Following the CV stage and numerical assessments, applicants to consulting programs may encounter what is known as the assessment portal stage, which is essentially a series of online tests designed to gauge the abilities of a candidate. Whilst the process may seem daunting, the assessment portal is also quite easy to prepare for, due to the wealth of resources available online. Here is a compilation of the various kinds of tests one may encounter during the assessment portal stage, and some tips on how to perform well on them!
Numerical Reasoning Tests
We have published a separate blog post specifically addressing numerical assessments, which can be accessed here: (https://universalcclub.wixsite.com/website/post/psychometric-tests-a-guide-to-numerical-reasoning).
Situational Judgement Tests (SJT)
In Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs), you will be given a short scenario, and asked to either choose one of the responses as the most appropriate option, or to rank a set of responses. These scenarios can be challenges during work, e.g. you would react to a task being assigned to you when you have a busy schedule, or how you would act at a networking event.
Tips:
Consider the qualities the company is looking for by looking at their career webpage. In consulting, firms generally want people with leadership, communication skills and motivation – understand how these skills might be displayed in your responses.
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Verbal reasoning
Verbal reasoning tests the ability of an individual to reason from text sources. Although it is named as a “verbal” reasoning test, verbal reasoning questions typically need not be answered verbally. Rather, you will be given a short text and be required to answer multiple choice questions pertaining to the text. Example questions include “what conclusion does this test support the best?”, or “what is not a conclusion that can be derived from the text?”. In the majority of cases, you will be given one text at any given time, although there are other cases which require you to draw conclusions from multiple texts at once.
Tips:
Read and comprehend the questions carefully. Given the test is designed to test how you reason in response to textual sources, it is vitally important to respond to what the question is asking for.
Only focus on the given text. Do not draw conclusions from general or industry knowledge- answers should only be derived from the text you have in front of you and your understanding of it. Many verbal reasoning tests highlight this as a vital advice in the instructions.
Do not rush through your answers – whilst there may be time limits, resorting to just intuition and reflex may impair your accuracy.
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Gamified assessments
Following the advent of AI, more firms have opted to using games as a form of assessment, with PWC and McKinsey being a notable example. However, when employers assign you a games assessment, they are not here just to entertain you – they are looking for specific traits through analyzing your performance in the games. For example, short term memory might be assessed by a game requiring you to remember the position of cards; reflexes and learning speed might be assessed by how quickly you respond to numbers flashing on the screen.
Tips:
Identify the desired skills of the employer. In some games, employers might be looking for strong short-term memory – in others, how adaptable you are to adverse circumstances.
Practice like you would any other test. Most gamified assessments provide practice rounds, and there are also similar games on the internet. Practicing can help increase your familiarity with the games and enable you to perform better.
Do the test in a quiet environment where you will not be disturbed – that way, you can pay full attention to the assessment.
If the game is very unique, remember the company’s values and skills they are looking for and come in with a fresh outlook- McKinsey states that no preparation is needed for the game, so don’t try and replicate answers you see online and rather focus on the game at hand.
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Video interviews
In replacement of first round in-person interviews, video interviews have been popularized during the past few years, with many of them being supplied by an external source like Hirevue or Sonru. During the interview, you will be given a series of unseen questions, each of which you can prepare for for 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the firm, and give a video response that can last from 1.5 to 3 minutes. Most of these questions are competency based questions that ask you to describe how you responded to a challenge, or how your skills correspond to the function you’ve applied to; or interest questions that concern why you are interested in the firm/ specific department or function that you are applying for.
Tips:
Do your video interview early – firms have many of them to go through, and handing in one early can ensure your application is considered in time.
Before your interview, prepare by thinking of what challenges you have faced before, and do some research into the current market and industries the firm is operating in, as well as on why you would like to work at the firm, to be prepared for contextual and value related questions. Many competency questions are similar in nature given the problem-solving element in such competitive jobs, and you can prepare answer frameworks in advance and then adapt them to each individual interview. Even if these questions don’t show up, you’ll likely be more confident and perform better during the interview.
Video interviews also assess you for your body language and how you present yourself. Be aware of your tone and style when giving your answers, maintain eye contact with the camera, and remember to sound natural. You can practice this by speaking in front of a mirror, or even doing a mock interview with your friends.
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Job simulation
Some firms opt to use job simulations before their assessment days to get a feeling of how a certain candidate would perform when placed in a similar working environment. In job simulations, you will be given a structured scenario, and be required to complete tasks based on the scenario. These tasks usually consist of a few elements that have been mentioned previously, such as verbal and numerical reasoning. In some cases, job simulations might also include other tasks, such as writing an email to a client based on a few reports provided in the scenario, or giving a verbal briefing to a team member who has just joined the team.
Tips:
Again, do your job simulation early to ensure your application will be assessed before they complete shortlists for assessment days/centers.
While no case is the same, it is still useful to have practiced its components before, as these skills will be generalizable to this part of the application process.
When giving video answers, make a brief outline before you speak so you can avoid being unconfident or unstructured in your answer.
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As a final advice, remember to read the firm’s career website and entry-level section carefully, as they are likely to provide tips and guidance on their assessment portals. Keep the advice provided by the company in mind and stick to it first- after all, it comes directly from the where you are applying to and would, ultimately, like to work, so it should be trusted over any second-party advice. If you have questions that can definitely not be answered by reading the firm’s website and conducting research, don’t be afraid of reaching out to HR as they are there to help and will often be able to provide you with some additional tips.
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