BCG Pymetrics Test - What It Looks Like and Traits It Measures
- Last Updated January, 2021
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6,146 Views
If you’ve applied for a consulting position with BCG, you may have been asked to take a Pymetrics test. You’re probably wondering what this test looks like and what is measured.
Like McKinsey’s new digital assessment, the BCG test is an algorithm-based online assessment.
The test is beneficial for BCG because it screens candidates in an automated fashion, efficiently identifying candidates with traits that match those of successful BCG consultants and moving them forward to in-person interviews.
It’s good for candidates too because this efficiency allows BCG to consider candidates beyond a small group of core schools where BCG recruits on campus.
In this article, we’ll give you an overview of the BCG Pymetrics Test and provide insight into what the test is assessing.
If this is your first visit to My Consulting Offer – head to Case Study Interview Prep for an intro into the management consulting interview process. If you want to know all about BCG’s new Pymetrics test, you’re in the right place.
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The BCG Pymetrics test is a series of short games you can take on your smartphone.
Pymetrics does pioneering work on using neuroscience games and artificial intelligence to match candidates with jobs in a bias-free way.
Its short neuroscience games, like the balloon pump game pictured to the right, measure traits such as cognitive flexibility, attention control, how candidates manage risk, and many more.
These traits are non-directional, meaning that there is “no wrong answer,” but rather some behaviors are better for a particular role at a particular company than others.
Job candidates’ traits are compared to those of high-performing employees for the hiring firm, as measured by the results of those employees on these same neuroscience tests.
BCG, as well as other top management consulting firms, are looking for great problem solvers, which is why the case interview is important to their decisions on which candidates get offers.
But they’re also trying to hire a wide variety of people, particularly those who think differently.
Consulting clients face different types of business situations:
The strategies and leadership traits that will succeed in these markets differ dramatically. Because of this, BCG wants different types of thinkers on its consulting teams. This will enable their teams to develop solutions that will be successful across a wide varies of industries and markets.
By measuring personal traits, BCG hopes to hire people who think differently and will help their teams identify the best solutions for their clients.
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Here are the skills the Pymetrics test accesses and the examples of its games:
Once your profile is established, it’s is compared to the profiles of successful BCG consultants. Good matches result in candidates moving on in the interview process.
After taking the test, candidates receive a Traits Report from Pymetrics that documents their personal traits as assessed by the games (see example below.)
While the Pymetrics test is non-directional, certain skills and characteristics are valued in consulting and possessed by many successful consultants.
The Pymetrics test is non-evaluative—it’s not like a case math question that you can get wrong if you make an arithmetic mistake. Instead, it looks for similarities between your traits and those of successful BCG consultants.
To prepare, view this short Pymetrics video to get some sense of what the test will look like.
In addition, here are a few tips to help you do your best.
Then, just relax and take the test.
The Pymetrics test is now part of the application process for all undergraduate and experienced-hire applicants. MBA students outside of core schools will be asked to complete the Pymetrics test as well.
It’s not yet clear whether BCG is using the Pymetrics tests to make decisions on moving candidates forward to first round interviews. They may just be analyzing the predictive power of the tests or, in other words, looking to see whether candidates’ scores on the Pymetrics test correlate with hiring decisions made through the traditional interview process.
In the past, top consulting firms have tested changes to their recruiting process carefully before using new methods to make recruiting decisions. Because of this, you’ll want to ensure that your consulting cover letter and resume are as strong as possible, as these are still the primary things that will determine which candidates get interviews.
After reading this page, we hope you feel ready to take the BCG Pymetrics test. After you do, tell us what you thought of it in the comments below!
Still have questions?
If you have further questions on the new BCG Pymetrics test, leave them in the comments below. We’ll have one of MyConsultingOffer.org’s coaches provide more information.
People who are interested in the BCG Pymetrics test typically find the following other My Consulting Offer pages helpful:
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