McKinsey Solve: What's Changed (Living Log)
Written by Tom Prescott, founder of SolvePrep. Last updated: September 1, 2026.
Half the prep advice on the internet describes a test that no longer exists. This page is our maintained log of what the Solve actually is right now, and what changed to get here — so you can date-check any guide (including ours) before trusting it.
The current state (as of September 2026)
Three games: Sea Wolf, the Red Rock Study, and the Sustainable Future Lab. Scored on product and process. One attempt per application cycle. No scores shown to candidates — here's what your practice score actually means.
The log
- March 2026 — Sustainable Future Lab added; candidates began reporting it as the third game. Not everyone receives all three games yet — McKinsey appears to be baselining and testing the new format, so some invites still include only two games. Check which set you are likely to get.
- January 2026 — Ecosystem Building retired (how it worked and what replaced it). Prep content built for it is now historical.
- 2024 — Renamed again to McKinsey Solve, or simply Solve (the Solve, explained).
- 2021 — Officially renamed to the Problem Solving Game (PSG), replacing the older paper-based Problem Solving Test (PST).
- 2017–2020 — Developed with the startup Imbellus, leading candidates and prep communities to call it the Imbellus game. During its initial rollout, McKinsey officially called it the Digital Assessment (from Imbellus to Solve).
How we keep this current
We run simulations of these games and publish research from candidate data, so format drift shows up in our work quickly. Spot something this page doesn't reflect? Tell us: info@solveprep.com — verified corrections get logged with a date.