Banks, insurers and investors: strengths tests, data questions and video, compared
Ten financial employers, ten different assessment mixes. Some name data interpretation, some name strengths-based tests, some name games. This page lines up what each states and where the stated detail stops and candidate reports begin.
Free Reasoning practice test
- 50 questions
- 45 minutes
- Instant score
By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated · How we check facts
The employers in this guide
Each row comes from that employer's own page on this site. 10 employers, checked October 2026. Stated means the employer says it. Candidates report means we found it only in candidate accounts.
| Employer | Who the page is for |
|---|---|
| HSBC | Work-simulation questions built on graphs, data tables, mock emails and articles, about 40 minutes each. |
| Lloyds Banking Group | Data interpretation, a work scenario, a working-style questionnaire and a person-reviewed video answer. |
| Barclays | Two short interactive assessments. It states no reasoning test, though candidates report one. |
| NatWest Group | Work scenarios, a mostly untimed skills assessment and six recorded video questions. |
| Santander UK | Three short assessment games and a four-to-five question recorded interview. |
| Standard Chartered | A Skills Insight Assessment with a 36-minute timed section, a pre-set pass level and a personal report. |
| Aviva | A situational strengths test for every pathway, with numerical or coding tests added by pathway. |
| Legal & General | Online assessments sent straight after you apply, rolling recruitment and a Preparation Zone. |
| Zurich UK | Numerical questions inside fictitious work scenarios, a digital job simulation and a CV used only for eligibility. |
| Schroders | Aon tests in the UK, and three staged assessments with feedback reports in the US. |
Three families of first-stage assessment
The first family is data-led. HSBC describes questions built around graphs, data tables and mock emails, about 40 minutes per assessment. Lloyds describes data interpretation as multiple choice. Standard Chartered describes a Skills Insight Assessment with a timed reasoning section of about 36 minutes in one version.
The second is strengths-led. Aviva uses a situational strengths test for every pathway. Zurich UK and Legal & General describe strengths-based assessments with numerical questions. The third is game-led: Santander UK describes three short assessment games, and Schroders names a gamified situational judgement test among its UK Aon tests.
Where the employer says less than the internet does
Barclays states two short interactive assessments and does not state a reasoning test, though candidates report numerical and verbal reasoning. NatWest states work scenarios, a mostly untimed skills assessment and six recorded video questions, while prep sites describe a race against the clock. These are the pages where reading the employer first protects you most.
The rule across this sector is to prepare for what is stated first, then add a light hedge for what is reported.
What employers say about scoring
Standard Chartered is the most open: it says a score is compared with a level set in advance by people, and a personalised report is yours to keep. Lloyds says a person reviews video answers with no AI scoring. Mott MacDonald and BAE Systems, outside this sector, make similar statements about thresholds. None of the financial employers here publishes the level.
That is why this guide and the employer pages avoid percentile figures. They exist on prep sites, but we could not verify them.
Windows, rolling recruitment and rules
Legal & General recruits on a rolling basis, with most graduate roles opening in October and centres typically in December and January. Santander UK also reviews applications on a rolling basis for its 2026 programmes. Zurich's 2027 programmes were open from 14 September to 18 October 2026. Rolling recruitment rewards preparing before you submit.
Several set a single-application rule. Legal & General accepts one application per person across graduate programmes. Check the rule before you click.
A preparation order that fits all ten
First, read your employer's page here and then the employer's own pages. Second, take the free reasoning test above as a benchmark for tables and passages. Third, prepare four stories for the video interview, because nine of the ten employers describe some video or interview stage. Fourth, if you want structure, the Reasoning Pass Pack is £29 (US$39) for this exam, with a score predictor and a study plan.
See also the situational judgement guide and the video interview guide.
Practise with a free Reasoning test
50 original questions, 45 minutes, scored the moment you finish. Free, no sign-up. Our reasoning test covers the data and passage questions that several of these employers name or that candidates report.
Start the free Reasoning testFrequently asked questions
Which banks state a reasoning test?
Which employers use strengths-based tests?
Does any employer here publish a pass mark?
Do insurers use video interviews?
Is recruitment rolling?
Employer pages in this guide
- HSBC assessmentWork-simulation questions built on graphs, data tables, mock emails and articles, about 40 minutes each.
- Lloyds Banking Group assessmentData interpretation, a work scenario, a working-style questionnaire and a person-reviewed video answer.
- Barclays assessmentTwo short interactive assessments. It states no reasoning test, though candidates report one.
- NatWest Group assessmentWork scenarios, a mostly untimed skills assessment and six recorded video questions.
- Santander UK assessmentThree short assessment games and a four-to-five question recorded interview.
- Standard Chartered assessmentA Skills Insight Assessment with a 36-minute timed section, a pre-set pass level and a personal report.
- Aviva assessmentA situational strengths test for every pathway, with numerical or coding tests added by pathway.
- Legal & General assessmentOnline assessments sent straight after you apply, rolling recruitment and a Preparation Zone.
- Zurich UK assessmentNumerical questions inside fictitious work scenarios, a digital job simulation and a CV used only for eligibility.
- Schroders assessmentAon tests in the UK, and three staged assessments with feedback reports in the US.
More assessment guides
- Accountancy and professional servicesBig Four and Mid-Tier Firm Online Assessments Compared
- Law firmsLaw Firm Online Assessments: Watson Glaser and Beyond
- Engineering, defence and infrastructureEngineering and Defence Graduate Assessments Compared
- Public sector, policing and educationPublic Sector Assessments: Civil Service, GCHQ, Met and More
- Retail, logistics and telecomsRetail, Logistics and Telecoms Graduate Assessments Compared
- All assessment guidesBy test type, sector and topic
- All employer assessmentsEvery employer page, with what each says and what candidates report
LifeScore is not affiliated with any employer or test publisher named on this page. Names belong to their owners and appear only to describe published hiring processes. Pass marks and questions are not published by employers, and we do not claim to know them. Reviewed October 2026 by the LifeScore Editorial Team.