Founded in 1929, Unilever is a British consumer goods company that employs over 90,000 people worldwide, with headquarters in London. The competitive application process consists of tests, games and interviews, all designed to get a clearer idea of your strengths and weaknesses as a candidate.
Free · No sign-up · Scored the moment you finish
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 Unilever’s assessment process typically includes. It is written by us: it is not Unilever’s own assessment and these are not Unilever’s questions.
Question 1 of 10
You are a scheduling coordinator at Unilever. It is your first week covering the shift line on your own. In twenty minutes three people have called in sick for tonight, a manager has rung twice about a rota he says is wrong, and the system you book cover in has slowed to a crawl. Tonight’s cover has to be confirmed by four o’clock. You are aware of how far behind you are. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. List the three gaps and the rota query, tell your team leader which you are taking first, and ask her to pick up the manager so that nothing is dropped in silence.
Least effective: A. Assume the manager's rota query has been picked up by somebody else on the team, and work through the sickness calls in the order they arrived until four o'clock.
A: Assumes a live problem away: nobody else knows the manager rang, so the only person aware of an unanswered query has decided it belongs to someone unnamed.
C: Reports after the deadline instead of before it: four o'clock passes with three gaps part-filled, and the position is shared when nobody can act on it.
D: Lets the loudest voice set the order: the rota query has no deadline today and the three uncovered shifts have one at four o'clock.
The most effective response is to list the three gaps and the rota query, tell your team leader what you are taking first and that the system is slow, and ask her to pick up the manager: the cover deadline is protected, the query is answered by somebody, and the person who can reallocate work knows the position while it can still be changed. It beats working steadily through everything alone, because four o’clock does not move and asking is what makes the difference. It beats ringing the manager back first, because his query has no deadline today and three shifts do. The least effective response is assuming somebody else has picked the manager up: nobody else knows he called, so an open problem is quietly transferred to a person who does not exist, which is a different kind of wrong from struggling on alone or from taking the calls in the wrong order. The principle: under pressure, make the position visible to somebody who can act on it rather than deciding alone what can safely be dropped.
Question 2 of 10
You are a purchasing assistant at Unilever. A supplier has changed two of its delivery terms, and the change affects a colleague’s ordering more than it affects yours. He is meeting that supplier on Thursday and does not know about it. The note explaining the change is in a shared folder he has access to but rarely opens. You found out yesterday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: C. Forward him the note today with a line saying which two terms have changed and what they mean for his ordering, since Thursday's meeting is where he will need it.
Least effective: B. Let him find out at Thursday's meeting, and leave the note where it is in the shared folder that he already has access to.
A: Times the telling for the sender's convenience: Thursday morning is hours before his meeting, which is not enough time to rework what he was going to ask for.
B: Leaves a colleague to discover it in the room: the information is technically available to him, and the only person who knows it matters to Thursday chooses not to say so.
D: Does a colleague's thinking for him: he arrives with a proposal he did not build and cannot defend when the supplier pushes back on it.
The most effective response is to forward him the note today with a line on which terms changed and what they mean for his ordering: he gets it in time to think, it comes with the part that makes it matter to him, and the work stays his. It beats raising it at Thursday’s team meeting, because that is hours before he sits down with the supplier. It beats reworking his proposal for him, because he then walks in with a position he cannot defend. The least effective response is letting him find out at the meeting because the note was in a shared folder: availability is not telling, and the one person who knew it mattered to Thursday decided not to mention it, which is a different kind of wrong from mistiming the message or from over-helping. The principle: when you know something changes a colleague’s week, tell them yourself and early, whatever else it was published in.
Question 3 of 10
You are a supply chain graduate at Unilever. 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 4 of 10
You are a stock control assistant at Unilever. A pallet of goods has arrived without its quality release, which has to be on the system before anything can be booked in. The supplier says the paperwork will follow tomorrow. The site needs the goods this afternoon, and your system access lets you book stock in without the release attached. Your supervisor is on a call for the next hour. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: C. Hold the pallet where it is and ask the supplier to send the release now by email, so that your supervisor can weigh the site's deadline the moment her call ends.
Least effective: A. Book the pallet in without the release, since the paperwork is coming tomorrow and the site needs the goods this afternoon rather than in the morning.
A: Breaches a stated control: the release exists so that nothing reaches the site unchecked, and the access that makes it easy to skip is not a reason to skip it.
B: Applies the rule without solving the problem: the goods leave the area, the site still needs them this afternoon, and nobody has tried the hour that was actually available.
D: Hides a delay somebody is planning against: the site expects the goods this afternoon and finds out they are not coming only when they do not arrive.
The most effective response is to hold the pallet, ask the supplier to send the release now, and put the site’s deadline to your supervisor as soon as her call ends: it keeps the control intact, it uses the hour rather than spending it, and the person who can authorise an exception hears about it while there is still time to make one. It beats turning the pallet away, because the vehicle leaving makes the afternoon impossible and nobody has yet asked the supplier for the one document that would fix it. It beats leaving the pallet unbooked and saying nothing until tomorrow, because the site is planning around goods that are not coming. The least effective response is booking the pallet in without the release: the check that stops unverified goods reaching a site is stepped around because your access happens to allow it, which is a different kind of wrong from being rigid or being quiet. The principle: a control you personally can bypass is still a control, and the way round it is an exception somebody authorises, not one you take.
Question 5 of 10
You are a procurement graduate at Unilever. Two suppliers have quoted for the same work and you are handling both conversations. The second supplier has asked you outright whether he is far off the other quote. You know he is about eight per cent higher. A cheaper price would save real money, and nobody else was in either conversation. The decision is made next week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: C. Tell him you cannot discuss another supplier's price and explain what the decision weighs besides cost, and invite a best and final offer from both so that each gets the same chance.
Least effective: A. Let the second supplier know roughly where the first one's price sits, since it would bring the cost down and nobody outside those two conversations would ever know.
A: Breaches a confidence you were trusted with: the first supplier quoted privately, and his number is being used to bargain against him by the person he gave it to.
B: Holds the line and stops: the boundary is right and he is given nothing he could act on, when what he can be told legitimately would genuinely help.
D: Signals the substance while avoiding the words: he learns what he asked for, and the first supplier's confidence is spent just as surely as if you had read out the figure.
The most effective response is to tell him you cannot discuss another supplier’s price, explain what else the decision weighs, and invite a best and final offer from both: the confidence holds, both suppliers get the same opportunity, and the business still gets the sharper price it is after. It beats refusing and leaving it there, because there is a great deal you can tell him legitimately that would help him quote well. It beats hinting that there is room to move, because the hint conveys exactly what the rule forbids. The least effective response is telling him roughly where the first quote sits: a price given to you in confidence is used to bargain against the person who gave it, which is a different kind of wrong from being unhelpful or from hinting. The principle: what one supplier tells you privately is not currency, however much cheaper the other one might become.
Question 6 of 10
You are a duty supervisor at Unilever. A weekly walk round the area you cover has to be recorded every week. On two of the last eight weeks it was not done, both times during unusually busy periods, and the sheet simply has gaps. A reviewer is going through the records with you this afternoon and has asked whether the walk has been completed every week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. Tell the reviewer the walk was missed twice in eight weeks, show her the sheet, and say what was happening in the area on both of those weeks.
Least effective: D. Assure the reviewer that the walk was completed in every one of the eight weeks, since it nearly always is and the two gaps were the result of unusually busy periods.
A: Answers with the routine rather than the record: the gaps are still there and the reviewer finds them later, having been told something different to her face.
C: Holds back the half you already know: the gaps are disclosed, and the explanation that would let her judge them properly is kept in reserve.
D: Gives an assurance you know to be untrue: the reviewer's whole purpose is to find out what happened, and she is told the opposite by the one person who knows.
The most effective response is to tell the reviewer the walk was missed twice in eight weeks, show her the sheet and say what was happening on those weeks: the record and your account of it agree, the context that makes the gaps understandable is offered rather than withheld, and she can do the job she is here to do. It beats answering with what happens as a matter of routine, because she will find the gaps afterwards having heard otherwise from you. It beats disclosing the gaps while keeping back what you know about them, because the explanation is the part that lets her judge them. The least effective response is assuring her that the walk was completed in every one of the eight weeks: the person with the facts tells the person checking them something untrue, which is a different kind of wrong from deflecting or from being incomplete. The principle: when somebody is checking a record, the record and what you say about it must be the same thing.
Question 7 of 10
You are a marketing graduate at Unilever. A line of copy for a new range says customers rate it the best they have tried. The survey it comes from asked people who had already bought the range how it compared with what they bought before, and most said it was better. The claim goes out on Monday. Your manager likes the line and says the survey supports it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: C. Show your manager exactly what the survey asked and who it asked, propose wording that says what it actually found, and agree the line before Monday.
Least effective: D. Leave the line as it stands: it presents the survey result as fact and your manager is perfectly happy that it does.
A: Starts from the answer and looks for evidence: the claim is treated as fixed and the research is asked to catch up with it.
B: Fixes the wording and skips the conversation: the copy is now accurate and your manager still believes the survey supports a claim it does not.
D: Puts a claim to customers that the evidence does not carry: the survey asked existing buyers to compare with their own last purchase, which is not what the sentence tells the public.
The most effective response is to show your manager exactly what the survey asked and who it asked, propose wording that matches what it found, and agree the line before Monday: the claim ends up supportable, the decision stays with the person who owns the copy, and it happens before the deadline rather than after it. It beats commissioning a survey to fit the line, because that starts from the answer and shops for evidence. It beats quietly rewriting the line, because your manager carries on believing the survey says something it does not. The least effective response is leaving the line as it stands because your manager is happy with it: a claim goes to customers that the evidence does not support, which is a different kind of wrong from working backwards from a conclusion or from correcting it silently. The principle: the evidence decides what the claim may say, and seniority is not evidence.
Question 8 of 10
You are a stock control assistant at Unilever. The same line has shown a discrepancy at count on four occasions in six weeks, always in the same direction and always in the same area. Each time it has been written off as a counting error. You have now checked and the counts were done correctly. Discrepancies of this size and pattern are supposed to be reported to the loss prevention team. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Report the four counts to the loss prevention team today with the checking you have done, since a pattern like that is what the reporting route exists for, and tell your supervisor.
Least effective: A. Hand the four counts to the colleague who covers that area on Thursdays, since he knows the line better than you do, and consider your part in it finished.
A: Passes a reportable pattern on without owning it: the colleague has no idea it is four occurrences or that it should be reported, so the one person who knew both facts has stepped out of it.
B: Waits for certainty that a report does not require: two more counts is three more weeks, and the threshold for reporting was passed some time ago.
C: Escalates without the fact that changes the decision: she is asked to judge a pattern while the one thing that rules out a counting error is left out.
The most effective response is to report the four counts to the loss prevention team today with your checking attached, and tell your supervisor you have done it: the pattern is exactly what the reporting route exists for, your checking is what makes it more than a suspicion, and nobody is surprised later. It beats waiting for two more counts, because the threshold was passed weeks ago and waiting adds three weeks. It beats raising it with your supervisor while leaving out that the counts were checked, because that is the fact the decision turns on. The least effective response is handing the four counts to the Thursday colleague and treating your part as finished: he does not know it is four occurrences or that it is reportable, so the only person holding both facts has stepped out, which is a different kind of wrong from waiting too long or from telling somebody too little. The principle: when something crosses a reporting line, take it there yourself, with what you know attached.
Question 9 of 10
You are a customer care assistant at Unilever. 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 10 of 10
You are a supplier quality assistant at Unilever. A site has told you in passing that two pallets from a supplier arrived with the wrong labels last week and they simply relabelled them. Wrong labels are supposed to be reported so the supplier can find the cause. The site did not say whether they had reported it, and the supplier’s next delivery is on Thursday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. Check today whether a report was raised, raise one yourself if not, and tell the supplier before Thursday's delivery so that the cause can be looked at.
Least effective: A. Assume the site has already reported it, since they found the problem themselves and would hardly have relabelled two pallets and then left the supplier in the dark.
A: Assumes a report exists rather than looking: it takes one message to check, and Thursday's delivery arrives with the cause unexamined because nobody did.
C: Acts without the one check that shapes the action: a duplicate splits the supplier's investigation across two reports and neither has the full picture.
D: Passes a simple check upwards: she has to ask the site the same question you could have asked this morning, and Thursday is closer.
The most effective response is to check today whether a report was raised, raise one yourself if not, and tell the supplier before Thursday: it costs a message, it produces exactly one report, and the supplier gets the chance to find the cause before the next delivery. It beats raising a report without checking, because two reports split the investigation. It beats handing it to your manager, because she has to make the same one minute enquiry. The least effective response is assuming the site has reported it: nobody looks, Thursday arrives with the cause unexamined, and the assumption is made by the one person who heard about it, which is a different kind of wrong from acting too quickly or from escalating something small. The principle: when a report may or may not exist, the cheap thing to do is find out.
For the UK and Ireland Future Leaders Programme, the Profile Assessment includes a portrait personality test and an online assessment, followed by a digital interview and face-to-face Discovery Centre.
Use the route that matches your vacancy. The guidance below identifies the programme or location it covers.
Profile Assessment, digital interview and Discovery Centre
The current UK and Ireland guide lists a portrait personality test plus an online assessment. The digital interview has three short questions and a business case. The Discovery Centre is a face-to-face day with project meetings, business challenges, a team meeting and an interview.
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.
Starting out at Unilever involves joining the Future Leaders Programme: a three-year initiative designed to prepare graduates for positions of leadership in the business.
Within the programme there are a number of placements, including sales and general business training. The idea is to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge they’ll need to progress through the company and become Unilever’s leaders of the future.
Whatever role or scheme you’re applying for at Unilever, it’s essential you show evidence of its four key competencies in the recruitment process:
Showing evidence of these competencies in your answers is really important if you want to work at Unilever.
Although the application process is competitive, the wealth of opportunity that exists at Unilever makes it really worth putting in the time and effort to prepare for the assessments ahead of you.
Whether it’s a role in sales, marketing, human resources, finance or anything else you have your sights set on, practice and preparation for the tests is the best way to set yourself up for success.
The UK and Ireland Future Leaders Programme currently has four application steps:
1) Online application
This is your first chance to make a good impression by sharing your academic success, interests and passions. Follow the questions in the application for your chosen function.
2) Profile assessment
This stage combines a portrait personality test with an online assessment, exploring cognitive, emotional and social traits.
3) Video interview
You’ll have to record and upload your answers to some pre-set questions.
4) Discovery Centre
A face-to-face assessment centre which is designed to prepare you for the challenges you’re likely to face on the Unilever Future Leaders Programme.
While a few of these sections don’t require any preparation, we always recommend reading up on Unilever – everything from its core brands, to competitors and target audiences.
Familiarising yourself with the company will help you to tailor your answers and ensure you come across as diligent and focused.
In this initial stage, you’ll be required to share your academic achievements, including your university details, A-level results and anything else of note.
Unilever aims to hire a range of different people with varied hobbies and interests. The next section of the application form will ask you to share your extracurricular activities, interests and passions, to build a clearer picture of you as a person.
If the application asks for examples of your experience, choose clear examples that show why you are suited to the function.
Use Unilever’s leadership values and the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
The Profile Assessment combines a portrait personality test and an online assessment. These explore cognitive, emotional and social traits, with personalised feedback after each stage.
Follow the instructions for each part. Respond honestly to personality questions and use any examples provided to learn the format; the current UK and Ireland guide does not give a fixed overall duration.
The digital interview has three short questions followed by a business case based on Unilever scenarios. Your recorded responses are reviewed by a person.
This can be daunting, so it’s worth practising recording yourself beforehand so you feel more comfortable when it matters. The digital interview often includes a few practice questions to help you, so make sure you take advantage of these.
The questions are hypothetical challenges you could expect to come up against at Unilever.
You’ll need to showcase:
Researching as much as you can about Unilever will help you with these questions.
As well as business points such as Unilever’s core brands and competitors, you’ll also need to look at the company’s values, objectives and social stance.
This is the final stage of the recruitment process.
This face-to-face assessment day is designed to prepare you for a role at Unilever, while evaluating whether you have what it takes to join the company.
You can expect to take part in the following exercises:
The emphasis on meetings in the Discovery Centre is designed to familiarise you with life at Unilever, but also to give potential employers a chance to assess your professionalism, ability to work as a team and what personal strengths you might bring to the team.
As a result, it’s important to dress professionally and to keep your language clean and respectful.
Here are some other points to consider when it comes to making the best impression on the day:
Be proactive
Whether that’s by taking notes, asking questions or raising relevant points.
Be attentive
Show you’re engaged by nodding, asking a relevant question or agreeing with good points.
Be gracious
You might be given constructive criticism. It’s important to consider the points and take them on board.
Be punctual
It’s something that’s important in every interview, and each part of the Discovery Centre.
Be inquisitive
This is as much an opportunity for you to decide whether you’re a good fit for Unilever, as it is for Unilever.
Unilever is a trademark of its respective owner. Practice Aptitude Tests is not affiliated with Unilever and our practice tests are not endorsed by them. Visit Unilever careers.
