McKinsey Solve Game Tips - Ecosystem, RedRock and SeaWolf

The 39 species in the game are divided into different location groups that differ by parameters. Some species may only be able to survive in an elevation range of 2001-4000, while others can only survive in a range of 0-2000. 

For example, the Roe Deer belongs to the group that lives in the following range: 

• Elevation range: 2001-4000 m 

• Temperature range: 3-7 °C 

• Wind Speed range: 10-30 knots 

• Soil pH range: 5.5-8 

This part can be tricky, since all four of these parameters define the location, so you must make sure they are all compatible across the 8 species you choose.  

When choosing species for your ecosystem, it is crucial that all species come from the same location range. At the end of the game, you will select where your ecosystem will live. If your chosen species can't all live in the chosen location ranges, you will not be able to achieve a fully sustainable ecosystem in which all species survive. Therefore, keeping this in mind from the beginning of the game can help you save time later.

At this point, you already have a group of animals from one of the location ranges. This group will usually include three producers and ten animals. It is recommended to add the producers automatically into your ecosystem, since they can be eaten but don't need to eat, which makes them easier to work with. 

This leaves the need to choose five animals out of the ten animals in this range. Since all animals need to eat, it is usually wise to prioritise animals with higher 'Calories Provided' and, when possible, low 'Calories Needed'. Overall, you want the 'Calories Provided' in the ecosystem to exceed the 'Calories Needed', so keep this in mind while choosing your animals. 

A helpful approach is to start with the animal with the highest 'Calories Provided', and then select the best option among its food sources (prioritising high 'Calories Provided'), and continue this chain until you've chosen all five animals. 

Finally, try to keep the food sources diverse. For example, try to avoid choosing three animals that all have the same producer as their food source. Spreading consumption across different producers and animals generally leads to a more stable ecosystem. 

Remember how earlier you chose a species from one location group? This means that all your species can survive within the same location parameters. This should make choosing the location range an easy task. In the game, you will be able to move your cursor across the screen, and the location parameters on the monitor will update dynamically according to where you are. Once you find a point that matches the location ranges of your species, you can select that location confidently. 

You will have 35 minutes to complete the ecosystem game. Therefore, managing your time correctly is essential. During the game, you will need to choose a species group, build an ecosystem, and then check that the ecosystem is sustainable. 

As we mentioned in the beginning, it is recommended to keep an eye on the clock and pace yourself, so you have time to adjust your ecosystem if the first one you built isn't sustainable. It is recommended that you try to leave at least half of your time for checking your ecosystems and making corrections. 

Most of the key details you will need later in the game come from this stage, so it's important to stay focused and read carefully. This stage includes three main information sources: 

1. Research Objective – This is the main objective of the research, and it is your main guideline for the game. Keep it in mind as you move forward so you're always connecting what you read and decide to the goal you're working toward, instead of collecting information without a clear purpose. 

1. Study Information – This is all the information included in the study. Some of it will be directly relevant to the research objective, and some of it won't. Your job is to identify what matters and what you'll actually need for later stages of the assessment. 

1. Exhibits – These are visual data sources such as graphs and tables that present the study information. Review them carefully as they often contain details that are important for answering questions later on. 

The Investigation stage can look like the example below (this is a shorter version of what you’ll likely see in the real assessment, and you will see full examples in our PrepPack): 

As mentioned in Tip 1, the study information will include data pieces that may or may not be relevant to your research objective. During this stage, you will have a Research Journal where you can save pieces of data to use later in the assessment.  

A helpful strategy is to save data that is clearly relevant and try to refrain from adding data that isn’t relevant. With that said, if you're unsure whether something will be needed, it's usually better to save it anyway. Having an extra piece of information is often safer than realizing later that you're missing something important.

The Research Journal includes several features that can help you stay organized and work more efficiently in the game. These features include the ability to: 

1. Rename data pieces - When you move information into your research journal, it will automatically receive a title. However, the title isn't always clear. For example, the sentence "The pollution level has increased over the past five years at an average rate of 10% per year" might transfer in with a title like "Pollution Level Increase Rate". A more helpful title could be "Pollution rises 10% each year", because it clearly states the key information and makes the information easier to find later. 

1. Mark items as important - As your research journal fills up, it may be easy to lose track of which data points matter most. In this manner, marking items as important can help you quickly return to key details later. 

1. Expand data pieces to view more information - Some entries in the research journal can be expanded. If there is a small arrow next to a data piece, it can be helpful to click it and take a moment to read the additional details. If the expanded version includes the full content you need, you may not have to squeeze everything into the title. On the other hand, if this isn't the case, it's a good idea to use the title to capture the key information. 

During the study and the cases, you will have to answer numerical questions. Before the assessment, make sure you’re comfortable with percentages, ratios, averages, differences, and multi-step calculations. The game may require you to interpret data quickly and combine several figures to reach the correct answer, so being confident with these fundamentals will save you time and reduce mistakes. A quick review of core math concepts beforehand can make the game feel much more manageable. Practice tests are provided in our PrepPack.

The Cases stage stands on its own and does not build on what you did in the Study. In the Cases stage, you'll encounter a set number of cases, and each one is independent. The cases will usually include some brief study information, a visual representation (such as a table or a graph), and a question. 

Keep in mind that because each case stands on its own, this stage is different from the Study stage, which builds gradually over time. This can often make the cases feel more manageable, as you have less information to hold in your head at once, and you don't need to plan ahead as much. 

This also affects your time management. If you get stuck on one case and time is running out, remember that you don’t need that case to solve the next one. It may sometimes be beneficial to make your best guess, move on, and save time to earn points on the remaining cases.

Similarly to the Ecosystem Game, you will have 35 minutes to finish the RedRock Game. Since the assessment includes two stages – Study and Cases – it's important to manage your time correctly. It makes sense that the Study will take longer since it involves more planning, organising, and integrating findings across sections. However, try to leave around 10 minutes for the Cases to ensure you have enough time for this stage as well. 

For a treatment to be successful it must follow three rules: 

1. Attribute Match: For each of the site's three attributes, the average score of that attribute across your selected microbes must fall within the site's required range. 
2. Desired Trait: Your treatment must include at least one microbe with the desired trait for that site. 
3. Undesired Trait: Your treatment must include no microbes with the undesired trait for that site. If any microbe has the undesired trait, your score is reduced. 

Keep in mind that the attribute requirement is based on the average score of your three selected microbes, not on each microbe meeting the range individually. 

For example, if an attribute needs to fall within 6-8 and you can't find three microbes that each land in that range, that's okay. A mix can still work as long as the average ends up between 6 and 8. You might use one microbe slightly above the range and another slightly below it to balance things out. Keep the average in mind when choosing your final three. 

As with the other two McKinsey games, you will have 35 minutes to build a treatment for all three sites. Keep an eye on the clock and aim to spend roughly one third of your time per site. It's normal for site 1 to take a bit longer while you get used to the flow, but make sure you still leave enough time for sites 2 and 3. This is a general guideline and your time split may vary. For example, you may spend less time on sites 1 and 3, and the longest on site 2, as long as you stay aware of the overall time and keep it balanced.