McKinsey Solve 2026 changes: what is different and when it changed

The 2026 format at a glance

All three formats run side by side. Each invitation states its length, and invitations suggest about 20 extra minutes for instructions and the technical check. For how each game works, see the McKinsey Solve guide.

Timeline of changes

Dates are when candidates and prep sites first reported each change. McKinsey does not announce changes to Solve, and new versions roll out gradually, so you may see an older version after a newer one has appeared elsewhere.

Ecosystem's retirement

Ecosystem asked you to build a food chain of eight species that could survive together in one location. For years it was the game every prep guide led with, so a lot of older material still spends most of its pages on it. Candidates in 2026 do not report it on any invitation, and prep sites agree it has gone, even if they disagree on exactly when.

The practical point is simple: do not spend preparation time on Ecosystem. If you have bought or found a course built around it, skip those sections and put the time into Redrock, whose study and cases reward practice more than any other game. Our Ecosystem guide stays online with a note on its status, for the rare candidate who meets it.

The Sustainable Futures Lab, twice

The Sustainable Futures Lab is the main new game of 2026, and it has already changed once. Which version you get depends on your invitation's length.

The redesign moves Solve further from question-and-answer and closer to running something. The support requests still give you a set of options to choose from, but they arrive while the simulation runs, and what you chose earlier shapes what happens next. The Sustainable Futures Lab guide covers both versions in full.

What has not changed

• Redrock and Sea Wolf are on every invitation. Redrock keeps its 35-minute clock, three-stage study and six cases; Sea Wolf keeps its three sites in 30 minutes.
• No pass mark is published. Recruiters share your overall score and decile if you ask, and weigh it with your CV.
• Process still counts. McKinsey still describes Solve as looking at how you solve problems, not only the answers.
• It is still taken online, at home, in a desktop browser, within a window set by your invitation.

What to do about it

1. Read your invitation's length first. It tells you whether to prepare for two games or three, and which Lab.
2. Put most of your time into Redrock and Sea Wolf. They are on every invitation. The Redrock guide works an example of every stage; the Sea Wolf guide covers the selection logic.
3. Prepare the right Lab. On an 85-minute invitation, practise fast chart reading and multiple-choice trade-offs; on a 95-minute one, practise the simulation's pace.
4. Check the date on anything you read. Material from before 2025 is likely to centre on Ecosystem. Our guides show the date they were last updated at the top.
5. Practise on the real clocks. The Redrock Simulation, Sea Wolf Simulation and Sustainable Futures Lab run each game on its current timer. The 7-day practice plan fits them into a week.

Frequently asked questions

What changed in McKinsey Solve in 2026?

The Sustainable Futures Lab was added on longer invitations: an 85-minute format with 13 multiple-choice questions from around March 2026, and a 95-minute format with a redesigned 30-minute team simulation from August 2026. Redrock and Sea Wolf stay on every invitation, and Ecosystem is no longer used.

Is Ecosystem still in McKinsey Solve?

No. Ecosystem has been phased out, from 2024 in some offices and from around mid-2025 in most. Candidates in 2026 do not report it.

How do I know which version of Solve I will get?

Check the length in your invitation email. 65 minutes means Redrock and Sea Wolf; 85 minutes adds the original Sustainable Futures Lab; 95 minutes adds the redesigned one.

Does McKinsey announce changes to Solve?

No. Changes are reported by candidates and prep sites as new invitations arrive, and new versions roll out gradually, so older and newer formats run at the same time.

Has the scoring changed in 2026?

There is no sign of it. Candidates still report an overall score and decile shared on request, with interview invitations most often from the seventh decile upwards.