Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational business, consisting of a chain of membership-only retail stores that sell big-box items at discount.
Some Costco positions require a skills demonstration or business-related test. The US application guide does not specify a standard reasoning or Hogan test for everyone. Check the requirements of your vacancy.
Use the route that matches your vacancy. The guidance below identifies the programme or location it covers.
Transferable skills and member service
Costco recommends applying online to your preferred location and introducing yourself to a manager. Some positions require a skills demonstration or business-related test. Its published guidance does not prescribe Hogan or a fixed reasoning-test battery for every applicant.
Process sources checked 11 September 2026 · Your invitation takes priority for role and location details.
Calculate gross profit using unit costs, selling prices and quantities sold. This is independent practice from Practice Aptitude Tests, not an actual Costco assessment question.
Practise with our independent preparation tests, then review the working behind each answer.
Opportunities at Costco are varied, from usual retail positions like customer assistant and cashier, to stockroom positions and store management.
There are also business support roles, like HR and marketing, and Costco also looks for specialists such as butchers and tyre fitters, with a number of seasonal roles available.
Working at Costco gives you a competitive wage, whether as an hourly paid employee or through a salary. Both types of employee can take advantage of life insurance, as well as optical and dental support.
The benefits of working at Costco also include an Employee Assistance Program and specific offers and discounts within the store and in other high street shops, including restaurants and entertainment venues.
Before you apply for a role at Costco, take some time to read about the business and understand what its values are, and what is important to the company.
Costco has a specific code of ethics that it follows in all its business dealings, with customers, suppliers, employees, and shareholders. This is important information to understand how the company works, and knowing this code will help you answer questions throughout the application process.
There are also ‘Costco Qualities’ that are part of the way the business runs; bearing these in mind during interviews and assessments will make a good impression. These are:
UK roles are listed on Costco’s UK careers page, which can be searched by job area, location or specific role type.
In the job description, you will find details about the qualifications, experience, skills, and competencies that are needed for the role. This information should be used to ensure that your resume highlights the way you match the job role profile, ensuring that you are recognised as meeting the minimum criteria.
The recruitment team reviews applications against the vacancy. Some positions require a skills demonstration or business-related test, but a fixed test battery is not published for every applicant.
The structure of the assessments you will take will depend on the role you have applied for; the recruitment team will let you know in advance what tests you need to take.
If an assessment is required, the recruiter or application portal will explain how and when to complete it. The practice formats below are useful where they match your invitation.
Verbal reasoning is a skill that is assessed in many job roles where communication is important.
While verbal reasoning is not designed to be an English language test, it does require fast reading and comprehension skills alongside making reasoned decisions.
You will be presented with a passage of text, followed by a question or statement. You need to read, understand and analyse the text to decide if the statement is true, false, or you cannot say, based on the information provided.
Some verbal reasoning questions might assess your knowledge of spelling, grammar and sentence construction through missing word challenges, or by selecting the right synonyms or antonyms for a word.
No former knowledge is needed to answer verbal reasoning questions, since all the information is provided in the text, but you might want to prepare for verbal tests beforehand.
Numerical reasoning is an assessment of how well you solve problems using basic math skills when you are presented with unfamiliar information.
The usual structure involves numerical data presented in a table or graph, followed by a question. You will have to perform a basic mathematical operation (multiplication, division, addition or subtraction) to find the correct answer from a number of possible answers given.
To prepare successfully for a numerical reasoning test, you might want to brush up on your basic math skills, including the four operators, as well as ratios, percentages and fractions. While the level of maths is no higher than that of a typical school leaver, the added pressure of answering multiple questions in a tight time limit adds to the challenge.
A diagrammatic reasoning test is designed to see how well you can use unfamiliar information to draw a logical conclusion. The questions are based on matrices that contain a series of shapes or images; you need to find the pattern in the matrix and use that to find a missing part.
The trick is to find the rule that governs the sequence – how the shapes or images move between boxes, whether that is through size, mirroring, or any number of permutations – and apply that to the blank space.
Costco’s current US application guidance does not confirm a standard Hogan assessment for all candidates. If you receive a personality questionnaire, answer honestly about your usual working preferences and follow the instructions provided.
A situational judgment test is used to assess your behaviour at work and the way you prefer to deal with problems.
In the assessment, you will be provided with a number of realistic work-based scenarios and given several possible courses of action to follow to deal with the scenario.
You need to decide which of these actions would be most effective to deal with what has happened. This is another assessment where there is not a clear right answer to choose; in fact some of the possible actions might be quite similar.
Choosing the answer that is most like your own behaviour is the best bet, but there are some tips for situational judgment tests to consider.
If shortlisted, you may be invited to an interview. The location, number of meetings and any tests depend on the vacancy.
Depending on the role you have applied for, you might need to have more than one face-to-face interview; that will be communicated with you and where possible they will be conducted on the same day,
During the interview, you will be asked a series of questions related to your motivations, competencies and skills.
Some questions might be looking to find out why you have applied for this role in particular, and what your future plans are. Some are aimed at finding out why you chose Costco as a potential employer, while others might be about what motivates you personally.
These questions are reasonably straightforward to answer, and as long as you have done some research you will be able to offer more than a bland response. Make sure that you demonstrate your knowledge about the history of Costco, who its competitors are, and how it is moving forward.
The competency questions are designed to ensure that you have what it takes to be successful in the role. They are phrased to allow you to provide an example of a competency, for example: “Tell me about a time when you led a team.” You would want to give a structured and concise example from your work or school experience that shows you have good leadership skills.
There will also be opportunities for you to ask your own questions during the interview, so be sure to think of some considered things to ask.
What candidates ask us most often
The difficulty of CostCo tests can be subjective, varying based on your individual strengths and experience. However, they are designed to challenge candidates and distinguish those who can excel in fast-paced retail settings.
The best way to prepare for CostCo tests is by practicing. Take advantage of the multiple practice tests available here at Practice Aptitude Tests to enhance your skills and bolster your confidence.
The duration of CostCo’s recruitment process can vary, but it generally encompasses several weeks. This period includes application review, testing, interviews, and final evaluations.
CostCo’s core values revolve around a commitment to quality, entrepreneurship, and customer service excellence. They value integrity, respect, and a community-first mindset in their employees.
Costco is a trademark of its respective owner. Practice Aptitude Tests is not affiliated with Costco and our practice tests are not endorsed by them. Visit Costco careers.
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