Graduate selection step 2: Tests!

Used to eliminate another 50%-60%.

Banks are increasingly using tests to check whether candidates are more than vaguely numerate. Some, such as Merrill Lynch, also use verbal reasoning tests to establish whether candidates can think logically in the English language.

Numeracy tests typically eliminate another 50% to 60% of applicants, says Vivienne Dykstra, a former graduate recruiter-turned graduate recruitment consultant. "They're a fairly blunt instrument, but we know numeracy is critical and we need to cut down the number of applicants that look good on paper," she says. Numeracy tests are supposed to be academically neutral: they test your underlying numerical ability, not your knowledge of advanced calculus. They are also supposed to be impossible to prepare for.

However, a little advance consideration is unlikely to do you any harm. A lot of banks use numeracy tests from SHL, a UK-based test provider. The company offers sample questions on its website at https://www.shl.com/shl/uk - click on "candidate helpline" and then go to "practice tests".

At some banks, a bad score on a test will often sound the death knell for your application. "If you don't pass the numeracy or verbal reasoning test you can't move on to the next stage of the recruitment process" says Derek Walker, head of graduate recruitment at Barclays Capital. Other banks are more forgiving - your test score will be judged in combination with your broader performance: "We never judge test results in isolation," says Ellen Miller, head of graduate recruitment at Lehman Brothers.