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Imbellus game: from secrets to myths, what you need to know

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Imbellus game, Imbellus test, McKinsey Imbellus game, Imbellus Assessment. All names of the same test that applicants to McKinsey need to face before being interviewed. In this article you will find relevant information about Imbellus test, how to prepare and what you can do to improve your chances of success.

Stay with us and enjoy the read.

Let’s start with some definitions.

Imbellus meaning

Since its inception, Imbellus has been one of the ways the McKinsey Solve Game (here more info) is known. However, Imbellus has no other specific meaning, than actually the name of the company that created the game, after partnering with McKinsey for it. According to Imbellus itself, the company focuses on “delivering simulation-based assessments that evaluate how people think instead of just what they know”.

This fits perfectly with McKinsey’s intent: to measure applicant’s ability to reason and taking action, rather than pure knowledge.

In 2020 Imbellus was acquired by Roblox, a company already active in the metaverse industry and looking to expand on simulation-assessment tools. 

Now that you know Imbellus’ meaning, let’s see how you can prepare for McKinsey’s Imbellus test.

How to prepare for Imbellus test

There are multiple possible approaches. As we described in our article about McKinsey’s Solve preparation, you can try a combination of the following strategies:

  • Forums
  • Youtube videos
  • Coaching
  • Templates and advanced tools

To succeed in the Imbellus game you need to dedicate adequate time beforehand, preparing yourself for all possible scenarios you might encounter in the 35-minute game. On that day, you won’t have time to think thoroughly. Making decisions and moving forward will be the most important things you can do.

McKinsey’s Imbellus test: the game secrets

While you might hear or read elsewhere that the Imbellus game has secrets, this is a misconception. Of course, the game has unique characteristics and challenges that vary at every new edition. The goal of Imbellus was to create a game that couldn’t be cracked before time.

In a way, they accomplished that. Consider that:

  • there are different combinations of games inside Imbellus: the applicant never actually knows for sure which ones will be presented on real game day. On this article we describe the games you might find inside.
  • besides that, there are virtually infinite possibilities for the datasets that can be presented to the applicant: from Ecosystem settings to species to cases, no one can know beforehand. That could be indeed called an Imbellus secret.

What’s the solution? Learn by doing it, practicing ahead of time. Once you master the nuts and bolts, by practicing adequately, you will be ready to excel on the game.

That’s why we offer you our free templates for both Ecosystem and Redrock games, along with advanced tools to help you prepare yourself to outperform other competitors.

Test results of McKinsey Imbellus

We hear from our community many questions around Imbellus results. For example, “how long after Imbellus do I get called”.

Again, the precise answer to this and other questions are unknown. It’s McKinsey’s decision whether to disclose this information, which has not happened up to now.

However, based on what we observe, we can reliably say that:

  1. Imbellus results are not necessarily evaluated based on a right or wrong answers: how the applicant completes the test is taken into account. Above all, McKinsey wants to understand how the applicant reasons and responds to challenges and pressure. That’s exactly why the annotations in the tool reveal precious as they provide solid elements for your evaluation. We have explained this in a blog post.
  2. Typically, successful applicants are contacted after one or two weeks after the Imbellus test.

Finally, consider that the Imbellus test is deployed worldwide, so the timeline might vary substantially due to local requirements.

Imbellus game: it’s all in your hands

Now that you know where Imbellus name comes from, how the game is articulated and that there are no secrets than preparing yourself with available materials. It’s your turn to take action.

Don’t waste time - download Imbellus game free template and start practicing right now. You can also enhance your experience and get advanced tools to rehearse different scenarios, hone your skills, and get ready for the test.

For further information and questions, feel free to reach out.