BMW Assessment Tests

Careers at BMW

BMW has over 130,000 employees and manufactures vehicles in Germany, the USA, South Africa, India, and Brazil. Career opportunities at BMW are not limited to manufacturing; the company requires a huge amount of talent across fields such as software development, legal services, HR, financial services, and PR.

There are two graduate schemes: the 24-month UK graduate programme and the 18-month global leader development programme, which takes you abroad. Both are intensive practical training opportunities, during which you will be able to take on projects from multiple fields to get cross-disciplinary experience.

All of BMW’s job postings can be found on its website. You will need to start an online application form and then proceed through the recruitment process.

There may be alternate stages, depending on which scheme and field you have applied for. However, these steps are standard for most early career programmes such as apprenticeships and graduate programs.

BMW online application form

For the online application, you will need to upload your CV and answer a few short motivational questions such as: why do you want to work for BMW and why in this particular field? The best way to impress the recruiters is to ensure all of your experience is made relevant to the role you are applying for, and that it is obvious you have done your research.

Remember that what you put on your application (experience, areas of interest, achievements) may be used as a basis for interview questions. Make sure that you are consistent and can support your statements with evidence and enthusiasm.

BMW Aptitude Tests

Within two days of your application you should receive an invitation to complete some cognitive tests. This is to check your competencies with different skills and screen out those who do not match the required ability.

BMW uses the Revelian Cognitive Ability Assessment, which is 20-minutes long and includes a mix of different ability tests.

BMW situational judgement test

Situational judgement tests are a popular way of determining someone’s working style and typical behaviours in situations that may arise while at work. The test will present you with a hypothetical scenario and then ask you to rank potential responses according to which you think is most appropriate.

Employers like to use these because they are a good indicator of your personality type and how you might respond to different professional and social situations. From this, they can predict things like your potential for leadership, what kind of workplace environment suits you, and if you are a team player.

BMW numerical reasoning test

Numerical reasoning is a standard cognitive test for most big companies now, especially for roles that are in a field where mathematical skills are needed like finance, engineering, technology, and retail.

The test will assess your ability to use basic arithmetic and mathematical concepts such as fractions, percentages, and averages to solve problems.

BMW verbal reasoning test

The verbal reasoning test is used to assess your communication skills and how well you are able to process written information. It is primarily a logic and problem-solving test, which asks you to follow word patterns, group similar words, and identify whether statements are true or false.

These can be tricky but prove your ability to analyse information, follow logic to a conclusion, and pay attention to details, which are all important skills in the workplace.

BMW abstract reasoning test

Abstract reasoning is used as a gauge for your strategic thinking, how well you deal with new information, and if you can identify patterns and outliers. Most commonly, abstract reasoning is tested by presenting you with a group of shapes or images and you have to identify the missing part of the sequence or the one containing an error.

These tests are used for jobs in fields like technology and engineering as they show your spatial reasoning, which is the ability to picture and manipulate shapes and images with your mind’s eye. It also assesses your level of creativity and innovative thinking while under pressure.

Telephone interview

If you perform well on the cognitive tests, you will be invited to do a telephone or video interview. This will be with a member of HR and is a chance for them to get to know you and your experience a bit better.

One of the best ways to prepare for this interview is to research the company, especially their core values:

Responsibility

Make consistent decisions and commit to them personally.

Appreciation

Reflect on your actions, respect others, and celebrate success.

Transparency

Acknowledge and identify inconsistencies in a constructive way.

Trust

Trust and rely on each other to achieve goals.

Openness

Be excited by change and open to new opportunities.

BMW assessment centre

One of the most important traits that BMW is looking for is being a team player, so the assessment centre is primarily about showing how you work with others and what kind of worker you are. There are four activities to complete during the day:

BMW cognitive tests

Another set of cognitive tests, this may be similar in style to the situational judgement test. There may also be more technical skill tests depending on which field you have applied for, but this will be made clear to you ahead of your attendance.

BMW presentation

You will have to make a short presentation on a topic given to you on the day. This will most likely be relevant to the company’s business practices or trends in the area of business you have applied for, to show your understanding of the company and how well you process and relay new information.

BMW role play

You may be asked to do a role-play activity with another candidate or a hiring manager. Typically, this will be centred on a hypothetical business meeting where one of you is the client and the other a BMW representative.

BMW group discussion

As a group, you will be given a topic to discuss while you are being observed. This shows how you behave in a team setting and approach the task at hand. It is important to remember the core values and show that you are a receptive and collaborative person, rather than trying to dominate the conversation or push your ideas over others.

BMW job interview

After the assessment centre, a few of you will be shortlisted for a final job interview that is held with the relevant hiring managers. By this stage, you are one of the top candidates, so it is just a final chance to show them you are truly passionate about working in your chosen field.

BMW looks for people who are not just technically competent, but also ambitious with high career goals and potential for long-term impact at the company.

It is also your chance to ask any questions you may have about the role and expectations to make sure that it is the right fit for you as much as you are for it.