Bain & Company is one of the three largest global strategy consulting firms when ranked by revenue. Set up in 1973, Bain & Company offers management consulting services primarily to Fortune 500 CEOs. It ranks highly for employee satisfaction, consistently winning awards for company culture.
Bain & Company utilizes a series of tests to assess candidates’ problem-solving abilities, critical thinking, and business acumen. These tests are designed to predict how well a candidate would perform in the challenging and dynamic field of management consulting.
Requirements differ by office and role. Bain’s invitation identifies the assessment you need to complete.
Sova or TestGorilla
Bain confirms that candidates may receive either Sova or TestGorilla, taking approximately 30–40 minutes. TestGorilla must be completed in one sitting; Sova sections can be completed separately before the deadline. Bain permits a calculator for these assessments, but not subsequent interviews.
Process sources checked 11 September 2026 · Your invitation takes priority for role and location details.
Compare energy costs per square metre across sites. This is our independent business-data exercise, not a Bain case or a Sova or TestGorilla assessment item.
Practise with our independent preparation tests, then review the working behind each answer.
Bain & Company consulting roles are highly sought after and extremely competitive, with only a small percentage of those applying receiving an offer.
After completing the first stage of the application process, successful candidates are tasked with completing a number of online tests, which are set out in this article alongside practice tests.
A global management consultant firm with offices across 67 cities in 40 countries, Bain & Company offers a variety of career opportunities, for both graduates and professionals.
Bain & Company was one of the first consulting firms to move beyond only making MBA hires from business schools, by recruiting consultants with a Bachelor’s degree.
Graduates can apply for either an associate consultant role or associate consultant internship.
MBAs or advanced degree candidates can apply for summer associate positions or can make a consultant application.
Roles at Bain & Company are not limited to consultancy. Candidates can apply for roles in Bain’s Advanced Analytics Group (AAG) where teams use data to drive insights and action. Roles including research, engineering as well as marketing and data scientists.
Product Designer, Design Researcher, Software Engineer or Innovation Experts are all roles available in the Advanced Digital & Product Team (ADAPT@Bain®).
Bain also offers legal, finance, administrative, marketing, technology and HR roles in Business Services.
All Bain applications start the same way: with the online submission of your CV. For consulting roles, a small percentage of applicants are then invited to an HR screening interview.
Depending on the role and office, candidates may be invited to a digital assessment from Sova or TestGorilla. Bain’s invitation identifies the provider. These assessments focus on skills such as problem-solving, communication and analytical thinking.
Candidates who score well on the online tests are then invited to a series of further interviews, which depending on office location and role applied for may be carried out in person or via an online platform such as Zoom.
As one of the most sought after consulting firms, your application to Bain & Company must stand out from the thousands of initial applications. The first stage is to submit your CV, setting out educational and background information, relevant work experience and test scores.
This is uploaded as a Word doc or PDF.
The HR screening interview is most likely to be conducted virtually using an online platform such as Spark Hire.
You will be sent a video asking a series of questions. You’ll then have a brief thinking period and must record a video of your answers, which will be reviewed by the recruiting team at Bain & Company.
The online tests that Bain asks candidates to complete is designed to whittle down the number of candidates. You must pass these tests to continue to the next part of the application process for a consultant role – which may include the experience interview, case interview and/or written case interview.
You may encounter tests such as personality, numerical and analytical reasoning. You may also be asked to take an abstract reasoning test.
There are no right and wrong answers, so you will need to pick the answer which best represents you from a selection of positive statements (eg "I naturally lead within a group"), ranking them from ‘most likely’ or ‘most like me’ to ‘least likely’ or ‘least like me’.
Read more about how personality tests work.
For numerical practice, build confidence with basic arithmetic and interpreting business figures. Bain does not publish a universal numerical section question count on its current digital assessment guide. The data is likely to be in a graph or table form and you will need to work quickly.
These tests are similar to a financial reasoning test and you should practice ahead of time, so that you are familiar with the types of questions you may be asked.
Analytical reasoning tests are designed to assess skills that include logical and critical thinking, analysis and problem-solving.
This test comprises questions relating to sequences of shapes and patterns. In each question there will be a missing step and you will be provided with a number of answers to choose from. These are designed to test your logical reasoning as well analytical skills.
The number and content of the interviews will depend on the role, and you may face one or more of the interview types twice, in both first and second rounds of the process.
Prepare thoroughly, and particularly in advance of the case and/or written case interview, take the following points into consideration:
The experience interview is where you’ll be asked questions to gain a better understanding of your career goals and background. You should expect the questions to broadly fit the following pattern: expanding on your CV, why consulting and why Bain.
You should use past experiences and describe how you handled them, remembering that Bain is looking to assess your ability in relation to the following characteristics:
You may also be asked to describe a strategic project you’ve worked on previously, including your approach, hypothesis, recommendation and what steps you took. Make sure to prepare a thorough answer to this.
The case interview is integral to the Bain application process and all consulting role candidates can expect one, regardless as to which office they apply. Some non-consulting roles will also sit a case interview.
The case interview presents a ‘real’ client situation – you’ll be given some background information and then asked to work through your analysis of the situation, the approach you take to solving a problem, how you use data to quantify and make recommendations, and how you suggest implementing your plan.
You’ll want to demonstrate analytical and creative thinking, as well as your communication skills in conveying and presenting ideas.
The written case interview is a more in-depth extension of the concept of the case interview. It is used as part of the consultant and summer associate second-round process.
You will be provided with a deck of 20 to 30 slides outlining a client problem to situation. You must review the slides, identify your key insights and then use the rest of your 55 minutes to write out your recommendations.
The interview part lasts around 40 minutes in which you present your recommendations to the interview – following which you will discuss and defend your assumptions and interpretations with the interviewer.
What candidates ask us most often
The difficulty of the Bain & Company tests may vary for each individual depending on their background and skill set. However, they are generally considered challenging as they are designed to select candidates who can thrive in the demanding environment of top-tier management consulting.
The best preparation for Bain & Company tests is rigorous practice. By taking practice tests available on Practice Aptitude Tests, you can familiarize yourself with the format and improve your problem-solving speed and accuracy, which are crucial for success.
The recruitment process length at Bain & Company can vary, but it typically involves several rounds of testing and interviews spread out over a few weeks. It’s a thorough process intended to ensure a good fit between the firm and the candidate.
Bain & Company’s core values are centered around client results, a supportive team environment, and maintaining integrity. They also place a strong emphasis on continuous learning and innovation as part of their commitment to excellence in consultancy.
Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 43 reviews. A selection:
I found the test clear and well structured. Overall, the questions were not very difficult, although I did need some time to get used to the numerical calculations again. The main challenge was the limited amount of time available for each question, which meant I had to work quick.
I liked the level of questions and the competitive timing of the test which helped a lot to work on the questions really fast
I liked this test because I really didn't know anything , now I will study and give this test again. It really opened my eyes.
Bain & Company is a trademark of its respective owner. Practice Aptitude Tests is not affiliated with Bain & Company and our practice tests are not endorsed by them. Visit Bain & Company careers.
Take a free test in any format, then upgrade when you know which one you need.
