McKinsey Solve · 85‑min Assessment

Master the Sustainable Futures Lab before test day.

The most realistic SFL simulator for McKinsey Solve. Practice 13‑question missions in 20 minutes — exactly like the live assessment. Build judgement on prioritisation, ambiguity, and stakeholder trade‑offs.

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Sustainable Futures Lab — mission briefing screen

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Live test format

20 min · 13 questions

Traits measured

3 core competencies

Trusted by candidates from

What is the Sustainable Futures Lab?

Not a calculation game.
A test of consulting judgement.

SFL presents you with a 20‑minute scenario — like helping a coastal city respond to flooding, or designing a green transport plan. Information unfolds progressively, and your choices shape how the story develops. McKinsey assesses your reasoning and consistency, not your maths.

schedule

20 minutes

A single timed mission. Tight enough that hesitation costs you.

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13 scenarios

Ranking and multiple‑choice tasks woven into one continuous storyline.

target

3 traits scored

Prioritisation, ambiguity, and stakeholder management — assessed independently.

What McKinsey measures

The three traits behind every SFL question.

Every scenario is designed to surface one of these. Train them deliberately and your performance compounds across all 13 questions.

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Prioritisation

Balance impact, feasibility, and risk when several options are defensible. McKinsey wants to see structured trade‑off thinking, not gut calls.

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Working with ambiguity

Move forward without complete information. Ranking tasks reward candidates who commit to a sensible order under uncertainty rather than freezing.

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Teamwork & stakeholders

Recognise how each decision affects different groups — communities, regulators, partners — and pick options that hold up across stakeholders.

Inside the simulator

Built to feel exactly like the real test.

From the NPC briefing to ranking tiles to multiple‑choice responses — every screen mirrors the live SFL flow.

SFL mission briefing screen — NPC introduces the scenario

Step 1 · Briefing

NPC‑led mission setup

"Welcome to the Sustainable Futures Lab." Each mission opens with a guide who frames the situation — same as the live test.

SFL ranking question — drag-and-drop priority ordering

Step 2 · Ranking

Drag‑and‑drop priority tasks

Order options from most to least important. Practice committing to a defensible sequence under time pressure.

SFL response screen — multiple-choice with progressive context

Step 3 · Decisions

Branching multiple‑choice

Earlier choices reshape later context. Stay consistent with your reasoning across all 13 questions.

The complete toolkit

Prep every module of McKinsey Solve.

Your free trial includes simulators for all three modules — plus the only solver that helps with both Sea Wolf phases.

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eco SFL Simulator

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Sea Wolf Simulator

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Redrock Simulator

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Sea Wolf Solver Premium

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Module comparison

SFL is unlike the other two modules.

Many candidates over‑prepare for Sea Wolf and Redrock, then meet SFL cold. Here's what makes it different.

Module	Focus	Format	What's measured
Redrock	Quantitative reasoning	Investigation + analytics	Data interpretation, calculation accuracy
Sea Wolf	Logic & optimisation	4 phases, ecosystem balance	Pattern recognition, optimisation
eco SFL	Situational judgement	20 min · 13 scenario questions	Prioritisation, ambiguity, stakeholders

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How to know if you'll see SFL

Check your invitation email for total assessment time: 65 min = Redrock + Sea Wolf only · 85 min = Redrock + Sea Wolf + SFL. SFL has appeared most frequently in Europe and the Middle East — but rollout varies by region, role, and recruiting cycle.

How it works

Three steps to walk into test day ready.

Read the SFL guide

Understand the format, the three traits, and what McKinsey rewards before you ever click into a mission.

Run full 20‑min missions

Practice the live flow end‑to‑end across multiple scenarios — urban flood, ocean cleanup, green transport, coral reef.

Review trait‑level feedback

See where you scored on each of the three traits and which scenarios pulled you off‑pattern. Iterate before test day.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions.

What is the McKinsey Sustainable Futures Lab? add

SFL is a 20‑minute scenario‑based module within the McKinsey Solve assessment. It contains 13 interconnected questions where you make consulting‑style decisions. Unlike Redrock and Sea Wolf, SFL tests situational judgement, prioritisation, and stakeholder trade‑offs — not numerical optimisation.

How do I know if my assessment includes SFL? add

Check the total assessment time in your invitation email. 65 minutes means Redrock + Sea Wolf only. 85 minutes means Redrock + Sea Wolf + SFL. SFL has appeared most frequently in Europe and the Middle East and seems to be in a phased rollout — modules can vary by region, role, and recruiting cycle.

What traits does SFL measure? add

Three core traits across the 13 scenarios: Prioritisation (balancing impact, feasibility, risk), Working with ambiguity (deciding without complete information), and Teamwork & stakeholder management (considering how choices affect different groups). Each scenario maps to one of these traits.

How realistic is the simulator? add

Our simulator mirrors the live flow exactly: 20 minutes, 13 questions, ranking and multiple‑choice tasks, progressive scenario reveal, and the same NPC‑led briefing format. We've built four unique missions covering urban flood, ocean cleanup, green transport, and coral reef conservation.

Is there a free trial? add

Yes. You can start a free trial without entering a card. The trial gives you access to a sample SFL mission plus our Sea Wolf and Redrock simulators so you can prepare for the full assessment.

Ready when you are

Walk into your SFL already familiar with it.

Free to start. No card required. Your assessment is 85 minutes — give yourself the same 20 minutes of practice McKinsey will measure you on.

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