BCG Casey chatbot: the complete practice guide.

What is Casey?

Casey is BCG's chatbot-led online case — a chat-style interface that walks candidates through a roughly 25–35 minute linear case with 8–10 structured questions and exhibits, followed by a short prep window and a 60-second recorded video recommendation.

Casey rolled out from around 2020, starting in Asian offices, reached most offices by 2023, and fully replaced the legacy Potential Test globally by early 2026. Today it's the standard first-round screen worldwide, except in Germany and some nearby offices that use the Cognitive Test instead. Note: in the US, the CCA is a separate pre-screen sent in addition to Casey — it is not a Casey replacement.

How Casey works, step by step

A typical question mix reported by candidates — the exact composition varies by case:

1. Prompt. A short business situation — client, industry, decision to make.
2. Structuring. Open-text answer: how would you break the problem down?
3. Quantitative questions. Short numeric or multi-select math items.
4. Exhibit interpretation. Charts and tables — pull the insight, don't summarise the chart.
5. Synthesis. A short open-text or multi-select framing the recommendation.
6. Video pitch (60 seconds, one recording attempt). Camera-on recommendation to the client. Earlier versions allowed two attempts; current reports describe a single attempt with a strict cutoff.

Reports on the prep window before the video conflict: about 1 minute per most recent reports, up to 5 minutes per older ones.

What Casey actually tests

• Structured thinking under time pressure — MECE breakdowns without an interviewer to nudge you.
• Numeric fluency — clean mental math without a calculator, typical questions 20–90 seconds.
• Chart reading — extracting the driver behind a movement, not describing the chart.
• Executive communication — the video pitch is a proxy for Day-1 client presence.
• Composure — the video is widely treated as a significant component; practise it as seriously as the written questions.

How Casey is scored

BCG doesn't disclose how Casey is scored. Candidate reports indicate automated evaluation of the written and numeric answers, likely combined with a human review layer for shortlisted candidates. You never see a score — only a downstream signal: an interview invitation, or a polite rejection, usually within a few days.

A time-management framework

Most candidates fail Casey on timing, not content. A repeatable rule set:

• Structuring — commit at 60 seconds. Perfect MECE beats no answer.
• Numeric — round hard. 12% of $487m is "roughly $60m", not 58.44.
• Exhibit — write the insight first, then the number that proves it.
• Video — Recommendation → 3 reasons → 1 risk → next step. Under 60 seconds.

Common failure modes

• Over-structuring — writing five buckets when three would land.
• Freezing on math — hunting for exact figures when a round estimate is enough.
• Describing the exhibit instead of interpreting it.
• Rambling on the video — burying the recommendation in the last 10 seconds.
• Ignoring the client lens — treating the pitch like a math oral, not a client conversation.

Casey vs the CCA

The Consulting Career Assessment (CCA) is a separate BCG screen — a personality-plus-aptitude test with no case and no video, most prominently used for US applicants. It is not a longer Casey and does not replace it. US candidates commonly receive both tests separately.

Casey vs the live case

Casey removes the interviewer, which removes the crutches. There's no one to clarify the prompt, throw you a bone on the math, or steer you back on structure. The upside: no interviewer chemistry to worry about. Prep for Casey by drilling first-answer discipline, not conversation skills.

A 2-week Casey prep plan

1. Days 1–2: Read this guide plus the online case guide. Run one full untimed Casey simulation to feel the flow.
2. Days 3–5: Drill mental math (percentages, ratios, growth rates) 20 minutes/day.
3. Days 6–8: Two timed Casey simulations. Review the coach report.
4. Days 9–11: Record five 60-second video pitches for old case prompts.
5. Days 12–13: One final full simulation under real timing.
6. Day 14: Rest. Sleep. Don't touch new material.

The day before

• Test camera, mic, and internet on the exact device you'll use.
• Prepare a clean, well-lit space and a glass of water.
• Sleep 7+ hours. Casey rewards composure more than caffeine.

Related: BCG online case · Online assessment hub · Pymetrics · Cognitive Test.