Saxo Bank ACE and MPA Tests

What Saxo Bank says about its assessments

Saxo Bank, the Danish trading and investment bank, uses two tests from Master International, a Danish assessment publisher. In a case study published by Master, Sanne Hulsebos, Saxo Bank's Global Head of Recruitment and Employee Onboarding, says that ACE and MPA are used for all candidates progressing to second-round interviews, and that the bank uses them across all locations as a qualification tool for new hires, to keep a consistent standard. The tests are integrated into Workday, so the invitation reaches you through the same system as the rest of your application. Master reports that the bank assesses thousands of candidates a year this way.

The case study names ACE and MPA only. It does not mention Master's CORE matrices test or the OPTO personality questionnaire, so expect the two it names and check your own invitation for anything else.

Where the tests sit in the process

• Your application and the first round, which the case study does not describe
• ACE and MPA, for everyone progressing to the second round
• The second-round interview

What the case study does fix is the order: the tests come before the second interview, so an interviewer may have your MPA profile in front of them when you walk in.

ACE: the adaptive reasoning test

ACE, the Adjustable Competence Evaluation, is most often 12 questions in 30 minutes, mixing number problems with a typed whole-number answer, 3x3 figure matrices, word analogies and logic grids. It is adaptive: a right answer makes the next question harder and a wrong one makes it easier, and your result is the difficulty you sustain, reported as a STEN from 1 to 10 against the band the employer has set for the role. The employer chooses the version, so a longer 24-question sitting is possible.

Two rules matter more than any others. A calculator, pen and paper are allowed, and Master says the calculator is expected. And a skipped question is counted as completed and the next question is chosen as if you had got it wrong, so never skip: a reasoned guess always beats a skip. Master also recommends that employers confirm high results with a short supervised re-test at interview, ACE Confirm, so the aim is a result you can reproduce.

MPA: the personality questionnaire

The Master Person Analysis gives you 40 groups of four statements. In each you mark the one most like you at work and the one least like you. There is no clock and no right answer: the result places you on nine working-style properties, from self-assertion and pace to attention to detail and abstract thinking, and it is built to be talked through at interview. Each group mixes statements from different properties, keyed in both directions, so choosing the most flattering line every time scatters your profile rather than improving it.

Top Tips

Put a calculator and paper on the desk before ACE

The numerical questions assume you are working on paper. Find the rounding instruction first: “how many are needed” rounds up and “how many full ones” rounds down.

Sit ACE on a computer, in one block

Master says ACE is not supported on tablets or phones. Give yourself 30 uninterrupted minutes; most people finish in about 20, and the spare time is for checking.

Answer MPA as you are at work

Think of an ordinary working day, not your best one. Then prepare an example for each of the properties where your profile sits furthest from the middle, because those are what a second-round interviewer is most likely to ask about.

Ask for your report

Master says every candidate tested with its tools is entitled to feedback on their result. Reading your MPA profile before the interview tells you what the interviewer is reading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Saxo Bank use the Master ACE test?

Yes. Saxo Bank's Global Head of Recruitment says in a Master case study that ACE and MPA are used for all candidates progressing to second-round interviews, across all locations. Confirm the details in your own invitation, as processes change.

Is there a pass mark?

Master tests have no fixed pass mark. The employer sets a band of STENs for the role and compares your result with it. Saxo Bank does not publish its bands. Master's generic bands for ACE run from 4 to 7 for operational roles, 6 to 10 for generalist and management roles and 8 to 10 for analyst and leadership roles.

Can I use a calculator?

Yes, on ACE. Master says a calculator is permitted and expected, and pen and paper are allowed too.

How long do the two tests take?

The standard ACE has a 30 minute limit and takes most people about 20. MPA has no time limit; Master puts it at 20 to 30 minutes.