October 2, 2026
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Hiring someone for a finance role can be difficult. A candidate may have the right degree, several years of experience and a strong CV. The interview may go well too. But that still leaves an important question: how will this person actually perform in the job?
Finance roles often require a particular combination of abilities and personality. Working with numbers is obviously important, but so are analytical thinking, accuracy, planning and communication. Depending on the position, you may also need someone who can make decisions under pressure, explain financial information clearly or challenge colleagues when the numbers do not add up.
An online finance assessment can help you look beyond experience and get a better understanding of the person behind the CV.
Experience tells you what someone has done before. An assessment can tell you more about how that person thinks and works.
TestGroup’s finance assessment combines a cognitive ability test with a personality test. The cognitive part looks at numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning. The personality assessment gives insight into work style, behaviour and competencies that are relevant to finance roles.
The assessment does not replace the interview. Instead, it gives recruiters and hiring managers additional information they can discuss with the candidate.
For example, someone may have strong analytical abilities but prefer to take plenty of time before making a decision. That could work very well in one finance position but be less suitable for another. Another candidate might work quickly and confidently but need to pay more attention to detail.
These are useful differences to understand before making a hiring decision.
There is no single personality profile for a successful finance professional.
A financial analyst may need particularly strong analytical skills, while a controller may also need to communicate clearly with managers and other departments. A finance manager needs another combination of skills, including planning, decision-making and working with people.
This is why it makes sense to compare assessment results with the actual requirements of the position. Rather than simply asking whether someone is "good at finance", you can look at whether their abilities, personality and way of working fit the job.
Finance recruitment has traditionally focused heavily on qualifications, experience and technical knowledge. Those things matter, but finance professionals rarely work with numbers in isolation.
They also work with colleagues, managers and clients. They need to explain financial information, ask questions and sometimes challenge decisions.
The Bridge Personality can therefore be used alongside The Bridge Ability Suite. The personality assessment provides insight into work style, behaviour and finance-related competencies. The results can also be viewed through TestGroup’s 4-color personality test, which provides an easy way to understand differences in personality and communication style.
Together, personality and cognitive ability results provide a broader picture of a candidate than a CV or interview alone.
A finance assessment works best when it is used as an extra source of information, rather than as a simple pass-or-fail test.
Compare the results with the requirements of the role. Look at where the candidate is naturally strong and where there may be development points. You can then use these insights during the interview or feedback conversation.
This can also be useful for the candidate. The results give them more insight into their strengths, personality and way of working.
Ultimately, that is what a good finance assessment should do: help organisations understand candidates better and make more informed hiring decisions.
TestGroup’s online finance assessment can be used for different finance roles and job levels. Organisations can order individual assessments or use their own assessment account when testing candidates more frequently.
It typically combines a cognitive ability test, covering numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning, with a personality test that looks at work style, behaviour and finance-related competencies.
No. An assessment works best as an extra source of information that recruiters and hiring managers can explore with the candidate during the interview or feedback conversation.
Finance professionals explain figures, answer questions and sometimes challenge decisions, so how they communicate and work with others affects their performance as much as technical skill.
No. A financial analyst, a controller and a finance manager need different combinations of abilities, so results should be compared with the specific requirements of each position.
If you test candidates frequently, an assessment account is usually more practical than ordering individual assessments one at a time.