NatWest Interview Questions and Online Assessments

NatWest Group is one of the UK's largest banking groups, with brands including NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, Coutts and NatWest Markets. It recruits graduates, interns and apprentices through its early careers programmes, and hires for customer-facing roles in branches and contact centres throughout the year.

This page explains the usual selection stages for early careers and branch roles, gives practice questions in the style of the online tests, and lists the interview questions you should prepare, with example answers.

A note on sources: NatWest's own careers pages give programme details, but much of the detail about tests and assessment centres comes from candidate reports and graduate guides. Where that is the case, the page says so.

The early careers process step by step

  1. Online application. Applications are made through NatWest's careers site. Graduate adverts state that you should apply for only one programme, because if you make more than one, only your first will be accepted. Expect questions on eligibility, education and your choice of programme, and a CV upload on some routes.
  2. Online assessments. Candidates report a combination of situational judgement items and reasoning tests (numerical and logical), sometimes packaged as one assessment with behavioural statements. One candidate review mentions SHL assessments, but NatWest does not publish its test provider. Graduate guides report a window of several days to complete the tests, with a reminder sent before the deadline.
  3. Video interview. Candidates report a recorded interview of around six questions, with a practice question first and no live interviewer. Technical programmes may add a coding or technical task.
  4. Virtual assessment centre. Typically a day of exercises: an interview, plus exercises such as a group discussion, a role play or a case task. Candidates report that the interview is weighted heavily and focuses on values and motivation.
  5. Offer and pre-employment checks. As at most banks, expect references and background screening before you start.

Be wary of recruitment scams: a genuine bank recruitment process will not ask you to pay a fee or share your bank details.

Branch and customer roles

For customer service and branch roles, candidates usually describe a shorter route: online application, an online assessment or questionnaire, and an interview that is often held by video. Questions centre on customer service, protecting vulnerable customers and spotting fraud, and your availability. Check the job advert for the stages that apply.

For a wider look at bank recruitment, our guides to Barclays interview questions and the SHL test cover similar ground.

Practice questions

These are our own practice items in the style of the tests candidates report. They are not NatWest questions.

Practice question 1

A customer calls the branch, anxious. They say someone from "the bank's fraud team" told them to move their savings to a new "safe account" today. What is the most effective response?

  • A) Help them make the transfer quickly, since they are worried.
  • B) Tell them to calm down and call back tomorrow.
  • C) Explain that the bank would never ask them to move money to a safe account, help them stop the payment, and follow fraud procedures to escalate.
  • D) Give them the number of the person who called so they can check.

Answer: C. The description is a classic scam pattern. Banks do not ask customers to move money to protect it. C protects the customer and follows procedure. A completes the fraud, B leaves the customer at risk, and D sends them back to the fraudster.

Practice question 2

In a team project, a colleague misses two deadlines and the work is falling behind. What should you do first?

  • A) Complain to your manager straight away.
  • B) Talk to the colleague privately to understand what is happening and agree how to get back on track.
  • C) Redo their work yourself without telling anyone.
  • D) Ignore it and focus on your own tasks.

Answer: B. It is direct, respectful and solves the problem at the right level. A skips that step, C hides the issue and overloads you, and D lets the project slip.

Practice question 3

A customer borrows £12,000 at a simple interest rate of 6.5% a year for 3 years. How much interest do they pay in total?

  • A) £780
  • B) £2,160
  • C) £2,340
  • D) £2,580

Answer: C. Annual interest is £12,000 × 0.065 = £780. Over 3 years that is £2,340. Option A is one year only.

Practice question 4

A branch handled 1,800 customer queries in March. 35% were about digital banking, and 40% of those were resolved on the first contact. How many digital banking queries were resolved on the first contact?

  • A) 252
  • B) 630
  • C) 720
  • D) 270

Answer: A. 35% of 1,800 = 630. 40% of 630 = 252.

Practice question 5

All mortgage advisers in a team are qualified. Some qualified staff in the team work part-time. Which statement must be true?

  • A) Some mortgage advisers work part-time.
  • B) All part-time staff are mortgage advisers.
  • C) No mortgage advisers work part-time.
  • D) None of the above must be true.

Answer: D. We know the advisers are within the qualified group, and some of the qualified group work part-time, but the part-time staff could all be non-advisers. A might be true, but it does not have to be.

Practice question 6

An elderly customer struggles with the mobile app and seems embarrassed to ask for help. What is the best response?

  • A) Tell them the branch is busy and point them to the help pages.
  • B) Offer to go through the app with them step by step and check they are comfortable before they leave.
  • C) Do the tasks for them using their phone and password.
  • D) Suggest they ask a family member.

Answer: B. It builds the customer's confidence without taking over. C breaches security, and A and D leave them without support.

The interviews: format and questions

For the recorded stage, answer each question with a clear structure and a real example. Our video interview tips cover timings and set-up. At the assessment centre and for branch roles, expect a conversational, values-based interview. The STAR method works well for both.

1. Why do you want to work at NatWest?

"Two reasons. First, I like the purpose of turning possibilities into progress. That is concrete for a bank, because access to money and advice changes what people can do. Second, the programme rotations would give me experience across commercial banking, which is where I want to build a career."

2. Why this programme?

"I have done two summers in a family business, so I have seen how much cash flow and finance decisions matter to a small company. The commercial banking programme puts me on that side of the table."

3. Tell me about a time you put a customer first.

"Situation: working in a phone shop, a customer had been sold a contract that did not suit her usage. Task: she wanted to cancel but was outside the cooling-off period. Action: I checked the options, found a cheaper plan she could move to without a fee and explained the difference clearly. Result: she stayed, and her monthly bill dropped by a third."

4. Describe a time you worked in a team to solve a problem.

"In a university consulting project, our client changed the brief halfway through. I suggested we split into two pairs, one to keep the existing analysis going and one to scope the new question, and meet each evening. We delivered both parts on time."

5. Tell me about a time you noticed something was not right.

"At my retail job, a customer tried to pay for high-value items with several cards that kept being declined. I followed our policy, called a supervisor and did not complete the sale. It was later confirmed that the cards were stolen."

6. How would you help a customer who is in financial difficulty?

"Listen first, without judgement. Then explain what support the bank offers, and refer them to the right team or to free debt advice where appropriate. Following up matters too."

7. Tell me about a time you had to learn something quickly.

"I joined a project two weeks late and had to learn a data tool the team was already using. I worked through the tutorials in the evenings and asked one teammate to review my first outputs. Within a week I was handling my own section."

8. What do you know about the banking industry right now?

Pick one or two issues you can discuss with confidence, such as digital banking, fraud and scams, or support for small businesses, and connect them to NatWest. Keep it to a few clear sentences.

9. How do you handle a difficult customer?

"Stay calm, listen, acknowledge the problem and focus on what I can do. If I cannot fix it, I explain what happens next and who will help."

10. Describe a time you received difficult feedback.

"My manager told me my reports were too long. I asked for an example of a good one, rewrote my next report to one page, and she used it as a template for the team."

11. Where do you see yourself in five years?

"Qualified, with a clear specialism in commercial banking, and ideally helping train new graduates the way I hope to be trained."

Practical tips

  • Research the programme: read the full advert and the business area's role in the group. Apply once, and make that application specific.
  • Practise the tests: do timed numerical and logical reasoning sets and situational judgement practice. Assessment-Training.com has realistic practice tests.
  • Prepare six examples: customer focus, teamwork, problem-solving, handling feedback, spotting risk and learning quickly.
  • Assessment centre: in group tasks, contribute, listen and help the group reach a decision on time.
  • Common mistakes: generic answers about "a big bank", ignoring the customer angle and forgetting fraud awareness in branch interviews.

Pay and benefits vary by role, so check the job advert.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the stages of the NatWest graduate application?

Candidates and graduate guides describe an online application, online assessments such as situational judgement and reasoning tests, a recorded video interview and a virtual assessment centre. The exact steps vary by programme, so follow the instructions you receive after applying.

Can I apply for more than one NatWest graduate programme?

NatWest graduate adverts state that if you make more than one application, only your first will be accepted. Research the programmes properly and apply for the one that fits your skills and interests best.

What is the NatWest assessment centre like?

Candidates report a virtual assessment centre that usually includes an interview and one or more exercises, such as a group discussion or a role play. Expect questions on your motivation, how you work with others and how you put customers first.

How do I prepare for a NatWest branch interview?

Prepare examples of helping customers, handling a complaint, working in a team and spotting when something did not look right. Show that you understand how a bank protects customers, including from fraud and scams, and why that matters.

What is NatWest Group's purpose?

NatWest Group now states its purpose as being the bank that turns possibilities into progress. Earlier materials described it as championing potential, helping people, families and businesses to thrive. Linking your motivation and examples to that purpose gives your answers a clear thread at every stage.

About the author

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

References