Nestle is the largest food and drink company in the world, headquartered in Switzerland. Nestle prides itself on nurturing innovation across the 2000 brands that make up its portfolio, and this starts with the Nestle Academy, where all apprentices and graduates begin their Nestle career.
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You have 13 minutes to answer 10 questions. Each question describes a workplace situation and four possible responses. For every question, select the response you believe would be MOST effective and the response you believe would be LEAST effective. There are no trick questions; judge each response on how well it would work in the situation described.
About this test: this is one of a set of practice tests covering the areas Nestle’s assessment process typically includes. It is written by us: it is not Nestle’s own assessment and these are not Nestle’s questions.
Question 1 of 10
You are a supply chain graduate at Nestle. A business customer’s order was due yesterday and has not arrived. The tracking shows it left and then nothing. The customer has emailed once, politely, asking where it is. Deliveries occasionally turn up a day or two late without anybody intervening. Chasing it properly means ringing the carrier and waiting on hold. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Reply today to say you are chasing the carrier and when you will come back to him, ring the carrier, and update him either way so that he knows a person has it.
Least effective: C. Wait for the order to arrive in its own time, since deliveries often turn up a day or two late and the customer has only written once so far.
A: Passes on the screen rather than the situation: he can read tracking himself, and nothing about his order has actually been chased.
B: Leaves a waiting customer with silence: the chase is right and he does not know it is happening, so his next email arrives anyway.
C: Waits out a customer who has asked a direct question: nothing is checked, nothing is answered, and the outcome depends entirely on the order turning up.
The most effective response is to reply today saying you are chasing the carrier and when you will come back, ring them, and update him either way: he knows a person has his problem, the chase actually happens, and the commitment is one you control. It beats telling him tracking will update when it moves, because he can see that himself. It beats saying nothing to the customer until the carrier answers, because his second email arrives while you are on hold. The least effective response is waiting for the order to turn up in its own time: a direct question goes unanswered and nothing is checked, so a good outcome depends entirely on luck, which is a different kind of wrong from being unhelpfully literal or from being quiet while you work. The principle: a customer who has asked where something is gets an action and a time, not a probability.
Question 2 of 10
You are a service recovery assistant at Nestle. Last week a colleague took a case of yours to the team leader because you had missed a reply date, rather than mentioning it to you first. You were annoyed: you would have fixed it in an hour. The two of you cover each other’s queues at lunchtime, and today is your turn to cover hers. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: C. Cover her queue as normal, and ask her at lunchtime why she went to the team leader first and what the two of you should do next time.
Least effective: D. Stop covering her queue at lunchtime after that, and let her arrange cover with the team leader she went to, since that is evidently how she prefers to work.
A: Prioritises harmony over honesty: the cover continues and so does an arrangement where a problem with your work goes to your team leader first.
B: Answers a colleague through a manager: the same route that annoyed you is used to complain about it, and the person concerned is not part of the conversation.
D: Withdraws a working arrangement in retaliation: her customers wait at lunchtime because of something that happened between the two of you last week.
The most effective response is to cover her queue as normal and ask her at lunchtime why she went to the team leader first and what the two of you should do next time: the cover is unaffected, the question is put to the person who can answer it, and the two of you leave with an agreement rather than a grievance. It beats letting it go, because the same thing happens next time and the resentment stays. It beats raising it with the team leader, because that answers a colleague by going round her, which is the thing you objected to. The least effective response is stopping the lunchtime cover because she evidently prefers to work through the team leader: customers wait because of a disagreement they have no part in, and withdrawing an arrangement to make a point is a different kind of wrong from staying silent or from complaining upwards. The principle: settle a working arrangement with the person you have it with, and keep the people it serves out of the argument.
Question 3 of 10
You are a customer care assistant at Nestle. A customer says she rang three weeks ago and was told her order would be replaced free of charge. You can see the call on her record and a short note that matches what she describes. Replacing it free now would cost more than your team usually allows, and the colleague who took that call has since left. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: A. Tell her you can see the call and the note and apologise that nothing followed, and put the case to your team leader today since honouring it is above your own limit.
Least effective: B. Tell her you have no record of the earlier call and offer the standard remedy instead, since the colleague who took it has left and cannot be asked what was said.
B: Denies something you can see in front of you: the note is on her record, and she is told it does not exist by the one person looking at it.
C: Treats your own limit as the end of the matter: the promise was made by the business, and nobody with the authority to honour it has been asked.
D: Delays behind an inquiry that cannot happen: the colleague has gone, the note is all there will ever be, and she waits another week for the same facts.
The most effective response is to tell her you can see the call and the note, apologise that nothing followed, and put the case to your team leader today: the evidence is acknowledged, the decision goes to somebody who can honour a promise the business made, and it happens now rather than next week. It beats saying the note exists but the cost is above your limit, because that treats your own authority as the last word. It beats promising to look into the call next week, because there is nothing more to find. The least effective response is telling her there is no record of the earlier call: the note is on her record and she is told it does not exist by the person reading it, which is a different kind of wrong from under-reaching or from stalling. The principle: never deny what your own screen shows, and take a promise you cannot honour to somebody who can.
Question 4 of 10
You are a commercial graduate at Nestle. Two managers have each asked you for a piece of analysis by Friday. One is for a decision that is being made on Monday; the other is for a paper that will be read at the end of the month, though that manager has said hers is urgent. Both take two days and you have three. You have not told either about the other. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Tell both managers today that you can do one properly by Friday, explain what each would get and when, and propose doing the Monday decision first.
Least effective: A. Refer both requests to your manager and let her decide which one you do, without setting out what each piece needs or when it is really wanted.
A: Hands the decision on stripped of what it needs: she has to go back to both managers to learn what you already know, and Friday is three days away.
B: Makes the right call and hides it: the manager waiting on the paper plans for Friday and finds out by chasing.
C: Splits the work so neither is what was wanted: a Monday decision is made on half an analysis, which is the one place a shortcut is least affordable.
The most effective response is to tell both managers today that only one can be done properly by Friday, explain what each would get and when, and propose doing the Monday decision first: both know where they stand while they can still act, the recommendation is made rather than concealed, and the piece with a real date attached is protected. It beats doing the Monday piece and telling the other manager only if she asks, because she plans for Friday and learns by chasing. It beats giving both a shorter version, because a Monday decision is exactly where half an analysis costs most. The least effective response is referring both requests upwards without setting out what each needs: your manager has to rediscover what you already know, three days before the deadline, which is a different kind of wrong from deciding quietly or from thinning the work. The principle: when two claims collide, put the choice and your recommendation in front of the people affected, rather than passing the problem up bare.
Question 5 of 10
You are a supply chain graduate at Nestle. A site has told you that a delivery due tomorrow will arrive after they close, which means it will sit unattended overnight. You have seen this happen twice this month at the same site. Your supervisor is on leave and has asked to be contacted only for genuine emergencies. The transport team can still change tomorrow’s booking if they hear before five. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. Ask transport to move tomorrow's booking before five, then send the three occurrences to your supervisor's cover, since the pattern needs a decision from somebody who is available.
Least effective: C. Refer the whole thing to the site team, since the closing times are theirs and they are better placed to sort out both tomorrow and the pattern behind it.
A: Moves the cost onto somebody else: the site works late for a booking that could simply have been changed before five, and the pattern is untouched.
C: Passes the problem to people who cannot solve it: transport holds the booking and closes at five, and the site team has no way to change tomorrow from their end.
D: Fixes the instance and lets the pattern wait: the immediate risk is handled, and a fault that has now happened three times sits unexamined for another week.
The most effective response is to ask transport to move tomorrow’s booking before five and send the three occurrences to your supervisor’s cover: tomorrow is dealt with inside the window that exists for it, and the pattern goes to somebody who is actually available to decide about it. It beats asking the site to stay open late, because the booking can still be changed before five and the site should not pay for that. It beats fixing tomorrow and waiting a week on the pattern, because three occurrences in a month is the thing that needs a decision. The least effective response is referring the whole thing to the site team: they cannot change a transport booking, so the one action that has a deadline today is given to people who have no way of taking it, which is a different kind of wrong from escalating to the wrong person or from being slow on the pattern. The principle: send each part of a problem to whoever can act on it, and check that they actually can.
Question 6 of 10
You are a supplier quality assistant at Nestle. In a meeting with a supplier, he says loudly that a delay last month was caused by your colleague sitting next to you sending the specification late. You know the specification went on time and that the delay was the supplier’s own. Your colleague has gone red and is saying nothing. The meeting is deciding how the next order is handled. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Say plainly that the specification went out on time, ask what happened on his side, and suggest the two of you go through the dates together after the meeting.
Least effective: A. Say nothing while the supplier makes his case, since contradicting him in the meeting would harden the argument and the point can be dealt with afterwards in writing.
A: Withholds a fact your colleague needs in the room: the account that stands unchallenged is the one the meeting plans the next order around.
B: Wins the point and hardens the room: the correction is right, the supplier is publicly wrong, and the next order still has to be agreed with him this morning.
C: Buys progress at a colleague's expense: the meeting moves on with the accusation left standing, and she sits through the rest of it.
The most effective response is to say plainly that the specification went out on time, ask what happened on his side, and offer to go through the dates afterwards: the untrue part is corrected in the room where it was said, the supplier is given a route that is not humiliation, and the meeting can still decide the next order. It beats correcting him and asking him to explain himself, because that is the same fact delivered so as to leave him with nowhere to go. It beats moving the meeting on, because the accusation stands and your colleague sits under it. The least effective response is saying nothing and dealing with it in writing later: the room plans the next order around an account you know to be false, and the colleague it is about is left alone with it, which is a different kind of wrong from correcting him too sharply or from changing the subject. The principle: correct the fact where it was stated, and give the other party a way to be wrong without being cornered.
Question 7 of 10
You are a commercial finance assistant at Nestle. A business customer has been charged twice for the same delivery and has rung to ask when the money will be back. The credit has to be raised by the billing team, who usually clear requests within two days but have a backlog this week. You can raise the request now. The customer is on the line and has already waited a week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. Raise the credit request now with the duplicate reference attached, tell the customer it is with the billing team and that you will confirm the date once it is scheduled.
Least effective: C. Promise the customer the credit will be on tomorrow's statement, since requests like this usually clear overnight and it saves him ringing back a third time about the same delivery.
A: Sends the customer to do your chasing: he rang the business once and is asked to ring it again, and the request still has not been raised by anybody.
C: Gives a date nobody has agreed: the billing backlog makes tomorrow unlikely, and the customer plans his own week on a certainty that was offered to end the call.
D: Withholds what little you do know: he has waited a week and puts the phone down knowing only that somebody, at some point, will do something.
The most effective response is to raise the credit request now with the duplicate reference attached and tell the customer it is with the billing team and that you will confirm the date: the request finally exists, he knows where it is, and the one thing you cannot promise is the one thing you have not promised. It beats giving him the billing team’s details, because he rang once and is being asked to ring again. It beats raising it and saying nothing about timing, because he has waited a week and deserves to know what happens next. The least effective response is promising the credit will be on tomorrow’s statement: the backlog makes that unlikely, he plans on it, and manufacturing a date to end a call is a different kind of wrong from deflecting him or from telling him too little. The principle: give the customer the true state of their case and a commitment you control, never a date somebody else would have to deliver.
Question 8 of 10
You are a service recovery assistant at Nestle. You have to tell your team on Monday that all case notes now have to be written up before the end of each shift. The change was made because the evening team’s notes have repeatedly been missing, which everybody privately knows. The new rule applies to all three shifts. You are the person announcing it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. Announce the change, explain what problem it solves for cases handed between shifts, and say how it will be reviewed if it turns out to be unworkable.
Least effective: A. Announce the change and explain that the evening team's unwritten cases are the reason for it, and that everybody else is caught only incidentally.
A: Blames a named group in an announcement: the rule is delivered as a punishment for one shift, and every one of them hears it from a colleague in front of the others.
C: Withholds the reason to avoid the awkwardness: a rule with no explanation is followed for a week and then quietly dropped.
D: Disowns a message you are delivering: the rule arrives with nobody behind it, which is the surest way to make sure it is not followed.
The most effective response is to announce the change, explain what problem it solves for cases handed between shifts, and say how it will be reviewed: the reason is honest without being about anybody in particular, the rule is owned by the person delivering it, and there is a route if it proves unworkable. It beats announcing it with no explanation, because an unexplained rule lasts a week. It beats saying it came down from above, because a message nobody stands behind is not followed. The least effective response is explaining that it is the evening team’s fault: people hear their own shift named in front of everybody, which is a different kind of wrong from being unhelpfully brief or from disowning the message. The principle: explain a change by the problem it solves, never by the people it is aimed at.
Question 9 of 10
You are a scheduling coordinator at Nestle. A team member has asked for a weekend off in three weeks’ time and needs to know soon because she wants to book something. The manager who approves these is away until Thursday and has not seen the request. Requests like hers are usually agreed, but two other people have already been given that weekend. She has asked you today whether she can go ahead and book. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. Tell her the request is with the manager, that two others already have that weekend, and that you will have an answer for her by Thursday evening.
Least effective: A. Tell her the request is as good as approved and that the weekend will be fine, since requests like hers are nearly always agreed once the manager sees them.
A: Gives a certainty you have not got: two people already have that weekend, so the one thing that might make this request different is the thing she is told not to worry about.
C: Withholds what you do know to stay safe: she is planning something, and the fact that two people already have that weekend is exactly what would help her plan.
D: Commits somebody else's decision on her behalf: the booking is safer, and a manager who has not been asked is expected to make the rota fit.
The most effective response is to tell her the request is with the manager, that two others already have that weekend, and that she will have an answer by Thursday evening: she gets the true state of it, the one complication that might change the answer, and a date, which together are what let her decide about booking. It beats saying you cannot comment until the manager is back, because the two existing bookings are useful to her now. It beats telling her to book something refundable, because it still expects a manager who has not been asked to make the rota fit afterwards. The least effective response is telling her it is as good as approved and the weekend will be fine: the complication that makes her case different is waved away, which is a different kind of wrong from telling her nothing or from over-promising a fix. The principle: tell somebody what is actually known, complications included, and give them a date rather than a comfort.
Question 10 of 10
You are a scheduling coordinator at Nestle. Next week’s rota has to reach the team by five today so people can arrange their lives, and it needs a manager’s approval before it is published. The manager is travelling and has not replied since this morning. You also owe an absence report at five, which takes an hour. It is three o’clock. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: A. Message the manager now with a deadline, ask the manager covering for him to approve it if he cannot, and write the absence report while you wait.
Least effective: B. Publish the rota at five without the approval, given that people need to arrange their week and approval normally arrives the next morning.
B: Breaches the approval a published rota needs: once it is out people book their lives around it, which is exactly why somebody is supposed to look at it first.
C: Publishes in all but name: a draft that people plan around is a rota, and calling it unapproved does not make it easy to change afterwards.
D: Works on what is inside your control: the report is delivered on time, and the rota that a whole team is waiting on is left until after five.
The most effective response is to message the manager with a deadline, ask whoever is covering to approve it if he cannot, and write the absence report while you wait: both deadlines are worked at once, and the approval is pursued through a route that actually exists rather than waited for. It beats sending an unapproved draft, because a draft people plan around is a rota in everything but name. It beats writing the report first, because the whole team is waiting on the rota. The least effective response is publishing without approval: people book their lives around a rota nobody has checked, which is exactly what the approval is for, and that is a different kind of wrong from publishing in disguise or from mis-ordering the afternoon. The principle: when an approval is the blocker, chase the approval through every route it has, and do the other work while you wait.
Nestle tests are typically centered around your cognitive abilities, personality traits, and possibly your technical or job-specific skills, depending on the role you’re applying for.
This route covers Nestlé Academy opportunities in the UK and Ireland. Other countries may use a different process.
Strengths-based scenarios and assessment centre activities
Nestlé’s online tests can include ranking, choosing or categorising responses, written answers and recorded video. Its assessment centre includes an individual strengths interview and a group activity. The current guide does not give one universal question count or duration.
Process sources checked 11 September 2026 · Your invitation takes priority for role and location details.
The free test shows you the style. A pack gives you the hour: blended, marked, with the working shown.
Nestle uses the Nestle Academy to grow future leaders; each applicant can make one application to the academy per year on the graduate schemes.
The schemes on offer vary from year to year, but recent Nestle Academy graduate schemes span sales, supply chain, engineering (mechanical, electrical and automation), technical leadership, and research and development, including product development.
These functions include a variety of work placements on real Nestle brands at various offices around the UK (York and Gatwick to name two). Coaching and mentoring is offered as part of the programmes.
You will need to carefully consider your qualifications and aspirations, and choose which function suits best your skills and personality.
The application process includes pre-screening eligibility questions, a short online application form and online assessments.
Lastly, there is an assessment centre day, which is held in person at one of the Nestle sites.
The eligibility questions are designed to make sure that only candidates who are eligible to work in the UK and Ireland are able to make an application. Other questions may include ones in relation to your employment history and gap verification.
You must be able to answer yes to all the questions before you can go on to complete the online application form.
Nestle is looking for a particular blend of strengths, skills and values which mirrors its working culture. Remember to research and showcase your suitability on each of the questions on the online application form.
The online application form is a series of short questions in which you will need to balance showcasing your strengths and values with your own personal preferences.
This is your first chance to stand out from the thousands of other applicants. Your answers will also form the basis of any future interview questions, so you should research carefully the role and Nestle as a whole.
Upon successful submission of your application, you may be invited to take some online assessments.
The online aptitude tests are used by Nestle to shortlist top candidates from their talent pool. This is a critical stage in the hiring process and your test score and performance will determine if you will move on to the next stages in the recruitment process.
The core of the online assessment is a situational strengths test. These tests assess whether you are likely to be successful at the workplace in question. They also allow you to gain insight into the sorts of scenarios you might encounter, allowing you to make a better decision as to whether the role is right for you.
The assessment is interactive and immersive. You will work through a series of scenarios, based on real-life situations that you could encounter or could arise if you were to work at Nestle.
For each scenario, you will be presented with a number of different options or outcomes. You may need to select the best or least likely, rank or rate the options, or give short written and recorded video responses.
Remember there may not be a perfect answer that exactly matches your thoughts, so you will need to make a judgement call as to which is most (or least) appropriate, bearing in mind what you know about the role and the values at Nestle, as well as your own moral code.
Situational strengths tests are similar to situational judgment tests - practicing either can help prepare for this type of test.
Depending on the role you apply for, you may also face numerical reasoning questions. These measure a candidate’s numerical aptitude and their ability to interpret, analyse and draw conclusions from sets of data.
Any numerical questions are based on those likely to be found in a working day in the role you have applied for, so could include basic maths skills like calculating percentages.
Some questions within the online assessments ask you to record a video response, rather than a separate video interview stage. These are done via computer and webcam, so it is important you have somewhere quiet and uninterrupted to record your answers.
This part is automated, and you will be asked questions visually on screen. Then you will have a timed section to record your answer to the camera.
This is your chance to build a better picture of your skills and strengths, as well as your passion for working at Nestle. It’s an opportunity to expand on the answers that you gave during your online application.
Research Nestle’s values, mission and vision, and remember that in interviews like this you will want to demonstrate your own competencies. It can be helpful to use the STAR technique and for each question set out the Situation, Task, Action and Result, which allows you to frame each answer.
The final stage in the Nestle Academy recruitment process is to attend an assessment centre to carry out a series of exercises designed to showcase your skills.
The assessment centre is an in-person event held at one of the Nestle sites, and typically includes an individual strengths-based interview and a group activity, along with a presentation that you are briefed on in advance.
You should be prepared to be asked to take part in one or all of the following:
Group exercises are tricky to get right since you’ll need to work collaboratively as part of a team to achieve a solution to a brief. At the same time, you want to stand out as a leader who can persuade the team to either agree with your solution, or to stand by your own views if you do not agree with the rest of the group.
Following on from your application form and video interview you should also be expected to answer strength-based and motivational questions, where you’ll want to demonstrate your enthusiasm and passion for working at Nestle, along with your skills and strengths. Again you’ll want to prepare fully in advance for this, using the STAR system outlined above.
The presentation task during the assessment day is usually briefed in advance to allow you to prepare, and will include technical knowledge as well as an assessment of your presentation skills, structure and style.
You will want to practise this in advance, so you are comfortable with the material you have prepared and have considered in advance questions you may be asked afterwards.
Nestle is a trademark of its respective owner. Practice Aptitude Tests is not affiliated with Nestle and our practice tests are not endorsed by them. Visit Nestle careers.
