Citi Online Test (Numerical and Logical) - All You Need to Know [2024]

The Citi Online Test is a cognitive test (namely, aims to assess your problem-solving and reasoning skills), usually taking around 15 minutes to complete.

Although the name Citi Online Test is used for all positions, different assessments will be used for different positions. Below you can find your Citi assessment based on your desired position.

Citi candidates may go through one of the following Korn Ferry tests (or sometimes both):

• Citi Numerical Test – 12 questions in 16 minutes, table and graph analysis.
• Citi Logical Test – 12 questions in 16 minutes, rules, and pattern recognition in abstract shapes.

If you pass the online test, you’ll be scheduled to take an interview, followed by an assessment centre.

After passing the resume stage, you will receive an email test invitation from Citi, requesting you to take the assessment within 5 days. The invitation will reveal no details about your assessment.

Is it enough time to study? Definitely. We’ll get to that later.

Here’s how your test invitation looks like:

As I mentioned, different positions in Citi require different assessments, here are several examples:

• Spring Insight – Citi Numerical Test
• Quantitative Analyst - Citi Numerical Test
• Graduate Program / Internship – Citi Numerical Test and/or Citi Logical Test (depending on department)
• Enterprise Infrastructure Operations and Technology - Citi Logical Test
• Software Engineer - Citi Logical Test
• Investment Banking - Citi Numerical Test and Citi Logical Test

Citi does not reveal which tests you are about to take until the moment you are required to take them. That hinders candidates' ability to prepare, and also increases stress and uncertainty. Let's try to alleviate some of that stress with some focused, accurate description of the test.

The Citi Online Test can include one or two of the following assessments:

The Citi Numerical test is provided by Talent-Q, and is officially called Elements Numerical. assesses your ability to calculate and draw conclusions from numerical data, namely graphs and tables.

• Official name - Elements Numerical (Talent-Q)
• 12 questions in 16 minutes overall.
• Questions present you with a table, followed by a short question.
• Each table covers 3 consecutive questions.
• The test is adaptive - answering correctly will increase the next question's difficulty, answering incorrectly will decrease it.
• The limit per question - 90 seconds for the first question of each table, 75 seconds per question for the next two.
• Up to 40(!) answer choices are arranged in a drop-down menu.
• Only one answer option is correct.
• You are allowed to use a calculator during the Elements Numerical test.

Learn more about the Talent-Q Elements Numerical Test

The Elements Logical test assesses your ability to recognize rules and patterns in abstract shapes.

• Official name - Elements Logical (Talent-Q)
• 12 questions in 15 minutes overall.
• Each question includes a 3x3 matrix with a missing shape you are requested to find.
• The test is adaptive - answering correctly will increase the next question's difficulty, answering incorrectly will decrease it.
• The missing shape completes a logical rule existing both in the rows and the columns of the matrix.
• Time limit per question - 75 seconds.
• 7, 14, or 21 answer options per question.
• Only one answer option is correct.

Learn more about the Talent-Q Elements Logical Test

By definition, Talent-Q, the Citi Online Test provider, does not set pass/fail standards for their tests. However, Citi itself has set a standard score for each position, so the passing score varies between positions.

As a general rule, the estimated pass mark of cognitive assessments is usually the 80th percentile (a score higher than 80% of all test-takers). Based on data collected from over 4,500 test simulations, these are the estimated pass marks of the Talent-Q Elements tests used by Citi:

• Citi Numerical Test (Talent-Q Elements Numerical) Pass Mark - 9/12 correct answers.
• Citi Logical Test (Talent-Q Elements Logical) Pass Mark - 10/12 correct answers.

Here are three tips to ace your upcoming Citi Online Test:

This one kind of sounds obvious, but it is actually very important. Citi will require you to take the assessment within 5 days or less - a very short time indeed.

However, even 5 days are quite a lot of time to prepare, if you remain focused. Both the Citi Numerical Test and the Citi Logical Test are short, well-defined tests with a very specific structure. Focusing on these particular tests is going to have a major effect on your score, even if you have little time to prepare.

As I mentioned, the short preparation time necessitates a very focused preparation, simulating the actual test as closely as possible. You simply do not have the time to strengthen your basics or have an overview of basic math.

Practise using mock tests of the real Citi Online Tests - timed, online tests with the exact same formatting and structure. It will not only improve your skill and solving speed but will also reduce test anxiety, which is one of the main contributors to lack of success in pre-employment tests.

The Citi Numerical Test is characterized by a large number of possible answer choices, which can sometimes reach over 20(!). That means that, unlike other numerical tests, estimation is not an option - you will have to calculate the exact result in each question.

And THAT means that you will have to get used to calculate quickly and efficiently. With a time limit of about 75 seconds per question, you just can't afford to spend too much time typing on your calculator.

Learn your calculator inside out, including time-saving tricks like using memory slots, brackets, etc., so you can spend the majority of time on the more challenging aspect of actually understanding and solving the question.

If you successfully pass the Citi online test, you are next invited to up to 2 Citibank interviews. These are either face-to-face or phone competency-based interviews, each lasting around 40 minutes.

The aim of these interviews is to measure how well your skills match up to what Citi is looking for. They are looking for evidence of your interest and motivation in working with Citi. Be prepared with examples that demonstrate your skills and organise them using the STAR method. You should also read up on the area you are applying to, about Citi and the industry in general. Once you have pulled together all your answers, the final step in your preparation is to rehearse delivering your answers. 

At this point in the recruitment process, you may have to sit some psychometric verification tests, which means that you will take samples of the psychometric tests from the previous stage under invigilation so that they know you did not cheat.

Some of the questions asked in Citi interviews in the past are listed below. These questions are a guide designed to give you a feel for the type of questions to expect in your interviews.

• How did the financial crisis happen?
• We are only looking for the best people. How do you think you stand out among the other candidates?
• Where do you see Citi in 5 years?
• Why Citi?
• State a time when you were asked to do something and you were not sure exactly what needed to be done.

Read up on some more common questions and approaches to answering them on our free guide to interviews (PDF).

The final stage of your recruitment process is the Citi assessment centre. The structure of Citi's assessment centre varies across division being applied to. In general, you will be asked to participate in some/ all of the following activities:

• Group task - as a group, you are given a case study to work through as a team. Examples of case studies include listing 3 improvements for a company, or planning for a merger between 2 companies. During the exercise, additional information will be added to change the focus of your discussion. Your discussion is assessed by a team of assessors who are looking for evidence of how you work as part of a team, your contributions and of the time management in the team as a whole. Gain tips on how to approach this assessment with our group exercise pages.
• Individual case study presentation - in this exercise, you are given time to prepare a short presentation to deliver to your interviewer. Examples of this include listing your recommendations for a business hoping to move into a new market. This exercise assesses you on how you work with a case study and on your presentation skills. Brush up on both ahead of your assessment centre with our case study practice pack.
• Competency-based interviews - this is another opportunity for the Citi recruitment team to gather information about you and your skills. See above for the questions you can expect in your interview.