Psychometric tests are used by firms to test certain skills, abilities and thought processes that can indicate a candidate’s suitability to a particular role. These tests are also typically used by firms to whittle down vast numbers of applicants to a more manageable pool of interviewees. When assessing the results of these tests, many firms simply require candidates to meet a certain fixed benchmark in order to progress through the relevant stage of the assessment process, although most firms won’t reveal what that benchmark is.

While candidates are usually required to complete these tests online from a place of their choosing, some firms may also require candidates to complete tests in person during assessment centres (and these tests may not be computerised). For one firm, I had to complete an online Watson Glaser test during the application stage, then a written version of a Watson Glaser test – which was double the length of the online test – in person, on the day of my interview. 

I want to acknowledge at the outset that different approaches to preparing for and tackling tests will better suit different people. There’s no single approach that will work for everyone. This is especially the case because psychometric tests usually require some level of natural intuition, although practice can certainly help. With that in mind, I have aimed to provide at least some insight into what these tests can involve, and offer some tips and techniques that I personally found to be helpful when completing dozens (if not hundreds) of tests throughout my time at university. 

Types of tests

The tests most commonly used by City firms include:

• Verbal reasoning tests: these are designed to assess your understanding of language, including your ability to critically analyse statements, and comprehend, evaluate and apply logic to often complex passages of text.
• Logical reasoning tests: these test your ability to break down/isolate information and identify patterns or sequences.
• Numerical reasoning tests: these test your ability to quickly and accurately identify, process and analyse numerical data, including statistics.
• Situational judgement tests: these are designed to assess how you are likely to handle or respond to a variety of scenarios or circumstances that you might encounter if you were to secure an internship or graduate role.
• E-Tray or email simulation exercises: these are usually designed to test your ability to identify relevant information, then interpret, process and analyse that information in order to respond to questions under pressure.

Most tests are in a multiple choice format and require you to select only one answer, although the format can of course differ depending on the test provider (and whether firms have commissioned tests that are specifically tailored to their needs). Some tests may also involve negative marking, which means incorrect answers will result in point deductions (as opposed to you simply receiving 0); when this is the case, be particularly careful about blindly guessing answers.

General tips

Pace yourself: all these tests put you under time pressure, so you must strictly pace yourself. Find out how long you have to complete the test and how many questions you will face, then roughly work out the average amount of time that you’ll have to answer each question. Don’t forget to then monitor the clock throughout! 

Avoid getting stuck: it’s worth identifying in advance whether you can scroll back between your answers during the test – and change them if necessary – or whether clicking “submit” after selecting an answer means that the answer can no longer be amended (this differs between different types of tests). Either way, don’t make the mistake of lingering for too long on one particular question, as you may then run out of time and miss out on the opportunity to answer easier questions later on. You rarely (if ever) need to get 100% of the answers right, so sacrificing one or two tricky questions in the interests of answering all the questions you’re more comfortable with can be a more efficient and effective use of the allocated time. With tests that let you scroll backwards and forwards between questions, consider noting down the number of each question that you’re unable to answer easily, then move swiftly onto to the next. If you have time at the end, you can then go back to the questions that require more thought, safe in the knowledge that you’ve answered all the others.

Practice tests