How to bypass the the numerical assessment test?

I know places like UBS, MS, JPM, and even DB (this year) rely on these BS tests to weed out people. Is there any way to get a first round without having to take them? Or do I just suck it up, invest some money in studying for the test, and do as best as I can? They have little relation to IB, so I ultimately feel they would be a waste of time that could be better spent on technicals.

18 Comments
 

i hated them as much as you do even though my math isnt actually that bad - i just never got feedback on one of them so idk if im good or bad but i never passed.

not ethical but maybe make a fake CV, apply, screesnhot the test & do it in your own time. then apply with your real acc. or pay someone to do them for you idk.

apparently target kids all do them together anyway? if you have friends you can trade it or idk.

 

i agree & its mostly about speed

i’d love to find out details of the recruiting process. what % of applicants get tests, hirevue, then what % of hirevues get real interviews etc.

I assume someone reviews profiles of the people who pass numericals? Maybe its possible to do well but still get rejected?

 

think about it this way--if you can't pass a simple numerical test by yourself, how can you expect to do well on the job? I go to a target but i did everything by myself and passed most. My advice is to just suck it up, practice a bit, and try your best. good luck!

 

It’s not even math mate it’s literally questions like “what was the percentage increase in fish from 2018 to 2019” and “which can you infer is the most popular product from the graph”. Just grab one other person to do it with you, one does the paper math and the other checks with a calculator. The only one I remember being tricky was either UBS or Nomura as you weren’t supposed to finish the test in the given time so it was blatantly obvious if you got 40/40 right in 20 minutes and it had a couple pattern recognition questions. The real pain was Barclays and HSBC, those had like an hour long video you had to watch while answering questions like “what should Tom do here?”

 

gotta disagree with one thing lol. the Barc/HSBC ones were an absolute cakewalk, pass those (and ur CV doesnt get screened out) and you get to jump straight to superday, no 1st round interview, pretty sweet deal tbh

the real annoying ones are the ones that make you do multiple tests...total waste of time

"They say money can't buy happiness? Look at the fuckin' smile on my face. Ear to ear, baby!" - Boiler Room
 

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