How long do online assessments take?

Work-style questionnaires are the quickest. PwC asks almost every entry-level applicant to take an untimed assessment and suggests setting aside about 15 to 20 minutes.⁶ EY's SHL assessment was untimed too, and most people finished in about 20 minutes.⁵ Bain Capital's summer 2027 Credit posting uses the Predictive Index: an untimed behavioral part, then a separate 12-minute cognitive test, about 20 minutes in all, and it asks for 15 to 20 undisturbed minutes.⁸

Assessments that mix reasoning and behavior take longer. Moelis asks applicants to allow 30 minutes of uninterrupted time for Suited.⁹ BCG's Consulting Career Assessment for US offices takes about 30 to 35 minutes including the tutorial and practice questions.⁴ Bain's digital assessment, on Sova or TestGorilla, takes about 30 to 40 minutes.⁷

Coding tests are the longest. Goldman Sachs gives every HackerRank candidate a 30-minute Software Fundamentals challenge; engineering applicants add a 45-minute Software Diagnostics challenge, and Quantitative Strategist applicants a 22-minute math challenge.¹⁰

Most assessments are a bundle of short tests. Aon says its individual tests generally last under fifteen minutes and that most firms set no more than five, and that the invite usually tells you how much time you will need.¹

SHL's timed reasoning tests are similar in scale. Verify G+ allows 36 minutes for up to 30 questions across numerical, deductive and inductive reasoning, and the interactive numerical test 18 minutes for up to 10 questions.^2,3 Both run in one sitting.

Personality and work-style parts usually have no time limit. Aon says that as a rule its personality questionnaires are untimed, while ability tests are timed so that not everyone finishes.¹

The window to complete the assessment is usually far longer than the test. UBS gives seven days from the invite and does not allow completion after the deadline.¹¹ Houlihan Lokey's summer 2028 New York M&A posting gives 5 calendar days for Suited.¹² Bain puts the deadline in the email and does not consider applications without a completed assessment.⁷

Some windows are short. EY's 2025 FAQ asked for the assessment within 24 hours of the email.⁵ PwC expects the assessment done by the application deadline, so applying on the last day leaves you very little time.⁶

Pauses depend on the platform. Aon tests cannot be interrupted once started, though separate tests can be taken on different days.¹ BCG lets you pause between sections, and Bain says Sova can be split across sittings while TestGorilla must be done in one.^4,7