SHL Aptitude Tests at The Financial Services Authority (FSA)

The Financial Services Authority (or FSA) like many other companies do make use of aptitude tests in their candidate assessment procedures. In particular they make use of numerical reasoning tests, which makes a lot of sense for a company with such a focus on numerical data such as the FSA. However, their numerical reasoning test is not a standard SHL style test but one with a bit of a twist. At the FSA, it is also referred to as a financial appraisal test, which is another way of highlighting the differences between their test and others.

Rather than being presented with questions based around charts, tables, graphs and other graphical information, all the question information is provided in paragraphs like with a verbal reasoning test, so in essence it is almost a combination of numerical and verbal reasoning. It is then up to the applicant to deduce the required numerical information from the text to answer the question. This means it may be slightly more difficult to discern the relevant information than from a graphical based question, but previously applicants have stated that it is something candidates will get used to quickly. Candidates are required to complete 22 questions in 35 minutes. The FSA test is produced by a company called Mendas.

FSA Aptitude Test Question Topics

According to past takers of the financial appraisal test, a wide range of topics is covered. Analysing stocks and shares, foreign currency exchange and profits of an international bank are a few examples that have been offered of question topics. For more examples of the kinds of questions you are likely to find on numerical reasoning assessments in general, please visit the numerical reasoning page on this link.

Financial Services Authority Recruitment Process

If you are successful in proceeding beyond the financial appraisal test you will then have to take part in a telephone interview. If you succeed in the telephone interview, you will likely be invited to one of the FSA's assessment centres. At the assessment centre you will face another financial appraisal test without a calculator in which you have 30 minutes to complete 25 questions, as well as a group exercise and a written exercise (an actual exercise, not a verbal reasoning test).

It has also been stated that the group activity is filmed so that candidates can be carefully assessed as to their contributions and so that the FSA recruitment personnel can watch everyone in turn rather than trying to keep up with multiple candidates at once by merely overseeing the exercise.

Practising For FSA Aptitude Tests

As with other companies that have been analysed on PracticeSHLTests.com, in our opinion the best thing you can do to ready yourself for the FSA test is to get in as much practice as possible. Because you will have to translate the required numerical information from paragraphs, it is more important than ever you are up to speed with practice numerical tests from SHL and other providers. If you are familar with the kind of questions you will be asked, this will help you translate the information required out of the paragraphs of text as quickly and accurately as possible. As usual, we would recommend Assessment Day for users who want to get in test practice, but in addition assessment day has been recommended by users of other websites as being good practice specifically for the FSA assessment.