How to approach trait and behavioral games
What they measure and the honest way through them.
Firm processes and online tests change from year to year and differ by office. Use this to prepare, and confirm the exact current steps on the firm's own careers page.
Key takeaways
- Answer genuinely. Many questionnaires are designed to make faking hard, for example by asking you to choose between two equally positive statements.
- Official: the best-known game-based tool, pymetrics, was bought by Harver in August 2022.
- Reported: at BCG, pymetrics games are now a legacy test used only by some offices.
- Consistency: answers that hang together rather than contradicting each other.
- Judgement: sensible choices in realistic work situations.
Official facts come from the firms' own pages. Reported facts come from candidate accounts, university career centres and prep sites, and they vary by office and recruiting cycle. Your invitation always wins: follow what it says. We re-check this page at least every 90 days.
Several firms have used short behavioural games and questionnaires that read how you tend to work, decide and handle situations. Some look like quick puzzle games; others are questionnaires. They do not measure business knowledge. They build a picture of your working style and judgement.
Official and reported status
- Official: the best-known game-based tool, pymetrics, was bought by Harver in August 2022.
- Reported: at BCG, pymetrics games are now a legacy test used only by some offices. Many firms instead include a personality or situational judgement section inside a wider aptitude test (see the aptitude module).
What they tend to look for
- Consistency: answers that hang together rather than contradicting each other.
- Judgement: sensible choices in realistic work situations.
- Working style: how you balance speed, care and collaboration.
Key idea
Answer genuinely. Many questionnaires are designed to make faking hard, for example by asking you to choose between two equally positive statements. A faked profile rarely helps, and it can land you in a role that does not suit how you work.
Common mistakes
- Trying to present a fake "perfect" profile and contradicting yourself.
- Overthinking simple situational questions.
- Rushing and missing what a question is really asking.
- In game-style tasks, trying to guess a "right" style. There is usually no single right style; play naturally and follow the instructions.
This lesson explains the format so it feels familiar. It does not copy any provider's test. So What Club is not affiliated with or endorsed by any firm or test provider named here.
Sources, official first (checked 28 September 2026)
- Harver press release: Harver acquires pymetrics (August 2022): https://harver.com/press/harver-acquires-pymetrics/
- MyConsultingCoach, BCG online assessments 2026 (updated 11 July 2026): https://www.myconsultingcoach.com/bcg-online-assessment-2026
- Recognized public explanations of case-interview concepts and frameworks
Sources for this lesson (3)
- Harver press release: Harver acquires pymetrics (August 2022)
- MyConsultingCoach, BCG online assessments 2026 (updated 11 July 2026)
- Recognized public explanations of case-interview concepts and frameworks
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