"Barclays cut-e / Aon Assessment: What to Expect & How to Practice"

Applying to a Barclays Analyst programme, a Summer Internship, or a spring insight week usually means an early email inviting you to complete a set of online tests — for many Barclays roles these are cut-e assessments (cut-e is now part of Aon). Unlike the behavioural game batteries some banks use, cut-e leans on short, adaptive ability tests with tight per-question timers. As of 2026 they typically follow your online application and eligibility questions, screening candidates before interviews. Exact steps vary by division, programme and region, so trust your invite email over any guide, including this one — but the cut-e format is distinctive and very trainable once you know what you're walking into.

What the assessment looks like

cut-e / Aon assessments are a suite of separate timed modules rather than one long game. You'll commonly meet a numerical reasoning test (reading data from tables and charts), a logical or inductive reasoning test (spotting the pattern in a sequence), and sometimes a checking or verbal test. The defining features are that they're adaptive — questions get harder as you answer correctly — and that each item runs on a tight individual timer, so pace matters as much as accuracy. There's little role-specific knowledge involved; these measure aptitude. Two consequences follow. You can't memorise answers, but you can train the underlying numerical fluency, working memory and attention so you're faster and calmer per item. And there's no visible pass mark — candidates below the benchmark simply stop advancing rather than seeing a fail. We unpack that hidden-threshold logic in can you fail a game assessment.

The games that decide most, and how to train them

Number sense under a timer. cut-e numerical items reward fast, confident magnitude judgement before you even reach for arithmetic — knowing roughly what the answer should be. Build that intuition with the numerosity game.

Mental arithmetic. Once you've estimated, you need to calculate quickly and accurately without a calculator crutch on the simpler steps. Drill speed and precision with the mental math test.

Selective attention for checking. cut-e checking and error-spotting tasks demand you filter distractors and hold focus at pace — the same muscle a flanker task trains. Sharpen it with the flanker arrows test.

Working memory. Holding figures and reordering them in your head under time pressure is exactly what backward span trains. Strengthen it with the backward digit span.

Barclays's process & timeline

A typical Barclays route runs: online application and screening questions, then the cut-e ability tests, then — for those who clear them — a HireVue or recorded video interview, followed by a final-round assessment centre with group exercises, a case and competency interviews. Divisions and regions differ, and some fold stages together. To understand the vendor in depth, read the cut-e / Aon assessment guide; for how ability tests sit within the broader game-based landscape, the pillar HireVue game-based assessments complete guide is a useful map. Comparing banks? See our HSBC and Citi guides.

How to prepare in 3 days

Because cut-e is adaptive and timed, pace is the skill to build. Day one: run each related game cold and note the two weakest — that's your target list. Day two: two focused sessions on those two, morning and evening, deliberately pushing your speed while keeping errors low, so the pacing instinct settles overnight. Day three: one full relaxed run across everything, then rest — tired eyes make careless mistakes on timed checking tasks. Set yourself up well: use a laptop with a proper keyboard, keep a pen and scrap paper ready for numerical working, sit somewhere quiet and uninterrupted, and read each module's instructions twice, since cut-e formats differ noticeably between tests.

FAQ

Can I retake the tests? Generally no within a single cycle — Barclays typically expects one genuine attempt, and results may be reused if you reapply soon after. Treat your first sitting as the real one and prepare accordingly.

Does Barclays see how I worked each question? No — cut-e returns your scores and a percentile-style read against the benchmark, not a recording of your process. What matters is accuracy and pace, not showing your working.

Do all Barclays programmes use cut-e? No. The tests you get depend on the division, programme and region, and some roles use different vendors or add a video stage. Your invitation email is the only reliable guide to your specific application.

GamePrep is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with Barclays, cut-e, Aon or Harver. Hiring processes change — verify details against your assessment invitation. We provide practice only — no leaked questions or answers.