Cohesyve · Practice for candidates
Going for a Financial Analyst role? Find out how you'd actually score.
Run a Financial Analyst simulation built the same way employers build theirs, and get a full report showing exactly where you lost marks — before it counts.
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5 free assessments a month · No card required · Pro from $16/mo
Overview
Financial analyst assessments test whether your numbers hold up and whether you can explain what they mean to someone who will not check your workings. Expect a model to build or audit, a variance to explain, and a recommendation to defend. This page covers the formats and the scoring.
Why employers assess this role
Modelling errors are quiet and expensive, and analytical judgement is hard to assess in conversation. A practical task shows both at once — whether the mechanics are sound and whether the candidate can turn the output into a decision someone can act on.
What gets tested
The format
Duration
60–120 minutes
Question types
- Build or extend a model
- Audit an existing model for errors
- Explain a variance
- Write commentary or a recommendation
Levels
Entry · Mid · Senior
What you'll be asked to do
Build a working model
Usually a forecast, a budget, or a simple valuation. Structure and transparency are marked as heavily as the arithmetic.
- •Build a three-year revenue forecast from stated drivers
- •Model headcount cost including phasing and on-costs
- •Build a simple cash flow forecast and identify the tightest month
Find the errors
A model with deliberate mistakes — a broken reference, a hardcoded value inside a formula, an inconsistent sign convention.
- •Audit a provided model and list what is wrong
- •Identify where an assumption has been hardcoded into a calculation
- •Find the circularity and explain how to resolve it
Explain a variance
Actuals differ from budget. You are scored on decomposing the difference rather than restating it.
- •Explain a margin decline where revenue rose
- •Split a variance into volume, price and mix
- •Determine which part of the variance is timing rather than performance
Write the recommendation
A short piece of commentary for a non-financial reader. Marked on whether it leads with the conclusion and quantifies the risk.
- •Write the commentary a board would read alongside your model
- •Recommend a course of action and state what would change your view
- •Summarise the sensitivity of your forecast to its riskiest assumption
Cohesyve for candidates
Practise a Financial Analyst assessment before the real one
Run the same AI job simulations companies use to evaluate applicants. You get a scored report showing where you're strong and where you're not, plus what to work on.
Sample tasks — and what strong looks like
Build a three-year revenue forecast from a set of provided drivers.
EntryWhat strong looks like: Assumptions on a separate, clearly labelled sheet, no hardcoded numbers inside formulas, consistent structure across periods, and a visible sense-check. Weak submissions bury assumptions inside calculations, which makes the model impossible to flex.
Gross margin fell two points while revenue grew 15%. Explain why.
MidWhat strong looks like: Decomposes into volume, price and mix effects and identifies which dominates, rather than restating that costs rose faster than revenue.
Audit the attached model and report what you find.
MidWhat strong looks like: Systematic rather than opportunistic — traces precedents, checks totals against components, tests sign conventions and period consistency, and separates genuine errors from stylistic preferences.
Your forecast depends heavily on one uncertain assumption. Present that to a board.
SeniorWhat strong looks like: Leads with the conclusion, quantifies the sensitivity in terms the reader cares about, gives a range rather than false precision, and states what evidence would update the view.
How to prepare
- #1
Practise building models with assumptions fully separated from calculations. It is marked in almost every assessment and is quick to make habitual.
- #2
Rehearse variance decomposition into volume, price and mix until it is automatic.
- #3
Build in a sense-check line and actually use it — assessors notice a model that catches its own errors.
- #4
Practise writing commentary that leads with the conclusion, for a reader who will not open the spreadsheet.
- #5
Work on speed with keyboard-driven spreadsheet work; time pressure is a real constraint in these tasks.
- #6
Run a timed scored simulation to find out whether your accuracy holds when the clock is running.
Common mistakes
Hardcoding assumptions inside formulas so the model cannot be flexed.
Restating a variance instead of decomposing it.
Presenting a single-point forecast with no sensitivity or range.
Writing commentary that describes the numbers rather than interpreting them.
Inconsistent sign conventions or period alignment across sheets.
Submitting without a single sense-check on the output.
How it's scored
| Criterion | What strong looks like |
|---|---|
| Model structure | Inputs, calculations and outputs are separated, formulas are consistent across a row, and the model can be flexed without being rebuilt. |
| Accuracy | The arithmetic is right, totals reconcile to components, and the output survives an obvious sense-check. |
| Analytical insight | Variances are decomposed and the driver is identified, rather than the difference simply being described. |
| Communication | Commentary leads with the conclusion, quantifies risk, and is readable by someone without a finance background. |
| Judgement on assumptions | Assumptions are stated, justified, and tested for sensitivity rather than asserted. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How good does my Excel need to be?
Solid rather than exotic. Clean structure, correct referencing, and lookup and aggregation functions cover most assessments. Elaborate techniques rarely earn marks; an unflexible model always loses them.
Will I be tested on accounting knowledge?
Usually at a working level — how the statements connect, what sits above and below the line. Deep technical accounting is normally only tested for roles that explicitly require it.
Is speed or accuracy more important?
Accuracy, but the time limit is real. Most candidates who struggle are accurate and slow, which is why a timed practice run is worth more than another untimed exercise.
Do I need to write commentary as well?
Increasingly yes. The written section is often where candidates separate, because many produce a correct model and then describe it rather than interpret it.
How can I check where I stand first?
Run a scored practice assessment. Cohesyve includes five free assessments a month with a full report against each criterion.
Practise another role
Cohesyve · Practice for candidates
Practise a Financial Analyst assessment now — free.
Five scored assessments a month, a full report on every run, and a learning pathway built from what you got wrong. No card required.
5
free assessments a month
$0
no card required
Full
scored report every run
Every
question type included
5 free assessments a month · No card required · Pro from $16/mo
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