Graduate Scheme Interview Questions and Selection Tests

Graduate schemes are structured entry programmes, usually lasting one to three years, that large employers in the UK use to hire students and recent graduates in batches. Because they attract many applicants per place, selection is long and heavily structured. You will usually face several stages before you meet anyone in person, and each one has its own rules.

This page explains the typical graduate selection process, the tests you are likely to sit, how video interviews and assessment centres are scored, and the interview questions that come up again and again, with example answers you can adapt. It applies across sectors, from banking and consulting to engineering, retail and the Civil Service Fast Stream, but always check each employer's own recruitment pages, because the details differ.

The graduate selection process, step by step

Step 1: Online application

Prospects says finance schemes typically accept applications from September or October of the year before the intake, often closing a month or two later, and many employers in other sectors follow a similar cycle. Many recruit on a rolling basis, so applying early helps. Expect a form with your education and work history, eligibility questions and, increasingly, a small number of motivation questions in place of a long CV. Some employers have dropped written questions altogether and move you straight to tests.

Step 2: Online tests

Psychometric tests are one of the most widely used screening methods for UK graduate recruitment. Most large graduate employers use them early in the process. The common types are:

  • Numerical reasoning: interpreting tables and charts, percentages, ratios and currency conversion under time pressure.
  • Verbal reasoning: reading a short passage and judging whether statements are true, false or cannot say.
  • Logical or inductive reasoning: finding the rule in a series of shapes.
  • Situational judgement tests (SJTs): realistic work scenarios where you choose or rank responses.
  • Personality or work-style questionnaires: preferences, with no right answer.

Some employers combine these into a single gamified or "immersive" assessment. Our guide to aptitude tests for graduates explains the formats and publishers in more detail.

Step 3: Video interview

Video interviews can be live or pre-recorded. Prospects describes Santander's graduate programme as an example: after online tests that include a video-based situational judgement test, a personality test and a gamified numerical challenge, candidates record a video explaining why they chose the scheme, before a virtual half-day assessment centre with three exercises. In a pre-recorded interview a question appears on screen, you get a short time to think, then you record your answer within a time limit. Typical questions are about your motivation for the scheme, a competency example and sometimes a strengths question. Our video interview tips cover camera set-up and pacing.

Step 4: Assessment centre

Prospects lists the exercises you may meet at an assessment centre: case studies, group discussions, in-tray or e-tray exercises, presentations, psychometric tests, role play, social events and written tests. It says centres can last from a few hours to two days. Many are now virtual. Assessors score each exercise against the same set of competencies or values, so one weak exercise rarely sinks you. See our full assessment centre guide.

Step 5: Final interview and offer

Some employers include the final interview within the assessment centre; others hold a separate partner or director interview. Offers are often made months before the start date, sometimes with a pre-start event.

Competency, strengths and motivation: the three interview styles

Graduate interviews mix three kinds of question, and knowing which is which helps you answer well.

Competency questions ask for evidence from the past: "Tell me about a time you led a team." Answer with STAR (situation, task, action, result) and focus on what you did. Our competency-based interview guide has more examples.

Strengths-based questions ask what you enjoy and what energises you: "What do you do well without trying?" Prospects says strength-based interviews are gaining popularity partly because they are harder to rehearse, and notes you may face many quick questions in an hour. In the Institute of Student Employers 2022 survey, reported by Prospects Luminate, just over half of employers (56%) said they used a strengths-based approach; the figure may have changed since, so check each employer's guidance. Answer honestly and show energy; there is no STAR structure to hide behind.

Situational or hypothetical questions ask what you would do: "Your manager is away and a client is unhappy. What do you do?" Walk through your steps and reasoning. Our guide to situational interview questions shows how they differ from behavioural ones.

Motivation and commercial awareness questions sit on top: why this sector, this employer and this scheme, and what is happening in the market.

Practice questions in graduate test style

These are our own items, written to reflect common graduate test formats. They are not taken from any employer's test.

Practice question 1

A company's revenue was £18.0 million in Year 1 and £21.6 million in Year 2. If revenue grows by the same percentage in Year 3, what will it be?

A. £24.8 million B. £25.2 million C. £25.9 million D. £26.4 million

Answer: C. Growth from Year 1 to 2 is 3.6 ÷ 18.0 = 20%. Applying 20% again: 21.6 × 1.2 = £25.92 million. B comes from adding the same £3.6 million again.

Practice question 2

A graduate intake of 240 is split 45% finance, 30% technology and the rest operations. How many more join technology than operations?

A. 6 B. 12 C. 18 D. 24

Answer: B. Operations is 25%: 60 people. Technology is 30%: 72 people. 72 minus 60 is 12.

Practice question 3

€1 buys £0.85. A supplier invoice is €12,400. What is it in pounds?

A. £10,540 B. £10,850 C. £14,588 D. £11,200

Answer: A. 12,400 × 0.85 = £10,540. C comes from dividing instead of multiplying.

Practice question 4

Read the passage and decide whether the statement is True, False or Cannot say.

"The firm introduced hybrid working in 2023. Staff surveys since then show higher satisfaction scores, although the firm notes that pay rises were awarded in the same year."

Statement: Hybrid working caused the rise in staff satisfaction.

A. True B. False C. Cannot say

Answer: C. Satisfaction rose after hybrid working began, but the passage flags another possible cause. It does not establish causation, so Cannot say.

Practice question 5

You are two weeks into a scheme. In a team meeting, a senior colleague presents a figure you produced, but you realise afterwards it contained an error that overstates results by 10%. What is the best response?

A. Say nothing, as the meeting is over B. Tell the colleague promptly and privately, explain the error and offer the corrected figure C. Email the whole team to correct the colleague's presentation D. Wait until someone else notices

Answer: B. It owns the mistake, fixes it quickly and lets the colleague decide how to correct the record. A and D let wrong information stand; C embarrasses the colleague unnecessarily.

Practice question 6

In a group exercise, one member has been silent for ten minutes while two others dominate. What is the most effective thing to do?

A. Carry on, as time is short B. Point out to the group that one person is not contributing C. Summarise where the group has got to and ask the quiet member for their view on the next point D. Suggest the group votes immediately

Answer: C. It moves the task forward and brings in another view without putting anyone on the spot. Assessors look for this kind of facilitation.

12 graduate scheme interview questions with example answers

1. Why do you want to join this graduate scheme?

Example answer: "Three reasons. The rotations, because I want to try risk and operations before I specialise. The professional qualification you fund. And the people: at your campus event I spoke to two second-year graduates who described real responsibility in their first rotation, which is exactly what I'm after."

2. Why this sector?

Example answer: "My dissertation looked at how small firms finance growth, and I realised I enjoyed the money side more than the economics theory. Commercial banking puts me close to those decisions."

3. Tell me about a time you worked in a team to achieve a goal.

Example answer: "In my final year, four of us had six weeks to build a working app for a local charity. Two members disagreed about features, so I suggested we ask the charity to rank their top five needs. That ended the argument, we delivered the core features on time, and the charity still uses it for volunteer rotas."

4. Describe a time you showed leadership.

Example answer: "As treasurer of the hiking society, I found we were losing money on coach trips. I priced alternatives, proposed a minibus share with another society and presented it to the committee. We cut transport costs enough to run two extra trips."

5. Tell me about a time you failed.

Example answer: "I ran for president of my society and lost. I asked the winner and two members for honest feedback; they said my plans were good but I hadn't spoken to enough people. The next year I ran a members' survey for the committee, and several of my ideas were adopted. I now talk to people before I propose something."

6. What energises you? (strengths)

Example answer: "Untangling something messy. I'm the person who volunteers to rebuild a spreadsheet nobody understands. I lose track of time when I'm doing that."

7. What do you find draining? (strengths)

Example answer: "Very repetitive work with no chance to improve it. I can do it, and I'm accurate, but I usually end up looking for a way to automate it."

8. Describe a time you handled competing deadlines.

Example answer: "During exams I also had a part-time job and a society event to organise. I mapped everything onto a calendar, delegated the event logistics to two committee members with clear tasks, and swapped a shift. I hit every deadline and got a first in two of my modules."

9. Tell me about something in the news that affects our business.

Example answer: "Interest rates. After several years of change, borrowers and savers have behaved differently, which affects lending margins and demand for advice. For a bank like yours, it also raises questions about how to support customers struggling with repayments."

10. What would you do if your manager gave you a task with an unrealistic deadline?

Example answer: "I would first check I understood the priority and what 'done' looks like. Then I'd say early what was realistic and suggest options: a smaller first version by the deadline, or extra help. Raising it on day one is far better than missing it on day five."

11. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Example answer: "Qualified, having completed the rotations, and working in a team where I have clear responsibility, ideally starting to mentor newer graduates."

12. Do you have any questions for us?

Example answer: "What separates graduates who get their first-choice placement from those who don't? And how is feedback given during rotations?"

Preparation plan

  • Two to three weeks before applying: research each employer's process; practise the test types they use. Our all-test package covers numerical, verbal, logical and situational judgement practice.
  • After the tests: prepare six to eight STAR stories covering teamwork, leadership, problem solving, resilience, influencing and a mistake. Each can be adapted to several questions.
  • Before the video interview: record yourself answering three practice questions; watch for pace and eye contact.
  • Before the assessment centre: read the employer's values or competency framework and recent news; practise a presentation to a timer.
  • On the day: dress as you would for the job, have water nearby for virtual sessions and treat informal moments as part of the assessment.

Common mistakes include generic motivation answers that could apply to any employer, "we" instead of "I" in STAR stories, and neglecting the tests because they feel like a formality. Pay and start dates vary by employer and scheme, so check the advert.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the stages of a graduate scheme application?

Most large UK employers use an online application, online tests such as numerical, verbal or situational judgement, a recorded or live video interview, and an assessment centre with a final interview. The order and number of stages vary by employer.

What is the difference between a strengths-based and a competency interview?

A competency interview asks for past examples of a skill, such as teamwork, and is best answered with STAR. A strengths-based interview asks what you enjoy and what energises you, often with many quick questions, to judge whether the work suits you.

How long is a graduate assessment centre?

Prospects says assessment centres can last from a few hours to two days. Many are now half-day or full-day virtual sessions with a group exercise, a case study or presentation, and an interview.

Do graduate employers use AI in selection?

Some do. In the Institute of Student Employers 2022 survey, around one in ten employers had added AI to parts of selection, most often to pre-screen candidates and analyse video interviews. Use has likely grown since 2022, so check each employer's guidance.

How should I prepare for graduate psychometric tests?

Find out which tests the employer uses, then practise timed questions of that type for a week or two before you apply, so you can complete the tests soon after submitting your application.

About the author

Ingmar van Maurik is a specialist in test and interview preparation who helps candidates perform better in recruitment processes.

References