New SHL Deutsche assessment format
(updated September 2022):
- Situational Judgement Test
- OPQ Personality
- General Ability: Numerical, Inductive and Deductive
For each section you will get:
- Accurate practice questions
- A full and thorough study guide
- Explanations for every question
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Avia, Finance Sector Specialist at JobTestPrep.
Have a question? Contact me at: ask_avia@jobtestprep.com
Deutsche Bank Application Process
Doesn’t matter what programme you apply to, the application process is roughly the same:
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Stage 1 |
Initial application online or through a recruiter on campus |
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Stage 2 |
Deutsche Bank online assessments provided by SHL:
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Stage 3 |
2 rounds of interviews |
| Stage 4 | Offer! |
While the SJT and OPQ are personality-based, and the interviews are competency-based, the general ability test focuses on your cognitive abilities.
Each step is a screening stage, but the most comprehensive one is the SJT. Most candidates are dinged here.
Applying to more than one bank to maximize your chances? Check out our HSBC APTA Value preparation!
All You Need to Know About the Deutsche Bank Situational Judgment Test
The Deutsche Bank situational judgment test is a mandatory online assessment that ALL candidates must go through.
Note: The link to take the online assessment is valid for ten days before expiring automatically. The test itself is not timed, it is suggested to complete it within 20 minutes.
The test, administered by SHL, is designed to see how well your values align with the values at Deutsch Bank. The way to do so is to present various realistic work situation and see how you respond to each.
As the test situations are inspired by real day to day work scenarios, your responses will paint a picture of how you might fit in as a Deutsch Bank analyst.
During the test you will have to analyse 24 work situations. Every situation will have three possible responses, and your job is to choose both the most AND least effective responses.
A walk in the park, no?
Not really.
Shortly I will elaborate on why this is one of the trickier tests.
But first, let’s see an example:
You are a trainee analyst enrolled in a graduate programme at a London bank. You are currently working under the supervision of two managers.
The first manager has asked you to give a presentation to a client in a meeting later this week; the second manager is waiting for a detailed report for a new and important client.
You are on a very tight time schedule as both assignments are due to be handed in by the end of this week. You work extra hard and are confident you are going to meet your deadlines when a third manager approaches you.
She notifies you of a client's complaint that you will have to deal with urgently. Given this unexpected task, you will struggle to complete the two other assignments you were working on.
What would you do in this situation?
Rank TWO of the following options, one as the BEST and one as the WORST.
- Spend some time examining all three tasks. Use your own common sense and previous knowledge to decide which of them would be the least problematic to postpone.
- Speak to the clients, apologise to them, saying that a very urgent issue has come up and you will have to reschedule your deadlines.
- Gather information from all three managers to assess priorities and deadlines. Then, open your work calendar to find ways of revising your timetable, and be aware of the possibility that you will have to put in a few more hours, if required, to meet all your deadlines.
- Work overtime to get the presentation and the report done on time. The extra time will give you the opportunity to complete both assignments to a high standard and deal with the complaint as well.
Primary competencies: Decision making
Secondary competencies: Independence; Working under management; Flexibility and adaptability; Achievement-striving
Best response: 3
Worst response: 2
Explanation: When confronted with a timetable problem, the best way to go about it is to think before you act.
Positive responses will show a certain amount of consideration and planning on your part before choosing to act, while negative responses will be hasty in nature.
In situations such as the one described in the scenario, you need organisational skills to prioritise your tasks and plan your time and actions independently.
Let's consider each response individually:
Response #1: This response displays an ability to plan and prioritise and is therefore a positive choice.
Response #2: There is no indication of prior consideration; rather you decide to take action immediately and postpone both obligations in favour of a seemingly more urgent matter.
This is a negative choice as you do not demonstrate any planning abilities. Moreover, you are hasty in postponing client deadlines, an action that reflects poorly on the company.
Response #3: This response displays an ability to plan and prioritise, and is therefore a positive choice.
You utilise your managers to get all the information you need and don't rely solely on your own common sense (as is the case in response #1).
Moreover, you show flexibility by re-adjusting your timetable to fit the new demands, and you aim to finish all tasks, thus showing achievement-striving. Therefore, this is an excellent response choice.
Response #4: This is not an optimal choice as it does not display the ability to plan and prioritise your tasks.
However, it does suggest a high work ethic and a tendency to be a 'workaholic'.
Choosing too many 'workaholic' responses could indicate either a difficulty to balance workload (decision-making skills), or dishonesty – an attempt to present yourself as a perfect candidate.
Tip: Try choosing responses that take into account the needs of everyone in the situation (including your own), that help the situation, and that represent the competencies you want to show.
This solving tip and many more are found in the full SJT study guide, included in our preparation pack.
What Makes the Deutsche Bank Situational Judgment Test So Tricky?
- Deutsche Bank is the only bank we know of that uses ONLY a situational judgment test as an initial screening stage. This puts a lot of weight on this one crucial test. Scary stuff.
- It IS a screening stage. I know of a lot of candidates that were dinged right after taking the test, so your score does matter.
- There are right and wrong answers. Remember, the goal of these questions is to engage you in a scenario so that you will provide a spontaneous, genuine response. However, your spontaneous choice is not necessarily the best one.
- Ambiguous responses. The optional responses are usually in the realm of grey area, and the right answer will not be obvious.
- Ranking system. Not only you have to choose the right answer, but you also have to choose the worst answer. That is not a regular question format, and it takes time getting used to.
These difficulties can be overcome with proper preparation and guidance.
You need to train yourself to answer in a manner that will fit the Deutsche Bank work environment. To accomplish this, you need to know what stands behind every question, and what competency it tests.
Our preparation pack contains practice questions with full explanations, that will teach you how to properly analyse every situation.
Also included is a thorough study guide filled with tips and strategies on how to deal with this kind of test.
Start practising now to familiarise yourself with the Deutsche Bank situational judgment test & ace it.
Deutsche Bank Programmes
Deutsche Bank Spring Week
Spring Week is a week-long insight programme with eligibility for 1st-year students in a 3-year course or 2nd-year students in a 4-year course.
This programme is designed to give you a glimpse of the analyst job at Deutsche Bank, as well as the various business departments of the firm.
You will be rotating between different desks and divisions, work-shadow actual analysts, and learn basic skills you will need later on.
The best part is that you will be fast-tracked to the interview stage of the summer internship. Not only that, but you will also get an early interview, which will increase your chances of getting an offer.
If you are an exceptionally successful spring intern – you will get an internship offer on the spot!
Deutsche Bank Internship Programme
8-10 weeklong internship with a specific division of the bank, eligible for students in their penultimate year.
Note: The application is usually open between June and August. The interviews are done on a rolling basis, so apply as early as possible.
Whether you choose Investment Banking, Corporate Banking, Finance or any other business department of the bank, your training will be similar.
You will start with a few days of basic training, a sort of “Welcome to Deutsche Bank” that will familiarise you with the basic stuff.
After that, you will have a few rotations in different desks within your division. At every desk you will have the chance to do some actual hands-on work, with real cases and clients.
The programme also involves lectures and networking with senior staff.
And the best benefit of all:
Successful interns will get an offer for the graduate programme.
Deutsche Bank Graduate Programme (Graduate Scheme)
This is a full-time job coupled with a full year of training before continuing your career as an analyst.
The training begins with a thorough introduction to Deutsche Bank, its assets, clients, and projects. It also includes meetings with senior management, who will share their vision for Deutsche Bank future.
Your actual work will start on day one, in a specific desk or business area of your chosen division. Alongside working on real live projects, you will keep training to develop a variety of skills needed for an analyst.
Timeline:
- October-December: Application
- January-April: Interviews
- April: Graduate training begins
FAQ
Deutsche Bank used to administer a range of aptitude tests, up until two years ago. They decided to stick only to the SJT and leave the technical stuff for later in the application process.
Although the SJT seems like a personality assessment, it is a screening stage. Which means there are right and wrong answers, and that your performance is being scored.
The key here is to remember that you are scored regarding how well you can fit to Deutsch Bank.
To be able to answer correctly you need to know what competency is tested in each situation. That skill is something you acquire by practising.
The whole world is adjusting to this new and crazy reality, and Deutsche Bank is no different. Last year they cut the internship programmes in half and moved it online. This year the process and the training will probably also be fully virtual.
Yes, you can. Deutsche Bank declares that they are looking for candidates from all disciplines, as long as they are motivated and have an interest in finance.
Sadly, no. You are eligible only if you graduated in the past 12 months.
