Mazars Graduate Scheme & Assessment – Interview Tips, Practice Tests & Career Guide
Are you a school-leaver, a graduate or an experienced professional? Are you interested in banking, finance or insurance? Or advising people in these areas? If so, Mazars may have the position that will pique your interest.
Working for the financial services company is an ambition held by many. You will have a lot of competitors to contend with throughout the recruitment process.
However, a position at Mazars is worth the effort it takes to ace the recruitment process. Read on to find out how to pass the Mazars tests, assessment day and interview.
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Can I prepare for the Mazars Graduate Scheme & Recruitment process?
If working for Mazars is your ambition, thorough preparation for the recruitment process is essential. Mazars pre-employment tests and interviews are demanding. You will need to outshine the competition to ensure you progress from stage to stage of the process.
For your preparation, we advise using the services of Job Test Prep leaders in preparing applicants for pre-employment testing and job interviews.
They will give you accurate information on how Mazars select their employees and provide you with test preparation materials.
Using the Mazars prep pack, you will have access to:
- Sample test papers modelled on the real tests
- Comprehensive explanations of questions and answers
- A means of checking your scores as you complete the tests
- Reliable study guides
For an example of the types of tests they provide, try your hand at a free sample Situational Judgement Test (SJT) here.
What are the Mazars online tests?
As you might expect, the recruitment process is intense. Having submitted your application, you can expect to be called upon to do a series of online assessments.
These tests are used to assess applicants’ suitability for the role they have applied for. It narrows down the field of prospective employees to those who best meet the company’s requirements.
After your initial application, you will be asked to do online tests in numerical and verbal reasoning, as well as a test on your situational strengths.
What is on the Mazars online tests?
Here’s what you can expect to find on the Mazars online assessments.
Numerical Reasoning
Here you will be required to answer 20 questions in 20 minutes. You will need to make calculations based on data you are presented with. Basic Math calculations are needed here but working within the time limitation makes the test very challenging.
Try your skills at a free sample numerical reasoning test here.
Verbal Reasoning
In this assessment, you are asked to read five passages and answer four questions on each of them. Like the numerical reasoning test, you again have 20 minutes to answer 20 questions. You are presented with a series of 4 statements on each passage and must decide if the statement is true or false based on the information in the passage.
Can you beat the clock with this free sample verbal reasoning test?
Situational Strengths
This tests your attitude and approach to work and decides if you hold the values held by the company. In the test you are presented with a work based situation and asked to choose your response to it.
A good performance in these tests will see you being invited to progress further in the recruitment process. However, not doing well in this initial screening can bring an end to your ambitions of working at Mazars. So, thorough preparation is called for.
To prove your worth in the assessments, work on your sample papers. Your test prep pack will provide you with sample tests on all sections of the assessments, both online and in person.
Using the papers before you start on the recruitment process will make you familiar with the types of questions you will have to do. It will also familiarise you with working within the time limitations.
And perhaps even more importantly, it will help you monitor your progress and identify areas that may need extra work.
The interview stage
Having proven yourself in the online tests, you will be called to two interviews. The type of interview will depend on the scheme under which you applied for a position.
Applying under the experienced hires system, you can expect to be interviewed first by HR and then by a manager from the department you applied for a position in.
Expect these interviews to focus on your workplace experience and job-related competencies.
Example questions
You can expect to be asked questions along the line of:
- How has technology changed the industry?
- How do you see yourself advancing as a Mazars employee?
- How do you feel about the changing face of the workplace?
For experienced hires, the recruitment process consists of the online assessments and two interviews. After this, job offers are made.
Graduate and internship interviews
If you are applying under the Mazars graduate and internship system, you can expect to do a number of interviews.
Your first interview will be an assessment of your analytical ability followed by a general interview to get a picture of your job skills.
For the analytical exercise, you will be given a passage to read and asked some questions about its content.
This test will assess your ability to assimilate material, analyse it quickly and draw conclusions. You can be asked for your opinion on how a task was carried out or a problem solved in the passage.
The analytical exercise is followed by a competency-based interview where you will be asked about your work ethic, your motivation, and your approach to teamwork.
Make sure you show your interest in the company and your preparedness by having some questions to ask the interviewer if invited to do so.
A successful interview will see you being requested to attend an assessment day where you will do another interview.
Assessment Day
For school leavers, graduates and internship applicants, the final stage of the recruitment process takes place at an assessment day.
An invitation to the assessment centre signifies that you have satisfied the employer so far. But you can expect further rigorous testing on assessment day.
To help you ace the day, brush up on Mazars code of conduct and the value they place on integrity, independence, accountability and a social conscience.
Expect to have to do some or all of the following:
1. Partner Interview
You will be interviewed by one of Mazars’ partners. This interview again focuses on your competencies and also determines if your personality is a fit for the company’s values.
Review your CV and find any work experiences or skills that could be of interest to the interviewer.
2. Presentation
You are allowed to select a topic of your choice for your 5-minute presentation to the recruiters. You will be allowed 10 minutes to prepare your presentation.
To make your presentation interesting, ensure you pick a topic that you have information on and, if possible, an interest in.
This is a test of your communication skills and giving a presentation is something you should practise in advance.
3. Group Exercise
You will be placed in a small group and given a task to work on as part of a team. Your teamwork skills are being assessed in this exercise so how you relate to others in the group is important.
You do not want to come across as too passive or as too dominant. Instead show the skills that matter in teamwork. Make clear, logical contributions but listen to what others have to say as well.
The task you are given to do will be along the lines of something you would be expected to do in the workplace.
4. In-tray Exercise
Consider your in-tray exercise as a test of your organisational skills and your ability to prioritise tasks.
You will be asked to respond to emails and memos in an orderly fashion. You can expect to be under time pressure to complete this task, as will all the other applicants.
Preparing for the Assessment day
An assessment day test prep pack from Job Test Prep provides you with sample exercises to practise on. As these exercises are a simulation of the real assessments, they should be used as the backbone of your preparations for your trip to the assessment centre.
It is advisable to start preparing for the day as soon as you receive your invitation. You will be doing more tests at the centre. But now you will have the extra pressure of doing them in the company of others and some while you are being observed.
Being well prepared can help you work through what, for many, can be a daunting experience. Going through sample exercises will help you become familiar with what may be your first day at an assessment centre.
As you go through the preparation materials, the areas you are likely to have difficulty with will quickly become obvious. You can devote a little extra time to those sections.
A Final Note
When assessment day comes round, approach the day with the confidence of knowing you have done the work and deserve this.
The day will, of course, be testing. But a lot of people enjoy their assessment day experiences. Go in there and give it your best!
If you are applying for a job at Mazars you will find all the resources you need to prepare for the hiring process here.
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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.
Sarah is an accomplished educator, researcher and author in the field of testing and assessment. She has worked with various educational institutions and organisations to develop innovative evaluation methods and enhance student learning. Sarah has published numerous articles and books on assessment and learning. Her passion for promoting equity and fairness in the education system fuels her commitment to sharing insights and best practices with educators and policymakers around the world.
