Morgan Stanley Numerical Reasoning Test

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Ben Hopgood Updated:

About Morgan Stanley Numerical Reasoning Tests

Morgan Stanley looks for employees with a high numerical ability. Applicants may have to pass a numerical test before being offered a position.

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Morgan Stanley use the following tests in their selection process:

  • SHL numerical reasoning test
  • SHL verbal reasoning test
  • SHL logical reasoning test

Morgan Stanley Group is a large international investment bank and financial services company. Morgan Stanley manage $2 trillion dollars' worth of client assets, and provide in-depth analysis of companies, industries and world economies. This research has lead Morgan Stanley to be seen as leaders in the field, with Barron's

Numerical reasoning tests are a fair and objective way for Morgan Stanley to assess a wide range of applicants, each having different experiences and different qualifications. By analysing the results of a standardised numerical reasoning test, Morgan Stanley are able to quickly see which candidates are suitable for the role and which are not. This sort of information about candidates’ skills is difficult to glean from interviews and qualifications alone, so they use professional psychometric tests.

Morgan Stanley Application Process Stages

Stage 1

Online Application

The first step, when applying to Morgan Stanley , is to complete an online application. You will be asked to upload your CV and list your skills, experience and extracurricular activities.

Stage 2

Personality Questionnaire

Once the application has been received, candidates will be asked to complete a culture questionnaire tailored specifically to see whether you share BAT's values.

Stage 3

Online Aptitude Tests

Once the application has been received, candidates will be asked to complete ability tests, published by SHL. There are two tests; numerical and verbal.

Stage 4

Telephone Interview

Successful applicants will be invited for a telephone interview. This is largely to make a brief introduction about your self to the company, to clarify the role that you've applied for and to discuss salary expectations.

Stage 5

Personality Questionnaire

Candidates will then be asked to complete another questionnaire, this time it will try to measure your competency as a leader and the styles you adopt when approaching people in a business context.

Stage 6

Interview

Depending on the role and the location you've applied for and to the next stage will involve a face-to-face interview. This is your opportunity to present yourself to BAT your skills and who you are which would make you such a good fit for the company. Take this opportunity to ask any questions that you have.

Stage 7

Online assessment

Candidates who are invited to the final stage of the application process - the assessment centre - will complete a combination of individual and team exercises as well as a final interview with the Head of the department they've applied to.

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Morgan Stanley Numerical Reasoning Test Questions

Like most numerical tests, the one used by Morgan Stanley look at your ability to interpret numerical and graphical data and answer questions which require numerical analysis of the data provided. The numerical test will be assessing your speed and accuracy. The answers are multiple choice and you should try to work quickly within the time limit, but also accurately. Negative marking is unlikely to be used but do not guess answers, as this will show up in your accuracy score. Sometimes you will find that you can make a best guess estimate by deducing that some of the answer options are incorrect. This approach to numerical tests will come with practice, and you will become familiar with the type of numerical tests used by companies such as Morgan Stanley.

Numerical reasoning tests and who uses them

Companies are using numerical reasoning test more and more in their application process that candidates must go through. Numerical reasoning tests are favoured when the role being recruited for requires interpretation and manipulation of numerical data on a regular basis. A person's score in a numerical reasoning test is a good indicator of their ability to work well with numbers. This is very important in finance, accounting and actuarial positions.

Morgan Stanley use numerical reasoning tests as part of their recruitment process to help them select the best candidates for a particular role.

So as a graduate or senior candidate applying for a job at Morgan Stanley you might feel like the numerical reasoning test is an unnecessary hoop to jump through. But you should bear in mind that Morgan Stanley are asking you to complete the numerical test as much for your own benefit as theirs; if you are not suitable for the role, a psychometric test will usually identify this. Research has shown that psychometric tests, such as those used by Morgan Stanley, are a better predictor of job performance than traditional selection metrics such as level of degree achieved. For more information, check out our numerical reasoning test guide.

What you should know before taking your numerical reasoning test

The numerical operations required in standardised numerical tests are of a level which most applicants can achieve. The difficult aspect comes with carrying out the calculations quickly and accurately within the time limit. You will be allowed a calculator for your numerical test at Morgan Stanley, so make sure you know how to perform these basic operations. Percentage increases and decreases are the most common questions which catch out candidates. Here is a list of the most common operations you can expect in your numerical test:

  • Addition
  • Subtraction
  • Multiplication
  • Division
  • Percentages (including percentage changes)
  • Ratios

Different types of numerical tests

Most questions in most numerical reasoning tests follow a standard format displaying numerical data, the question and answer options on screen. These can be arranged differently, but each test will stick to the same layout throughout. The numerical data may be a graph, table, chart or other visual form. The question text may contain extra information which adds to what's given in the table, this might also be necessary to answer the question correctly. Lastly, the answer options are almost always multiple choice. Multiple choice answers can vary, however. You may have 4 options to pick from, 5, maybe 10, or more. The more answer options to pick from, the slimmer the chances are that you can obtain the correct answer by guessing.

Some publishers will have less subtle variations in their test from what's described here. Cappfinity for example, will ask you to rank the answer options by a particular criteria. Sometimes, in TalentQ tests, the question may have more than one answer, and you will be told to select two, or possibly more answer options from those available.

Answered questions

Are these tests suitable for Morgan Stanley?

Morgan Stanley use Cut-e's reasoning tests to assess applicants in the recruitment process. The practice tests we provide have been designed to create an environment similar to the real assessment.

How difficult are your tests?

The same difficulty as real tests. Generally real employer selection tests don't differ that much in terms of difficulty which is why they compare your score against norm groups. Our practice tests are pitched roughly at graduate level, but this means they are actually suitable for preparing for all levels of job: entry; apprentice; graduate; senior; director.

Are they compatible with my Mac / Tablet / Phone?

Yes, and PC, and Linux and smartphone and Android and...everything. Our practice tests will run on all systems and they are responsive so they will work well on tablets and smartphones too!

How many times can I take the tests?

Unlimited. You can take our practice tests as many times as you like; there is no limit. But to be honest, after taking the same test a few times you start to remember the answers, so that’s why we have lots of tests.