Goldman Sachs · Online Assessment
Goldman Sachs screens candidates through SHL Verify G+ (interactive/adaptive) plus SHL SJT for business tracks; HackerRank for technical tracks before any interview. Below: the exact format, what each section tests, and how to practise it in identical conditions until you walk in confident.
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The format
The primary quantitative and behavioral gatekeeper, sent automatically within 24-72 hours of submitting the application and before the HireVue invite for business roles.
Most online assessments split into 3-5 sections, each with its own clock. Speed and accuracy both count.
Modern formats get harder if you answer correctly, easier if you struggle. Your final score reflects what you can actually do under time pressure.
Goldman Sachs sets a pass mark per test type. Below it, you don't progress regardless of how strong the rest of your application is.
Completion window. 3 to 5 calendar days from when the link arrives; the deadline is fixed to the invitation timestamp regardless of time zone.
By division. The architecture varies by division: business tracks (IB, Global Markets, AWM) get SHL Verify G+ and an SJT; Engineering and quantitative tracks get HackerRank (and custom math).
Recent changes. Over the last 2-3 cycles Goldman phased out legacy paper-style cognitive tests for the mobile-responsive, adaptive Verify G+ interactive format, partly to combat braindumps on WSO and Reddit and reduce candidate drop-off.
The provider
Goldman Sachs configures its own selection of SHL Verify G+ (interactive/adaptive) plus SHL SJT for business tracks; HackerRank for technical tracks modules. Below: the exact products in the suite, why they were chosen, and what the provider's reputation is across the candidate pool.
History at Goldman Sachs. Goldman has consolidated business-track screening around SHL's adaptive psychometric architecture, where question difficulty scales in real time with candidate accuracy.
Candidate reputation. SHL has a reputation for cold, mathematical precision and is seen as a brutal, low-margin-for-error filter; even Ivy League candidates are eliminated for failing to prepare for the speed constraints.
Section breakdown
Each section has its own format, timer and trap pattern. Worked examples below show exactly what you will see and where candidates drop points.
12-15 questions · Roughly 18-20 minutes
What it tests. Macro-level data synthesis, multi-step percentage change, CAGR and rapid currency fluctuation under time decay.
Worked example. If the European division's revenue grows 12.5% in Year 5 while the EUR depreciates 4.2% against the USD, what is its net dollar contribution to total global revenue, all else stagnant?
Common traps. The All-Data trap (reading the whole chart first), reversing a currency conversion, applying tax after conversion, and unrounded floating points.
How to handle it. Scan the question before the dataset to isolate the rows that matter; keep a structured scratch sheet; if a question takes over 75 seconds, make an educated guess and move on.
10-12 passages · Aggressive, under 45 seconds per assertion
What it tests. Differentiating explicit facts, logical implications and unfounded external assumptions, with complete objectivity.
Worked example. A passage says bi-weekly stress tests are required except for portfolios meeting Basel IV. The assertion "any portfolio passing the stress test is automatically Basel IV compliant" is Cannot Say.
Common traps. Bringing outside knowledge, confusing absolutes with probabilities ("often" vs "always"), and re-reading a confusing paragraph repeatedly.
How to handle it. Read the assertion first, anchor to its keywords, skim for them, and treat the text as a closed universe.
10-12 puzzles · About 15 minutes
What it tests. Fluid intelligence and pattern recognition: mapping multi-layered concurrent rules from limited inputs.
Worked example. A 3x3 grid where shapes rotate 90 degrees across rows, color fill alternates down columns and line count increases sequentially; select the cell matching all three rules.
Common traps. Hyper-focusing on one component, over-complicating a simple binary alternation, and analysis paralysis on one question.
How to handle it. Break each puzzle into isolated channels (shape, count, orientation, color) and confirm the rule holds in both row and column.
What it tests. A psychometric blueprint of alignment with the 14 Business Principles: judgment, commercial awareness, risk mitigation and teamwork.
Worked example. At 11:30pm your Associate needs a pitch book for an 8am meeting and a separate VP drops a valuation model due 7:30am. Most effective: notify both, outline capacity and ask them to coordinate priority or assign support.
Common traps. The Lone Wolf fallacy (heroically taking it all on), the hierarchy blindspot (side-lining a junior to appease a senior), and choosing passive options.
How to handle it. Read the 14 Business Principles before the test, prioritize transparency and data-driven escalation, and never hide a mistake or cut out a teammate.
What it tests. A behavioral matrix across influence, execution, empathy, resilience and adaptability, checked against successful-employee profiles.
Common traps. The Perfect Candidate contradiction (gaming opposite traits across blocks lowers your validity score) and extreme polarization.
How to handle it. Answer through your most professional, collaborative work self, stay consistent, and trust your first instinct (under 15 seconds per block).
What it tests. Algorithmic architecture, Big-O time complexity, data structures, combinatorics, linear algebra and discrete math.
Worked example. Find the maximum sub-array profit margin under a sliding-window constraint with an optimal runtime of O(N log N) or better.
Common traps. Brute-force O(N^2) solutions that fail on dense inputs, and poor time allocation across coding vs MCQs.
How to handle it. Optimize from the start, handle edge cases (empty inputs, negatives, overflow), and dry-run against the sample cases before submitting.
Pass mark
The framework is institutional, proprietary and hidden: candidates never receive a raw score or breakdown. Output goes directly to campus HR as an integrated candidate data profile.
Methodology. Percentile-based against a dynamic norm-group of the cycle's applicants plus historical successful-analyst data, aggregated with an asymmetric weighting matrix by division. One weak section can sink the application: a 99th-percentile numerical score will not save a bottom-30th-percentile SJT.
Response time. Results map to your profile within minutes, but a HireVue invite can arrive 24 hours to two weeks later; below-threshold scores may sit silent for weeks before an automated rejection.
Score visibility. Candidates do not see raw scores, a breakdown or an evaluation certificate.
How to practise
Same provider, same section structure, same time pressure. With a scored report after every test so you can fix the weakest section before the real one.
Free practice section, scored. Full report unlocks with the Pack.
Why candidates fail
Specific failure patterns documented across past applicants. Most are avoidable with structured preparation.
Treating it as untimed homework
The SHL platform tracks seconds-per-input; over-investing early leaves later questions unanswered.
Infusing personal morality into the SJT
Choosing idealistic or defensive answers instead of corporate risk management, open communication and client protection.
Over-studying concepts at the expense of speed
Memorizing complex accounting while neglecting mental math, fraction-to-decimal speed and reading pace.
Ignoring rounding directions
Inputting $1,250,450.32 when the prompt wanted thousands rounded to the nearest integer (1250).
Using AI or search engines mid-test
SHL and HackerRank track tab-switching, focus loss and clipboard events; this triggers a fraud flag and permanent blacklisting.
What works
Concrete habits drilled by candidates who clear the cut-off, drawn from applicant accounts and practice patterns.
Pre-set a strict time cap per question
Cross 60-70 seconds without a clear path and you make a calculated guess and move on.
Isolate variables in graphs before calculating
Ignore the descriptive text and focus on units, axes and legends to see exactly what is presented.
Adopt the mindset of a high-performing analyst on the SJT
Consistently choose proactive communication, detail verification and institutional accountability.
Practice within the exact vendor UI
Rehearse the SHL font, button placement and drag-and-drop mechanics, not just generic math.
Review the 14 Business Principles right before launching
Ground your behavioral outputs in the firm's core identity.
From past applicants
Anonymised candidate accounts of how recent applicants approached the Goldman Sachs assessment. Each covers the prep, the experience, and the outcome.
Investment Banking, Summer Analyst (target, Ivy League)
Prep. Practiced GMAT-style questions, but the interactive Verify G+ design still caught me off guard.
Experience. The numerical section had a chart requiring me to drag sliders to match currency predictions. Checking every row would have run me out of time, so I rounded numbers in my head to eliminate wrong choices, and on verbal I stayed strictly tied to the text.
Outcome. Received a HireVue invite three days later.
Global Markets, Analyst (non-target, state school)
Prep. Spent two weeks on SHL adaptive logic and numerical sections for the sophomore diversity pipeline.
Experience. Difficulty jumped around question 5, signaling the adaptive engine was responding to correct answers. On the SJT, when a pitch-book error surfaced before a presentation, I chose to immediately notify the Associate and present a corrected page.
Outcome. Cleared the assessment and eventually landed a Superday.
Practice strategy
Preparation must match the specific platform architecture (SHL Verify G+ and HackerRank), not generic test prep. Plan 20-30 hours across the two weeks before the assessment.
Diagnostic on the SHL Direct portal
Use official sample questions to learn the interactive numerical and deductive layouts and identify your weak areas (Hours 1-5).
Targeted timed drills
Extract data from complex tables under a 60-second timer; for Engineering, LeetCode Mediums on arrays, hash maps and sliding windows (Hours 6-20).
Full-length timed mocks
Sit a full numerical, verbal and logical battery in one continuous block to build endurance (Hours 21-30).
Time investment. Around 20-30 hours of dedicated, platform-specific practice over the two weeks before the test.
Time management
FAQ
It depends on the division. Business tracks (Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset and Wealth Management) take SHL's adaptive Verify G+ General Ability suite (numerical, verbal and inductive/deductive reasoning) plus an SHL Situational Judgment Test and an OPQ32-style personality questionnaire. Engineering and quantitative tracks take a HackerRank test of two coding challenges (LeetCode Medium to Hard) plus advanced quantitative MCQs. Practice all the relevant formats under a strict clock; the difficulty is the speed constraint, not the underlying concept.
The other rounds
Online Assessment is one of four rounds. The Pack covers all four end to end.
Goldman Sachs Pack
Practise the exact SHL Verify G+ (interactive/adaptive) plus SHL SJT for business tracks; HackerRank for technical tracks format ahead of time, scored against the Goldman Sachs pass mark. One Pack covers HireVue, online assessments, live interviews and the superday.
Get the Goldman Sachs Pack · $89Intervyo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Goldman Sachs, SHL, Pymetrics, Cubiks, AON or any other assessment provider. Test details are sourced from past applicants and published guidance; verify on the firm's careers site before applying. Sector: Investment Banking.
Goldman Sachs Pack
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