Zurich hides its numerical test inside fictitious work scenarios. Practise the numbers, then the scenarios

Zurich says its online assessment tests behaviours and numerical skills inside fictitious work scenarios. Our reasoning test covers the numerical skill with tables and charts, which is the part of the Zurich assessment that rewards practice.

Zurich weaves numerical questions into work scenarios and measures strengths, which our plain multiple-choice test does not. It also adds a job simulation with video and written responses. Zurich points to the Cappfinity Preparation Hub, which is the right place to see the format.

Zurich says it uses your CV only to check eligibility and whether you meet the application criteria, and that hiring managers and interviewers do not see it before your interview. That is a deliberate design: the people who judge you meet your assessment results and your answers, not your pedigree.

Take it as a signal about where the weight lies. Spend your effort on the online assessment and the job simulation. A tidy CV is necessary, but it is not where you win.

Zurich describes its online assessment as strengths-based, testing behaviours and numerical skills inside fictitious work scenarios. That combination means a numerical question does not arrive as a bare table. It arrives as part of a situation: a customer, a budget, a decision.

Practise the numbers on their own first: percentages, ratios and reading charts. The free reasoning test above gives you 25 table questions, and numerical reasoning questions shows the methods. Then practise the story part by asking yourself, after each calculation, what you would tell a colleague the result means.

For practice assessments, Zurich points candidates to the Cappfinity Preparation Hub. That is the best view you will get of the format, because it comes from the platform provider itself.

Use it to learn the interface and the pace, and then use general numerical practice to build speed. Do not expect to see the live items there, and be wary of any site that claims to offer them.

Shortlisted candidates complete a digital job simulation with video and written responses. A simulation puts you in a role for a short time: you read, decide and explain. The video and written parts test different forms of the same skill, which is explaining your reasoning clearly.

Prepare by practising explaining a decision in three sentences, aloud and in writing. State the decision, give the main reason, name one risk. Short and structured beats long and thorough.

Zurich states that applications that use AI-generated responses will not be considered. Write your own answers in your own voice, even if you use tools to check spelling.

The change and technology page says applications for the 2027 programmes were open from 14 September to 18 October 2026. Windows differ by programme and some pages show applications as open, so check the specific scheme. Our guide to banking, insurance and investment assessments shows how this compares with similar employers.