The shape of the game
~30 minutes, two parts, strictly one-way. Part 1 is a single study in three phases — Investigation → Analysis → Report — about an ecological scenario (wolf populations, kelp forests, that kind of thing). Part 2 is six short cases on the same theme. Once you advance, there is no going back, and the tools change as you go:
- Investigation: a page of text, tables and charts. Your only tool is the Research Journal — you drag the values you'll need into it. No calculator yet. Anything you don't collect now is gone.
- Analysis: the calculator appears. You answer 2–4 quantitative questions using your collected values; answers get logged back into the Journal.
- Report: fill blanks in a written summary, pick the right chart type, complete a table — all from your Journal.
- Cases: six standalone questions, mostly quantitative, against the remaining clock.
A timing split that works
| Phase | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation | ~5 min | Collect broadly, compute nothing. Over-collecting beats re-reading a page you can't return to. |
| Analysis | ~10 min | The core math lives here. Slowest phase by design. |
| Report | ~5 min | If your Journal is in order, this is assembly, not thinking. |
| Six cases | ~2 min each | They're independent — banking time earlier buys a re-read on the one that stumps you. |
The exact numbers matter less than having decided them before test day. The people who run out of clock are almost always the ones still deciding how long Investigation deserves while Investigation is running.
The math it actually tests
About two-thirds of Red Rock is math, and none of it goes past arithmetic: percentages vs. percentage points (they will test whether you know the difference), ratios, weighted averages, mean/median/mode, and simple probability. What catches people is speed and losing track of which number feeds which calculation — the Journal is your defense, so name and collect values deliberately.
The three most expensive mistakes
- Leaving Investigation too early. The phase locks. A missing value can't be re-fetched; you'll be forced to estimate or guess in Analysis.
- Doing math in your head during Investigation. There's no calculator there on purpose. Collect now, compute later.
- Treating the six cases as one block. They're unrelated. Miss one, drop it, move on — sunk-cost spirals on case two are how case six goes unanswered.
FAQ
Can I go back to an earlier phase?
No — the flow is strictly one-way, which is why Journal discipline during Investigation decides most outcomes.
What math should I brush up on?
Percentages and percentage points, ratios, weighted averages, mean/median/mode, simple probability. Speed matters more than depth.
Is there a calculator?
From Analysis onward, yes. During Investigation, no — just the Research Journal.
Is this the real McKinsey game?
No. SolveForge rebuilds the publicly documented mechanics so you can practice the flow; the real content and scoring weights are McKinsey's and aren't published.
Keep going
Next up in the assessment: the Sea Wolf strategy guide, then the Sustainable Futures Lab if you have the 85-minute invite. Or zoom out to the full McKinsey Solve guide. Ready to play? Start the free Red Rock scenario.