Author – Shir Enzer
JobTestPrep
Spring Week internships, also known as Spring Insight programmes, are short-term opportunities offered by top banks and investment firms, such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, HSBC, Macquarie, Nomura, and UBS. These programmes are aimed at first-year students in three-year courses (or second-year students in four-year courses) and provide an early entry into the finance industry with hands-on exposure and networking opportunities. Typically lasting 4-7 days, Spring Weeks are pivotal in the finance career path, often leading to summer internships and full-time positions. For motivated students, excelling in a Spring Week can even fast-track them to further internship and job offers within the firm.
Spring Week Assessment Tests
Because the banks have a lot of applicants for their Spring Week programmes, they use online tests to eliminate a large portion of them. These assessments evaluate the applicants’ skills, cognitive abilities and personality traits. While different banks use a range of test providers, the most common are:
- SHL: Used by Deutsche Bank, Jefferies, and Barclays.
- Talent Q (Korn Ferry): Used by Macquarie.
- Aon (cut-e): Used by Morgan Stanley, Nomura, BNP Paribas, and UBS.
- Pymetrics: Used by Blackstone and Standard Chartered.
- Cappfinity: Used by HSBC.
Spring Week Assessment Questions
The Spring Week assessment test covers areas like numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, and situational judgement, each designed to test specific competencies.
Numerical Reasoning
Given that banking heavily involves numerical analysis, banks commonly use Numerical Reasoning tests in their assessments. These tests focus on your ability to interpret charts, tables, and data, emphasising quick and accurate analysis.
Here is a numerical reasoning question taken from JobTestPrep’s Deutsche Bank practice pack –
What proportion of both sites’ April and May traffic was for Cuisine.net?
- (A) 29.7%
- (B) 31.3%
- (C) 34.2%
- (D) 35.7%
- (E) 38.1%
The correct answer is (E) – 38.1%
Verbal Reasoning
Since effective communication is key in banking, Verbal Reasoning tests are commonly used to evaluate the ability to understand and interpret written information. These assessments focus on reading comprehension, critical thinking, and logical interpretation, requiring you to analyse passages, make inferences, and answer questions accurately and efficiently.
Here is a verbal reasoning question taken from JobTestPrep’s Macquarie practice pack –
Generation without Frontiers
Young Europeans today have grown up with opportunities for mobility, multilingualism, and intercultural exchanges within a largely borderless Europe. In contrast, older generations often identified primarily with their nationalities. The EU’s Youth in Action programme aims to foster active European citizenship, solidarity, and political engagement among youth through informal learning and intercultural dialogue.
What does the passage imply about the older generation?
- They focused primarily on national identities.
- They promoted active European citizenship.
- They emphasised multilingualism.
- They engaged frequently in cultural exchanges.
The correct answer is (A) – They focused primarily on national identities.
Logical Reasoning
Logical Reasoning tests are also commonly used by banks to assess problem-solving abilities and the capacity to identify patterns and relationships within data. These tests require quick, analytical thinking to evaluate sequences, shapes, and logic-based puzzles, ensuring you can approach complex problems methodically and with attention to detail.
Here is a logical reasoning question taken from JobTestPrep’s Morgan Stanley practice pack –
Situational Judgement Test
In the banking field, Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) assess how you handle real-world workplace scenarios. These tests present hypothetical situations, often involving teamwork or problem-solving, to evaluate your decision-making, interpersonal skills, and alignment with the bank’s core values. Success requires prioritising responses that reflect sound judgement, professionalism, and effective collaboration in a high-stakes environment.
Here is a SJT question taken from JobTestPrep’s HSBC practice pack –
You are leading a presentation on the design of a new software feature, which has been progressively developed by your team. As you explain the feature, a few experienced team members interrupt with frequent questions, while other colleagues remain quiet and appear disengaged.
What do you do?
Please rank the responses from 1-5, with 1 being what you would most likely do and 5 the least:
- Acknowledge interruptions, addressing each briefly before refocusing on the presentation, and assume quieter members will contribute if they have input.
- Address questions from active members, then pause to specifically ask quieter colleagues if they’d like to add anything.
- Encourage quiet members to speak, prompting them directly, and ignore further interruptions until they’ve had a chance to share.
- Request all members write down their initial thoughts on the feature to ensure everyone’s feedback and readdress active concerns afterwards.
- Respond immediately to all questions as they come up to ensure understanding and invite any additional feedback or questions after the session.
The recommended ranking is – B>D>E>A>C
Pre-Recorded Interview
The next step of your application process will often include a pre-recorded interview. Also known as a one-way video interview, this is a widely used screening tool used by most major banks, including BNP Paribas, Morgan Stanley, and Standard Chartered.
Conducted on online platforms such as HireVue, it requires you to answer work-related questions on camera without real-time interaction You will typically have up to 2 minutes to prepare each response and up to 3 minutes to record, with questions tailored to assess specific competencies and professional experience as well as evaluate your behaviour and presentation. Some pre-recorded interviews may also include job simulation tasks like case studies and situational judgement tests.
Here is how it looks –
Spring Week Internship Tests Tips
- Practice Under Time Constraints
Timing is critical, as many tests allow only 30-50 seconds per question. Practising within these limits can improve speed and accuracy under pressure. - Review Relevant Skills and Seek Alumni Insights
Brush up on core skills like data interpretation and situational judgement. Connecting with alums who have completed Spring Week can also offer valuable tips and strategies. - Focus on Scoring in the Top Percentiles
Many banks prioritise top scorers, so rigorous practice is essential to stand out among the highly competitive applicant pool.
How to Prepare for the Spring Week Internship Assessment?
Preparing for the Spring Week internship assessment is made easier with JobTestPrep’s comprehensive Spring Week Preparation Pack. The pack is regularly updated to include the most accurate test simulations for 12 of the leading banks.
The pack lets you practise under time constraints, sharpen essential skills, and follow scoring reports that pinpoint strengths and areas for improvement. Additionally, it provides insights to help you learn from mistakes and prioritise skills that will maximise your test performance, helping you achieve the top percentile score you need to stand out.
It also includes realistic practice for pre-recorded interviews, allowing you to familiarise yourself with the recording platform and adjust to the recorded interview format before your actual interview. This will build your confidence and ease while providing you with psychologists’ analysis and feedback to improve your presentation.
See What JobTestPrep’s Spring Week Prep Course Looks Like
