Numerical reasoning
~18-20 questions · 20 minutes (about one minute per question)
What it tests. Percentage changes, ratios, compound growth, margin analysis and data extrapolation under time pressure.
Worked example. If Fund A's Q3 revenue grows 4.5% in Q4 while the USD/EUR rate depreciates 1.2%, what is the absolute difference in Fund A's Q4 revenue in EUR, with expenses static at 120,000 euros?
Common traps. Red-herring columns of irrelevant data, and misaligned units (data in thousands or millions but the answer wants the absolute integer).
How to handle it. Use mental rounding to eliminate wrong orders of magnitude, keep a physical scratchpad, and set up calculator templates before moving on.
Verbal reasoning
~15-18 questions · 15 minutes
What it tests. Differentiating an explicit fact from an implied assumption, strictly within the text.
Worked example. Given a passage about potential future Asia-Pacific margin headwinds, the statement that compliance has already reduced total tech revenue is Cannot Say, because the text only says it could compress margins.
Common traps. Bringing outside market knowledge, and generalizing a localized regional fact to the whole company.
How to handle it. Read the question and answer choices before scanning the passage, and if you cannot locate explicit proof, choose Cannot Say and move on.
Logical / inductive / deductive reasoning
~12-15 matrix puzzles · ~45-60 seconds per puzzle
What it tests. Fluid intelligence, spatial reasoning and rule identification without verbal or numerical literacy.
Worked example. Shapes rotate counter-clockwise 45 degrees each step right, shading alternates solid, striped and clear, and an external dot increments down a column; deduce the bottom-right cell.
Common traps. Fixating on one variable and missing secondary rules, and analysis paralysis on a single hard matrix.
How to handle it. Isolate one attribute at a time (rotation, then shading, then count); two solid rules usually eliminate four of five options.
Situational Judgment Test (SJT)
What it tests. Professional judgment, teamwork, priority management and alignment with the BlackRock Principles.
Worked example. A senior associate logs off leaving you an uncompleted model with an obvious $50,000,000 discrepancy before an 8:00 AM MD deadline, and is unreachable. The strongest action is to fix it yourself with a clear audit trail (emotional ownership plus fiduciary duty), not present known errors or blame the associate to the MD.
Common traps. Applying a cutthroat corporate logic instead of the firm's principles, and choosing contradictory extreme answers that flag low consistency.
How to handle it. Run every option through the five principles: fiduciary, One BlackRock, passionate about performance, emotional ownership, and committed to a better future.