Barclays Assessment Centre Preparation

This PrepPack™ has SHL-style numerical, deductive, and inductive tests to get you ready for your SHL General Ability (G+) Test.

Learn more about the SHL General Ability Test (Verify G+).

The Barclays assessment centre is the final stage in the Barclays hiring process. If you are successful during your phone interview, you will be contacted by the Barclays recruitment office to arrange an assessment day. This is a full day of activities; You will be assessed throughout the day on your relevant skills and competencies. 

This numerical test is very similar to the one you have already taken in the online testing stage of the hiring process. It is provided by SHL and the purpose of the test is to verify the scores from your previous test. In this test, you are given 35 questions to answer in 35 minutes. Some of the questions are more difficult than those which you encountered on the first set.

You might be asked to sit a logical, or inductive, test. The questions measure how you detect and predict patterns. If you have received an invitation to the Barclays numerical reasoning test, you will not receive an invitation to sit this test.

The Barclays situational judgement test, also known as SJT, contains a series of workplace-based situations. Your task is to select the most appropriate response (in your opinion) to each scenario. The aim of this test is to assess whether you represent Barclays’ values and the skills needed for the applied position. This exam has been specially designed for Barclays. In order to get ready, read about the company’s values and your job description.

This exam evaluates your grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension and other language-related skills.

In this Barclays assessment, you will be grouped with other candidates and briefed about a situation which you must manage as a group, such as one company which wants to merge with another company. You must complete a cost-benefit analysis, as well as answer a number of other points that need to be addressed within a 90-minute time frame. Throughout the 90 minute exercise, you are given additional information on more options to discuss. Something to bear in mind during this exercise is that time is taken off at certain points throughout proceedings. In addition, prepare notes for a 10-minute presentation, which each candidate will give afterwards. Find out how to best showcase your skills during the group exercise.

Following the group exercise, each of the groups will get a chance to present some of their findings. Following the presentations, there is a 15-minute question and answer session with all the candidates in your group. Make sure that you take part in this session, as it is impossible to be assessed if you don't express yourself. Find out more about presentations here.

There are two separate interviews that take place in the assessment centre. The first interview is similar to the Barclays telephone interview. The second interview has a more technical nature. The interviewer asks questions relating to the information found on your CV and you must explain the details you have written and give full examples of any previous job experience you have had. In addition, you are asked a variety of brain-teasing questions such as to calculate 2×2×2×2×2 as well as some other maths based problems such as working out probabilities. For helpful tips and practice, see our interview preparation pack.

In this article, we have outlined what you can expect during your day spent at the Barclays assessment centre. By practising your skills in numerical reasoning skills, interview techniques and presentation abilities, you will feel confident in your abilities in the assessment centre. We hope that you have found the information on this page informative and helpful and look forward to helping you throughout the application process. Good luck!