Banco Santander Assessment Test – How to Prepare?

Working for the prestigious Santander bank ranks high on many people’s list of coveted jobs.

With over 1000 banks across the UK and almost 100 open positions for graduates yearly, you can expect to encounter intense competition as you work your way through the recruitment process.

If you are faced with taking the Santander Assessment Test, you are probably wondering what it is, what is on it, and how you can pass.

Read on to find out all you need to know about the Santander Tests and exactly how to prepare.

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What is the Santander recruitment process?

When you apply for a job at Santander, the recruitment process is quite extensive.

1. Application: It begins with submitting your application form. The application itself may include some competency questions and a situational judgement test.
2. Psychometric tests: You can then expect to be presented with a series of online psychometric tests. These include a numerical test and a verbal test.
3. Video Interview: If you pass to the next stage, you will do a video interview.
4. Assessment Centre Day: The process ends with a day at an assessment centre and a final interview.

What are the Santander assessment tests?

Santander asks applicants applying to roles at the company to take a number of online tests.

You can expect to complete assessments in

• Verbal Reasoning
• Numerical Reasoning

You may also have to take a Situational Judgement Test (SJT) with begins when you submit your application online.

Can you prepare for the Santander assessments?

Yes! Preparing for the pre-employment process is essential if you want to ace the assessments and interviews and outshine the competition.

Good preparation means becoming familiar with the types of assessments you will have to do and practising on similar style sample tests.

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How do you prepare for the Santander assessment?

To prepare accurately and efficiently, it is best to rely on the services of a company that provides training for job test applicants,

For this, we recommend using the services of Job Test Prep leaders in the field of preparing candidates for the recruitment process.

Using their services, you will get accurate information about each stage of the process. Their Santander test prep pack includes sample papers modelled on the real tests as well as study guides, detailed explanations of questions and answers and guides to the interviews.

What does Santander look for in their employees?

Like all major employers, Santander likes to employ people who share their values. To get a job with them showing some of the following values will increase your chances of getting hired.

These are:

• Strength
• Leadership
• Innovation
• A keen interest in good customer service
• A professional approach to workplace situations

The recruitment process – in detail

Here’s the whole application process broken down.

Filling the Application Form

Filling the application form will be your first encounter with the Santander assessments and the recruitment process. Ideally, your preparation should begin before you apply.

As well as uploading your CV, you will be asked to do an SJT as well as some competency questions.

Your answering here will allow the company to decide if you should continue to do the online assessments.

The Online Tests

When invited to do the online tests, allow yourself a moment of celebration. You have satisfied the company with your application, but now you have to ace the following assessments.

Numerical Test

Here you will be presented with numerical data in the form of graphs and tables. Your task is to select the answers to multiple-choice questions.

The challenge of this test is the time factor. You are allowed approximately one minute per question. Expect to find yourself working on percentages, ratios and basic arithmetic as you keep an eye on the time allowed.

Calculating your answers accurately while under this time pressure is something you need to practice before taking the test. Working on similar tests will help you hone your skills and train you to maintain your accuracy while working at speed.

Test your numerical abilities with a free sample numerical test here

Verbal Reasoning Test

Here you can expect to be presented with a passage of information.

Your task will be to select answers from multiple-choice questions of the true/false/cannot say variety. You can also be asked questions that will require you to work through the text to decide on the solution to a problem posed in the question.

As in the numerical reasoning test, expect to find yourself working at speed. You can again prepare for this with sample tests.

Try your hand at a verbal reasoning test here.

Situational Judgement Test

The SJT assesses your likely workplace behaviour. In this assessment, you are presented with 12 questions, each asking how you would respond to a likely workplace scenario.

For each scenario, you are given four likely responses and you have to indicate the response you are most likely to choose as well as the one that you are least likely to select.

This test gives the company an indication of your workplace behaviour and allows them to see if you have the values they require in their employees.

Practising SJTs will help you see which answers are most likely to fit with Santander’s values.

Have a look at Santander’s values listed above, then attempt the following SJT question.

SJT sample question:

The company you work for is experiencing financial difficulties. You have thought of a creative solution that will enable the recruitment of more clients.

However, the downside is that the company will have to let go of a stable, loyal, but not so profitable client (due to conflict of interest). Two out of three marketing people agree with you, while your manager does not because she believes this is too risky.

To learn more about situational judgement tests, we recommend checking out our comprehensive guide.

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What would you do in this situation?

Response #1: You trust your manager’s judgement and withdraw your proposition.
Response #2: You present a document to your manager detailing the advantages of your proposition and its contribution to the company. If she keeps insisting, you’ll support her decision.
Response #3: You implement your proposition despite the manager’s resistance since you have a lot of faith in this proposition
Response #4: You confront your manager on the issue and insist that she accept your proposal.
Now review your answers. Do they indicate the type of person who might be employed at Santander?

By working on sample SJTs, you will learn how to present the ideal employee when you do the real tests.

Telephone interview

Your first interview is a telephone interview and lasts for approximately 30 minutes. Expect to be asked questions on your previous work experiences as well as your reasons for wanting to work at Santander’s.

Your interviewer will be assessing your competencies as well as your knowledge of the Santander banking company.

To shine in the interview, make sure you have done your homework on the company and identified any past experiences you have had that may be relevant to the position you have applied for. Expect to be quizzed on customer service and teamwork experience and show your enthusiasm by having a question of your own to ask.

Thorough preparation is necessary to get past this interview. It is your first meeting with a member of the recruiting team. To continue on the journey to your ideal job, you need to make a good impression. For interview preparation, use your prep pack.

Santander Assessment Day

When your invitation to the Santander Assessment Day arrives, it is time for another little celebration! You are almost there, but there are still some more assessments to deal with on the road to your coveted job.

At the assessment centre, you will be asked to participate in:

• A group exercise
• A presentation
• An Interview

The Group Exercise

In the group exercise, you and five other applicants will be dealing with a brief relating to work on. You may be given a brief about a fictional company that wants to increase its market share.

The group’s task is to come up with strategies the company could use.
The actual task itself may not be very difficult but a team of assessors will study the group as the applicants discuss their ideas.

The reason for this scrutiny is to get an idea of each applicant’s approach to teamwork and their ability to take leadership.

For many participants, the group exercise can be challenging. After weeks of working alone towards your ideal job, you are:

• Catapulted into working with people
• Being scrutinised at a critical moment in the hiring process
• Torn between expressing your ideas strongly and being deferential

Dealing with this, you will need to:

• Strike a balance between being too dominant and too passive
• Ensure you express your ideas clearly and logically
• Display good listening skills as well as good speaking skills
• Deal respectfully with other members of the group and their ideas

Go to your test prep pack for further help in acing the group session.

The Presentation

You will be given a topic for your presentation and will speak about it to two assessors. You may, for example, be asked to speak on why Santander is the best bank for a customer.

The assessors will question you on what you have said when you finish.
As well as a test of your knowledge of the bank, this is also a test of your communication skills.

The assessors will be looking at your ability to work under pressure as well as your ability to deal with criticism if they disagree with your points.

Ensure you are clear-headed when approaching the presentation and get in some practice giving family and friends presentations before the assessment day.

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Santander Interview

The face to face interview with a senior manager can last for 1 hour to 1.5 hours and is designed to test your motivations as well as your intellectual abilities.

Show the interviewer your enthusiasm by having a few questions of your own to ask.

The length of the interview alone makes it gruelling, so thorough preparation is called for. Your test prep pack will provide you with interview preparation guides.

Are the Santander assessments hard?

All pre-employment assessments are hard, but the assessments used by Santander are considered particularly challenging. Another factor that adds to their level of difficulty is the number of applicants you will be competing against.

The bank uses the range of SOVA psychometric tests to assess applicants’ suitability for a role at the company.

How do I go about preparing for the Santander Assessments?

With your test prep pack to hand, you can take a few measures to make preparing productive.

You need to:

• Designate a distraction-free place for all of your preparation
• Work to a timetable. Try to leave the day prior to doing an assessment or interview free for last-minute reviews and to rest before the big day.
• Use your test prep pack as the cornerstone of your preparation.

Use your test prep pack

Using your test prep pack in each preparation session guarantees:

• You are focusing on what is relevant to the exam
• You are becoming familiar with the tests and the layout of questions, thus avoiding nasty surprises in the real tests.
• You are learning how to manage the time constraints of the tests
• You can monitor your progress from test to test
• Areas that are presenting you with difficulties become clear very quickly, and you realise you need to devote more time to them

Study tips for the assessments and interviews

Approach the tests:

• Well-rested and clear-headed. Avoid the temptation to engage in all-night study marathons.
• With the confidence that comes with knowing you have done the work
• Aware there can be no unpleasant surprises waiting for you, you have prepared with tests modelled on the real ones

If you are applying for a job at Santander, you will find all the resources you need to prepare here.

Recommended Study Guides

• Bank of America – How to Prepare?
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Written by Elizabeth O Mahony

With 25+ years’ experience as a teacher and state examinations corrector, Elizabeth now writes for the education and careers industry. Her experience preparing students for examinations and running an academy for supplementary education give her invaluable insights into what it takes for job seekers and graduates to succeed in assessments.