Numerical reasoning
12-18 questions · Roughly 75-90 seconds per question
What it tests. Data literacy, mental arithmetic, compounding growth, currency conversion and ratio analysis under stress.
Worked example. A table shows corporate lending across four sectors over three quarters; Q3 Technology is $14.2B (22% of Q3 total) and Q4 Technology is $16.5B with total lending up 8% from Q3 to Q4. Calculate the percentage change in the non-technology portfolio, typed to one decimal place.
Common traps. Blending millions and billions; the exact-match fallacy where an early rounding error breaks a typed answer; over-analyzing irrelevant columns.
How to handle it. Keep a physical calculator and clean scratchpad; do not switch to the computer calculator app. Never leave a text field blank, since that guarantees zero.
Verbal reasoning
10-12 passages, 3-4 questions each · Strict per-passage pacing
What it tests. Verbal logic and objective evaluation, treating the provided text as the exclusive boundary of truth.
Worked example. A passage mandates secondary stress-testing for all new originations except where a sovereign guarantee is executed; the statement that all North American originations lacking a sovereign guarantee must be stress-tested is True.
Common traps. Extrapolating real-world knowledge; ignoring quantifiers (all, some, never, except); confusing False with Cannot Say.
How to handle it. Read the statement before the passage so you actively search for qualifiers, and never assume a causal link the text does not state.
Logical (inductive & deductive)
Tight; aim for a 45-second cutoff per item
What it tests. Fluid intelligence, pattern recognition, spatial awareness and non-linear troubleshooting.
Worked example. Five analysts A-E sit in desks 1-5; A cannot sit next to B, C must be on an odd desk, and D sits immediately right of E. If B is at desk 4, which desk must A occupy?
Common traps. Fixating on one variable (color) while missing rotation; time sinks on a single complex matrix.
How to handle it. Use the M.O.V.E. framework: Movement, Orientation, Value/Count, Externals. If you cannot crack the rule in 45 seconds, eliminate and guess.
Situational Judgment Test (SJT)
What it tests. Commercial awareness, professional ethics, collaboration and prioritization, mapped to the core values.
Worked example. It is 6:00 PM Friday with a deck due 9:00 AM Monday and an updated model that requires recalculating the valuation, but you have a family event. The strongest option reviews scope with the Associate, completes the critical slides before leaving and sets a firm Saturday timeline; the weakest shares your log-in credentials to delegate the work.
Common traps. Choosing the passive option that defers accountability; the martyr complex of always sacrificing yourself; violating policy or compliance for speed.
How to handle it. View every option through Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship; never cut ethical corners or compromise accuracy for speed.
Mindset / personality (OPQ32 variant)
What it tests. Influence, Delivery, Empathy, Resilience and Structure against high-performer benchmarks.
Common traps. Contradicting yourself across blocks (which flags low profile validity); extreme polarization as a hyper-aggressive individualist or a pure consensus-seeker.
How to handle it. Be honest but keep a stable professional persona; when forced to choose, tilt slightly toward accuracy and structure, since banks are risk-averse, and stay internally consistent.