Marks & Spencer (M&S) Aptitude Test & Graduate Scheme Guide

Marks & Spencer is one of the UK's best-known retailers, recruiting graduates and early-career candidates into commercial (buying and merchandising), retail management, food, marketing, digital & data, HR, finance, and supply chain functions. Its recruitment process reflects both sides of the business — general merchandise and the M&S Food business — and candidates are usually assessed against practical commercial judgement as well as analytical ability.

Compared with investment banking or Big Four recruitment, M&S's process is shorter and less technically demanding, but it still filters heavily at the online testing stage given the high volume of applications for a small number of places each year. Candidates typically move through an online application, aptitude and situational judgement tests, a video interview, and a final assessment centre.

The application stage asks for your CV or a short online form along with academic details and a small number of motivational questions, such as why you want to work in retail and why M&S specifically. There is no formal degree classification cut-off publicised for most schemes, but strong, specific answers about M&S's positioning — quality, provenance, sustainability (Plan A), and the dual general merchandise / food business — help you stand out at this stage.

• Mention any customer-facing, retail, or seasonal/Saturday-job experience — it is directly relevant and valued
• Be specific about which scheme and function you are applying for, not just "M&S" generically
• Reference a specific product range, store format, or initiative you admire — generic answers are easy to spot

Candidates who clear the application stage are invited to complete online numerical and verbal reasoning tests, together with a situational judgement test (SJT) that presents realistic retail and people-management scenarios. The exact test provider can vary by year and programme, but the question formats are consistent with the wider UK graduate-scheme market: data-table numerical reasoning, true/false/cannot-say verbal reasoning, and multiple-choice SJT items.

Practise with our free numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning guides, and review our full breakdown of the situational judgement test format before you sit the real thing.

Candidates who pass the online tests are typically invited to a recorded or live video interview covering motivation, customer focus, and one or two competency-based questions in STAR format. Expect questions such as "Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer" or "Describe a time you had to influence a team without formal authority."

Treat the video interview with the same seriousness as an in-person interview — dress appropriately, find a quiet, well-lit space, and prepare two or three specific examples in advance. Our video interview tips guide covers technical setup and delivery in detail.

For a full breakdown of group exercises and assessment day formats, see our guides to group exercises and the assessment centre in general.

M&S does not publicise a single named competency framework the way some Big Four firms do. In practice, assessors consistently score candidates against a small set of retail-relevant capabilities:

• Customer focus: Instinctively thinking about the impact of decisions on shoppers and colleagues in-store.
• Commercial thinking: Basic awareness of margin, product cost, and competitive pressure in UK retail and food.
• Collaboration: Working effectively with people across different teams and seniority levels.
• Adaptability: Comfort with a fast-changing, operationally complex retail environment.
• Leadership potential: Especially for management and graduate schemes — evidence of taking initiative and influencing outcomes.

M&S does not publish official cut scores. Because retail graduate and management schemes recruit at higher volume and with broader entry criteria than investment banking or consulting, candidate reports suggest the effective bar sits lower than in finance — commonly estimated around the 50th percentile against the general graduate norm group, rather than the 80th-plus percentile seen at bulge-bracket banks.

That said, "clearing the bar" is not the goal — competition for popular schemes (especially buying and merchandising) is still intense relative to the number of places available. Aim to perform consistently above the passing threshold, not just at it. Our guide to what counts as a good aptitude test score explains how percentile scoring and norm groups work in more detail.

• Week 1 — Aptitude tests: Complete daily numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning practice sets. Review every wrong answer and log the trap types you keep falling for (margin vs markup, true vs cannot-say confusion).
• Week 1–2 — Situational judgement: Work through realistic retail scenarios and compare your instinctive answers against best-practice responses in our SJT guide. Look for the option that balances customer, team, and commercial impact.
• Week 2 — Video interview: Prepare and record answers to 8–10 common motivational and competency questions using the STAR technique. Practise on camera and review playback for pacing and eye contact.
• Week 2 — M&S research: Read recent M&S trading updates, understand its food and general merchandise strategy, and be ready to discuss a specific range, campaign, or sustainability initiative in detail.
• Week 3 — Assessment centre: Run a mock group exercise and a written case with a friend or mentor. Practise structuring a recommendation clearly under time pressure and rehearse contributing without dominating group discussion.