Numerical reasoning
~30-90 seconds per prompt with a prominent countdown.
What it tests. Quantitative agility, working memory and computational accuracy under acute time pressure.
Worked example. A CDS spread starts at 150bp, widens 15% in Q1, compresses 10% in Q2, widens 20% in Q3; select the final spread. Or drag digits 0-9 to make an equation true within 45 seconds.
Common traps. The sunk-cost loop: burning 20 seconds miscalculating, then panicking. Assuming every item needs a calculator when estimation is faster.
How to handle it. Scan answers first and use estimation and boundary logic to eliminate; keep a clean gridded scratchpad; guess cleanly below 5 seconds and move on.
Verbal reasoning
15-20 passages. · ~60-90 seconds per passage.
What it tests. Critical reading, deductive logic and semantic precision, mirroring credit-agreement and CIM review.
Worked example. A passage says firms cannot scale infrastructure debt "efficiently without eroding returns" absent an integrated insurance platform; the statement "firms without one are entirely incapable" is False (it overstates the text).
Common traps. Injecting outside market knowledge; confusing "False" (directly contradicted) with "Cannot Say" (not enough information).
How to handle it. Read the statement before the passage to scan for keywords, and treat absolute qualifiers (always, never, entirely, exclusively) as red flags.
Logical / inductive reasoning
~30-45 seconds per problem.
What it tests. Non-verbal fluid intelligence and pattern recognition, decoding rules without instructions.
Worked example. Circles with internal arrows rotating and backgrounds shifting shape and shading by row; pick the cell that satisfies every active rule.
Common traps. Fixating on one variable (color) while missing another (number of sides); overthinking simple operations.
How to handle it. Isolate and track one element at a time, check columns if rows are unclear, and use elimination on the answer set.
Situational Judgement Test
What it tests. Professional EQ, commercial awareness, teamwork and operational prioritization.
Worked example. A Principal wants a data pull by 9am and an Associate hands you an urgent IC update for 8:30am the same night; the best action is to lay out a clear timeline for your immediate Associate and ask how to sequence or share the work, not to work through the night silently.
Common traps. The "martyr" choice (doing everything alone); bypassing your immediate Associate to escalate to MDs.
How to handle it. Identify the core conflict first, favor proactive structured communication and respect the chain of command, aligned to Apollo data-driven culture.
Personality questionnaire
What it tests. Behavioral alignment with Apollo DNA (conscientiousness, grit, data-reliance, collaborative style).
Common traps. Trying to game the algorithm (consistency checks flag low authenticity); over-indexing on aggression, which tanks teamwork and compliance scores.
How to handle it. Hold one consistent "analytical investor" persona: data-driven, organized and risk-conscious, leaning slightly toward execution over ideation.
Game-based assessments (Pymetrics suite)
What it tests. Risk tolerance and calibration (balloon), impulsivity and inhibitory control (keypress), planning and sequencing (Tower of Hanoi).
Common traps. Shifting risk strategy mid-game after a balloon pops (reads as emotional volatility); rushing planning games and injecting errors.
How to handle it. Set a stable baseline (for example 4-6 pumps) and hold it, take a 10-15 second planning pause before the Tower of Hanoi, and keep total focus during inhibitory drills.
Custom Apollo caselet (when present)
What it tests. Commercial finance acumen, capital-structure literacy and market intuition.
Worked example. EV of $1.2B, net debt $400M, 20M diluted shares: implied equity value per share; then the structural impact of a 50bp hike on a levered firm with unhedged floating-rate term loans.
Common traps. Confusing accounting metrics with valuation metrics; neglecting macro news.
How to handle it. Know EV/equity-value, free cash flow and coverage formulas cold, read the financial press daily, and watch the units (millions vs billions, annual vs quarterly).