
Rules. - 35 minutes for the case, one sitting; the timer keeps running if you log out. - You cannot go back or change answers. - If the connection drops, refresh and you return to the same question, but time has elapsed. - You do not see a score. BCG says scoring varies by question type and questions carry different weights.
The video question. The final section gives you 5 minutes to read a case-related question, prepare, open the recorder and record a response of up to 1 minute. You get one attempt, and the guide tells you to press record at least 2 minutes before the 5-minute timer ends. One prep site reports a 60-second preparation window instead; read your own screen.
Camera and proctoring. Your webcam image stays on screen. With your consent the system records to detect multiple faces, tab switching, copy-paste and window switching.
Setup. A webcam-enabled laptop and a calculator are required; no phones. Chrome is preferred, VPN and ad blockers off, minimum upload speed 512 kbps.
Assumed knowledge. The guide's glossary (revenue, fixed and variable costs, COGS, operating profit, market share, expected profit and more) sets two defaults: COGS is variable and operating expenses fixed unless stated, and "profit" means operating profit.
The Consulting Career Assessment (CCA)
BCG's Mexico FAQ (December 2024) says the CCA uses industrial-organisational psychology methods, is designed and administered by SHL, and measures "the building blocks of cognitive functioning and behavioral traits". It contains behavioural questions with no right or wrong answers and a logic portion. Official points:
- About 30–35 minutes, including a tutorial and practice questions.
- Calculator allowed. You can pause between sections. No retake.
- It is customised to BCG, so an SHL test taken for another employer does not count.
- US page: invitations arrive 30–90 minutes after you apply and you have 48 hours to complete it.
Prep-site reports disagree on the inside: one describes instructions, behavioural questions, then logic and brain teasers; another reports about 76 work-style prompts (ranking three statements), 8 numerical questions on one 12-minute clock, then about 15 more prompts, and calls the vendor and calculator rule unconfirmed, which BCG's Mexico FAQ contradicts. Treat item counts as unconfirmed. For SHL formats in general see the SHL guide and the personality questionnaire guide.
The cognitive test, pymetrics and the Potential Test
Cognitive test (Switzerland, official). BCG Switzerland opens full-time and internship processes with a virtual 30-minute test about a month before the first interview: numerical, verbal and logical, multiple choice, "without any tools or resources". One prep site reports 80 questions and no verbal section, against the official wording. Similar tests are reported in Germany and Austria. Practise with numerical reasoning and critical thinking.
Pymetrics. Prep sites call pymetrics a legacy screen in some BCG offices: about 12 games, around 25 minutes, benchmarked against high performers, with a reported retake lock of about 330 days. BCG does not confirm current use. Game-by-game advice is in the pymetrics guide.
Potential Test. Prep sites describe it as the older screen that the online case replaced in most offices. Reported formats disagree: 23 questions in about 45 minutes online (one case with documents that unlock step by step), 53 questions in about 50 minutes on paper, and 50 questions in 9 short sections. Content was maths word problems, data interpretation and reading comprehension; one source reports +1 to +3 points per item and deductions for wrong answers, and calculators usually not allowed. BCG publishes no Potential Test material.
Practice: an original mini case in the Casey style
All names and numbers are invented. Set a 20-minute timer, use a calculator, never go back.
Case prompt. Your client, Nordtaste, is a mid-sized frozen-food producer known for meat-based ready meals. Its CEO is considering a plant-based ready-meal line, sold through grocery retailers. The national frozen ready-meal market is worth €2.4bn a year at retail prices and is expected to stay flat. Plant-based meals are 5 % of it today. The CEO wants to know whether the launch is worth it.
Q1 (multi-select, choose up to 3). Which data would you request first to judge whether the plant-based segment is attractive? A. Frozen ready-meal retail sales by category, last five years · B. Employee engagement survey · C. Consumer survey on willingness to buy plant-based meals and acceptable prices · D. Competitors' plant-based products and shelf prices · E. Factory energy bills · F. Regional weather data · G. Nordtaste's brand awareness by age group · H. Logo history
Answer: A, C, D. - A gives size and growth, C demand and price points, D competition. G matters later (can the brand win?), not for segment attractiveness. Multi-select items punish "probably useful" extras.
Q2 (numeric entry, € million, one decimal). Research suggests plant-based will reach 8 % of the market in three years. Nordtaste expects a 10 % share of the plant-based segment in year 3 (at retail value). Retailers keep 30 % of the retail price. What is Nordtaste's year-3 revenue?
Answer: 13.4. - Segment in year 3: 8 % × €2.4bn = €192m (the market is flat, so only the share changes). - Nordtaste at retail value: 10 % × €192m = €19.2m. - Nordtaste's revenue is 70 % of retail: 0.7 × €19.2m = €13.44m ≈ €13.4m.
Q3 (single choice). Exhibit: per pack, retail price €4.00; Nordtaste's net price €2.80; ingredients €1.10, packaging €0.30, production labour and energy €0.40. Fixed costs of the line: €1.5m marketing and €1.0m overhead and depreciation per year. What is the line's year-3 operating profit? A. €1.1m B. €2.3m C. €3.5m D. €4.8m
Answer: B, €2.3m. - Variable cost €1.80, so contribution €1.00 per pack. Volume: €13.44m ÷ €2.80 = 4.8m packs → €4.8m contribution. - Operating profit: 4.8 − 2.5 = €2.3m. D forgets fixed costs.
Q4 (numeric entry, year number). The line needs a €6.0m upfront investment. Expected profit is −€1.5m in year 1, €0.8m in year 2 and €2.3m a year from year 3. Treating profit as cash, in which year does cumulative cash first turn positive?
Answer: 5. - −6.0 → −7.5 (year 1) → −6.7 → −4.4 → −2.1 → +0.2 (year 5). Trap: 6.0 ÷ 2.3 ≈ 2.6 years ignores early losses.
Q5 (single choice). A large grocer offers a national listing if Nordtaste spends an extra €1.0m on marketing in year 3. With 50 % probability the listing lifts Nordtaste's segment share from 10 % to 14 %; otherwise it stays at 10 %. On expected year-3 profit alone, what should Nordtaste do? A. Accept: expected gain €1.92m B. Accept: expected net gain €0.92m C. Decline: expected extra contribution €0.96m is below the €1.0m cost D. Decline: revenue would fall
Answer: C. - If it works: 4 % × €192m × 0.7 = €5.376m revenue ÷ €2.80 = 1.92m packs → €1.92m contribution. - Expected value: 50 % × €1.92m = €0.96m, against €1.0m certain cost: −€0.04m. - A ignores the probability; B nets before applying it. It is a near-tie, so strategic value could tip it.
Q6 (free text, 4–6 lines). Apart from the financials, what should Nordtaste check before launching?
Example answer: production capability (shared lines, contamination, new site?); brand credibility (sub-brand?); cannibalisation of Nordtaste's meat meals; retailer freezer space against incumbents; whether the rise to 8 % is a lasting trend in a flat market.
Q7 (video, 1 minute). "The CEO asks: should we launch the line? Give your recommendation."
Outline (about 130–150 words): 1. Answer first: "I recommend launching, with a staged approach." 2. Two numbers: "In year 3 the line earns about €2.3m operating profit on €13.4m revenue; payback is in year 5." 3. One judgement: "The national listing is roughly break-even on expected value, so I would decide it on strategic grounds." 4. Risks: brand credibility and cannibalisation of the meat range. 5. Next step: "Test with one retailer and a consumer panel before committing the €6m."
For structuring and mental maths see the case interview guide; for recording technique, the video interview guide.
Practice: original Potential-Test-style items
P1 (data interpretation). A company's revenue by region: North €40m (+10 % expected next year), South €25m (+20 %), West €35m (−4 %). What share of next year's revenue will South contribute? A. 25.0 % B. 26.4 % C. 27.9 % D. 30.0 %
Answer: C. North 44.0, South 30.0, West 33.6, total €107.6m. 30.0 ÷ 107.6 ≈ 27.9 %. A is this year's share.
P2 (word problem). Machine A fills 1,200 bottles an hour and starts at 08:00. Machine B fills 800 an hour and joins at 09:00. When are 5,000 bottles filled?
Answer: 10:54. By 09:00, 1,200 are done. The remaining 3,800 at 2,000 an hour take 1.9 hours = 1 h 54 min.
P3 (logic). Of 120 consultants, 70 speak French, 50 speak German and 20 speak both. How many speak neither?
Answer: 20. At least one language: 70 + 50 − 20 = 100. Neither: 120 − 100 = 20.
Traps and how to avoid them
- Spending the clock on question 1. If the time-weighted progress bar lags, speed up.
- Overselecting in multi-select items. Pick what answers the question asked, not everything that could help.
- Units in numeric entry. Check whether the box wants € million, %, or a raw number, and how many decimals.
- Probability and expected value. Apply probabilities before netting costs; near-ties are deliberate.
- Waiting too long to record. Press record with at least 2 minutes left of the 5-minute video block.
How to prepare
| When | What to do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Week before | Identify the test. Do 4–6 cases with exhibits; drill percentages, margins, break-even and expected value | 30–45 min a day |
| 3 days before | Do the mini case above in 20 minutes; sort errors by type (reading, units, logic) | 45 min |
| 2 days before | Practise 1-minute recommendations on camera: answer, two numbers, risk, next step | 20 min |
| Day before | Do BCG's practice case from the invitation; test webcam, browser and calculator | 30 min |
| On the day | Quiet room, laptop on power, notifications off, pen and paper for working | 45 min block |
For the cognitive test, swap case work for timed numerical, verbal and logic sets. For the CCA, do the tutorial, then answer the behavioural part consistently and honestly. BCG also offers a free OneDay@BCG job simulation.
Sources
- BCG, "BCG Online Case Assessment: User reference guide & helpful tips" (2024; duration, question types, video section, progress bar, calculator, browser, proctoring, glossary, scoring): https://cdn.phenompeople.com/CareerConnectResources/prod/BCG1US/documents/OnlineCaseHirequotientUserGuideforCandidates-1761246900829.pdf
- BCG, "Consulting Career Assessment (CCA) FAQs", applicants to Mexico offices (December 2024; SHL, 30–35 min, calculator, pause, no retake): https://cdn.phenompeople.com/CareerConnectResources/prod/BCG1US/documents/CCAFAQs_Candidates-1761246899744.pdf
- BCG Mexico, application and interviews (OCE ~30 min in English, CCA for Associates)
- BCG, US Associate recruiting (CCA invitation 30–90 min after applying, 48 hours; online case ~35 min for select candidates ~2 weeks after the deadline): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/on-campus/united-states-associate-job-opportunities
- BCG Switzerland, application and interviews (30-minute cognitive test, no tools)
- BCG, interview process and case interview preparation (four stages; OneDay@BCG): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/interview-process, https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/case-interview-preparation
- Road to Offer, BCG online case guide (candidate-reported question types, data-source opener, 6–10 questions, 20–30 % estimate): https://www.roadtooffer.com/blog/bcg-online-case-casey-guide
- Road to Offer, BCG CCA guide (reported item structure; disagrees on vendor and calculator)
- PrepLounge, BCG CCA (three reported phases)
- CaseBasix, BCG online case guide (6–8 questions, 25–30 min, 60-second preparation as reported)
- MyConsultingCoach, BCG online assessment 2026, Casey, pymetrics, Potential Test and office-specific tests (status table, reported formats, scoring, retake lock): https://www.myconsultingcoach.com/bcg-online-assessment-2026, https://www.myconsultingcoach.com/casey, https://www.myconsultingcoach.com/bcg-potential-test, https://www.myconsultingcoach.com/bcg-numerical-cognitive-logical-test-2026
- CaseInterview.com, BCG Potential Test (reader-reported formats 53/50, 50/50 in 9 sections, 23/45)
- StrategyCase, BCG cognitive test (80 questions in 30 minutes, as reported)
MSc Psicologia, 7 anni di test fatti.
Ultimo aggiornamento: Oct 1, 2026