Citi Assessment Tests

Careers at Citi

Citi endeavours to provide a strong family-oriented culture, putting significant effort in to ensure everyone is reaching their full potential and being nurtured to succeed at every junction possible. As a global company, Citi strives for a high level of diversity and inclusion when hiring, aiming to make sure all employees feel motivated, encouraged and comfortable at all times.

There are a number of different career paths that you can follow when working with Citi; these are divided into different ‘programmes’ that you can choose. Consider these if you’re in your last year of undergraduate study or a Masters degree.

The management associate programme, for example, is a leadership development programme, training future management candidates in teamwork and leadership. It gives a broad overview of the company as a whole.

Academy analysts have a highly tailored programme of business training that goes toward building the strongest base possible for starting your career with Citi.

With the full-time analyst programme, you will be trained to become one of Citi’s analysts. This involves mentorship and detailed training, as well as hands-on experience dealing with clients and customers to set you on the right path.

The application process for Citi typically takes place over the course of a few weeks and consists of various stages. These include an online application form, some aptitude tests as well as a number of interviews, conducted either over the phone, in person, or via video call.

Following these stages, you will take part in an assessment centre, which will further test your aptitude, industry and company knowledge, as well as your general suitability for the role. Each stage will require a different form of preparation and having good knowledge of Citi is essential.

Online application form

The first stage consists of an online application form. As well as the usual information related to your work history, educational history and personal information, it’s a key opportunity for you to demonstrate exactly why you would make a great applicant for Citi.

Ensure that all the information you provide is accurate and up-to-date. To avoid any confusion, make it easy to contact you throughout the application process.

Citi Aptitude Tests

Citi skills discovery survey

For early careers programmes across EMEA and global Services, the first assessment after the application form is a skills discovery survey. Citi calls this stage the skills evaluation, and it is widely reported to be the Plum Discovery Survey.

It works differently from a traditional aptitude test. Rather than marking right and wrong answers, it builds a picture of your strengths and the way you prefer to work from the choices you make, and it is usually untimed. Answer honestly and at a steady pace, because consistency across the survey matters more than speed.

If you are applying to a technology programme, you take a coding assessment at this stage instead.

Citi numerical reasoning test

A numerical reasoning test can follow, depending on the programme and the region you apply in. Where Citi sets one, it has historically used Talent Q, so that is the style worth practising.

Due to the mathematical nature of some of the work you would be doing with Citi, such as data interpretation or analysis, a simple test of your arithmetic skills is necessary. This will not be anything hugely advanced, and your score will be based on the speed and efficiency with which you can provide your answers.

The questions in this test will have a one-minute time limit for you to answer, so it is a good idea to make sure you are completely ready before beginning. You may be required to redo this test at a later stage of the application process.

Citi logical reasoning test

A logical reasoning test is often set alongside it, in the same Talent Q style. Similarly to the numerical reasoning test, this relates to the aspects of your job that require quick, lateral thinking for problem solving.

There is no particular preparation necessary, since the tests are diagrammatic in nature and do not follow any particular pattern; they will test spatial reasoning and similar skills related to your problem-solving skills.

This test consists of a sequence of patterns that a candidate will have to analyse and interpret, to then relate to similar patterns. This takes the form of looking through a series of patterns and shapes to fill in a gap, or simply predict which would come next in the sequence. The answers are given through a multiple-choice selection.

Pre-screen interview

If you pass the aptitude tests successfully, you will be taken through to the next stage of the application process, which consists of a preliminary interview. Most often carried out over the phone, these interviews are competency-based and normally take around 25 to 30 minutes to complete.

They are a way in which to test your suitability for the role in various aspects such as problem-solving, teamwork and leadership. It is a good idea to take some time to prepare examples from your past when you have demonstrated these skills so as to provide concise, accurate answers quickly during the interview itself.

Hiring manager and team interview

After your pre-screen interview, you will be put through another round of interviews with your hiring manager and various members of the team as well. These can take place either in person at a Citi office location, or virtually via a video call.

These interviews will be more in-depth, so make sure to take time beforehand to do some research and preparation to be best prepared.

Final interview

This final interview is a great opportunity for you to come up with your own questions for Citi. Having a list of industry and company related questions is a good way to show your interest.

Before the interview, ensure you have done your due diligence and research into Citi, its mission statement and its corporate culture, as well as the industry in general. This will be a chance to demonstrate your attention to detail.

Assessment centre

The assessment centre includes a case study, which serves as the basis and outline for the rest of the tasks you will undertake. Ensure you read it carefully, to give yourself the best head start with the following tasks:

The group exercise is a chance to demonstrate your cooperation and communication skills. Teamwork is absolutely necessary and being able to problem-solve and reach conclusions as part of a cohesive unit will be tested at this stage.

You will be expected to work with a group of fellow candidates to complete your assigned tasks. Observers will be there to assess your communication skills, and the way you interact and operate in a group dynamic. As well as making suggestions of your own, be open to others’ ideas and opinions.

The presentation is a way in which the observers can assess how confidently and clearly you are able to articulate yourself in front of others – as well as your body language, tone and how well you are able to engage with an audience.

You will be given a brief to read over and analyse, followed by some time for preparation, before actually delivering your presentation to the observers who will then assess your performance.