BCG 2026 aptitude
Quantitative, reasoning, and verbal drills with solutions
BCG 2026 Pattern Details
Overview
This page collects BCG placement papers from 2026 with practice questions, worked solutions, and the exam pattern students reported that cycle. Use it when you want drive history: what the first round looked like, which topics repeated, and how to approach solutions. Work the sets below under a timer, then compare with newer material so your prep matches both established BCG patterns and recent shifts.
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BCG 2026 coding
DSA practice aligned to BCG online assessments
BCG interview experience
Round structure and tips from student reports
BCG prep guide
Study plan and weekly schedule
BCG Aptitude Mock Quiz
Timed placement-style MCQs with score and explanations after you submit. Use it to check speed and accuracy before the real test.
Questions15
Time10 min
Verbal
Problem: Choose the synonym for "Ephemeral": a) Eternal b) Transient c) Permanent d) Perpetual
"Ephemeral" means lasting for a very short time, temporary. "Transient" has the same meaning.
Quantitative
The square of 0.4 is:
0.4 × 0.4 = 0.16.
Verbal
Choose the correct preposition: The meeting will be held _____ 3 PM.
Correct answer: at
Reasoning
Statements: All cats are dogs. Some dogs are birds. Conclusions: I. Some cats are birds. II. All birds are cats.
Analyzing the statements: - All cats are dogs (A → B) - Some dogs are birds (B → C, some) Conclusion I: Some cats are birds - Since all cats are dogs, and some dogs are birds, we can say some cats are birds. Valid Conclusion II: All birds are cats - This canno
Quantitative
Find the remainder when 2^31 is divided by 5.
Pattern of 2^n mod 5: 2^1=2, 2^2=4, 2^3=3, 2^4=1, 2^5=2 (cycle repeats every 4) 31 mod 4 = 3 So 2^31 mod 5 = 2^3 mod 5 = 3
Reasoning
Arrange the words: 1. Elephant 2. Cat 3. Dog 4. Ant
Correct answer: 4, 2, 3, 1
Quantitative
If a number is increased by 20% and then decreased by 15%, what is the net change?
Correct answer: +2% increase
Quantitative
The average of 5 numbers is 42. If one number 32 is removed, the new average is:
Sum = 210. New sum = 178. Average = 178/4 = 44.5.
Verbal
Choose the correct form: "If I _____ rich, I would travel the world."
Second conditional uses "were" for all subjects (subjunctive mood).
Reasoning
Statements: All dogs are animals. Some animals are pets. Conclusion: Some dogs are pets.
No definite relation that dogs are pets.
Verbal
Antonym of "Artificial":
Artificial ↔ natural.
Reasoning
Odd one out: Square, Circle, Triangle, Cube
Cube is 3D; others are 2D shapes.
Quantitative
Pointing to a man, a woman said, "His mother is the only daughter of my mother." How is the woman related to the man?
Let's break down the statement: - "His mother" = the man's mother - "only daughter of my mother" = the woman herself (since she's the only daughter) So: The man's mother = the woman Therefore, the woman is the mother of the man.
Quantitative
CP = ₹800, SP = ₹920. Profit %:
Profit 120 on 800 = 15%.
Reasoning
In a row of 40 students, A is 11th from left. Rank from right is:
From right = 40 − 11 + 1 = 30.
Your score
0/15(0%)
Review
BCG exam pattern 2026
| Section | What shows up | Prep focus |
|---|---|---|
| Aptitude / logical | Quant, reasoning, sometimes verbal | Timed sectional accuracy |
| Coding / programming logic | Easy-medium DSA or output-style MCQs | Handle tricky inputs |
| Technical interview | OOPs, DBMS, OS, projects | Explain aloud |
| HR | Fit, location, intent | A few real examples ready |
First round: BCG Online Case / Pymetrics variants
Skills emphasized: Case interviews, online screening
Languages: N/A for associate; tech/BCG X differs
Sample BCG questions with solutions
These are practice-style questions aligned to patterns students report for BCG drives around 2026. They are not leaked live papers. Work them timed, then read the solutions only after you have an answer.
Quantitative aptitude (2026)
Q1: Net percent change
Problem: A number is increased by 20% and then decreased by 20%. What is the net percentage change?
Solution: Start with 100 → 120 → 96. Net change = 4% decrease. Formula: successive +a then −a gives −(a²/100)% = −4%.
Answer: 4% decrease
Q2: Consumption cut
Problem: If the price of an item rises by 25%, by what percent should consumption fall so that expenditure stays the same?
Solution: Required reduction = r/(100+r) × 100 with r = 25. = 25/125 × 100 = 20%.
Answer: 20%
Q3: Compound mark-discount
Problem: An article is marked 40% above cost and sold after a 10% discount. Find the profit percent.
Solution: SP = CP × 1.4 × 0.9 = 1.26 CP. Profit = 26%.
Answer: 26%
Q4: Loss to profit shift
Problem: An article sold at 10% loss would give 5% profit if sold for ₹60 more. Find the cost price.
Solution: 0.9P + 60 = 1.05P 60 = 0.15P P = 60 / 0.15 = ₹400.
Answer: ₹400
Q5: Worker scaling
Problem: Eight workers finish a job in 10 days. How many days will 10 workers take for the same job (same pace)?
Solution: Total man-days = 8 × 10 = 80. Days for 10 workers = 80 / 10 = 8 days.
Answer: 8 days
Q6: Distance from speed
Problem: A vehicle travels at 60 km/h for 2.5 hours. How far does it go?
Solution: Distance = speed × time = 60 × 2.5 = 150 km.
Answer: 150 km
Q7: Compound ratio
Problem: If two ratios are 3:5 and 5:7, what is the compound ratio?
Solution: Compound ratio = (3/5) × (5/7) = 3/7, written as 3:7.
Answer: 3:7
Q8: SI three years
Problem: Find simple interest on ₹5000 at 8% per annum for 3 years.
Solution: SI = 5000 × 8 × 3 / 100 = ₹1200.
Answer: ₹1200
Logical reasoning (2026)
Q1: Direction turn
Problem: A person walks 5 km north, then 3 km east, then 5 km south. How far is he from the start, and in which direction?
Solution: North 5 and south 5 cancel. He is 3 km east of the start.
Answer: 3 km east
Q2: Series multiply
Problem: Find the next number: 3, 9, 27, 81, ?
Solution: Each term is multiplied by 3. Next = 81 × 3 = 243.
Answer: 243
Q3: Seating hint
Problem: Five friends sit in a row. A is to the left of B but right of C. D is to the right of B and left of E. Who is in the middle?
Solution: Order from left to right: C, A, B, D, E. The middle seat is B.
Answer: B
Q4: Analogy
Problem: Book is to Reading as Fork is to ?
Solution: A book is used for reading; a fork is used for eating.
Answer: Eating
Coding practice (2026)
Coding Q1: Binary tree level order
Problem: Given the root of a binary tree, return the level-order traversal (breadth-first) as a list of levels.
Approach: Use a queue. For each level, drain the current queue size, collect values, and enqueue children for the next level.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(n) space
BCG tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q2: Coin change (min coins)
Problem: Given coin denominations and an amount, return the fewest coins needed to make that amount, or -1 if it is impossible.
Approach: Unbounded knapsack DP: let dp[x] be the minimum coins for amount x. For each coin, update dp[c..amount]. Initialize dp[0] = 0 and the rest to a large sentinel.
Complexity: O(amount × coins)
BCG tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q3: Binary search
Problem: Given a sorted array of distinct integers and a target, return the index of target or -1 if missing.
Approach: Maintain lo/hi. Compare mid with target and shrink the half that cannot contain it. Careful with overflow-free mid and empty arrays.
Complexity: O(log n) time
BCG tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q4: Move zeros
Problem: Move all zeros in an array to the end while keeping the relative order of non-zero elements.
Approach: Two pointers: write non-zeros toward the front, then fill the remainder with zeros. Or swap zeros as you scan.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) space
BCG tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q5: Rotate array
Problem: Rotate an array to the right by k steps. Example: [1,2,3,4,5,6,7], k = 3 → [5,6,7,1,2,3,4].
Approach: Normalize k %= n. Reverse the whole array, reverse the first k elements, then reverse the rest. That yields the rotation in place.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) space
BCG tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q6: First unique character
Problem: Find the first non-repeating character in a string and return its index, or -1 if none exists.
Approach: Count frequencies in one pass (hash map or array of 26 for lowercase). Second pass returns the first index with count 1.
Complexity: O(n) time
BCG tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q7: Stack with min
Problem: Design a stack that supports push, pop, top, and getMin in average O(1) time.
Approach: Keep a parallel min-stack (or store pairs). When pushing, also push the new minimum. When popping, pop both stacks.
Complexity: O(1) per operation amortized
BCG tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q8: Maximum subarray sum (Kadane)
Problem: Given an integer array, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum and return that sum. Example: [-2,1,-3,4,-1,2,1,-5,4] → 6 (from [4,-1,2,1]).
Approach: Keep a running sum. If the running sum drops below 0, reset it to 0 before taking the next element (or track the best ending-here value). Track the global maximum as you scan once from left to right.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) extra space
BCG tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Deep prep notes for BCG
How the BCG online case / pymetrics variants usually feels
Students usually say the first round is time-tight - easy marks vanish if you sit too long on one hard question. For BCG, skim the paper in a couple of minutes, mark what you can finish cleanly, and protect accuracy. Languages people commonly use: N/A for associate; tech/BCG X differs.
Topic weight hints
| Area | Why it matters at BCG |
|---|---|
| Case interviews | What usually helps you clear the first round |
| Core CS (OOPs / DBMS / OS) | Technical interview depth |
| Management Consulting awareness | Helps in managerial / HR conversations |
| Communication | Explain your approach clearly; keep a few real examples ready for HR |
14-Day sprint
- Days 1-3: Learn the 2026 pattern and take two sectional mocks
- Days 4-7: Closed practice on weak topics from your error log
- Days 8-10: Full mocks every other day; review the same day
- Days 11-14: Practice explaining projects out loud, light revision, sleep and IDs ready
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