Numerical reasoning (Numerator / digit span)
Around 6-8 seconds per puzzle, adaptive
What it tests. Working memory, numerical fluency and mental agility under load
Worked example. Target 24 from elements 3, 8, +, x, 2, 5: select 3 x 8 within the time limit. Or recall a flashed digit string in exact or reverse order.
Common traps. Over-optimizing for an elegant solution instead of a fast brute-force one; the tilt effect, where one miss breaks focus and tanks the next rounds.
How to handle it. Prioritize throughput over perfection (freezing is heavily penalized); keep scrap paper out of camera view but execute fast and digitally.
Verbal reasoning (Word Match)
Often under 5-8 seconds per pair
What it tests. Verbal fluid intelligence, semantic processing speed and lexical access
Worked example. Leverage vs Debt = synonyms (in context). Avoid conflating association with synonymy, for example Debt and Bankruptcy.
Common traps. Second-guessing at the last millisecond (your first instinct on basic relationships is usually most accurate); confusing conceptually-linked finance terms with true synonyms.
How to handle it. Keep fingers on the hotkeys or mouse zones to cut latency; on an obscure word, guess instantly to preserve clock time.
Logical / inductive / deductive (Shapes / Grid Lock)
Adaptive; complexity scales up after early successes
What it tests. Fluid intelligence, pattern recognition and deductive logic
Worked example. A 3x3 matrix with a missing piece, or a switch challenge: deduce the operational rule applied to one row and replicate it on another.
Common traps. Tracking color, shape, rotation and position at once saturates working memory; getting stuck on one matrix while the completion metric collapses.
How to handle it. Isolate a single attribute first (only rotation, then only shading); expect sharp difficulty scaling and do not panic when grids expand.
Situational judgment (via video)
What it tests. Commercial acumen, professional pragmatism and emotional intelligence
Worked example. A sell-side deck is due at 8am, your Associate goes offline at 11pm with valuation numbers unfinished, and you find a material discrepancy in client EBITDA adjustments. What do you do?
Common traps. The hero fallacy (resolving a multi-million-dollar client issue alone without looping in an Associate, VP or MD); unstructured rambling for the full three minutes.
How to handle it. Use STAR and explicitly mention risk mitigation, collaborative escalation and hard ownership of errors.
Personality / behavioral profile (via video)
What it tests. Resilience, coachability, intellectual curiosity and workflow alignment
Worked example. Walk me through a difficult peer relationship on a project, or a significant analytical mistake and how you remediated it.
Common traps. Sounding scripted with zero vocal inflection; failing to quantify results (the team was happy vs concrete deliverables).
How to handle it. Maintain lens eye contact and use Guggenheim language: an elite, advisory-driven boutique executing complex mega-cap deals in lean teams, never a top middle-market firm.