Co-operative Bank Assessment Tests

Careers at Co-operative Bank

Co-operative Bank has strong customer-led ethical policies and a proudly diverse colleague community, who they support not only with competitive salaries but wellbeing and work-life-balance benefits.

Roles at The Co-operative Bank are varied and include positions in business areas such as:

• Legal and banking services

• Technology

• Customer service

• Sales and marketing

• Product and service development

• Business operations

The Co-operative Bank recruitment process is designed to swiftly open up conversations and get to know applicants on a more personal level, bringing forward their people-led ethics from the outset. The process remains the same whether candidates are looking for an entry-level position or an experienced role.

The initial stage of uploading your CV and cover letter will be accompanied by a series of questions to demonstrate your interest in the specific role. If selected, you will then be invited to telephone and in-person interviews.

Succeeding in these stages will place you on an assessment day, which could include a number of aptitude and behavioural tests. These scenario-based tests aim to see how adept you are in crucial skills, as well as how aligned you are with the values The Co-operative Bank expects of its employees. These are:

• Passion, energy and enthusiasm

• Ethical champion

• Determined and resilient

• Excellent collaborator

• Active listener

• Analytical problem-solver

• Numerically minded

The entire process – from the application form to job offer – takes around 3 to 4 weeks for permanent hires, and up to 4 months for graduate programmes.

Application form

The online application process consists of uploading a CV and cover letter. You may also be required to answer several questions that give your prospective employer an insight into why you are interested in this particular role, including relevant experience, interests and career aspirations.

Telephone interview

If you pass the initial application screening, you will be invited to a telephone interview, likely with a member of HR as opposed to a department specialist.

This will be a short telephone conversation, lasting approximately 30 minutes, where the HR representative will ascertain more information about your background, using details from your original application.

In-person interview

Next, you would be invited to a face-to-face interview with HR and a department leader corresponding to your application. Though questions will vary based on the role you are applying for, the interviewers are always trying to understand your aptitude and enthusiasm for the role and company. Prepare for key competency questions such as:

Why would you want to work for The Co-operative Bank?

What is your understanding of a co-operative?

How well do you work within a team?

What are your ethical values?

What makes you suitable for this position?

Co-Operative Bank SHL Style Aptitude Tests

When applying for a role at The Cooperative Bank, you will be asked to complete a series of SHL aptitude tests at one or more stages of the application process.

These tests measure a candidate’s numerical, verbal, inductive and deductive reasoning, helping to assure recruiters that they would be a competent team member.

Co-operative Bank numerical reasoning

The numerical reasoning test will mostly focus on statistics, your ability to interpret graphs, tables and charts, and logical analysis. These tests will also measure basic arithmetic, percentages, averages and other general numerical skills.

If you’re nervous about this element of the application, read more on how best to prepare for numerical assessments.

Co-operative Bank verbal reasoning

Verbal reasoning assessments test your comprehension of written passages. You will be required to read, interpret and analyse a short passage of text, offering answers based on a multiple-choice system.

All of the information you need to answer the questions correctly will be within the text, so attention to detail and a good understanding of the English language (including spelling and grammar) is the key to success. You can practice free verbal reasoning questions here.

Co-operative Bank inductive reasoning

Inductive reasoning tests offer employers insight into how you would approach new rules and situations, whilst also assessing your creativity and ability to think laterally. Inductive reasoning tests do this by asking you to identify the relationships between shapes and figures, spotting rules and patterns, and applying these to find the answer.

The best way to prepare for this type of assessment is to take as many practice tests as possible. That way you are less likely to panic when facing the real test. You can access free inductive reasoning practice questions here.

Co-operative Bank deductive reasoning

A deductive reasoning test assesses your ability to draw the right conclusion from a set of truths. You will be given a a scenario and expected to follow a top-down-logic to reach the correct conclusion from a list of multiple-choice answers.

Employers use these tests to get a better understanding of your problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. Prepare for these assessments with free deductive reasoning practice tests.

Co-operative Bank situational judgement

For The Co-operative Bank a situational judgement test will be role-dependent, mostly deployed for leadership positions. It asks a series of hypothetical workplace scenarios, and you then select from multiple answers, which gives the company an insight into your judgement and character traits.

If you are applying for a leadership role, we would recommend practicing this style of test to better prepare for the real thing. Practice situational judgement questions for free here.

Co-operative Bank assessment centre

Depending on the role, you may be asked to take part in a Co-op assessment centre day. This is a full day consisting of group interviews, presentations, and hypothetical scenario-based exercises, all carried out with other applicants.

Naturally, this demonstrates how well you are able to collaborate with others and adapt to unforeseen circumstances. Both qualities are integral to all business functions and at the heart of The Co-operative Bank’s people-led ethics.