What BCG says
BCG's recruiting pages for Switzerland and for Germany and Austria both describe the same test: 30 minutes, covering numerical, verbal and logical reasoning, answered without tools or resources. That means no calculator.
- Switzerland: the test comes first for both full-time roles and the Visiting Associate internship, and it's virtual. BCG says most questions are multiple choice, and that the test takes place about a month before your first interview.
- Germany and Austria: the test is part of the first round, alongside a virtual case interview. BCG's page says all questions are multiple choice. The process is the same for full-time and internship applicants.
BCG doesn't publish a question count, a pass mark, whether wrong answers cost points, or whether you can go back to earlier questions. If any of that matters to your strategy, ask the recruiting team before test day.
Question count and the verbal disagreement
Prep sites put the test at around 80 questions. StrategyCase builds its practice tests at 80 questions in 30 minutes from candidate feedback, and Hacking the Case Interview reports the same count. At that length you have 1,800 seconds for 80 questions, or 22.5 seconds each.
The sources disagree on content. BCG's own pages say the test covers verbal reasoning as well as numerical and logical. Two prep sites, StrategyCase and CaseyPrep, describe it without a verbal part. We'd go with BCG and prepare for all three, since a short verbal drill costs little and a surprise costs a lot at 20 seconds a question.
Similar tests in other BCG offices
| Office | What BCG's page describes |
|---|---|
| Nordics, Visiting Associate | A logical reasoning test before the first interview round: 80 questions in 30 minutes, no calculator. |
| United Kingdom | A short numerical assessment after an initial review, followed by a final CV review before first-round interviews. |
| Australia and New Zealand | An online case first, then an online numerical assessment for shortlisted candidates. |
BCG gives little detail on the UK and Australia and New Zealand tests. The speed tactics below apply to all of them, though a numerical test may allow a calculator; check your invitation.
Example questions
We wrote these ourselves in the style prep sites describe. They aren't real BCG items. Try each in about 20 seconds, without a calculator.
Example 1: a percentage in your head
What is 15% of 360?
- 48
- 52
- 54
- 56
10% of 360 is 36. Half of that, 5%, is 18. 36 + 18 = 54. Answer: C, 54.
Example 2: which fraction is largest
Which is largest: 5/8, 3/5, 7/12 or 2/3?
Convert quickly: 5/8 = 0.625, 3/5 = 0.6, 7/12 is about 0.583, 2/3 is about 0.667. Answer: 2/3.
A quicker check: 3/5 and 7/12 are both below 5/8 (0.625), and 2/3 is above it, so 2/3 wins. Knowing common fractions as decimals by heart saves more time than any trick.
Example 3: percentage change
Weekly orders rose from 80 to 92. By what percentage did they rise?
- 12%
- 13%
- 15%
- 18%
The rise is 12 on a base of 80. 12 ÷ 80 = 3 ÷ 20 = 0.15. Answer: C, 15%. Option A is the trap: the rise in units, read as a percentage.
Example 4: a short verbal inference
"Output at the Halden plant was higher in March than in February. February's output was the lowest of the first quarter."
Statement: "March's output was the highest of the first quarter." True, false, or cannot say?
The passage tells you March beat February and that February was the lowest month. It says nothing about how March compares with January, which could be higher. Answer: cannot say.
The habit: before answering "true", find the sentence that proves it. If you're relying on what seems likely, the answer is "cannot say".
Example 5: a series
What comes next? 10, 13, 11, 14, 12, ?
- 10
- 13
- 15
- 16
The steps alternate: + 3, − 2, + 3, − 2. After 12 comes + 3, so 12 + 3 = 15. Answer: C, 15.
Speed tactics for about 20 seconds a question
- Know your checkpoints. At 22.5 seconds a question, you'd be around question 27 at the 10-minute mark and around question 53 at 20 minutes. Check once or twice, not constantly.
- Cap the stubborn ones. A question that takes a minute uses the time of almost three others (60 ÷ 22.5 is about 2.7). If you can't see the approach within about 10 seconds, guess and move on, unless your instructions say wrong answers are penalized.
- Estimate before you calculate. Answer options are often far enough apart that a rough figure picks the right one. 4.8 × 25 is close to 5 × 25 = 125, so the answer is just under 125 (it's 120).
- Learn the shortcuts cold. Multiplying by 25 is multiplying by 100 and dividing by 4. 12.5% is one eighth. 15% is 10% plus half of 10%.
- Read verbal passages once. Read the statement first, then find the one sentence in the passage that settles it.
- Don't expect to finish comfortably. Prep sites describe the pace as the main difficulty. Aim for accuracy at a steady speed rather than racing to the end.
BCG's pages say no tools or resources, and don't say whether scratch paper counts. Ask the recruiting team, and practice as if you'll have nothing but your head.
How to use the week
Spend most of it on timed mental arithmetic: percentages, fractions, multiplication of two-digit numbers, and percentage change, in 10-minute blocks with a timer and no calculator. Add short sets of number and letter series, and a few true, false or cannot say passages each day. Finish with at least one full 30-minute run of mixed questions to feel the pace.
SolveForge doesn't have BCG practice yet; BCG practice explains what's planned. Our numerical, logical and verbal reasoning guides and Bain practice cover overlapping skills. Bain's tests allow a calculator, so do the arithmetic in your head when using them for this test. No practice score predicts your result.
FAQ
How long is the BCG cognitive test?
30 minutes, according to BCG's pages for Switzerland and for Germany and Austria.
How many questions are in the BCG cognitive test?
BCG doesn't say. Prep sites report around 80, which is about 22.5 seconds a question. BCG's Nordics page describes a separate logical test with 80 questions in 30 minutes.
Can I use a calculator on the BCG cognitive test?
No. BCG says the questions must be answered without any tools or resources.
Does the BCG cognitive test include verbal reasoning?
BCG's pages say it covers numerical, verbal and logical skills. Two prep sites say there's no verbal part. Prepare for all three.
What score do I need on the BCG cognitive test?
BCG doesn't publish a pass mark. Get as many right as you can at a steady pace.
Keep going
Back to the BCG online assessment overview. Applying in the US or Mexico instead: the BCG CCA guide and the BCG Casey guide. Seeing older test names in search results: the Potential Test and Pymetrics. Applying to more than one firm: the MBB online assessments compared.
Sources we checked: BCG's careers pages for Switzerland, Germany and Austria, the Nordics Visiting Associate internship, UK Associate recruiting and Australia and New Zealand graduate recruitment, and prep-site reports from StrategyCase, Hacking the Case Interview, CaseyPrep and MyConsultingCoach.
SolveForge is an independent practice tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Boston Consulting Group. Every example on this page was written by us; none is a real test item. "BCG" and "Boston Consulting Group" are trademarks of their owner. Nothing here guarantees any assessment result.