Guides to the McKinsey Solve games

Updated 28 September 2026

Plain write-ups of what candidates report about each game, how long it runs and where people lose time. Free to read, no sign-up.

• McKinsey Solve in 2026: the games, the timings and how it is scored

  Which games candidates get in McKinsey Solve in 2026, how long each one runs, what the score report looks like and what is still unknown.

• Red Rock Study: how the research game works and how to pace it

  The phases of the Red Rock Study in McKinsey Solve, the six cases at the end, the time traps candidates report and a pacing plan for 35 minutes.

• Sea Wolf (Ocean Cleanup): the microbe game, step by step

  How Sea Wolf, also called Ocean Cleanup, works in McKinsey Solve: choosing characteristics, sorting microbes between sites, building a treatment, and pacing three sites in 30 minutes.

• Sustainable Future Lab: what candidates report about the newest game

  What is known about Sustainable Future Lab, the third game some candidates get in McKinsey Solve since 2026: format, timing and how to approach it.

• Does McKinsey Solve track your mouse movements?

  Whether McKinsey Solve records or scores mouse movement: what McKinsey, the research and the patents actually say, and what it means for how you play.

CasesTrain is an independent practice tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to McKinsey & Company. McKinsey, Solve and the game names are used only to describe the test; they belong to their owners. What is written here comes from candidates' own public reports and McKinsey's public FAQ, and may change.