For most EMEA programmes Citi asks for a survey, not a test, and that changes how to prepare
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Citi's early careers page sets out the order: apply on Workday, complete a skills discovery survey if you are applying to an EMEA or Services programme, or a coding assessment for technology, then a one-to-one first interview. The final stage varies by programme and can be several interviews, an assessment or a case study.
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By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated · How we check facts
How close is this practice test to the Citi test?
Some prep sites say certain Citi front-office tracks still add numerical or logical tests from providers such as Korn Ferry or SHL, and London candidates describe numerical tests in past cycles. If your invitation lists one, our reasoning test is a quick, free way to rehearse timed number and logic work.
Citi's own early careers page says EMEA and Services programmes use a skills discovery survey rather than a test, and prep sites describe it as an untimed questionnaire about preferences. No reasoning test rehearses a survey like that, and technology programmes take a coding assessment instead.
It is a Reasoning-style test: 50 original questions in 45 minutes. Check the test name in your invitation email before you decide how to prepare.
Citi: the assessment at a glance
| Application system | Workday, which Citi says it uses for all its recruitment |
| EMEA and Services programmes | A skills discovery survey after the application |
| Technology programmes | A coding assessment instead of the survey |
| First interview | One to one, about your background and fit with Citi |
| Final stage | Varies: several interviews, an assessment or a case study |
| Survey length | About 25 minutes with no timer, in prep-site accounts |
| Survey provider | Plum, according to several prep sites; Citi's page does not name it |
The Citi stages, and who says so
Every stage is marked by its source. Stated means the employer says it on its own pages. Candidates report means we found it only in candidate accounts and prep guides.
- 01
Online application
Stated by Citi
Application and CV through Citi's Workday portal - 02
Skills discovery survey or coding assessment
About 25 minutes and untimed, according to prep sitesStated by Citi
A survey of your skills and preferences for EMEA and Services programmes; a coding assessment for technology programmesSome prep sites say certain front-office tracks also add numerical or logical tests. Citi's page does not mention them. - 03
First interview
Stated by Citi
A one-to-one interview focused on your background and your fit with CitiSeveral guides describe a recorded HireVue interview at around this point in other Citi processes. - 04
Final stage
Stated by Citi
Several interviews, an assessment or a case study, depending on programme and locationA London candidate describes three one-to-one interviews, a group exercise and a case study presentation.
Why a survey needs different preparation
A reasoning test has right answers and a clock. A skills discovery survey, as prep sites describe Citi's, asks you to choose between statements or rank what describes you, with no timer. Cramming maths does nothing for it. What helps is honesty and consistency, because these surveys typically ask about the same preference several ways.
The practical risk is overthinking. If you try to guess what a banker should say on every item, your answers can drift and contradict each other. Read each statement, answer as you are at work or study, and move on. Prep sites put the whole thing at about 25 minutes, so there is no need to rush.
Your track decides your test
Citi splits the second stage by programme. EMEA and Services applicants get the survey. Technology applicants get a coding assessment. Some prep sites add that front-office tracks may also see numerical or logical tests, with providers named variously as Korn Ferry Talent Q and SHL, and that quant and software tracks add a HackerRank or Codility test.
Those extra tests are reported, not stated, and the providers conflict between guides, which is a sign that the process has changed over time. Before you prepare for anything, open the invitation and list exactly what it names. If a numerical test appears, our numerical reasoning test guide is a good place to start.
The first interview is about you, not markets
Citi describes the first interview as a one-to-one conversation about your background and fit. That is a signal to prepare your own story well: why you studied what you did, what you have done outside lectures, and why Citi and this programme rather than a competitor. Technical depth tends to arrive later.
One London candidate describes a first-round video call on Zoom with a hiring manager lasting 20 to 30 minutes. Others describe a recorded HireVue with three to five questions. Either way, short, specific stories beat broad claims. A sentence like I reorganised our society budget and cut costs by a fifth is worth more than I am highly organised.
A final stage with three possible shapes
Citi says the final stage varies and may be several interviews, an assessment or a case study. A London candidate account describes a day with three one-to-one interviews, a group exercise and an individual case study to present. Your invitation should say which shape applies, and it is fair to ask the recruiter if it does not.
For a case study, practise reading a short pack, picking two or three facts that decide the question, and presenting a recommendation with one risk. Our case study and written tasks guide has a routine you can run in under an hour, and the assessment centres guide covers group exercises.
Practise the skills Citi asks for
50 original questions, 45 minutes, scored the moment you finish. Free, no sign-up. Not the Citi test.
Start the free Reasoning testA simple prep plan for Citi
- 01
Take the free Reasoning test first
It takes 45 minutes and shows where you stand before you spend a single hour on revision. See what the Reasoning test covers. - 02
Read the stages that apply to you
The comparison guides below line Citi up against other employers for each stage type, so you can see what is stated and what is only reported. - 03
Add timed mocks if you want a full course
The Reasoning Pass Pack adds timed mocks, topic drills, a score predictor and a study plan. It is £29 (US$39) for this exam, one payment and no subscription. Applying to several employers? The Employer Assessment Bootcamp opens every employer-style test for 60 days for £59 (US$79). Your free score comes first, so you can decide with a number in hand.
Tips for the Citi assessment
- 01
Answer the survey as yourself
Preference surveys reward consistency more than guessing an ideal banker. - 02
Do not rush an untimed stage
Prep sites describe the survey as about 25 minutes with no timer. - 03
List what your invitation names
Citi splits stages by track, and prep sites disagree on extra tests and providers. - 04
Prepare your story for the first interview
Citi says it focuses on your background and fit. - 05
Ask which final stage you face
Citi says it may be interviews, an assessment or a case study. - 06
Apply early
Citi notes that summer analyst applications usually open in September.
What candidates and prep sites report
These come from anonymous reviews, university careers pages and prep guides. They often disagree, and Citi has not confirmed them. Read them as leads, not rules.
- Several prep sites say the skills discovery survey is run by Plum and call it the Plum Discovery Survey.
- Prep sites describe the survey as about 25 minutes with no timer, split into four or five sections.
- Some prep guides say front-office tracks add Korn Ferry Talent Q or SHL numerical tests, and the guides disagree on the provider.
- Guides describe a recorded HireVue interview of three to five questions in some Citi processes.
- A London candidate reports numerical tests, a phone interview with a banker, then an assessment centre with three one-to-one interviews, a group exercise and a case study presentation.
- Candidate reports put the process at roughly four to six weeks, though one London account describes two months.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Citi skills discovery survey?
Does Citi use a numerical reasoning test?
Who provides the Citi assessment?
What do technology applicants take?
What happens at the final stage?
Is there a pass mark?
Is this the Citi test?
Sources
Checked November 2026 through search summaries of Citi's early careers pages; we did not read them in full. Citi does not name the survey provider, its length or any pass mark in what we found, so Plum, the 25-minute figure and the extra front-office tests are reported by prep sites and could not be verified. Some candidate accounts date from 2019 and 2020.
Guides that cover Citi
- Case studies and written tasksCase Studies and Written Tasks in Graduate Hiring Compared
- Coding and technical testsCoding and Technical Tests in Graduate Hiring: What Is Stated
- Banking, insurance and investmentBank, Insurer and Asset Manager Graduate Assessments Compared
- How long each assessment takesHow Long Are Graduate Online Assessments? Stated Times Compared
- SHLWhich Employers Use SHL Tests? Every One We Could Source
- Graduate scheme online testsGraduate Scheme Online Tests 2027: Every Employer, Stage and Provider
Other employer assessments
- Standard Chartered assessmentA Skills Insight Assessment with a 36-minute timed section, a pre-set pass level and a personal report.
- Deutsche Bank assessmentSJT, behavioural questionnaire and Ability Test in 96 hours; only the Ability Test is timed.
- UBS assessmentVerbal, numerical, inductive-logical and Culture Match, chosen by business area: 168 hours, no retakes.
- Morgan Stanley assessmentCandidates report a chart-and-table numerical test; the firm says reasoning beats a perfect answer.
- J.P. Morgan assessmentRecorded HireVue or HackerRank first; prep sites add Pymetrics games the bank's pages never name.
- Goldman Sachs assessmentA 30-minute HireVue after selection, HackerRank for engineers, then two to five interviews.
- Assessment guidesCompare employers by test type, sector and topic
- All employer assessmentsEvery employer page, with what each says and what candidates report
LifeScore is not affiliated with Citi. Their names and trademarks belong to their owners and appear here only to describe a hiring process. This page rests on what Citi publishes and what candidates report, and Citi has not reviewed or endorsed it. Our practice test uses original questions in a similar style and is not the Citi test. LifeScore is not affiliated with SHL or any test publisher. SHL is a trademark of its owner. Our practice tests are original questions written in a similar style (tables of business data, and passages with True, False or Cannot say statements) and are not the real tests. Reviewed November 2026 by the LifeScore Editorial Team.