Goldman Sachs assessments: SHL tests, HireVue & Superday in 2026
The Goldman Sachs assessment process uses SHL numerical and verbal reasoning tests for most roles, a HackerRank coding test for technical divisions, a HireVue video interview, and a final-round Superday. Because the online tests are standard SHL formats, the fastest way to prepare is to drill the real SHL question types. Start with our SHL provider hub, or compare other firms in the employer assessment guides.
Source note: forge checks this guide against Goldman Sachs careers material, SHL candidate practice pages, and HireVue candidate guidance. Division-specific tests can still change by region and intake.
- Goldman’s online tests are SHL numerical & verbal reasoning.
- Engineering, tech and quant roles also sit a HackerRank coding test.
- Numerical is GCSE-level maths under a tight timer; verbal is true / false / cannot say.
- Then a HireVue video interview and a final Superday of interviews.
- Competitive divisions screen high — often the 70th percentile or above.
- Practise the exact SHL formats free on forge.
Quick summary: Goldman Sachs assessments in 2026
- Most roles: SHL numerical and verbal reasoning tests on the SHL platform.
- Technical roles (engineering, quant): a HackerRank coding assessment as well.
- Numerical is GCSE-level under time pressure; verbal is true/false/cannot-say.
- A HireVue one-way video interview follows the online tests.
- The Superday is the final stage — back-to-back behavioural and technical interviews.
- 1Online applicationApplication, CV and division choice — tailor it to Goldman's business principles.Goldman careers portal
- 2Online assessmentsSHL numerical and verbal reasoning. Technical roles add a HackerRank coding test.SHL · HackerRank
- 3HireVue video interviewRecorded competency and motivation questions, a few minutes per question.Recorded / one-way
- 4SuperdayBack-to-back interviews on a single day — behavioural plus role-specific technical.Final stage
Who is Goldman Sachs?
Goldman Sachs is an American multinational investment bank and financial services firm, founded in 1869 and headquartered in New York with roughly 46,000 employees worldwide. It spans Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions. Goldman’s culture is built on its business principles — the first of which is that “our clients’ interests always come first” — and its recruitment leans on values commonly summarised as partnership, client service, integrity, and excellence. Every competency answer in the HireVue and Superday should map to one of these.
What is SHL?
SHL is the world’s most widely used psychometric test publisher — its assessments screen millions of graduate and professional candidates every year. When an employer says you have an “online assessment”, it is very often an SHL test running on the SHL platform. SHL does not set a universal pass mark; each employer licenses the tests and sets its own cut-score, which is why the same SHL numerical test can screen at the 50th percentile for one company and the 80th for another. Our SHL provider hub and which SHL test am I taking? guide decode exactly what you have been sent.
The full SHL test suite (not just numerical and verbal)
Goldman Sachs is most associated with SHL’s numerical and verbal reasoning tests, and competitive divisions sometimes use the harder Verify G+ general-ability battery. But SHL’s suite is larger than most candidates expect, and the exact mix changes by division (markets, banking, engineering, asset management), region and intake year — an inductive or deductive section, or the OPQ personality questionnaire, can appear for some roles. Prepare numerical and verbal first, but know the whole suite so nothing catches you out.
| SHL test | What it measures | Used at Goldman Sachs? | forge guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verify Numerical Reasoning | Interpreting data from tables, charts and graphs under time pressure (GCSE-level maths). | Commonly | Numerical guide |
| Verify Verbal Reasoning | Judging statements as True / False / Cannot Say from a short passage. | Commonly | Verbal guide |
| Verify Inductive Reasoning | Spotting the pattern in abstract shape sequences — logical/abstract reasoning. | Possible | Inductive guide |
| Verify Deductive Reasoning | Applying rules and constraints to reach a valid conclusion (schedules, orders, conditions). | Possible | Deductive guide |
| Verify Interactive | The newer 'build-the-answer' format — drag, rank and classify instead of multiple choice. | Possible | Interactive guide |
| Verify G+ / General Ability | A combined cognitive battery (numerical + verbal + inductive) with a harder ceiling. | Commonly | Which test? |
| Calculation & Checking | Speed-and-accuracy tests on basic arithmetic and error-spotting for operational roles. | Possible | SHL hub |
| Situational Judgement (SJT) | Rating or ranking responses to realistic workplace scenarios against the employer's values. | Possible | SJT guide |
| OPQ (Occupational Personality Questionnaire) | A personality questionnaire mapping your working style — no right answers, answer consistently. | Possible | Personality tests |
| MQ (Motivation Questionnaire) | What drives and de-motivates you at work; used alongside the OPQ for fit, not ability. | Possible | Overview |
If your invitation email names a test you are unsure about, match the wording to the right guide with which SHL test am I taking? — the fastest way to stop preparing for the wrong format.
The Goldman Sachs numerical reasoning test
Goldman’s numerical test is a standard SHL format: read data from tables and charts and answer multiple-choice questions against the clock. Candidates report around 20 questions in roughly 20 minutes. The maths is GCSE-level (percentages, ratios, growth rates), but the finance framing and time pressure make it harder than it looks. Our full SHL Numerical Reasoning guide covers all five archetypes; here is the trap that bites finance candidates most. Across forge’s SHL question database, gross-vs-net and wrong-base percentage traps together account for about 60% of wrong answers — fixing those two patterns is the fastest score gain.
Fund growth = (1.5 − 1.2) / 1.2 × 100 = 25%.
Outperformance = 25% − 18% = 7 percentage points.
Trap: subtracting the raw figures or dividing by the new value. SHL plants a 20% distractor (0.3 / 1.5) — always divide growth by the original base, then compare in percentage points, not percent.
Knowing the traps is only half of it — the marks come from doing them under a timer. Practise SHL numerical free on forge
The Goldman Sachs verbal reasoning test
The verbal test gives you a passage and a statement to judge as True, False, or Cannot say — using only the passage. The trap is importing outside knowledge about markets or the company. Train the discipline with our SHL Verbal Reasoning guide.
Train the true / false / cannot-say discipline until it is automatic. Practise SHL verbal free on forge
The HackerRank coding test (technical roles)
If you apply to engineering, technology or quantitative roles, Goldman adds a HackerRank assessment: data-structures and algorithm problems solved in your chosen language under a timer. Treat it like a coding interview — drill arrays, strings, hash maps, and complexity analysis until your solutions are fast and clean. Our tech & product assessments guide covers the format.
Reading about the test isn’t the same as passing it
A guide like this one — or a video walkthrough — teaches you the format, the stages and the traps. That is the map, and it matters. But it cannot build the one thing the assessment actually scores: reasoning speed and accuracy under a live timer. That only comes from doing real questions under exam conditions, then reviewing why you missed each one. Passive reading and watching plateau quickly; deliberate, timed practice is what moves your percentile.
The most representative SHL practice is on forge: real, representative questions, a free diagnostic to find your weak spots, worked answer explanations, no subscription, and credits that never expire — the best way to practise the assessments that decide whether you get seen.
Start practising freeThe HireVue video interview
After the online tests, Goldman invites candidates to a HireVue video interview — recorded, one-way, a few minutes per question, covering competencies and motivation. Record practice answers and review your timing and delivery. See our video interviews guide and HireVue prep for the STAR-R structure and the recording technique.
The Goldman Sachs Superday
The Superday is the final stage: several back-to-back interviews on one day, mixing behavioural questions tied to Goldman’s values with role-specific technical or market questions. Prepare one strong, specific example for each value, and rehearse the technical fundamentals for your division. Consistency and genuine motivation for the desk matter as much as raw technical recall.
Ready to practise for Goldman Sachs?
Free skill drills for every SHL format above. Full SHL-style timed tests with explanations available with a forge plan. No subscription, credits never expire.
Sign up freeRelated guides
- All employer assessment guides
- Morgan Stanley assessments
- JP Morgan assessments
- SHL Tests: the complete provider hub
- SHL Numerical Reasoning Test
- SHL Verbal Reasoning Test
- SHL Inductive Reasoning Test
- SHL Deductive Reasoning Test
- Which SHL test am I taking?
- Video interviews (HireVue) guide
Frequently asked questions
What tests does Goldman Sachs use in 2026?+
Goldman Sachs uses SHL numerical and verbal reasoning tests for most roles, a HackerRank technical assessment for engineering and quant roles, a HireVue video interview, and a final round of interviews known as the Superday. The exact mix depends on the division you apply to.
How long is the Goldman Sachs numerical reasoning test?+
Goldman's numerical test is a standard SHL format — candidates report around 20 questions in roughly 20 minutes. It is GCSE-level maths (percentages, ratios, data tables) under a tight timer, with multiple-choice options engineered to match common mistakes.
Does Goldman Sachs have negative marking?+
Some candidates report negative marking on Goldman's online tests, where wrong answers cost more than blanks. Policies vary by test and year, and the test instructions will tell you at the start. If negative marking is confirmed, only guess when you can eliminate options; otherwise answer everything.
What is the Goldman Sachs Superday?+
The Superday is Goldman's final stage — a series of back-to-back interviews (typically behavioural and technical) held on a single day. It blends competency questions tied to Goldman's values with role-specific technical or market questions.
What is the HackerRank test at Goldman Sachs?+
For engineering, technology and quant roles, Goldman uses a HackerRank coding assessment with data-structures and algorithm problems in your chosen language. Non-technical divisions usually skip it in favour of the SHL reasoning tests.
What score do I need to pass the Goldman Sachs assessment?+
Goldman sets its own cut-score rather than SHL setting a universal pass mark. Competitive divisions screen high, often the 70th percentile or above against a graduate norm group, because application volumes are large.
Can I practise the Goldman Sachs tests for free?+
Yes. forge has free skill drills and representative SHL-format numerical and verbal tests in the same formats Goldman uses, so you can train the archetypes and traps before your real assessment.
Note on accuracy: the test providers named in this guide reflect candidate reports and publicly available information as of 2026, and are provided for preparation guidance only. Employers do not usually publish which assessment provider they use, and these relationships change over time — Goldman Sachs may switch providers, run different tests for different roles, regions or intakes, or use a provider not listed here. Nothing on this page is confirmed or endorsed by Goldman Sachs or any test publisher, and it should not be relied on as a definitive statement of Goldman Sachs’s current process. Always confirm the exact test and provider from your official invitation email before you prepare.
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