What’s New in McKinsey Solve 2025

McKinsey Solve 2025 now has a different game structure and timing, so if you watched older videos or used older practice tools, parts of what you saw are out of date.

This article walks you through:

• The new 2025 Solve structure
• What actually changed vs the previous version
• How Redrock Study and Sea Wolf work now
• How to practice using the latest version of Prepmatter’s simulation

You can also watch the full walkthrough on YouTube here:

Quick recap: why this update matters

In the last 1.5 years, over half a million people watched our McKinsey Solve videos and thousands used Prepmatter’s simulation to prepare.

Since July 2025, McKinsey has rolled out a new format globally. If you are still preparing with the “three game” structure including Ecosystem Creation, you are working with an old version.

This blog summarises the new format so you know exactly what to expect before you start your assessment.

McKinsey Solve 2025 Structure

The assessment is now split into two parts:

Total active game time (excluding tutorials): 65 minutes.

What actually changed in 2025?

Here is what is new in the McKinsey Solve 2025 version compared with the older format:

Ecosystem Creation game is gone

• The old “Ecosystem Creation” / “food-web” game has been phased out.
• You will not see it in the current Solve version.

Sea Wolf fully replaces Ecosystem

• Sea Wolf has been piloted since mid-2024.
• It is now the standard second part of Solve everywhere.

Timing change in Sea Wolf

• Sea Wolf used to be 35 minutes.
• It is now 30 minutes, so time pressure is a bit higher.

Redrock mini cases are streamlined

• Previously: up to 10 fairly dense questions.
• Now: 6 mini cases, generally shorter and more focused.

Total structure is simpler

• Before: 3 games, multiple variants, more uncertainty.
• Now: 2 games, fixed structure, 65 minutes.

Part I in more detail – Redrock Study

In your assessment, you will see a study similar to the Selva Nova example we walked through in the video.

You:

• Read a fairly long description of an ecosystem problem (for example, reintroducing an apex predator to stabilise a forest)
• Review exhibits with forecasts, growth rates, percentages, and revenues
• Drag key numbers into your research journal to use later
• Answer quantitative questions such as:
  • “How many hares will the wolves consume per year?”
  • “In which year will the population drop below a given threshold?”
  • “What is the change in vegetation cover and tourism revenue in Year 5?”
• Complete a written report section where you:
  • Summarise what happens in the “with intervention” vs “no intervention” scenario
  • Pull numbers from your research journal into templated sentences
  • Choose the best chart type and enter values to visualise your conclusions

A few practical points from the walkthrough:

• Drag more data into the research journal than you think you need.
• Use the in-game calculator for all multiplications and percentages.
• In the written report, many answers are directly reusing numbers you already calculated in the analysis section.

Part II in more detail – Sea Wolf

Sea Wolf is now your only game-based second part, and it is very likely what will decide your overall score if your Redrock performance is average.

You work across 3 contaminated sites. For each site, you:

Set characteristics

• Pick one attribute (for example, mobility or permeability) and one trait (for example, heat resistance or aerobic).
• This choice influences which microbes initially appear as candidates

Categorise microbes

• Review 10 microbes, each with:
  • 3 numeric attributes
  • 1 trait
• Assign each microbe to:
  • current site
  • next site
  • return pile
• A simple rule of thumb from the video:
  • if a microbe matches at least 2 out of 4 requirements (3 attributes + trait) and does not have an undesired trait, send it to the relevant site.

Build the prospect pool

• In 4 rounds, you see 3 microbes at a time.
• You must pick one per round to add to the pool.
• You usually ignore microbes with an undesired trait first, then choose based on how many attributes fall in range.

Choose the final treatment

• Select 3 microbes per site.
• The game averages their attributes and looks at the trait mix.
• Scoring works in 20% chunks:
  • 20% for each averaged attribute in range (up to 60%)
  • +20% if you include at least one desired trait
  • +20% if you avoid undesired traits
• A perfect combination gives 100% treatment effectiveness, but in some scenarios the maximum possible may be lower (for example, 80%).

In the video, we walk through all three sites and reach 100% effectiveness in each, explaining the logic at every step. This is exactly the type of thinking you should build through practice.

Practising the new version with Prepmatter

Many online resources still display the old three-game structure. Prepmatter’s simulation is fully updated to the July 2025 format.

When you enroll in the course, you get:

• The most realistic McKinsey Solve simulation we can build
• Unlimited attempts on both Redrock and Sea Wolf
• A growing library of Redrock scenarios (like Selva Nova and Nolotiles)
• Dynamically generated Sea Wolf scenarios, so each run feels fresh
• Detailed feedback and downloadable answer sheets after your attempts
• Right now we also run a 50% money-back guarantee if you fail to perform well in the game.
• Based on what we see, 98% of students score within the top 25% of all test takers, which we understand is around McKinsey’s benchmark.