Updated 28 September 2026
Red Rock is the game candidates most often say they ran out of time on. The work is not hard; the clock is. Here is how it runs and a pacing plan that fits it.
Investigation. You get a scenario (an ecosystem study, say) and a set of documents and charts. You drag or click the data points you think you will need into a research journal. There is more information than you need, and some of it is there to distract.
Analysis. A calculator appears, and you answer questions that need the data you saved: a growth rate, a ratio, a weighted average. If you did not save something, candidates report mixed experiences about going back for it, so save generously the first time.
Report. You complete a short write-up: fill numbers into sentences, pick the chart that best shows the finding, and state a conclusion.
Six cases. Short, independent questions on the same scenario, some with several fields to fill. This is where the time goes: many candidates report finishing only three or four of the six.
Aim to start the six cases with at least ten minutes left, which gives you a little under two minutes each. Roughly: 8 to 10 minutes for Investigation, 8 to 10 for Analysis, 5 to 6 for the report, then the cases. If one case stalls, answer your best guess and move on; an unanswered case scores nothing.
A full, timed run is worth more than any amount of reading, because the difficulty is the clock. If you can, also drill quick percentages, growth and weighted averages until each takes a few seconds.
Practise it on a clock before the real thing: the free demo is a complete 35-minute Field Study, our version of the research game, with six cases at the end.
Play the free demoCasesTrain 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.