Zurich assessments: online tests, job simulation and interview prep in 2026
Zurich's hiring process commonly starts with an online assessment that tests behaviours, working with numbers and role judgement, followed by a job simulation/video interview and final assessment. The safest preparation is to practise the underlying provider formats, not a generic aptitude test. Start with forge’s SHL provider hub and compare other firms in the employer assessment guides.
Source note: forge checks provider references against official candidate guidance from SHL, Aon, and HireVue, then treats employer-provider links as caveated because they can change by role, office and recruitment season.
- Zurich candidates commonly report SHL-style reasoning · Cappfinity-style strengths assessment · HireVue-style video.
- Provider attribution changes by role, country and recruitment season.
- forge covers the matching SHL numerical, verbal, logical, deductive and SJT-style practice surfaces.
- If your process includes AON or Cappfinity, use the matching provider drills before your real assessment.
- The later stages usually test motivation, values, communication and role-specific judgement.
Quick summary: Zurich assessments in 2026
- Main provider signal: SHL-style reasoning · Cappfinity-style strengths assessment · HireVue-style video.
- Zurich UK describes an online assessment that explores behaviours and working with numbers; prep-industry sources also report SHL/Cappfinity-style numerical, logical and video stages.
- Use SHL numerical and verbal practice as the baseline unless your invitation names another platform.
- Prepare values-based interview answers and a concise motivation for the role.
- 1Online applicationApplication and eligibility questions through Zurich careers.Zurich careers
- 2Online assessmentStrengths-based scenarios, working-with-numbers tasks and reasoning questions.Numerical · SJT · logical
- 3Job simulation / videoFictitious work scenarios plus recorded motivation or strengths questions.Simulation · video
- 4Final assessmentInterview, group or role-specific task depending on scheme and location.Final stage
Who is Zurich?
Zurich Insurance Group is a Swiss multi-line insurer serving retail and commercial customers worldwide. Its graduate and professional roles often sit in underwriting, actuarial, claims, risk, technology and commercial insurance, so the assessment emphasis is practical judgement: interpreting data, prioritising customer and risk information, and explaining decisions clearly.
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)
Zurich is most associated with SHL and Cappfinity-style, but the exact mix can change by role, country, business unit and intake. Prepare the commonly reported sections first, then use your invitation email to narrow the final test list.
| SHL test | What it measures | Used at Zurich? | 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. | Commonly | 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. | Possible | 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. | Commonly | SJT guide |
| OPQ (Occupational Personality Questionnaire) | A personality questionnaire mapping your working style — no right answers, answer consistently. | Commonly | 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 Zurich numerical assessment
Expect data tables, charts and business scenarios rather than pure arithmetic. Insurance roles reward careful base selection, ratios and risk interpretation.
Do not stop at reading the format. Build speed with a timed drill. Practise SHL numerical free on forge
The Zurich logical / scenario assessment
Zurich's job simulation style means you may have to choose the best response to a customer, risk or team scenario. Treat it like an SJT: identify the objective, protect the customer, and escalate material risk.
Do not stop at reading the format. Build speed with a timed drill. Practise SJT scenarios on forge
The Zurich video interview
Prepare concise answers on why insurance, why Zurich, and a time you handled ambiguity or customer impact. Record yourself because delivery matters as much as content.
A representative numerical trap
Most of these employer processes include at least one data-interpretation section: SHL, AON, Cappfinity and consulting-style digital assessments all punish the same habits. forge’s internal question bank shows wrong-base percentage and gross-vs-net traps are the fastest place to recover marks.
Percentage change = (100 - 80) / 80 x 100 = 25%.
Trap: dividing by the new figure gives 20%, a distractor that often appears in SHL-style numerical tests. Always divide the change by the original value.
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 and Cappfinity-style 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 freeHow to prepare for the Zurich assessment
- Confirm the provider. Read your invitation email first. Employer-provider relationships change by country, role and intake year.
- Baseline your SHL speed. Take one timed numerical and one timed verbal drill, then label every miss by trap type.
- Practise the role-specific section. Prioritise the sections most relevant to Zurich: SHL-style reasoning · Cappfinity-style strengths assessment · HireVue-style video.
- Prepare the interview stage. Build STAR examples around the company's values and rehearse them on camera if there is a recorded interview.
- Run a full timed mock. Do the test in one sitting, review every wrong answer, then repeat only the weakest question families.
- Insurance context: prepare one example each for customer focus, risk judgement, resilience and data-led decision making.
Ready to practise for Zurich?
Use forge for SHL numerical, verbal, logical, deductive and SJT-style practice, plus AON and Cappfinity drills where your invitation names those providers.
Sign up freeRelated guides
- All employer assessment guides
- SHL Tests: the complete provider hub
- SHL Numerical Reasoning Test
- SHL Verbal Reasoning Test
- Situational Judgement Tests
- Cappfinity practice hub
Frequently asked questions
What tests does Zurich use?+
Official Zurich UK material describes a strengths-based online assessment covering behaviours and working with numbers, followed by a job simulation/video interview. Third-party prep sources also report SHL- or Cappfinity-style numerical and logical tests.
Does Zurich use SHL?+
Some prep-industry sources report SHL-style tests for Zurich, but official material frames the stage as a strengths-based online assessment. Confirm the named platform in your invitation email.
Can I practise Zurich tests on forge?+
Yes. forge covers the underlying SHL-style numerical, verbal, logical and SJT formats that match the reasoning and scenario sections candidates report.
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 — Zurich 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 Zurich or any test publisher, and it should not be relied on as a definitive statement of Zurich’s current process. Always confirm the exact test and provider from your official invitation email before you prepare.
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