- BCG uses different online assessments by office, role and period. Its own pages mention the Consulting Career Assessment and an online case in the United States, a short numerical test in the United Kingdom, an online case followed by a numerical test in Australia and New Zealand, and a coding test for some BCG X roles.
- The CCA, the online case (often called Casey) and numerical tests are different tests. Read the name, duration and deadline in your invitation before you choose how to practise.
- The online case tests reading data, quantitative reasoning, precision, time management and synthesis. Speed matters, and so do reading the exhibit correctly and checking the calculation.
- When the online case ends with a recorded video recommendation, prepare it: answer first, then the essential reasons, then a risk or next step, within the time your test allows.
- Use the two-week plan below as a starting point for focused practice. Adapt it to your starting point and to the test you actually received.
The BCG online assessment is not a single test. BCG's careers pages describe different steps in different offices, and candidates who compare notes on forums often find that they took different tests. That is why this guide starts with recognition: once you know which test your invitation names, you can prepare for the right tasks and ignore the rest.
The guide separates three kinds of information. Official facts come from BCG's careers pages, read on 3 November 2026. Candidate reports describe what people say they saw in the tests; they are useful for practice but can change between seasons. Preparation advice is our own, based on interviewing practice.
CasePreparation's coach, Franco Borgonovo, spent ten years at BCG, from intern to Principal, and interviewed and selected candidates as a global lead recruiter. He still works with BCG as an official coach for new hires in BCG's Consulting Foundation Training. Nothing below comes from internal BCG material, and CasePreparation is independent and not affiliated with BCG.
Which BCG test is in your invitation?
Start with the name in your invitation email. The table matches the names candidates receive with the type of test, the skills it draws on and the preparation that is relevant. On a phone, each row appears as a card.
| Name in the invitation | Type of test | Skills it draws on | Relevant preparation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consulting Career Assessment (CCA) | Online assessment of about 30 to 35 minutes (official, US); candidates report questionnaires plus a short timed numerical section | Consistent self-description; quick numerical reasoning | Honest, consistent answers; short timed sets with percentages and ratios |
| Online case, often called Casey | One business case of about 35 minutes (official duration, US), delivered by a chatbot with linked questions (reported) | Reading exhibits, calculation accuracy, time management, synthesis | Timed mini-cases with charts; a spoken recommendation |
| Numerical assessment | A short timed numerical test (official, UK and Australia and New Zealand; format not published) | Percentages, ratios, growth, reading tables | Timed numerical sets with a calculator, if allowed |
| Online coding test | Coding test for technical roles such as Data Scientist and AI Engineer (official, BCG X Australia and New Zealand) | Programming, data manipulation | Practice in the language and environment named in the invitation |
| Pymetrics or Potential Test | Names used in some offices or in past seasons (reported) | Varies by test | Follow the invitation; do not assume older descriptions still apply |
If your invitation names a platform rather than a test, look for the duration, the sections and whether a camera is required. Those details tell you more about the format than the brand name does. If anything is unclear, ask the recruiter who sent the invitation: it is a routine question.
What BCG publishes, office by office
BCG's global interview process page does not describe an online test. Several office pages do, and together they show how much the process varies.
United States (Associate)
Applicants to the US application receive the Consulting Career Assessment 30 to 90 minutes after submitting and have 48 hours to complete it; BCG says it takes about 30 to 35 minutes. A select group is invited to an online case of about 35 minutes, about two weeks after the application deadline. Candidates who have already taken the online case are not asked to take it again.
United Kingdom (Graduate Associate)
After an initial review, candidates are invited to a "short numerical assessment" that forms part of the application. Those who pass receive a final CV review before first-round interviews. The page does not name the test or give its length.
Australia and New Zealand (Associate)
Eligible candidates receive an online case assessment after applying. Shortlisted candidates then complete an online numerical assessment, before first-round case interviews.
BCG X, Australia and New Zealand
For Data Scientist and AI Engineer roles, eligible candidates complete an online coding test. Shortlisted candidates move to technical interviews with case studies and live coding.
Two small details are worth noticing. The US page calls the CCA both "Consultant Career Assessment" and "Consulting Career Assessment", so do not worry if your invitation uses either name. BCG's Mexico careers page also describes an online case guided by the chatbot Casey, lasting about 30 minutes in that process. Details such as question counts and recorded videos below come from candidate reports.
The pages above were read on 3 November 2026 and apply to the offices and programmes they name. Other offices may use other tests, and the same office can change its process between seasons. Your invitation email is the only reliable guide to your test, its deadline and its rules.
The Consulting Career Assessment (CCA)
BCG's US page describes the CCA as an assessment that offers multidimensional insight into a candidate's potential for success at BCG. It is sent shortly after you submit your application, takes about 30 to 35 minutes and must be completed within 48 hours.
Candidates and preparation sites describe more detail, which BCG does not confirm. The most common description is an assessment designed with an external test provider, combining questionnaires about how you work and behave with a short timed numerical section, where a calculator is allowed. Reports differ on the number of questions and on whether the format is the same outside the United States, so treat these details as a guide to practice rather than a specification.
How to prepare for the CCA
- Plan your 48 hours before you submit the application. The invitation can arrive within minutes, so choose a quiet slot in advance rather than doing the test late at night.
- Answer the questionnaires honestly and consistently. Questionnaires of this kind often ask about the same trait in different ways. Trying to guess an ideal profile tends to produce contradictions, while describing how you actually work produces a coherent picture.
- Practise short numerical sets under time. Percentages, percentage changes, ratios and reading values from tables and charts, with a calculator if your invitation allows it. The aim is to read the question correctly the first time.
- Check the rules in your invitation. Look for the duration, whether you can go back, and whether a camera is used.
Casey: the BCG online case
The online case is one format you may receive as your BCG online assessment. BCG's US page confirms that it exists and lasts about 35 minutes. Most of what follows comes from candidate reports, which broadly agree with one another.
According to those reports, a chatbot often called Casey presents one business case and asks a series of linked questions, typically eight to ten. Questions include multiple choice, short numerical answers and calculations based on exhibits such as tables and charts. You usually cannot go back to change an answer. Many versions end with a short recorded video in which you give a recommendation to the client. Some recent reports say the online case is delivered on a different platform, so your invitation may not use the name Casey at all.
What the online case actually tests
It is tempting to treat the online case as a speed test. Time pressure is real, and reading accurately matters just as much. Practise the five skills below and learn to spot the errors associated with each:
| Skill | What it looks like | How it usually fails |
|---|---|---|
| Reading data | Finding the right row, unit and period in an exhibit | Answering from the biggest number instead of the relevant one |
| Quantitative reasoning | Choosing the right calculation before doing it | A correct calculation of the wrong thing |
| Precision | Matching units, percentages and time periods | Monthly figures mixed with annual ones |
| Time management | Moving on when a question takes too long | Five minutes lost on one question, three easy ones rushed |
| Synthesis | Turning the answers into a decision | A video that repeats numbers but recommends nothing |
Because the questions are linked, an error early on can carry through. Check the units before submitting: an early misunderstanding can affect later answers.
How to work through each question
- Read the case introduction and the client's objective before the first question. Note the two or three numbers that look central.
- For each question, write down what you are calculating and the formula before touching the calculator.
- Check units and periods: thousands or millions, monthly or annual, percentage or percentage points.
- Before submitting, ask whether the result is plausible. A retention offer that "saves" more subscribers than a city has is a sign of an error.
- Keep a rough time budget per question and move on when you exceed it, following the test's own rules on skipping and penalties.
A worked online-case exercise
The exercise below is fictional and written for this guide. It is not taken from a BCG test and does not reproduce any real question. It shows the type of reasoning candidates describe: an exhibit, a few linked questions and a recommendation. Try each question before reading the commentary.
Your client, Brightwheel, rents e-bikes on monthly subscriptions in four cities. Its CEO is worried about customers cancelling and is considering a retention offer: a free service visit for every subscriber, which would cost £2 per subscriber per month. The question is whether to launch the offer, and where.
Question 1: read the exhibit
The question
A. City A
B. City B
C. City C
D. City D
Commentary
B. The chart gives a rate, not a number of subscribers, so multiply each bar by its churn rate:
City A: 20,000 × 3% = 600 a month
City B: 12,000 × 7% = 840 a month
City C: 5,000 × 12% = 600 a month
City D: 9,000 × 4% = 360 a month
The trap is C. City C has by far the highest churn rate, but it is the smallest city, so it loses fewer subscribers than City B. On a two-axis chart, always check which axis each series uses before comparing anything.
Question 2: evaluate the offer
The question
In a trial, the offer reduced City B's monthly churn from 7% to 5%. Each subscriber contributes £20 a month before the offer's cost. On average, a subscriber who would otherwise have cancelled stays another 7.5 months. What net value does one month of the offer create, counting the future contribution of subscribers retained that month? Use the current subscriber base, count the £2 offer cost for that month only, and ignore discounting.
A. A gain of about £4,800
B. A gain of about £12,000
C. A gain of about £36,000
D. A loss of about £19,200
Commentary
B. Work out the cost, the subscribers saved and what each saved subscriber is worth, then compare.
Cost: 12,000 subscribers × £2 = £24,000 a month
Subscribers saved: 12,000 × (7% − 5%) = 240 a month
Value of one saved subscriber: 7.5 months × £20 = £150
Future contribution from subscribers retained that month: 240 × £150 = £36,000
Net value created by one month of the offer: £36,000 − £24,000 = about £12,000
This is estimated value over the retained subscribers' additional lifetimes, not cash received immediately. The cost is incurred now; the contribution arrives over future months. A recurring campaign would need a forecast of changing subscriber numbers and future offer costs.
Each wrong option matches a common error. C forgets the cost of the offer. A counts only one month of contribution for each saved subscriber (240 × £20 = £4,800) and also forgets the cost. D makes the first error but remembers the cost: £4,800 − £24,000 = a loss of £19,200. Writing the formula before calculating catches all three.
Question 3: judge what is missing
The question
A. Competitors' prices in City A
B. Whether the churn reduction from the trial lasts beyond the first months
C. The number of bikes in each city
D. City C's marketing budget
Commentary
B. The whole gain rests on churn falling from 7% to 5%. If the effect fades after a few months, the £24,000 monthly cost stays while the benefit shrinks. The other options are either about a different city or do not affect the economics of the offer. In the online case, judgement questions like this one reward candidates who keep the client's decision in mind rather than looking for the most detailed answer.
What made the difference across the three questions was not difficult maths. It was reading the right axis, writing the calculation before doing it, and asking which assumption the conclusion depends on. Those are the habits worth practising.
The video recommendation
Many candidates report that the online case ends with a short recorded video, often with about a minute to prepare and about a minute to speak. Durations and rules vary, so use the ones your test shows on screen. If your version has no video, the same structure still helps you answer the final written question.
A good recommendation has three parts, in this order:
- The answer. Say what the client should do in the first sentence.
- The essential reasons. Two or three facts from the case, with the numbers that support them.
- A risk or a next step. What could make the recommendation wrong, and how to check it.
"So, we looked at the four cities. City A has 20,000 subscribers and 3% churn, City B has 12,000 and 7%, City C has the highest churn at 12%, and City D has 4%. We also looked at the retention offer, which costs £2 per subscriber and saves some subscribers. Overall there are positives and negatives, and it depends on the city."
"I recommend launching the retention offer in City B first. City B loses about 840 subscribers a month, the most of any city, even though City C has the highest churn rate. One month of the offer in City B retains about 240 subscribers, with £36,000 of expected future contribution against £24,000 of offer cost: about £12,000 of net value. That contribution arrives over time. The main risk is that the effect fades after the trial, so I would run it for three months, track churn monthly and only then decide on the other cities."
The weaker version retells the exhibit and never decides. The stronger version answers in the first sentence, uses two numbers that carry the decision, and closes with a risk and a way to test it. It takes about 40 seconds to say at a normal pace, which leaves time to finish calmly.
How to practise the video
Record yourself, because watching the recording is the fastest way to notice filler words and a buried answer. Write no more than five words per point while you prepare, so that you speak to the camera rather than read. Practise three or four videos on different mini-cases, and time each one: you want to finish comfortably within the limit, not be cut off mid-sentence.
Numerical tests in other offices
BCG's UK page describes a "short numerical assessment", and its Australia and New Zealand page an "online numerical assessment" after the online case. Neither page names the test or describes its format. Candidates also report short numerical or logical tests in some other European offices.
Short numerical tests of this kind usually reward the same skills as the numerical part of the online case: finding the right value in a table or chart, calculating percentages and growth rates, and not losing time on a single question. Practise timed sets of ten to fifteen questions, check every wrong answer for its cause (reading, method or arithmetic), and use a calculator only if your invitation allows it.
Pymetrics and the Potential Test
You may still read about two other names. Pymetrics is a game-based assessment that some candidates report from BCG processes in certain offices. The Potential Test is a timed, case-based test that candidates describe from earlier seasons. Sources disagree on where either is still used, so neither should be assumed to have disappeared everywhere or to apply to you. If your invitation names one of them, prepare for that format; if it does not, do not spend time on it.
A two-week preparation plan
The plan below is a practical reference for the online case, a format that benefits from combined numerical and synthesis practice. Adapt it to your starting point and to the test in your invitation. If you have the CCA or a numerical test only, keep the numerical blocks and drop the video work.
| Days | Focus | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Read your invitation; learn the format; one untimed mini-case to find your weak points | You know the test, the deadline and the rules |
| 3 to 5 | Daily 20-minute mental maths and percentage drills; reading two-axis charts and tables | You state the formula before calculating |
| 6 to 8 | Timed mini-cases with linked questions and exhibits | You finish on time without skipping checks |
| 9 to 10 | Two or three recorded video recommendations | Answer in the first sentence, under the limit |
| 11 to 12 | Two full timed runs in realistic conditions | Errors fall into one or two categories you can fix |
| 13 to 14 | Review recurring errors; rest before the test | Same quality on a tired day |
Two adjustments are common. If numbers are already a strength, move faster through days 3 to 5 and spend the time on mini-cases. If you have rarely worked with charts and percentages, start the daily drills on day 1 and keep them going until the test.
Read the invitation carefully, do one timed mini-case to see where you lose points, then drill only those points: usually chart reading and units. Record two video recommendations. Choose a quiet slot well before the deadline in case of technical problems.
Common mistakes in the BCG online assessment
- Preparing for the wrong test because a forum described a different office.
- Re-doing a calculation three times instead of writing the formula once and checking the units.
- Looking for the perfect data point while the clock runs.
- Answering from the tallest bar instead of the relevant comparison.
- A video that summarises the numbers instead of recommending something.
- Using tools or help the invitation does not allow. BCG's guidance on AI covers applications and interview practice, not use during tests, so follow the rules in your invitation.
After the assessment: case and fit interviews
The assessment informs interview invitations alongside the rest of your application. Candidates often report interviews within a few weeks of the result. BCG describes a skills interview about your experience and motivation, a case interview and a team interview for client-facing roles. In many offices, candidates report two rounds, each mixing a personal part and a case.
The interviews test what the online assessment cannot. In a BCG case, you are often expected to lead: propose a structure built on the client's question, ask for the data you need, do the maths aloud without a calculator and close with a recommendation. The personal part goes deep on one or two experiences and usually includes "why BCG". The online case helps with reading data and synthesis, but it does not replace practice with a person who interrupts, challenges and asks follow-up questions.
That is where coaching is most useful. With 1:1 coaching with Franco, each session is a realistic BCG-style case and fit interview, followed by a debrief and a written report that names your priorities. Sessions use original cases, never real BCG interview material. CasePreparation does not sell a BCG online-case simulator; the coaching prepares you for the interviews that follow it.
"I got into BCG! So glad I did those sessions with you."
A., BCG offer. One candidate's experience; results depend on each candidate and process.
1:1 coaching for BCG interviews
Practise BCG-style case and fit interviews with a former BCG Principal
Franco Borgonovo spent ten years at BCG and has conducted more than 1,500 interviews, over 800 of them for MBB firms. Every session is with him and is followed by a written report with your scores and priorities.
- Candidate-led cases with charts and maths, fit questions and "why BCG", adapted to your round
- Start with one session for a diagnosis and a plan; packages of 3, 5 or 10 sessions add email support between sessions
- Money-back guarantee if the coaching does not meet your expectations
Use the free call to tell Franco which test you received, your interview dates and where you feel stuck.
The BCG interview preparation guide covers the full process with a worked case, and the comparison of McKinsey, BCG and Bain online assessments helps if you are applying to several firms.
For technical or specialist applications, see the separate guides to BCG X interviews and INVERTO interviews.
Frequently asked questions
Is the BCG online assessment the same as Casey?
Not always. Casey is the name candidates use for BCG's online case. Depending on your office, the assessment may instead be the Consulting Career Assessment, a numerical test or a coding test, or a combination. Your invitation names the test.
How long is the BCG online case?
BCG's US page says about 35 minutes. Candidates report eight to ten linked questions and, in many versions, a short recorded video at the end.
Can I use a calculator?
Candidates report that a calculator is allowed in the online case and in the CCA's numerical section. BCG's pages do not say, so check your invitation and the instructions on screen. In live case interviews, expect pen and paper.
Can I retake the online case?
BCG's US page says candidates who have already taken the online case are not prompted to take it again. Candidates report a waiting period before a new attempt after an unsuccessful one. Ask your recruiter how it applies to you.
How long should I prepare?
Two weeks of regular practice is a sensible reference for the online case, less if you are already fluent with charts and percentages. For the CCA, a few days of numerical practice and a planned slot within the 48-hour window are usually what matter most.
Can I use AI during the assessment?
BCG's AI guidance concerns applications and interview preparation, and it warns against content that misrepresents you. For the tests, follow your invitation's rules and assume no outside help is allowed unless the invitation says otherwise.
Final checklist
Your next step
Open your invitation, identify the test and adapt the practice plan to your deadline. Prepare for case and fit interviews alongside it, so you have time to act on feedback before an invitation arrives. One coaching session gives you a realistic BCG-style interview, a debrief and a written plan for the time you have left.
Coaching with Franco
Get ready for the BCG interviews after your test
A realistic case and fit interview, a debrief and a written report with your priorities. Start with one session, or talk it through for free first.
About Franco
Franco Borgonovo
Former BCG Principal · 10-year tenure · Official BCG coachFranco spent ten years at BCG, from intern to Principal, interviewing and selecting candidates as a global lead recruiter. He is still an official BCG coach for new hires, and today works one to one with candidates on applications, McKinsey Solve and interviews.
More about Franco →- BCG: Mexico careers and recruiting process · Casey chatbot and regional online-case format; checked 3 November 2026
- BCG: US Associate recruiting (careers page) · Consulting Career Assessment for US applicants, 48 hours, about 30 to 35 minutes; online case of about 35 minutes for a select group; read 3 November 2026
- BCG: Graduate Associate recruitment in the United Kingdom (careers page) · short numerical assessment after an initial review; read 3 November 2026
- BCG: Associate recruitment in Australia and New Zealand (careers page) · online case assessment, then an online numerical assessment for shortlisted candidates; read 3 November 2026
- BCG X: Associate recruitment in Australia and New Zealand (careers page) · online coding test for Data Scientist and AI Engineer roles; read 3 November 2026
- BCG: How to use AI in your application process · read 3 November 2026