Applied to a Houlihan Lokey Corporate Finance group for summer 2028? Your Suited link comes by email after you apply, and you have 5 calendar days to finish it. Try Suited's tests below in the real format, then read what each part measures, how long it takes, who sees your results and how to prepare.
Key facts
- Required: Every summer 2028 Corporate Finance posting says that to be considered, candidates must complete the Suited assessment. That covers the 16 M&A industry group postings across nine US offices that went up on Nov 2, 2026.1,2,3
- When: A unique assessment link is sent by email after you submit your Workday application. Start from that link, so your results reach Houlihan Lokey.1,2,10
- Deadline: You have 5 calendar days to complete the assessment once the link is emailed, weekends included.1,2
- Time: About 30 minutes once you have registered and verified your account: a behavioral part of about 20 minutes with no clock, and a cognitive part timed at 15 minutes in all. It is free for candidates.8,6,7
- Parts: Your Suited profile has three parts: the Behavioral Assessment, the Cognitive Skills Assessment (attention to detail, critical thinking and logical reasoning) and your basic academic and demographic information.5
- Rules: Once the cognitive part starts you cannot pause it, go back to an earlier section or finish it another time. No phone, calculator or other device; a notepad for working is fine.6,9
- Retakes: Suited lets you retake the assessment every 9 months, once a recruiting cycle, and the behavioral part cannot be retaken once you submit it. Treat your first sitting as the one Houlihan Lokey will read.8,7
- How it is used: Suited scores you against a model built for each firm and reports the results to it. Houlihan Lokey reads them with the rest of your application; Suited says its assessment is never the single deciding factor.5,8
The summer 2028 Restructuring, Capital Solutions, GP Advisory and other specialist group postings name no assessment. Applicants to New York Restructuring and Los Angeles Debt Capital Markets have sat a skills test, online in Los Angeles, so watch your email whichever group you apply to.3,13
Try the tests
Suited's three cognitive tests and its behavioral part, a few questions each at the real test's pace, on the same screens as the app. Each one opens in its own window, with a report at the end.
Attention to detail
Two timed parts: are two strings exactly the same, then which of four sets match a first one character for character.
19 questions · 1:35
Logical reasoning
One or two facts and four conclusions. Mark each True, False or Uncertain from the facts alone.
12 conclusions · 2:00
Critical thinking
Number sequences with one term missing. Find the rule and type the number.
5 series · 1:30
Behavioral assessment
Statements, pairs and points on how you work. No right answers and no clock.
8 questions · no clock
What the Houlihan Lokey online assessment looks like
The invite
Apply to the Corporate Finance posting for your group and office on Workday. A unique Suited link follows by email, and you have 5 calendar days to complete the assessment. Check your spam folder the day you apply, since the clock runs from the email.1,2
Your profile
You create a free Suited profile with your resume and your academic and demographic information, which is the third part of the profile beside the two assessments. Use one account only: Suited deletes duplicate accounts and can tell the firms that referred you. Allow about 30 minutes after registration.8,5,9
The cognitive part
In Houlihan Lokey's 2024 sitting, four timed sections: two attention to detail parts, logical reasoning, and number series, which Suited calls critical thinking. Each opens on an untimed instructions page with a sample question, and its clock starts only when you click to begin. When a section's time runs out you move to the next instructions page, and you cannot go back or pause. There are more questions than anyone finishes.6,11,5
The behavioral part
Statements you rate on a 5-point scale and pairs where you pick the one more like you. It takes about 20 minutes with no clock, and you don't have to finish it in one sitting, but once you click Submit on the last page you cannot retake it. Answer as you are at work, not in social settings.7,11
Who sees it, and how
Because Houlihan Lokey referred you through its application, your profile is visible only to Houlihan Lokey unless you switch your Suited account to Public. Suited scores the behavioral part against a model of high performers at each firm; the cognitive part is scored on your answers alone, with no machine learning. The firm then reaches out if it wants to go further.10,5
The parts of Suited, with their clocks
- Attention to detail 1 + 3 min
- Same or different pairs, then matching sets: tick every exact copy.
- Logical reasoning 5 min
- Facts and four conclusions a set: True, False or Uncertain.
- Critical thinking 5 min
- Number series with one term missing.
- Behavioral About 20 min
- No clock, 96 questions in Houlihan Lokey's sitting; you can split it across sittings.
- Whole assessment About 30 min
- After registration; Suited times the cognitive sections at 15 minutes in all.
The section clocks and the behavioral count come from Houlihan Lokey's own Suited sitting with published screens (2024). Those clocks add to 14 minutes; Suited's current guide gives 15 minutes for the timed sections and about 20 for the behavioral part, so expect a section to run a little differently.11,6,7,8
Before you start Suited
- Apply to the Corporate Finance posting first, then watch your inbox and spam folder for the unique Suited link.
- Finish within 5 calendar days of the email; aim for the first two, so a problem leaves time to fix.
- Set aside 45 quiet minutes: about 30 for the assessment, plus registration.
- Use a laptop or desktop on a stable connection, not your phone.
- Have a notepad and pen. No calculator, phone or other device.
- Ask Suited about accommodations before you start the cognitive part, not after.
- Don't refresh the browser or step away once a timed section starts.
The sections, one by one
Suited names three cognitive skills for banking analysts and a behavioral part with no right answers. The cognitive items have right answers and run on a clock; the behavioral items ask how much a statement resembles you.14,7
- Attention to detail: Same or different string pairs, then which copies match a first set exactly.
- Critical thinking: A number series with one term missing: find the rule and type the number.
- Logical reasoning: One or more facts, then conclusions to mark True, False or Uncertain.
- Rating statements: How much one statement resembles you, on a 5-point scale.
- Forced choice: Which of two statements is more like you, even if neither fits well.
Here is each part as it appears in Intervyo, on Suited's screens: a plain blue-gray page, an untimed instructions page with a sample before each timed section, and the clock starting only when you select Next. The clocks are the ones Houlihan Lokey's own Suited sitting showed in a 2024 walkthrough. Each block says what the part checks and how to answer it well.6,11
1.Attention to detailTwo parts, 1 and 3 minutes
Two parts, each on its own clock. First, 1 minute of paired strings split by a colon, and you mark each pair Same or Different. Then 3 minutes of matching: a first set of letters, digits and symbols, several copies under it, and you tick every exact copy, or No Match if none is.11,6,14
What it measures: Care and thoroughness with detail: the one changed character in a ticker, a figure or a deal term that a junior banker has to catch.
How to answer it well
- 1Compare in chunks of three or four characters, left to right, rather than the whole string at once.
- 2Watch the lookalikes: S and 5, O and 0, l and 1, a capital turned lowercase, and two neighbors swapped.
- 3On the matching part, check every copy. More than one can match, and sometimes none does.
- 4Leave a row you cannot settle rather than guess. Suited says wrong answers may count against you.
2.Logical reasoning5 minutes
One or more facts, then a set of four conclusions. You mark each conclusion True if the facts guarantee it, False if they rule it out, and Uncertain if they settle neither. The facts use words like all, no and some, and you judge on them alone.11,12,14
What it measures: Applying logic to information to reach the conclusions it supports, and no further.
How to answer it well
- 1Turn each fact into a plain rule: "No associates on the deal are first-years" means the two groups never overlap.
- 2Use only the facts given. What is likely at a real bank does not count.
- 3Could be true is not True. A conclusion is Uncertain unless the facts force it.
- 4Read the direction of each rule: "all Healthcare bankers built a DCF" does not make every DCF builder a Healthcare banker.
3.Critical thinking5 minutes
A series of numbers that changes in a set way, with one term missing. You work out the pattern and type the missing number. The arithmetic is light, and you can work on a notepad.11,12,6
What it measures: Analyzing information and finding the pattern in it quickly, then applying it without slips.
How to answer it well
- 1Check the gaps between terms first, then the ratios.
- 2If one rule does not fit, test every other term: many series are two sequences woven together, or a repeating cycle of steps.
- 3Check your rule on the terms after the gap as well as before it.
- 4Suited says there is no advantage to guessing, so leave a series blank rather than type a guess.
4.BehavioralUntimed, about 20 minutes
Statements you rate on a 5-point scale for how much they resemble you, and pairs where you pick the statement more like you. Houlihan Lokey's 2024 sitting had 96 questions, including a few where you share 10 points among three statements. There are no right answers.7,11,5
What it measures: How you work: the traits Suited's model compares with high performers at each firm, often through how traits interact rather than any single one.
How to answer it well
- 1Answer as you are at work or school, not with friends.
- 2On a pair, you are only saying which statement is more like you, not that it describes you well.
- 3Think of your usual tendencies, not extreme cases, and keep a steady pace. Your result comes from all your answers together.
- 4You can stop and come back, but check every answer before you submit: there is no retake after that.
Practice items and how to approach them
Attention to detail (practice)"Intervyo practice item, attention to detail: the first set reads "TLB SOFR+375 due 03/15/31". Which copies match it exactly? (1) TLB SOFR+357 due 03/15/31 (2) TLB SOFR+375 due 03/15/31 (3) TLB S0FR+375 due 03/15/31 (4) TLB SOFR+375 due 03/15/31"11,14
- 1This is our own practice item for a skill Suited names; it is not a Suited or Houlihan Lokey question.
- 2Split the string into chunks: TLB, SOFR+375, due, 03/15/31.
- 3Check each chunk against the first set, digit by digit and letter by letter.
- 4Tick every exact copy. More than one can match.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
(2) and (4). Copy (1) swaps 375 to 357, and copy (3) has a zero in place of the letter O in SOFR.
Logical reasoning (practice)"Intervyo practice item, logical reasoning. Facts: every banker in the Healthcare group has built a DCF. No one who has built a DCF is a summer intern. Mark each conclusion True, False or Uncertain: (1) No Healthcare banker is a summer intern. (2) No summer intern is in the Healthcare group. (3) Some people who have built a DCF are not Healthcare bankers."11,14
- 1This is our own practice item for a skill Suited names; it is not a Suited or Houlihan Lokey question.
- 2Rewrite the facts as rules: all Healthcare bankers built a DCF; DCF builders and summer interns never overlap.
- 3Read each rule both ways: if no DCF builder is an intern, no intern is a DCF builder.
- 4Mark True only what the rules force, and Uncertain what they leave open.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
(1) True: every Healthcare banker built a DCF, and no DCF builder is an intern. (2) True: it is the same rule as (1) read the other way round. (3) Uncertain: the facts allow DCF builders outside Healthcare but don't require any.
Critical thinking (practice)"Intervyo practice item, critical thinking as number series: what number fills the gap? 4, 6, 12, 14, 28, 30, ____"11,12
- 1This is our own practice item in the number-series format of Houlihan Lokey's Suited sitting; it is not a Suited question.
- 2Check the gaps first: +2, +6, +2, +14, +2. The gaps don't settle into one rule.
- 3Then check the steps as operations: +2, then x2, then +2, then x2.
- 4Type only the number, and leave the series blank if no rule fits.
Example answer, written by Intervyo (not a real candidate)
60. The steps alternate between adding 2 and doubling: 4 + 2 = 6, 6 x 2 = 12, 12 + 2 = 14, 14 x 2 = 28, 28 + 2 = 30, 30 x 2 = 60.
Behavioral (practice)"Intervyo practice item, behavioral rating: how much is this like you at work? "I check my numbers a second time, even when I am confident they are right." Very much me, Mostly me, Partly me, Not really me, or Not me at all."7
- 1This is our own practice item in the rating style Suited uses; it is not a Suited question.
- 2Picture a normal week at work or school, not your best day or a one-off crunch.
- 3Rate your usual habit. A statement that sounds like what a banker should do is not a reason to pick the top answer.
- 4Move on at a steady pace: one answer does not decide anything.
Tip: Every firm has its own picture of success in Suited's model, and it often rests on how traits combine. Answering as an ideal banker tends to blur your results rather than improve them.
Practice for Houlihan Lokey with Intervyo
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How long to hear back after the online assessment
Suited sits between your application and the telephone interview. If your application is successful, a recruiter or someone from the group invites you to a telephone interview, and Houlihan Lokey gets back to every candidate either way.1,4
Nov 2, 2026 (summer 2028)
Corporate Finance, US offices
The 16 Corporate Finance postings went up, 15 with an end date of Dec 19, 2026, each requiring the Suited assessment within 5 calendar days of the emailed link.3,1,2
Oct 26, 2026 (summer 2028)
Specialist groups, US offices
Restructuring, Capital Solutions, GP Advisory and other specialist postings went up with an end date of Dec 18, 2026; they name no assessment.3
Jan 2026 (summer 2027)
Investment banking, New York
A personality and IQ-style assessment, then a first round with an associate and a superday of three back-to-back 30-minute interviews.13
Jan 2026 (summer 2027)
Restructuring, New York
A skills test, a phone interview and two technical rounds before the superday.13
Mar 2025 (summer 2026)
Debt Capital Markets, Los Angeles
An online test after applying, then a one-on-one with a VP and a Zoom superday.13
There is no universal pass or fail: each firm reads your results against its own model. If Houlihan Lokey wants to go further, it reaches out to you directly.10,8
Best guessTake Suited within a day or two of the email, not on day 5. Expect a telephone interview invite two to three weeks after you finish if Houlihan Lokey takes you forward.
What happens after the online assessment
Online application
Done. Resume and application on Workday, one posting per group and office.3,4
Suited assessment (Corporate Finance)You are here
This page. A behavioral part and timed cognitive sections, from a link emailed after you apply, within 5 calendar days.1,5
Screening call
A telephone interview with a recruiter or someone from the group, if your application is successful.4
First round, sometimes two
One or two interviews with an associate or VP: behavioral questions and basic technicals; two technical rounds in New York Restructuring.13
Superday
About three back-to-back 30-minute interviews; in New York for summer 2027, two behavioral and one technical.13
Offer
Houlihan Lokey gets back to every candidate, and offers feedback to those who reached its in-person interviews.4
Cognitive part vs behavioral part
The two halves of Suited reward different approaches. Practice helps the first; honesty helps the second.
FAQ
Does Houlihan Lokey use Suited?
Yes, for Corporate Finance. Every summer 2028 Corporate Finance posting says candidates must complete the Suited assessment to be considered, from a unique link emailed after you apply.1,2,3
How long do I have to complete the Houlihan Lokey Suited assessment?
5 calendar days from the email with your link. The assessment itself takes about 30 minutes after registration.1,2,8
What is in the Houlihan Lokey Suited assessment?
A behavioral part of rating and forced-choice statements, about 20 minutes with no clock, and a cognitive part timed at 15 minutes in all. In Houlihan Lokey's 2024 sitting that was four sections: two attention to detail parts of 1 and 3 minutes, logical reasoning for 5 minutes and number series for 5 minutes.7,6,11
Do Restructuring and Capital Solutions applicants take Suited?
Their summer 2028 postings name no assessment. Applicants to New York Restructuring and Los Angeles Debt Capital Markets have sat a skills test, online in Los Angeles, so watch your email after you apply to any group.3,13
Can I use a calculator on Suited?
No. Suited's policy bars phones and other devices during the assessment, but a notepad for working is fine, and the number series need only light arithmetic.9,6
Can I retake the Suited assessment?
Suited lets you retake it every 9 months, which is once per recruiting cycle, and the behavioral part cannot be retaken once you submit it. Take it when you can give it your full attention.8,7
Online assessment at other firms
Sources
Firm pages first, then dated candidate reports. Last checked Nov 9, 2026.
- 1Houlihan Lokey (Workday): 2028 Investment Banking Summer Financial Analyst (Class of 2029), NY M&A
- 2Houlihan Lokey (Workday): 2028 Investment Banking Summer Financial Analyst (Class of 2029), Chicago Industrials
- 3Houlihan Lokey (Workday): Campus and early careers job board
- 4Houlihan Lokey: How to Apply
- 5Suited: Resource Guide for Investment Banking Candidates
- 6Suited: How to prepare for and respond to the Cognitive Skills Assessment
- 7Suited: How to prepare for and respond to the behavioral assessment
- 8Suited: For students (finance)
- 9Suited: Cognitive Skills Assessment Policy
- 10Suited: What happens next
- 11AssessmentPass: Huolihan Lokey Online Assessment Walkthrough (May 30, 2024) · prep site
- 12Candidate discussion on a public forum: Suited assessment, what you ought to know (Sep 2026)
- 13Candidate reports on a public forum: Houlihan Lokey interview reviews (2025 to 2026)
- 14Suited: What's measured
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