Graduate scheme online tests for 2027: what each employer sends you, in one table

Three formats dominate the first online stage. Judgement or strengths questionnaires come first at many professional services firms and banks. Numerical and verbal reasoning follow, often in the same sitting. Law firms lean on critical thinking, usually the Watson Glaser. Engineering and energy firms increasingly use games and job simulations.

Recorded video interviews are now near-universal as the second step. Very few schemes go straight from application to assessment centre, and those that do are worth noticing: see Slaughter and May and Travers Smith.

Most applicants send several applications in the same autumn. Use the table to group them by test type: if six of your ten start with numerical reasoning, that skill deserves most of your practice time. Strengths and judgement tests reward reading each firm's values page, which takes minutes per firm.

Sit our free numerical reasoning test once before your first deadline. It shows whether numbers or words cost you more points, which tells you where the next week of practice should go.

Online tests usually arrive within a day or two of applying and close within five to seven days. Many schemes recruit on a rolling basis, so places fill before the published closing date. Applying early and completing the tests early are the two cheapest advantages available.

Keep a simple list with each employer, the date the invitation arrived and the date it closes. A missed window rarely gets reopened.

The same skill looks different on different platforms. SHL's interactive numerical test uses drag-and-drop, Aon's tests hide data behind tabs, and Cappfinity counts time taken. Knowing the provider lets you practise on a similar interface. Where the employer does not name one, the column says so; we do not guess.

Provider hubs list every employer that uses each publisher: SHL, Aon, Talogy, Criteria, Cappfinity and the Watson Glaser.

More graduate employers now state outright that AI must not be used during online tests or to write answers, and some describe checks. Our AI and automation guide lists who says what. Practise with tools beforehand; sit the test yourself.