Goldman Sachs Recruitment | Aptitude Tests and Interview Preparation

Goldman Sachs Recruitment

Goldman Sachs is one of the best graduate employers in the UK. Because of this, their graduate schemes are extremely competitive. Here, we’ll take a look at some tips and advice to prepare yourself for the aptitude tests and interview of the Goldman Sachs recruitment process.

Goldman Sachs Recruitment – Goldman Sachs Competencies

In order to have a chance of getting a graduate scheme position at Goldman Sachs, you need to be comfortable with the core competencies. For both the interview and application process, make sure that you have examples for the following competencies:

• Leadership;
• Teamwork;
• Personal initiatives;
• Client service;
• High standards of excellence;
• Honesty/integrity;
• Creativity;
• Problem solving.

Make sure you know all of these before you start your application.

Goldman Sachs Recruitment – Goldman Sachs Interview Tips

If your initial application form is successful, then you’ll be invited to the first interview. This interview will be a minimum of 30 minutes long, and will be one-to-one with a high-ranking member of the department that you’re applying for. This interview is competency-focused, so make sure that you have work-related examples for each of the above competencies.

Here are some further questions that you can expect to be asked:

• Why do you want to work for Goldman Sachs?
• Why do you want this position in particular?
• Describe a time when you had a conflict in your team. How did you resolve it?
• Describe a time when you were successful under difficult circumstances.
• Why should we hire you and not the other candidates?

Be prepared to answer all of these questions whilst demonstrating your aptitude, enthusiasm and commitment to the role. Moreover, do some research on the company to find out the key facts that they might ask you about. This will show that you are genuinely interested in the company and the role.

In addition, make sure that you have some questions to ask the interviewer. This will show that you are serious about the role, and have taken the time to conduct some research.

Goldman Sachs Recruitment – Goldman Sachs Aptitude Test Tips

Once you completed the first interview, you’ll have two tests to complete. The first is a verbal reasoning test, whilst the second is a numerical reasoning test. The verbal reasoning test is quite similar to those conducted by other companies, so you can prepare for them in the same way that you would for other applications. We offer a guide to verbal reasoning which you can find here.

The numerical reasoning test used by Goldman Sachs is unique to them. This means that you will need to prepare for that test specifically, rather than more generic guides to numerical reasoning tests. The biggest difference between this numerical reasoning test and others is that this test might have multiple correct answers. The skills required to pass this test are all up to GCSE-level, so you do not need an A-Level or higher understanding of Maths in order to pass it.

While the Goldman Sachs numerical reasoning test does not have an official pass-mark, you generally need to get a near to perfect score in order for your application to proceed. A calculator is not permitted for these tests.

Goldman Sachs Recruitment – Conclusion

The Goldman Sachs application process is highly competitive, but not impossible to pass if you prepare effectively. Click here to read more about how to pass any interview.