EY Online Assessment 2026: Numerical, Verbal & SJT Guide
EY's online assessment is the gateway to one of the world's largest graduate employers. Here's a complete breakdown of every test section, what the questions look like, how EY scores your results, and a practical 4-week preparation plan.
EY Application Process Overview
EY (Ernst & Young) is one of the Big Four professional services firms, operating across Assurance, Tax, Strategy & Transactions, and Consulting. Each year EY hires thousands of graduates and school leavers in the UK across its London and regional offices. The selection process is structured and sequential — you must clear each stage before progressing to the next.
The EY application process typically follows five stages. The online assessment sits at stage two, immediately after the initial application form. Because it acts as an early filter applied to every applicant, it is the stage where the largest proportion of candidates are screened out.
The exact combination of tests in the EY online assessment depends on which service line you apply to. Assurance, Consulting, and Strategy & Transactions candidates typically complete numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and an SJT. Some Tax and Law roles additionally require a Watson Glaser Critical Thinking assessment. Always check the specific requirements stated in your application invitation email.
EY administers its online assessment through a third-party platform — in recent cycles the UK graduate programme has used a combination of SHL-style psychometric tests and, for some roles, Pymetrics game-based assessments. Regardless of the delivery platform, the underlying competencies being assessed are consistent: numerical data interpretation, verbal critical reasoning, and situational judgement aligned to EY's values.
The tests are completed remotely and unsupervised. You choose when to sit them within the deadline window (typically 5–7 days from invitation), but once you begin an individual test you must complete it in a single session under timed conditions. EY uses AI-assisted monitoring on some versions of the platform, so test in a quiet environment with a stable internet connection.
EY Numerical Reasoning Test
The EY numerical reasoning test assesses your ability to interpret data presented in tables, graphs, and charts, and to derive accurate conclusions under time pressure. It does not test advanced maths — it tests how quickly and accurately you can read financial-style data and answer multiple-choice questions about it.
Test Format
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | Approximately 18–25 questions |
| Time allowed | Approximately 25–35 minutes |
| Format | Multiple choice (5 options per question including "Cannot determine") |
| Data sources | Tables, bar charts, line graphs, pie charts — typically one data set per 3–4 questions |
| Calculator | On-screen calculator provided; physical calculators may be permitted — check your invitation |
| Penalty for wrong answers | No negative marking — all unanswered questions score zero |
What the Questions Test
Questions typically ask you to calculate or identify one of the following from the data presented:
- Percentage change: A revenue figure increases from £4.2m to £5.1m — what is the percentage change? These are among the most common question types and are also the most time-consuming to calculate manually.
- Ratios and proportions: If Product A accounts for 34% of total sales and total sales are £8.7m, what are Product A's sales to the nearest thousand?
- Year-on-year comparisons: In which year did Division B show the largest increase in operating margin compared with the prior year?
- Index and compound calculations: If the index base year is 100 and the index stands at 142 in Year 3, what is the cumulative growth rate over the period?
- Cannot determine questions: Some questions present data that is genuinely insufficient to answer the question — selecting "Cannot determine" is the correct answer, and resisting the urge to guess is a key skill.
Most candidates read the data first, then the question. This is backwards. Read the question first so you know exactly what number you need to find, then go directly to the relevant column or data point in the chart. On a test where you have roughly 75–90 seconds per question, this single habit saves 15–20 seconds per question on average — the equivalent of 4–5 additional questions answered.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Candidates who underperform on the EY numerical test typically make one of three errors: they misread a column heading (confusing £m with £000s, for example); they apply percentage change in the wrong direction (calculating the increase rather than the decrease or vice versa); or they spend too long on a single difficult question and run out of time. Practice with a strict timer to build the discipline of moving on rather than persisting on a question you cannot quickly crack.
See our full guide on how to pass the SHL Numerical Reasoning test for a complete set of strategies that apply equally to EY's numerical assessment.
EY Verbal Reasoning Test
The EY verbal reasoning test presents short business passages — typically 150–250 words each — and asks you to evaluate a series of statements against each passage. You must decide whether each statement is True, False, or Cannot Say, based only on the information in the passage. Your own knowledge of the topic is irrelevant — all judgements must be grounded solely in the text provided.
Test Format
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | Approximately 30–36 questions (6 statements per passage across 5–6 passages) |
| Time allowed | Approximately 17–21 minutes |
| Format | True / False / Cannot Say (3-option multiple choice) |
| Passage topics | Business news, HR policy, market analysis, corporate strategy — professional but accessible |
| Passage length | 150–250 words per passage |
| Penalty for wrong answers | No negative marking |
The True / False / Cannot Say Framework
The three-option format is where most candidates lose marks — particularly the distinction between False and Cannot Say. A statement is False only if the passage explicitly contradicts it. A statement is Cannot Say if the passage neither confirms nor contradicts it — even if it seems very likely or unlikely based on general knowledge.
Test designers intentionally include statements that sound plausible — things a reasonable person would expect to be true given the context — but which the passage does not actually confirm. Candidates who answer based on intuition consistently score lower than those who treat the passage as the only source of truth. If the passage does not say it, the answer is Cannot Say, not True.
Passages often contain deliberate hedging language — words like "some", "typically", "in certain cases", "may" — which makes sweeping statements False or Cannot Say, even if the underlying trend described in the passage supports the general direction of the statement. Pay close attention to quantifiers and modal verbs.
For a full breakdown of True, False, and Cannot Say logic with worked examples, see our dedicated guide: Verbal Reasoning: Mastering True, False and Cannot Say.
Time Management on Verbal
With roughly 35–40 seconds per question, the verbal test is more time-pressured than it appears. The most efficient approach is to read the entire passage once quickly for overall context, then read each statement and return to the specific sentence in the passage that is relevant to that statement. Do not re-read the full passage for each question — identify the sentence, make your judgement, and move on.
EY Situational Judgement Test (SJT)
The EY Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is a values- and competency-based assessment that presents realistic workplace scenarios — situations you might encounter as a new graduate or school leaver at EY. For each scenario, you are asked either to rank several possible responses from most to least effective, or to rate each response on a scale (e.g., very effective to very ineffective). There is no time limit on the SJT in most EY configurations — it is designed to measure judgement, not speed.
What EY Is Measuring
The SJT is explicitly aligned to EY's global competency framework. Scenarios are designed to assess how candidates would behave across several dimensions:
| EY Competency | What the SJT is Looking For |
|---|---|
| Client focus | Prioritising client needs while maintaining professional standards and deadlines |
| Teamwork & collaboration | Supporting colleagues, sharing knowledge, handling disagreement constructively |
| Integrity & ethics | Identifying ethically problematic situations and responding with the right level of escalation |
| Initiative & drive | Taking ownership of problems; not waiting to be told what to do in ambiguous situations |
| Communication | Choosing the right communication channel and tone for the situation and audience |
| Adaptability | Responding effectively to change, unexpected information, or conflicting priorities |
SJT responses are scored against an expert-derived key — the responses that subject matter experts and senior professionals rated as most effective. The key insight is that the best answer is almost never the most extreme action (e.g., immediately escalating to a partner, or doing nothing at all) and almost never the passive option. EY's SJT typically rewards responses that are proactive, collaborative, and proportionate to the situation described.
Scenario Types You Will Encounter
EY's SJT scenarios are set in professional services contexts. Common scenario types include:
- Deadline and workload scenarios: You are already working on a client deliverable when a colleague asks for urgent help on a different project. How do you respond?
- Team conflict scenarios: A more senior team member gives you feedback you believe is incorrect and may affect the quality of client advice. What do you do?
- Ethical dilemma scenarios: You notice a potential compliance issue in a client file while reviewing documents for an unrelated task. What is your next step?
- Client communication scenarios: A client calls asking for a progress update on work you have not yet started due to internal delays. How do you handle the call?
- Learning and development scenarios: You realise you lack a key technical skill needed to complete an assigned task. What actions do you take?
EY's stated values — People who demonstrate integrity, respect, and teaming; People with energy, enthusiasm, and the courage to lead — are genuinely reflected in the scoring key. Responses that involve raising concerns through the right channels, supporting colleagues' development, and maintaining client trust tend to score well. Responses that prioritise personal convenience, avoid difficult conversations, or bypass proper processes tend to score poorly.
Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test (Select Service Lines)
For certain EY service lines — most commonly Tax, Law, and some specialist advisory roles — the standard numerical and verbal battery is supplemented by or replaced with the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. This test measures a distinct set of skills from standard verbal reasoning: rather than assessing whether statements logically follow from a passage, the Watson Glaser assesses your ability to analyse arguments, evaluate evidence, make inferences, and identify assumptions.
Watson Glaser Format
| Section | Description | Example Task |
|---|---|---|
| Inferences | Assess the likelihood that an inference follows from a given statement | Rate as True / Probably True / Insufficient Data / Probably False / False |
| Recognising Assumptions | Identify whether an assumption is taken for granted in a given statement | Assumption Made / Assumption Not Made |
| Deductions | Determine whether a conclusion necessarily follows from premises | Conclusion Follows / Does Not Follow |
| Interpretation | Judge whether a conclusion follows beyond reasonable doubt from a given passage | Conclusion Follows / Does Not Follow |
| Evaluation of Arguments | Assess whether an argument is strong or weak in response to a question | Strong Argument / Weak Argument |
The Watson Glaser is typically 40 questions completed in 30 minutes, making it one of the most time-pressured assessments in the EY suite. The key challenge is that each section has a different decision framework — candidates who do not understand the precise distinction between an inference and an assumption, or between deduction and interpretation, will apply the wrong logic and lose marks even if they understand the content.
Not all EY applications include the Watson Glaser. Your invitation email will specify which assessments are included for the role you applied to. Do not assume the Watson Glaser is included — and do not assume it is excluded either. If you are applying to Tax or a legal advisory role at EY, it is worth preparing for it regardless, as the Watson Glaser is a significantly different challenge from a standard verbal reasoning test.
Explore our detailed Watson Glaser test guide for a full breakdown of each section and worked examples of every question type.
How EY Scores Your Results
EY uses norm-referenced scoring for its ability tests, which means your raw score is converted into a percentile rank and a sten score (a 1–10 scale) before any human reviewer sees your results. Your performance is compared against a relevant norm group — for graduate roles, this is typically a graduate-level norm group, representing a population of recent graduates who have previously sat comparable tests.
The SJT is scored differently. Rather than norm-referencing, SJT responses are scored against a criterion-based key developed by EY and the assessment provider from expert ratings. Each response option carries a score value (e.g., 0, 1, or 2 points), and your total SJT score reflects how closely your response choices align with those of recognised experts.
| Test Component | Scoring Method | What the Recruiter Sees |
|---|---|---|
| Numerical Reasoning | Norm-referenced (graduate group) | Percentile rank, sten score, pass/fail indicator |
| Verbal Reasoning | Norm-referenced (graduate group) | Percentile rank, sten score, pass/fail indicator |
| Situational Judgement | Criterion-referenced (expert key) | Score band (e.g., high / medium / low alignment) |
| Watson Glaser (if included) | Norm-referenced (professional group) | Percentile rank, sten score, pass/fail indicator |
EY does not publicly disclose the score thresholds it uses to advance candidates from the online assessment stage. Scores are reviewed holistically alongside the application form for borderline cases, but strong performance on all components of the online assessment is the most reliable route to progressing. Do not anchor your preparation to achieving a specific number — aim to perform in the top quartile of each test.
One important characteristic of EY's scoring: the ability tests and the SJT are evaluated together rather than independently. A very strong numerical and verbal score does not automatically override a low SJT score — EY treats the SJT as a genuine competency filter, not a secondary hurdle. Conversely, a borderline ability score combined with an exceptionally strong SJT performance may receive a holistic review rather than automatic rejection.
To understand the relationship between raw scores, percentile ranks, and sten scores in more depth, see our guide on SHL Test Scores Explained.
4-Week EY Online Assessment Preparation Plan
Four weeks is enough time to produce a meaningful improvement in your performance on all components of the EY online assessment — provided you practise consistently and review your errors carefully after each session. This plan assumes roughly 45–60 minutes of focused practice per day, five days per week.
In the days leading up to your EY assessment, sit at least one full practice session in conditions that exactly replicate the real test: same time of day, same device, same room, no background noise, no phone notifications. The goal is to eliminate environmental variables so that only your skill determines the result. Candidates who have never practised under realistic conditions often underperform by 5–10 percentile points simply due to unfamiliarity with the pressure.
What to Do If Watson Glaser Is Required
If you are applying to a Tax, Law, or specialist advisory role at EY and expect to sit the Watson Glaser, allocate an additional week of preparation specifically to that test. The Watson Glaser requires a distinct approach from standard verbal reasoning — particularly the Inferences and Recognising Assumptions sections, which have their own internal logic that must be understood before the test date. Our Watson Glaser guide covers all five sections in full.
Beyond the Online Assessment
Passing the online assessment moves you to the EY digital interview — a pre-recorded video interview where you respond to 3–5 strengths-based and motivational questions. EY's digital interview questions tend to focus on why you want to work at EY specifically, what you find genuinely energising in a work context, and examples of times you have demonstrated EY's core values. See our EY aptitude test knowledge page for additional guidance on the full application journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Prepare for the EY Online Assessment Today
Access our full library of timed numerical, verbal, and SJT practice tests — the same formats used in the EY online assessment — and track your percentile performance across every session.