Barclays Assessment Tests

Careers at Barclays

The internal values of respect, integrity, service, excellence and stewardship are reflected in the diverse and inclusive culture that allows employees the chance to grow and develop.

Roles at Barclays are varied, and cover business areas such as:

• Customer service and engagement
• Sales and relationship management
• Research, insight and strategy
• Product and service development
• Technology
• Business operations

With locations throughout the UK, USA, India and Asia Pacific, there are multinational opportunities available, too.

The role you are looking for will have a specific career path attached to it, and Barclays offers many different routes depending on your entry point – such as work experience and apprenticeships, undergraduate and graduate schemes, and a specific Return to Work process that is aimed at people who have had a career break.

Barclays also works with ex-military personnel looking for a new career with the AFTER (Armed Forces Transition Employment and Resettlement) programme.

The Barclays recruitment process is a structured and innovative procedure that offers value at all stages – even if your application is not successful.

Initially, your online application is not a CV and a cover letter but a quick few questions to register your interest for a particular role. If successful, you will then be invited to take part in a series of online scenarios that are based around realistic work-based situations, to judge your aptitude and behaviour.

During these scenarios there will be tasks to complete and questions to answer, all designed to see how you fit with the particular strengths and cognitive behaviours that Barclays looks for in new employees. These are:

• Agile Learner
• Relationship Navigator
• Team Collaborator
• Resilient Performer
• Critical Analyst
• Numerical Interpreter

The whole process includes around 4 to 7 hours of assessment from initial application to job offer, and at each stage you will receive actionable feedback about your performance.

Online application

Although it is not a typical online application, the first stage in the Barclays application process is to register your interest in a role. The recruiters do not ask for a lengthy CV or a cover letter; instead they get to know you through interactive assessments.

To register your interest, you will need to provide a few basic details (which may include demographic information), and the recruitment team will then contact you to tell you what to do next.

Business Insight Stage 1

The first stage of the Barclays assessments is known as the Business Insight Stage 1. You will be presented with a realistic but fictional business-related scenario and asked a number of questions.

You may be asked to complete tasks or choose the action you would take in a given situation.

Barclays uses Cappfinity tests throughout its recruitment process. Cappfinity is a leader in strength-based assessments, linking performance and energy to identify capability and engagement in the workplace.

This first stage is not timed, but usually takes 35–40 minutes to complete. There are several aptitudes that are being tested throughout this scenario exercise, which we’ll look at below.

Barclays Aptitude Tests

Barclays situational strengths test

Some of the questions that will be asked within the scenario will be related to your situational judgement and workplace behaviour. These questions will ask you which of several actions is the best option relating to the scenario, and you will need to choose from 4 or 5 possible responses.

You can practice free situational questions here, or on the Cappfinity practice page.

There are no right or wrong answers; instead the test is to see how you measure up in terms of the Barclays core competencies.

Barclays numerical reasoning test

As a banking organisation, you are expected to have some numerical understanding - but a numerical reasoning test is not about an extended knowledge of maths. It is actually assessing your ability to draw reasonable conclusions based on graphs and tables with simple calculations.

Numerical reasoning questions will be interspersed throughout the assessment and are usually multiple choice. Practice makes perfect, and you can take many numerical reasoning practice tests on our page or on the Cappfinity practice page.

Barclays verbal reasoning test

Verbal reasoning assessments test your ability to read, understand and analyse information in the form of text. You need to use the data provided to answer questions (usually with multiple-choice answers).

All the information you need to correctly answer the question is provided in the text, and to be successful you will need a good working understanding of the English language, including spelling and grammar. You can practice free verbal reasoning questions here, or try a Cappfinity practice test.

Barclays critical thinking test

Critical thinking assessments evaluate the logical thinking abilities of the candidate. You will often be provided with some information and be asked to decide if the argument presented is logical, avoiding unconscious bias and opinions.

Critical thinking skills are an essential part of being successful in the workplace; being able to challenge data and not accept information on face value without any supporting evidence. You can work on your objectivity using practice tests on our page or look at the way Cappfinity structures its tests on its practice page.

Business Insight Stage 2

If you are not successful in the first stage, you will be provided with constructive strengths-based feedback that you can use to help you perform better in the future. If you are successful, you will be invited to take part in the Business Insight Stage 2 assessment.

This is structured in a similar way to the first stage, with a realistic scenario with different situational, numerical, verbal and critical reasoning questions – but this time a bit more in-depth. The situation itself is more likely to reflect the type of work that you will be undertaking in the role you have applied for.

The stage 2 assessment has different question types, and answers might be given through multiple-choice options and via video. This assessment is timed, and usually takes 45 minutes.

Barclays Business Meeting

If you are successful with the remote assessments, you will be invited to the Barclays Business Meeting. This is an in-house immersive challenge lasting 3.5 to 5 hours, similar to an assessment centre, and will involve a case study exercise.

The Barclays Business Meeting allows you to showcase the skills and knowledge that you have, as well as demonstrating the six key traits that Barclays seeks in new employees.

If you take full advantage of immersing yourself into the business meeting scenario, you can get the most out of it.

If you are unsuccessful at this stage, you will be offered constructive feedback in the form of a personalised report. You might also be offered a feedback coaching call to discuss in detail the areas you can improve.

If you are successful you will find out almost immediately.