BNP Paribas Tests

Careers at BNP Paribas

Candidates can join BNP Paribas through various different routes, depending on where they are in their academic career.

The BNP Paribas summer internship is a 9-week programme open to penultimate-year students. This programme gives students a flavour of what it’s like to work with the bank.

For students who are on a placement year or who have graduated within the past year, BNP Paribas offers a 6–11-month internship programme aligned to one of its main business areas.

Candidates who have been in higher education within the last two years can apply to join BNP Paribas as a Graduate Analyst.

Opportunities are available in these main business areas:

• Compliance
• Global Banking
• Risk
• Global Markets
• Functional departments (such as IT)

The academic requirement for these roles is a 2:1 degree (attained or predicted). Or a good academic record if applying to the summer internship programme.

The first stage of the process requires candidates to submit their CV and complete an online application form, stating their chosen role or area.

Candidates will then be asked to sit the online ability tests. These tests include numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, and situational judgment tests. The type of tests will depend upon the business area applied to.

If successful at the tests, candidates are then invited to attend a morning virtual assessment centre that contains a mix of individual and group exercises.

Progression to the final stage of the application process, the business interview, is dependent upon the successful completion of the virtual assessment centre. The business interview is held in the afternoon.

It is worth noting that you can only apply to up to five internship roles per year and one graduate role per year.

Online application form

Like many application forms, this asks candidates to detail their academic history and work experience, and to state their preferred role.

The application form also requires you complete answers to competency-based questions. The questions asked may differ depending on the role applied for, and are assessed against the core values and competencies that BNP Paribas looks for in applicants (ambition, responsiveness, creativity and commitment).

When answering these questions, it is important to think about what you can bring to the role based on the skills that you have.

Candidates are also invited to upload their CV as part of the initial online application process.

BNP Paribas logical reasoning test

The logical reasoning test assesses a candidate’s ability to make logical conclusions from images such as graphs or shapes. Candidates are presented with a series of images and asked to identify patterns between them.

Once the pattern, link or rule has been identified, this information is then used to determine which of the multiple-choice answers is correct. For example, which shape comes next in the sequence.

As with most online tests, the BNP Paribas logical reasoning test is a timed test. To be successful, it’s important to practice so that you are familiar with the format and style of the questions.

BNP Paribas situational judgment test

The situational judgment test evaluates your characteristics and how you would react in work-based situations, based on what you might encounter when in the role at BNP Paribas.

Once you have read the scenario, you then pick the multiple-choice answer that best fits how you would deal with the situation. Again, the test is timed.

To do well on the situational judgment test, ensure that you are aware of the qualities that BNP Paribas looks for in its applicants.

BNP Paribas numerical reasoning test

The numerical reasoning test assesses a candidate’s ability to analyse and interpret numerical information and draw conclusions from this.

Data is presented in the form of graphs, charts and tables. You need to use basic arithmetic such as percentages or ratios to work out which of the multiple-choice answers, presented as statements, is the correct answer.

Often the issue with the numerical test is not the complexity of the questions but the time pressure. Because of this, the best approach is to work quickly but accurately, having practised such tests regularly beforehand.

BNP Paribas verbal reasoning test

The verbal reasoning test assesses a candidate’s ability to read, analyse and understand complex written information.

Candidates are presented with a series of paragraphs. Once you’ve read the information, you are then asked to answer questions based on this text.

The multiple-choice answers are given as statements. You decide whether these statements are true, false or you cannot tell, based upon the passage of information you have read.

As with all BNP Paribas ability tests, the verbal reasoning test is timed. You need to ensure you have read all of the information and understood this, before answering the questions.