Philip Morris International (PMI) is an American cigarette and tobacco manufacturer. The company focuses on innovation and has a stated mission to deliver a ‘smoke-free’ future, by creating better alternatives for legal-age smokers. The application process for both entry-level and experienced roles is highly competitive.
Philip Morris utilizes a series of assessments that are tailored to measure the abilities and skills pertinent to the roles they offer. These may include cognitive, behavioral, and technical tests reflecting the competitive nature of the application process.
The programme and country determine the assessment mix. Check which early career opportunity you are applying for.
Cognitive or behavioural assessment
PMI’s early careers guidance describes an online cognitive or behavioural assessment, with a video interview for some programmes. Follow the local programme instructions for the provider and timing rather than assume one test format applies worldwide.
Process sources checked 11 September 2026 · Your invitation takes priority for role and location details.
Compare average selling prices using monthly sales figures. The figures are illustrative and the question is our independent numerical practice, not a PMI assessment item.
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A career at PMI can fall within one of these specialties: Sales, Commercial, Consumer, Corporate or External Affairs, Communication, Finance, IT, Life Sciences, Operations, People and Culture, Strategy or Product. The opportunity to work cross-functionally starts from day one, even if you join via the Graduate Accelerator Programme (EVOLV).
There are roles based in up to 50 different locations worldwide. Entry-level graduates can visit PMI’s HQ in Switzerland plus another country it operates in, depending on the relevance of a project.
The EVOLV programme focuses on training graduates across four key stages:
Induction: a two-month period to get familiar with the overall business and key teams within the company.
First Assignment: a field-based commercial rotation, to gain initial insights into the foundations of the business and start collaborating with other departments.
Second Assignment: a further rotation to delve deeper on a strategic level and build relationships with key stakeholders, as part of the strategy team.
Third Assignment: the final, managerial rotation before moving onto a potential permanent role, mainly working on managing projects and people.
With such a varied structure, EVOLV and many other roles at PMI require candidates to be entrepreneurial, adaptable, communicative, creative and analytical. Below is how it explores these qualities in a job applicant.
The recruitment process at PMI consists of four main stages: first, applicants submit their CV and answer initial screening questions for the online application, followed by a number of aptitude tests depending on the requirements of the role.
If successful, the next step is a video interview with a manager and finally an assessment centre. There is usually a four-week waiting time between rounds, though this can vary based on how large each cohort is.
Similar to many other graduate schemes, EVOLV opens each year for one to two months, although PMI can close this application process sooner if the maximum number of candidates is reached sooner than expected. Therefore it’s worth researching the role and practising all aptitude tests as soon as you receive the email invitation.
Once signed up for an account on PMI’s career site, you can submit your CV. This should be concise and focused on your skills, experience and achievements relevant to the job role.
After that, you should receive an automated email to fill in an application, with specific questions to assess your suitability to the company, its culture and the position.
The CV and screening questions form the first part of the recruitment process, before taking candidates to the online psychometric tests stage. The assessment provider depends on the programme and country. Check the invitation before choosing publisher-specific practice.
Numerical reasoning tests measure a person’s numeracy proficiency and analytical thinking. Using graphs, charts and data tables, these assessments present candidates with practical numerical problems related to the business and industry.
You’ll only get about one minute to complete each question, and topics can range from basic arithmetic and unit conversion to more challenging combinations of percentage, average, ratio and even financial analysis.
As a rule of thumb, the type of aptitude test you’ll take – and its difficulty – very much depends on the role. In the case of the EVOLV programme, which has commercial, strategy and management assignments – all of which require the skill to interpret data and form meaningful conclusions – numerical reasoning tests are definitely the ones to focus on.
Another important type of test to practice is verbal reasoning. These tests are designed to assess literacy proficiency and critical thinking.
Test takers will be provided with paragraphs of about 250 words containing fairly complex topics related to professional fields. They must then decide whether a statement about that passage is ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘uncertain’.
The number of questions and time allowed depend on the assessment named in your invitation.
Inductive reasoning tests tend to overlap with diagrammatic reasoning tests in many ways. For those who are new to aptitude assessments in general, diagrammatic reasoning tests evaluate one’s logical thinking ability and natural intelligence via sequences of shapes, figures and diagrams which follow certain rules and patterns.
Inductive reasoning tests differ slightly as they might also use forms, or letters and sentences, rather than just images; their main aim is to get test takers to induce, or develop a generalised theory, based on specific, limited observations.
Personality tests are probably the easiest to do, and yet the hardest to pass out of the three tests.
Unlike the other types of tests mentioned earlier, they do not require any previously acquired skill or specialist knowledge. They are made up of questions about who you are, how you think and why you make certain decisions in both professional and general day-to-day hypothetical scenarios.
Not only do these tests help employers choose a good fit for the team, they also aid candidates in deciding whether a company or a career is right for them.
Philip Morris uses the Hogan style personality test to assess candidates in this section of the assessment.
You might hear the Philip Morris assessment referred to by the publisher name “Saville aptitude tests” which describes the official publisher for the assessment.
The Saville assessment is a collection of tests made up of the four sections discussed earlier. Each section contains a series of questions that get progressively more difficult. The test takes about two hours to complete.
After passing the aptitude test round, successful applicants will be invited to a face-to-face video interview. This is an opportunity for you to show your motivation for applying, while also asking any questions you have about the role and the company.
The final hurdle to overcome is an assessment centre, where candidates will participate in various group and individual tasks.
Assessment centres are intensive and the competition is fierce. But you will get an insight into the environment that you could potentially be working in for 21 months or even longer, as well as meet those people who could be your future mentors.
You may be asked to participate in a variety of assessment day tasks including:
Try to be prepared for each part of the assessment day by understanding the skills being assessed in each task. For example, group exercises are focused on teamwork and listening skills compared to a presentation activity which focuses on communication and presentation skills.
What candidates ask us most often
The difficulty of Philip Morris tests may vary depending on your personal strengths and experience. Some applicants may find them challenging, while others may not. Practicing different types of questions can help you judge their difficulty better.
Preparing for Philip Morris tests is key to success, and the best way is through practice. Practice Aptitude Tests offers a wide range of practice tests that can help you become familiar with the questions you’ll face, enhancing your chances of performing well.
The recruitment process length at Philip Morris can vary, but expect it to be thorough and to last several weeks. This period includes the time to complete tests, interviews, and potentially additional screening procedures.
Philip Morris is committed to fostering a smoke-free future through innovation. Their core values include a focus on progress, a drive for excellence, and an emphasis on corporate responsibility and sustainability.
Rated 5.0 out of 5 across 39 reviews. A selection:
The test was very comprehensive and relevant to the analytical skills required at Philip Morris International. The numerical and logical reasoning sections were challenging but fair. Great practice for the actual online assessment stage
This test was quite challenging and really helped train concentration and attention to detail. The questions required careful observation of patterns and logical thinking, making it a good exercise for improving focus and analytical skills. Overall, it was both engaging and mentally stimulating.
i like this test , cause it accelerates the reflection of the mind to find the solution in the best time
Philip Morris is a trademark of its respective owner. Practice Aptitude Tests is not affiliated with Philip Morris and our practice tests are not endorsed by them. Visit Philip Morris careers.
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