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Free GMAT-Style Aptitude Practice: Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency

Management consulting and investment banking firms adapt GMAT-style problem-solving and data sufficiency items for their cognitive screens. McKinsey PST, BCG Potential Test, and Bain Aptitude Test all borrow heavily from the GMAT playbook. This free practice simulates 37 problem-solving and data-sufficiency items in 75 minutes. One attempt free, no signup required.

Questions

Time Limit

75 min

Difficulty

Very High

Cost

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What this free GMAT-style practice includes

GMAT-style cognitive tests used in hiring differ from the actual GMAT in two ways: they are shorter (typically 30 to 45 minutes vs 3+ hours), and they skip the verbal and integrated reasoning sections that are central to MBA admissions. The hiring variants keep just the quantitative core: problem-solving (standard word-problem math) and data sufficiency (a uniquely GMAT-style question type that tests whether you have enough information).

This free simulation runs 37 items (roughly 22 problem-solving, 15 data sufficiency) in 75 minutes. At the end, you receive a raw score, a percentile against a consulting and banking candidate norm group, and detailed walkthroughs for every item. McKinsey and Bain historically cut at the 75th to 80th percentile for graduate hires.

37-item, 75-minute battery

Matches the typical consulting/banking cognitive screen length.

Problem-solving + data sufficiency

Roughly 22 problem-solving items and 15 data sufficiency items. Same mix as the real GMAT quantitative section.

Consulting/banking norm

Your percentile mapped against a consulting and banking candidate pool, not against the general workforce.

Data sufficiency walkthroughs

Every missed data sufficiency item includes a careful statement-by-statement explanation.

Free first run, anonymous

Your first simulation requires no signup.

Three sample GMAT-style items with walkthroughs

Data sufficiency is the question type most candidates struggle with because the format is unfamiliar outside the GMAT world.

Sample 1: Problem Solving

A company's revenue grew by x percent in Year 1 and by y percent in Year 2. If x equals 20 and y equals 15, what was the total percentage growth from the start of Year 1 to the end of Year 2?

A.35 percent
B.36 percent
C.37 percent
D.38 percent
E.39 percent

Answer and walkthrough

D. Starting at 100, Year 1 end: 120. Year 2 end: 120 times 1.15 equals 138. Total growth: 38 percent. The trap answer is A (35 percent) which just adds x and y without accounting for compounding. GMAT-style problem-solving items frequently test whether you add percentages or compound them. Budget 2 minutes per problem-solving item.

Sample 2: Data Sufficiency

How many employees work at the Berlin office? Statement 1: The total number of employees across London, Berlin, and Paris is 450. Statement 2: The Berlin office has twice as many employees as the London office, and Paris has 60 more employees than Berlin.

A.Statement 1 alone is sufficient.
B.Statement 2 alone is sufficient.
C.Both statements together are sufficient, but neither alone.
D.Each statement alone is sufficient.
E.Both statements together are not sufficient.

Answer and walkthrough

C. Statement 1 alone: only gives the sum, not individual counts. Not sufficient. Statement 2 alone: gives ratios but no absolute numbers. Not sufficient. Together: let Berlin equal B. Then London equals B/2, Paris equals B plus 60. Sum: B/2 plus B plus (B plus 60) equals 450. Simplify: 2.5B plus 60 equals 450, so B equals 156. Both statements together are sufficient. Data sufficiency always follows the same 5-option structure. Answer C is "both together, but neither alone." Budget 90 seconds per DS item.

Sample 3: Data Sufficiency (Tricky)

Is x > y? Statement 1: x squared > y squared. Statement 2: x and y are both positive.

A.Statement 1 alone is sufficient.
B.Statement 2 alone is sufficient.
C.Both statements together are sufficient, but neither alone.
D.Each statement alone is sufficient.
E.Both statements together are not sufficient.

Answer and walkthrough

C. Statement 1 alone: x squared > y squared could mean x=3, y=-2 (where x>y is true) or x=-3, y=2 (where x>y is false). Not sufficient. Statement 2 alone: both positive, but we do not know relative sizes. Not sufficient. Together: if both positive and x squared > y squared, then x > y must be true (for positives, squaring preserves order). Both together sufficient. DS items consistently trip up candidates who assume variables are positive. Always consider negatives.

What the real consulting/banking GMAT-style test feels like

McKinsey historically used the Problem Solving Test (PST), a 26-item paper-based test run during first-round interviews. BCG uses the BCG Potential Test. Bain uses a similar aptitude test, varying slightly by geography. Goldman Sachs has integrated GMAT-style quant items into its initial online assessment for analyst programs. These tests share a common pedigree: they borrow the problem-solving and data sufficiency formats from the GMAT and adapt them for shorter hiring-specific use.

McKinsey replaced the PST with the Solve game-based assessment in 2019 for many geographies, but GMAT-style items persist in interview follow-ups and in offices still using the legacy PST. BCG Potential Test remains active in most geographies. Bain aptitude tests continue across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The typical cutoff for these tests is the 75th to 80th percentile for consulting graduate applications. Banking cutoffs vary more widely: Goldman Sachs front-office hires cut at the 85th percentile or higher on cognitive screens, while Goldman back-office roles cut closer to the 70th percentile. The prep is nearly identical to GMAT quantitative prep, with extra emphasis on data sufficiency because that format is less familiar to non-GMAT-exposed candidates.

Keep prepping

Full GMAT-style prep guide

GMAT-style aptitude deep-dive

McKinsey PST history, BCG Potential Test breakdown, and a focused 14-day prep plan.

For

GMAT-style for consulting

How McKinsey, BCG, and Bain applicants should build a problem-solving base.

For

GMAT-style for banking

Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan analyst cognitive screens.

Question type

Data sufficiency practice

Data sufficiency is the unfamiliar GMAT-style question type. Dedicated drills help.

GMAT-Style practice FAQs

Consulting screens borrow from the GMAT for a reason.

Free 37-item simulation with problem-solving and data sufficiency walkthroughs.

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