Short answer
In the PST era, about one in three test takers passed: of roughly 200,000 applications in 2012, about 1% received offers. Today about 300,000 candidates take McKinsey Solve each year, and prep providers estimate that 20-30% advance to interviews. McKinsey publishes no official pass rates, so every stage figure is an estimate.
Key takeaways
- About 200,000 people applied to McKinsey in 2012 and roughly 1% received an offer, as reported in a 2013 interview profile.
- In the PST era, my estimate was that about one-third of test takers passed.
- Roughly 300,000 early-career candidates take Solve each year, and prep providers estimate 20-30% advance.
- Once you reach the first interview round, your odds improve by an order of magnitude compared with the application stage.
The short answer: about one in three passed the PST
McKinsey never published pass rates for its Problem Solving Test. My estimate, from my own experience and from the candidates I coached, was that about one-third of PST takers passed and two-thirds failed. Across the entire funnel, roughly 1% of applicants received an offer.
The PST is now retired. McKinsey uses Solve, a gamified online assessment, and the volume has grown. Roughly 300,000 early-career candidates take Solve each year, and prep providers estimate that 20-30% advance.
The 2012 funnel: 200,000 applications, about 1% offers
In a July 2013 profile and interview with Dominic Barton, McKinsey's managing director at the time, Management Today reported that about 201,000 people had applied in the previous year for roughly 2,200 places. That is close to 1%.
Working back from that, the PST-era funnel looked like this. Only the first and last numbers were reported; the middle stages are my estimates.
| Stage (2012, PST era) | Candidates | Share of applicants | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | ~200,000 | 100% | Reported (2013 interview) |
| Invited to the PST | ~65,000 | ~33% | My estimate: about two-thirds rejected on resume |
| Passed the PST | ~21,000 | ~10% | My estimate: about one-third of takers passed |
| Offers after two interview rounds | ~2,100-2,200 | ~1% | Reported (2013 interview) |
The pattern is clear. The resume screen and the PST together removed about 90% of applicants. Of those who reached the first case round, about one in ten ended with an offer.
The 2026 funnel: 300,000 Solve takers
McKinsey now sends most early-career consulting applicants to Solve, often soon after the application. As reported by prep providers citing a McKinsey blog post, about 300,000 candidates take it each year. McKinsey publishes no stage-by-stage numbers, so the table below is an illustrative estimate.
| Stage (2026, Solve era) | Candidates | Share of Solve takers | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take Solve | ~300,000 | 100% | Reported (McKinsey blog, via prep sites) |
| Advance to first-round interviews | ~60,000-90,000 | 20-30% | Prep-provider estimate |
| Advance to final round | ~15,000-30,000 | 5-10% | My estimate |
| Offers | a few thousand | ~1-2% | My estimate |
Two points stand out. First, Solve has moved the screen earlier: more people take the test, and some of the filtering that used to happen on the resume now happens in the game. Second, the overall odds have not improved. Getting an offer is still a 1-2% outcome for an average applicant.
Stephan's note: These tables describe the average applicant. A candidate who has prepared seriously is not average. When I coached students for the PST, the pass rate among those who completed two full timed practice tests was far higher than one in three.
Why the estimates differ between sources
You will find pass rates for Solve anywhere from 20% to over 40% online. Three factors explain the spread.
- Office and role. Competitive offices and generalist consulting roles appear to set a higher effective bar than less contested ones.
- Cycle volume. When an office hires fewer people in a given year, the effective threshold rises.
- Who reports. Prep-site surveys over-represent prepared candidates, who pass more often than average.
McKinsey publishes none of these numbers. Use the ranges in this article as orders of magnitude for planning, and treat any single precise percentage with suspicion.
How to read these odds
Funnel numbers are discouraging at the top and encouraging further down. Three conclusions follow.
- The test is the widest filter you control. Your resume is partly fixed by your history. Your test performance depends heavily on preparation.
- Interview odds are much better. Once you reach the first round, you are competing with perhaps ten others for each offer instead of a hundred.
- Apply broadly. With odds this low at any single firm, apply to McKinsey, BCG, Bain and strong second-tier firms in the same cycle. Their online assessments differ; see the BCG Potential Test and BCG's current assessments.
What moves you from average to likely
The candidates I saw pass reliably shared a few habits:
- They knew the format in advance. For Solve, read the McKinsey test in 2026 and McKinsey's own Solve page.
- They practiced timed, data-heavy problems until reading exhibits felt routine.
- They reviewed every mistake by type (reading, math or objective) and fixed the weakest type first.
- They kept test day calm: a quiet room, stable internet, no distractions.
For the cutoff side of the question, see the PST cutoff score, and for what to do if you land in the larger group, read what happens when you fail.
A practical way to move the odds
Timed written case practice is one of the most efficient ways to shift your personal pass rate. The Second Key to the PST is a second full 26-question practice test with fresh business cases and a detailed answer guide. It was written for the PST, which McKinsey has retired, and it trains the same reading, math and objective-finding that Solve and case interviews reward. See the Second Key to the PST page, then move on to the McKinsey case interview guide for the rounds that follow.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of candidates passed the McKinsey PST?
McKinsey never published it. My estimate, from coaching candidates and from recruiter conversations, was about one-third, meaning roughly two out of three takers failed.
What is the McKinsey Solve pass rate?
McKinsey does not publish one. Prep providers estimate that 20-30% of takers advance, which means 70-80% are screened out.
How many applications does McKinsey receive per year?
About 200,000 were reported for 2012. Today roughly 300,000 early-career candidates take Solve each year, as reported from a McKinsey blog post, and total applications are likely higher.
What percentage of McKinsey applicants get an offer?
Around 1% was the reported figure for 2012. Current figures are not published, and estimates of 1-2% of applicants remain common.