Mckinsey 2024 aptitude
Quantitative, reasoning, and verbal drills with solutions
Mckinsey Placement Papers 2024
Overview
This page collects McKinsey placement papers from 2024 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 McKinsey patterns and recent shifts.
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Mckinsey 2024 coding
DSA practice aligned to McKinsey online assessments
Mckinsey interview experience
Round structure and tips from student reports
Mckinsey prep guide
Study plan and weekly schedule
McKinsey 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
Antonym of "Optimistic":
Optimistic ↔ pessimistic.
Reasoning
Statements: 1. All green are blue, 2. All blue are white
From "All green are blue": Some blue are green (I follows) Combined: All green are white, so Some white are green (II follows) and Some green are white (III follows) IV does not follow
Quantitative
Find the error: "The team of players are ready for the match."
"Team" is a collective noun treated as singular, so "is" should be used instead of "are".
Reasoning
Statements: All engineers are professionals. Some professionals are managers. Conclusions: I. Some engineers are managers. II. All managers are engineers.
Analyzing the statements: - All engineers are professionals (A → B) - Some professionals are managers (B → C, some) Conclusion I: Some engineers are managers - Since all engineers are professionals, and some professionals are managers, we can say some engineer
Quantitative
What is 15% of 240?
15% of 240 = 0.15 × 240 = 36.
Reasoning
Arrange in dictionary order: Apple, Apply, Apt, Apex. Third word is:
Order: Apex, Apple, Apply, Apt → third is Apply.
Quantitative
The following table shows the sales of a company over 5 years. If the total sales in 2020 was ₹50,000, and sales increased by 20% each year, find the sales in 2024.
Sales in 2020 = ₹50,000 Sales in 2021 = 50,000 × 1.2 = ₹60,000 Sales in 2022 = 60,000 × 1.2 = ₹72,000 Sales in 2023 = 72,000 × 1.2 = ₹86,400 Sales in 2024 = 86,400 × 1.2 = ₹103,680
Reasoning
All cats are dogs. Some dogs are rats. Conclusions: I. Some cats are rats. II. Some rats are dogs.
II follows from "some dogs are rats". I does not necessarily follow.
Quantitative
A sum of money doubles itself in 8 years at simple interest. What is the annual rate of interest?
Let Principal = P, Amount = 2P Interest = 2P - P = P SI = P × R × T / 100 P = P × R × 8 / 100 1 = 8R / 100 R = 100/8 = 12.5%
Verbal
Choose correct: The news _____ good.
"News" is singular → is.
Reasoning
Find the next number: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
Differences +4, +6, +8, +10, +12 → next is 42.
Verbal
Read the passage and answer: "Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries by automating processes and enabling data-driven decisions. However, concerns about job displacement and ethical implications remain significant." What is the main concern mentioned?
Correct answer: Job displacement and ethical implications
Verbal
The manager was _____ with the team's performance and decided to reward them.
Correct answer: pleased
Quantitative
If 20% of a number is 48, the number is:
Number = 48 × 100/20 = 240.
Quantitative
The ratio of two numbers is 3:4. If their sum is 84, find the numbers.
Let the numbers be 3x and 4x Sum = 3x + 4x = 7x = 84 x = 12 Numbers = 3(12) = 36 and 4(12) = 48
Your score
0/15(0%)
Review
Mckinsey exam pattern 2024
| 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: McKinsey Solve / PST
Skills emphasized: Case interviews, PST/Solve, communication
Languages: N/A (analyst); tech tracks differ
Sample Mckinsey questions with solutions
These are practice-style questions aligned to patterns students report for McKinsey drives around 2024. They are not leaked live papers. Work them timed, then read the solutions only after you have an answer.
Quantitative aptitude (2024)
Q1: Profit on a pen
Problem: If the cost price of a pen is ₹40 and it is sold at a 25% profit, what is the selling price?
Solution: Profit = 25% of 40 = ₹10. Selling price = 40 + 10 = ₹50.
Or SP = CP × 1.25 = 40 × 1.25 = ₹50.
Answer: ₹50
Q2: A and B together
Problem: A can finish a job in 10 days and B in 20 days. How long will they take working together?
Solution: A’s one-day work = 1/10. B’s one-day work = 1/20. Together = 1/10 + 1/20 = 3/20 per day. Time = 20/3 ≈ 6.67 days (6 days 16 hours).
Answer: 20/3 days
Q3: Sum of naturals
Problem: What is the sum of the first 50 natural numbers?
Solution: Sum of first n naturals = n(n+1)/2. For n = 50: 50 × 51 / 2 = 1275.
Answer: 1275
Q4: Average speed
Problem: A person covers a distance at 60 km/h and returns at 40 km/h. What is the average speed for the whole trip?
Solution: For equal distances, average speed = 2ab/(a+b). = 2×60×40 / (60+40) = 4800/100 = 48 km/h.
Do not take the arithmetic mean (50); that would be wrong here.
Answer: 48 km/h
Q5: Marked price discount
Problem: A shopkeeper marks goods 20% above cost and then gives a 10% discount. What is the profit percentage?
Solution: Let CP = ₹100. Marked price = ₹120. Discount = 10% of 120 = ₹12. SP = 120 − 12 = ₹108. Profit % = 8%.
Answer: 8%
Q6: Three workers
Problem: A finishes work in 12 days, B in 15 days, and C in 20 days. Working together, how many days do they need?
Solution: Take total work = LCM(12,15,20) = 60 units. A = 5/day, B = 4/day, C = 3/day. Combined = 12 units/day. Time = 60/12 = 5 days.
Answer: 5 days
Q7: Age ratio
Problem: The ratio of ages of A and B is 3:5. After 8 years the ratio becomes 5:7. Find A’s present age.
Solution: Let ages be 3x and 5x. (3x+8)/(5x+8) = 5/7 7(3x+8) = 5(5x+8) 21x + 56 = 25x + 40 4x = 16 → x = 4 A’s age = 12 years.
Answer: 12 years
Q8: Pipe fill
Problem: Pipe A fills a tank in 6 hours and pipe B in 8 hours. How long do they take together to fill it?
Solution: Combined rate = 1/6 + 1/8 = 4/24 + 3/24 = 7/24. Time = 24/7 hours ≈ 3 hours 26 minutes.
Answer: 24/7 hours
Logical reasoning (2024)
Q1: 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
Q2: Odd one out
Problem: Find the odd one out: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
Solution: 3, 5, 7, and 11 are prime. 9 = 3×3 is composite, so it is the odd one out.
Answer: 9
Q3: Coding letter shift
Problem: If CAT is coded as DBU, how is DOG coded in the same way?
Solution: Each letter moves +1 in the alphabet: C→D, A→B, T→U. D→E, O→P, G→H → EPH.
Answer: EPH
Q4: Blood relation
Problem: Pointing to a photograph, Ravi says, ‘She is the daughter of my mother’s only son.’ How is the girl related to Ravi?
Solution: Ravi’s mother’s only son is Ravi himself (assuming one son). The girl is therefore Ravi’s daughter.
Answer: Daughter
Coding practice (2024)
Coding Q1: Linked list cycle
Problem: Given the head of a linked list, return true if there is a cycle and false otherwise.
Approach: Floyd’s tortoise and hare: move one pointer one step and another two steps. If they meet, a cycle exists. If the fast pointer hits null, there is no cycle.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) space
McKinsey 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: 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
McKinsey 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: 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)
McKinsey 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: 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
McKinsey 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: 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
McKinsey 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: 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
McKinsey 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: 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
McKinsey 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: 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
McKinsey 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 Mckinsey
How the Mckinsey solve / pst usually feels
Students usually say the first round is time-tight - easy marks vanish if you sit too long on one hard question. For McKinsey, skim the paper in a couple of minutes, mark what you can finish cleanly, and protect accuracy. Languages people commonly use: N/A (analyst); tech tracks differ.
Topic weight hints
| Area | Why it matters at McKinsey |
|---|---|
| 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 2024 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