McKinsey Solve is a game-based screening step in McKinsey's recruiting process. For current prep, the longer 85-minute invitation appears to be the standard format and usually includes Redrock Study, Sea Wolf, and Sustainable Futures Lab. Shorter 65-minute invitations typically point to Redrock and Sea Wolf, while Ecosystem, Plant Defense, Ocean Cleanup, Disaster, Disease, and Migration Management are older game names you may still see in guides, forums, and prep products.
McKinsey describes Solve as a gamified assessment created to show problem-solving ability. Older prep sources often call the same assessment the McKinsey Problem Solving Game, the PSG, or the Imbellus game. That naming history is why some older articles still say "PSG mini-games," but the clearer wording for candidates now is McKinsey Solve games.
Use this page as a game map. It explains what each name refers to, which games deserve active prep, and where to go next when your email gives a standard, shorter, or unusual assessment length.
Quick map of McKinsey Solve games
The useful split is simple: likely test-day games, names to check only when your own McKinsey instructions point there, and older labels that mainly help you decode dated advice.
| Game or name | Status | What it tests at a glance | Best next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redrock Study | Standard current game | Data selection, chart choice, quantitative reasoning, written recommendation | Read the Redrock guide |
| Sea Wolf | Standard current game | Microbe selection, averaging logic, traits, and multi-site optimization | Read the Sea Wolf guide |
| Sustainable Futures Lab | Common in the longer current assessment | Scenario judgment, sustainability tradeoffs, and structured decision behavior | Read the Sustainable Futures Lab guide |
| Ecosystem Building | Prepare only if your email or recruiter material points there | Food-chain design, terrain constraints, calorie balance, systems thinking | Read the Ecosystem Building guide |
| Ocean Cleanup | Legacy predecessor to Sea Wolf | Earlier ocean-treatment version of the microbe optimization task | Read Ocean Cleanup vs Sea Wolf |
| Plant Defense | Legacy game | Grid defense against invasive species using predators and terrain barriers | Use this page for summary context |
| Disaster Management | Historical / beta game name | Reading environmental data and deciding how to protect animal populations | Use this page for summary context |
| Disease Management | Historical / beta game name | Tracing disease patterns across an ecosystem and choosing containment actions | Use this page for summary context |
| Migration Management | Historical / beta game name | Moving a population through a route while managing resources and survival | Use this page for summary context |
Use "mini-game" only as an older label. It can make retired or rare games sound as likely as the active set. For prep, start from the total time in your email, then use old names to translate dated articles and forum posts.
Which games deserve active prep first?
Start with the assessment length in your McKinsey email. The email may not list every game by name, but it usually gives the total time. The shorter format points you toward Redrock and Sea Wolf; the longer format usually adds Sustainable Futures Lab. If your instructions name a different game directly or give an unusual length, follow them before choosing your prep plan.
Redrock Study is the data-heavy game. It asks you to filter information, choose the right evidence, work through quantitative questions, and write a final recommendation. The Redrock guide covers the phase-by-phase mechanics, math examples, and walkthrough.
Sea Wolf is the ocean-treatment game. It asks you to choose microbes, manage attributes and traits, and build treatments across multiple sites. Older material may call this family "Ocean Cleanup," "ocean treatment," or "microbe game." Use the Sea Wolf guide for mechanics and the Ocean Cleanup article for the naming history.
Sustainable Futures Lab is the newer scenario-judgment branch. It is closer to structured judgment under environmental and business tradeoffs than to a pure math puzzle. Use the Sustainable Futures Lab guide for its structure and prep implications.
Ecosystem Building sits outside the standard current mix. It remains worth understanding because it was one of the formative PSG games for several recruiting cycles, and McKinsey has not published a formal retirement notice. It could still matter for a regional office, a specific role, or a future rotation. If your email, recruiter notes, or an unusual assessment length points to Ecosystem, make time for dedicated practice.
Legacy game names in older PSG material
Older games matter because old articles, forum posts, and prep products still mention them. They also explain why candidates use inconsistent names for the same assessment. Keep them as context unless your own McKinsey instructions clearly point there.
Plant Defense was a grid-based defense game. Candidates protected a native plant from invasive species by placing predators and terrain blockers. It tested anticipation, prioritization, and adaptation across waves of attackers. If you see Plant Defense mentioned in older PSG content, understand what it refers to, then return to the games your assessment length actually signals.
Ocean Cleanup was the predecessor to Sea Wolf. It used microbe selection and averaging logic in a simpler ocean-pollution scenario. That history is still useful because many candidates search "ocean cleanup," "ocean treatment," or "microbe game" when they are really trying to understand Sea Wolf.
Disaster Management and Disease Management were beta-style environmental reasoning tasks. Disaster Management centered on reading signals of a natural disaster and deciding how to protect a population. Disease Management centered on identifying illness patterns and containing spread. Treat both as historical names unless your own McKinsey material says otherwise.
Migration Management asked candidates to guide a population from one location to another while managing survival, route choice, and resource constraints. Like Disaster and Disease, it appears in older game lists. Keep it as legacy context unless it returns in invitation materials.
Where to go next after you identify your game
Once you know your likely game mix, move to the guide that matches your situation.
| Your situation | Best next step |
|---|---|
| Your email says 65 minutes | Prepare Redrock and Sea Wolf first |
| Your email says 85 minutes | Prepare Redrock, Sea Wolf, and Sustainable Futures Lab |
| Your email names Ecosystem or gives an unusual length | Read the Ecosystem guide and the main Solve guide before choosing products or practice runs |
| You are reading old Imbellus, Ocean Cleanup, or Plant Defense material | Use this page to translate the name, then move to the current game guide that matches your invite |
| You need a study schedule | Read how to prepare for McKinsey Solve |
If you are still unsure, start with the main McKinsey Solve guide. It explains the current format, invitation lengths, timers, and the status of each current game.
FAQ
Why do some guides say PSG mini-games? "PSG mini-games" is older language for the games inside the McKinsey Problem Solving Game. The clearer current label is "McKinsey Solve games." The names overlap because McKinsey's assessment has moved through several labels: Imbellus, Problem Solving Game, PSG, Digital Assessment, and Solve.
Which McKinsey Solve games should I prepare for? Use the total time in your McKinsey email. A shorter invitation usually points to Redrock and Sea Wolf, while the longer version usually adds Sustainable Futures Lab. If your instructions name a game directly, give an unusual length, or include office-specific wording, follow that wording before deciding what to practice.
Is Plant Defense still in McKinsey Solve? No, not in standard invitations. Plant Defense was an older grid-defense game, and candidates still search for it because old guides describe it in detail. If a future invitation explicitly names it, prepare for it. For normal invitations, use your prep time on the current games.
Is Ocean Cleanup the same as Sea Wolf? Ocean Cleanup was the predecessor to Sea Wolf. The microbe-selection and averaging logic carried over, and Sea Wolf is the guide to use for current prep. Use the Ocean Cleanup article for naming history or for translating old "ocean treatment" material into the newer Sea Wolf language.
Should I still prepare for Ecosystem Building? Prepare for Ecosystem if your McKinsey email, recruiter material, office guidance, or an unusual assessment length points to it. Otherwise, treat it as a valuable older game: useful for understanding McKinsey Solve history and constraint reasoning, but not the first prep priority for a standard invitation.
Why do old articles mention Disaster, Disease, or Migration Management? Those names come from older or beta game lists. They describe environmental reasoning tasks that fit the original PSG design philosophy. This inventory includes them so older prep material feels easier to decode.
Key takeaways
- "McKinsey Solve games" is the better current wording; "PSG mini-games" is mostly older wording.
- Use your invitation length to decide what to prepare: the shorter format points to Redrock and Sea Wolf; the longer format usually adds Sustainable Futures Lab.
- Redrock, Sea Wolf, and Sustainable Futures Lab each have full game guides.
- Ecosystem is not part of the standard current mix, but it has a long history and can still matter if your invite, office, or recruiter material points there.
- Plant Defense, Ocean Cleanup, Disaster, Disease, and Migration are useful legacy names to recognize, not equal prep priorities for standard invitations.
What to do next
If you are still identifying the assessment, start with the main McKinsey Solve guide. If you know your game, go to the relevant game guide. If you want a broader practice path after the inventory, browse the McKinsey Solve collection or read how to prepare for McKinsey Solve.
