Shell Tests

Careers at Shell

Working for Shell, you operate as part of the network and can take advantage of development and career opportunities across the globe. Its core values are honesty, integrity, and respect, so Shell looks for people who enjoy being part of a team and making a positive impact on their community.

There is high competition for roles, so when applying it’s important to make sure you meet both the qualifications and culture criteria. Do research on Shell’s website to find out about the company culture and if it sounds like the kind of place you would fit into.

The application process for Shell jobs and graduate schemes is done online and their position can be found via their website. The steps of the application are:

• Online application
• Games-based assessments
• Video interview
• Remote presentation and interview

It is important to learn about what Shell is looking for and try to show how you emulate these qualities in your application. Shell’s assessment process follows the CAR method:

• Capacity. Seeing how well you absorb information, analyse problems, and provide innovative solutions.
• Achievement. Assessing how you get the job done. This includes looking at your resilience, confidence, drive, and organisational skills.
• Relationships. Looking at how well you work and communicate with others.

Online application form

For the online application you will need to upload your CV, basic information about yourself, and answer some questions about relevant work experience and motivations for wanting to work for Shell. This part should only take 5–10 minutes, and you can use your LinkedIn profile to autofill the information.

If you’re not sure which position might suit you, you can use Shell’s degree matcher, and see if your qualifications and interests point towards a particular role within the company.

There are no specific degree requirements for the graduate scheme, though you must have a strong academic record from a recognised university.

Game-based assessments

A ‘games-based’ assessment may sound unfamiliar, but it is just a different way of administering aptitude tests. The Shell version takes around 20 minutes and there are three sections:

Numerical reasoning tests

These assess your ability to work with numerical data. Numerical reasoning tests usually present this in the form of graphs, charts and tables. As well as your ability to process numbers, they assess your problem-solving skills, ability to work under pressure, and can be reflective of actual tasks you’ll face on the job.

Verbal reasoning tests

Here your complex language and communication skills are put to the test. It is not simply about basic grammar, but processing data in the form of large blocks of texts. During verbal reasoning tests you are usually given a few paragraphs to read and then have to answer corresponding questions with true, false, or cannot say.

Logical reasoning tests

For these tests, it is not your prior knowledge that is tested but your critical thinking and problem solving skills. Logical reasoning is an umbrella term for lots of different types of logic tests, which can include diagrammatical reasoning (working with shapes), deductive reasoning (top-down logic questions), and inductive reasoning (inference of probable conclusions). They help employers assess your general intelligence, problem solving, and decision-making skills.

The best way to prepare for aptitude tests is to do plenty of practice. Our energy sector aptitude tests section has plenty of free practice tests and advice for all the different types of tests that you may be faced with. Shell get its aptitude tests from Cubiks, so try out some Cubiks practice assessments to get a better understanding of their structure.