McKinsey Solve: What's Changed (Living Log)
Written by Tom Prescott, founder of SolvePrep. Last updated: September 25, 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 Game, the Red Rock Study, and the Sustainable Futures Lab. Since late August 2026, 95-minute invitations carry a 30-minute team-management version of the Sustainable Futures Lab, while 85-minute invitations keep the 20-minute one; the new version appears to be in pilot. 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
- September 25, 2026 — Our updated Sustainable Futures Lab simulator now has a switch between the standard 20-minute version and the new 30-minute team-management version, so you can practice for the test you're actually invited to. Practice both versions →
- Late August 2026 — McKinsey increased the Sustainable Futures Lab from 20 to 30 minutes in 95-minute invitations, rebuilt around managing a small research team over three simulated days. The first 95-minute invitations were reported on August 24. McKinsey confirms a new version of Solve is in pilot but hasn't published a name, mechanics or scoring for it. 85-minute invitations with the 20-minute SFL were still being reported in late September, so the two versions are running in parallel. What's known and what isn't →
- March 2026 — Sustainable Futures 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 (what the PSG is today).
- 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: [email protected] — verified corrections get logged with a date.