The text below provides a full candidate recruitment, assessment and preparation guide and practice for those applying to jobs, internships and graduate programs at Citi (Group).
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If you are aiming to apply to Citi or have a Citi assessment test coming up, our text below is the best place to start.
Not sure if you should practice to prepare for the Citi assessments? According to research, 60-80% of candidates are rejected based on their aptitude tests results. It is proven that practice increases your chances of getting hired.
A recent study (Bradley et al, 2019) found that candidates who do not practise assessments, tend to fail at the first hurdle of psychometric assessments (54%-84%). This study looked at the Top 100 global employers.
In a nutshell:
How to prepare for Citi assessment tests and get the job?
Citi uses a variety of aptitude assessment tests. These may include:
It may be that in the numerical and/or logical test stage you do not progress in your application. These Citi tests sift out 50-80% candidates. The only proven way to get to the next round is practice.
You should practice answering questions that typically come up in interviews for banking jobs. Your answers need to flow and be timely. Avoid filler words. Your verbal communication should be convincing, filled with content that presents you in the best way for the job.
Prepare for your first-round telephone interview by taking mock interviews answering typical banking interview questions. For Citi interview practice, use:
Our video interview practice platform contains predefined competency and industry questions for banking and emulates experience you will have in platforms used for employers’ interviews (Hirevue, Pymetrics, Sonru). Always record your answers and watch them to develop your interview technique, time keeping and words used. Repeat recordings until you feel satisfied.
Use the STAR method for your answers and practice each answer several times.
Citi makes use of a variety of competitive exercises during the assessment center to find the right candidates. Ensure that you practice a variety of exercises including:
Hone your written and spoken communication technique. Research online, prepare and practice presentation of as many business case studies as possible.
Be aware; not many get to this stage. The competition is very fierce.
Prepare for your Citi final interview with a senior manager. Expect and practice for behavioural and competency-based questions. Aim to stand out. They have interviewed dozens or hundreds of candidates at this final stage.
Refine your technique for your final Citi interview to showcase your:
For your final interview, use the video interview platform and record yourself answering the banking questions we provide using the STAR method. Practice and record your answers to the same questions many times!
Continue reading to get answers to these critical questions:
Looking into assessments with Citi, simply use your fingertips or click in the table below to practice assessments relevant to your assessment process!
If you decide to apply for Citi, you can practice online aptitude tests and video interviews with us to improve your results and get scores above their threshold.
Before we begin, let’s find out more about Citi!
Who are Citi?
Citigroup Inc. or Citi, is an American multinational investment banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Citigroup has over 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries, employing around 230,000 employees worldwide.
Citi is a top place for graduates wishing to pursue a career in banking, and so it is a very difficult place to get into. For every job opening, there are hundreds of applications received from students attending some of the best universities in the world. The competition is very fierce and that is why you need to perform your best at each stage of the recruitment process.
Now that you know more about Citi, let’s jump right in with your Citi recruitment process!
In the first step of your journey, you will be asked to create an account or apply through their website job search. Make sure you give all the necessary information to your application, as this will form a basis for any future references and may come up in your interviews!
Do spend some extra time to make sure that this form will reflect both you as a person, and as an ideal candidate for Citi.
You will be required to provide:
You can save any Citi job openings that interest you to apply for directly.
Tailor your CV and cover letter to the job description and research Citi to see if they’re the right fit for you and whether you are the right candidate for them. Compare your interests and values to Citi’s. Refer to them in your application, and later interviews.
So how do I prepare my Citi application form?
But what do I research about Citi for my application? We’ve got you covered there too!
Make sure you have a copy of all the information you have provided. You may be asked for details during the interview. Know your CV inside out. If the information in your application and information shared during the interviews are different, your application may be rejected and disregarded for future processing!
Once your application has been screened and assessed positively, you will be invited to sit Citi’s online aptitude tests.
These will include Citi’s:
The difficulty level of the Citi online tests will depend on the business area and position you applied to, so be sure to carefully read all the information provided in the aptitude test invite email.
Since working at Citi will require you to use your numerical skills and ability to interpret data from tables and charts, the Citi numerical reasoning test will examine your ability to understand previously unseen data and related questions. You will be required to perform basic GCSE Math calculations.
Do not worry if you have not done Math in a while! The complexity of this does not lie in the knowledge tested but in the time pressure and stress. When taking your numerical reasoning test, you will have a minute to read the question, analyse data provided and perform the necessary calculations.
The only way to succeed is to take practice tests beforehand. This way you familiarize yourself with the types of questions and become more confident. Learn how to manage your stress in a safe environment and you will not have to face rejection – just because you were unfamiliar with the process.
For more help on how to pass a numerical reasoning test, visit our YouTube channel:
If you are looking for Citi-style numerical reasoning tests with answers, worked-solutions and professional score reports including personalised tips based on your performance – then GF has you covered.
Try answering the following example numerical reasoning question in under a minute:
Check if you got the correct answer at the bottom of the page.
For more FREE QUESTIONS similar to Citi’s online tests, sign up with GF and take your FREE numerical reasoning test now!
This test will not examine any particular area of your knowledge. You will be presented with 5 diagrams with varying shapes and spatial arrangements, and then will be asked to identify the right pattern to determine what comes next in the sequence.
The main difficulty with Citi’s logical reasoning test, is that there is no pre-requisite knowledge required and there is no limit to how abstract these patterns and trends can be; both two- and three-dimensional shapes will differ in: size, arrangement, movements and colours.
However, the test is not as difficult as it seems!
By having a look at Citi-style logical reasoning tests offered by GF, you will get familiar with the format and level of difficulty of the questions.A lot of patterns are repetitive and follow similar logic, so by practicing you will grow in confidence and be better-suited to take your real test.
Some people find it easier to cross out all the answers that do not follow the pattern you have identified, in order to find the right answer. It might also be helpful to try to follow the pattern with your fingers on the desktop to save time drawing the diagrams on paper.
If you are looking for Citi-style logical reasoning tests with answers, worked-solutions, progress tracking and professional score reports including personalised tips based on your performance, then GF has you covered!
Have a look at an example logical reasoning question below:
You will have ONLY around 45 seconds to notice that:
Think you got it right? Check the bottom of the page for the correct answer!
For even more Citibank assessment test answers, then practice some logical reasoning examples with worked solutions on our YouTube video:
Discover more FREE QUESTIONS similar to Citi’s aptitude tests when you sign up with GF today!
If you have successfully passed all the Citi online aptitude tests, you will be invited to several interview rounds as a part of the Citi selection process. The Citi first round interview will most likely take the form of a telephone interview or a virtual/video interview. A HR-specialist will contact you to conduct this interview, and it will usually take around 25-30 minutes.
What is your Citi interviewer looking for? Uncover what top 3 things you need to impress for your interviews with our short video:
Here is a breakdown of the Top 3 things you need to display in your Citi interview explained above:
Your interview will be competency-based (CBI). Be ready to discuss specific examples in which you demonstrated certain skills: determination, teamwork, leadership skills etc. Think about your previous projects and experiences, from your professional-, academic-, private- or fitness-related life.
So then, you may be wondering…
Prepare for your telephone or virtual interview using the GF video interview preparation tool to nail your technique in recording answers, and practice answering those critical competency and Banking industry questions.
Each of your answers should ideally follow a STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) model in your responses, in which you need to refer to each of the four points mentioned above; explain what the particular situation was, what task you were faced with, what action you took and what the result was.
Citi Interview tip #2: Find a quiet place to practice where you know you will not be disturbed. You should have your CV printed and with you at your interview in case you need to quickly refer to any of the points you mentioned.
Check out our short video below for an example interview question with a STAR answer:
Example Citi interview questions and answers
Below you can find a few examples of common Citibank interview questions and how you can best answer them:
Question #1: What research have you undertaken to help you understand Citi and the program you are applying for?
Answer: For this answer, show that you’ve done your research into the company. Explain how Citi is different from their main competitors, and how the culture and recent achievements that the company has had interests you. Focus on the role as well, providing the reasons you have for your passion for the field you’re applying for and why you believe Citi is the right choice, using examples from your research.
Question #2: What can you bring to Citi?
Answer: Demonstrate several reasons why you believe you are the best fit for Citi. Make sure to mention times you’ve shown the specific skills they’re looking for with examples and evidence to support you. Subtly and appropriately explain how your own aims and ambitions match Citi’s core values and how you and the company can grow with your current and developing skills. You can also show your research here by discussing their strategy and how you want to contribute to this.
Question #3: Can you tell me a time when you made a mistake and how you handled it?
Answer: The interviewer isn’t asking you this because they want to reject you, but because they are trying to understand how you cope with any setbacks and the stress caused by these, and how it affects your integrity. While answering this question, be honest. Use the STAR method and try to find a mistake that you have genuinely learned from, describing what you have learned from this and how you would handle things differently in the future.
Question #4: Tell us about the time when you experienced a difficult situation whilst working in a group and how you resolved it.
Answer: This is another great opportunity to use the STAR method. Highlight a real Situation you have experienced where you and your group had an issue, what Tasks were required to be solved, the Actions you and your group had taken to resolve these and the Result of these actions on the tasks at hand. Reflect on these and be honest. If the results weren’t great, consider how you could improve.
You are likely to also be asked some technical questions relating to your field you’ve applied for, which may vary in difficulty depending on the entry level.
Want to know other potential Citi interview questions that could come up in your interview? GF can help with our proprietary Question Identifier Tool (QIT).
The next stage of the Citi recruitment process is an Assessment Centre, during which you will be assessed by senior members of the relevant business areas across two exercises. These may take form of the:
Group assessment exercises examine your ability to communicate and reach conclusions as part of a team. Throughout this task you will be observed by Citi’s recruiters, so try to demonstrate your strengths; share and explain your ideas, but also be open to build on somebody else’s input and develop on their points, try your best to persuade others towards your opinions and also ask thought-provoking questions. Above all – stay calm and speak in a confident and clear manner.
Citi Assessment Centre tip #1: Stand out from the competition by following some of the assessment centre tips that our Chartered Organisational Psychologists prepared to help you with your Citi assessment centre.
Presentation Exercises will mainly test you on your communication skills. Your assessors will also be looking at your body language and tone to see how you would cope with delivering professional presentations, taking part in group discussions and explaining your opinions.
Citi Assessment Centre tip #2: Always stand straight, make regular eye contact with everyone in the audience and do not speak too fast.
Congratulations – you are almost there. The final interview is the last stage of the Citi recruitment process. You just need to focus on a few more things.
Learn as much as you can about Citi and its corporate culture. You need to have a high level of understanding of Citi’s mission, any relevant recent big news and its future developments. Think about the industry as a whole too – do you see any structural changes that you could talk about?
Be prepared. Not many have made it this far. Don’t miss our short video on our best tips on how you can prepare for your final interview on the day:
Your final interview with Citi is also your opportunity to discover more about the company, culture and the team you are likely to be working with. However, asking interesting questions in the interview is about so much more than this.
Come equipped with some thought-provoking questions for your interviewer. Stand out from the competition and demonstrate your genuine motivation and enthusiasm to work for the company.
Want to know some questions to ask in your interview? Then don’t miss our short video packed full of example questions to ask your interviewer!
Do not be afraid to ask your interviewer about their personal experiences with the company, as well as their career path! They want to see your genuine interest to work for Citi, and not as just another ‘job seeker’. Your enthusiasm and interest may impress the interviewer and offset some of your shortcomings from the interview.
Congratulations! If you have been successful in your Citi final round interview and followed all of our super useful advice and tips, you may receive an offer to work in the position you applied for at Citi!
But don’t go just yet!
Citi also has tons of opportunities for students, from internships to apprenticeships and graduate schemes all over the world that you can apply for on their website.
Sounds interesting? Then let’s take a look at just a few of these opportunities just within the UK below!
Citi wants you to put your studies into practice through their various university programs, such as the ICG Graduate Software Engineer and the 4-month Investment Banking Placement Analyst program.
Expand your expertise and skills through many diverse activities to keep you busy, such as: analysing and developing data models, preparing, coordinating and finalising presentations and documentation and working with various databases, applications and software development tools.
What is the eligibility criteria for the Citi Graduate Schemes?
Many of these Citi Graduate Schemes are currently open on a rolling basis. Register an account with Citi now to apply for these opportunities.
The Citi Career Ready internship is a 4-week programme that takes place during the summer holidays in London and Belfast for Years 12 and 13. You’ll experience a variety of skills sessions, team projects and presentations, work shadowing and have opportunities to network in meetings with teams and clients.
You will have the opportunity to develop experience within the following fields:
What is the eligibility criteria for the Citi Career Ready programme?
Students are sure to apply their knowledge to the test and develop their skills through a variety of apprenticeship opportunities and activities at Citi, such as the development, testing and implementation of scripts and applications, processing data efficiently and accurately, brainstorm efficiency improvements and simulating disasters to test the resiliency of Citi applications.
What are the eligibility criteria for the Citi Apprenticeships?
The Citi interview process consists of 3 main interview steps:
The first interview is likely to be over the phone with a recruiter. The following interviews may be held in-person or virtually.
Practice your interview technique and research Citi to demonstrate your:
The response times may vary depending on the number of applicants or the role level, however it may take from a week or two for a HR member to Citi to respond. Do check your job portal often to stay up to date on your application status.
In the UK, Analysts at Citi are paid on average £62,000 per year and Associates may earn a salary of around £124,800 per year on average.
Practice aptitude tests with GF to get your job with Citi first time
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Answers to questions:
Numerical reasoning test: D
Logical reasoning test: C
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