Zurich UK Graduate Assessment and Cappfinity
Preparation guide for the strengths-based online assessment and Cappfinity job simulation in Zurich UK's graduate and internship recruitment
Cappfinity tasks Zurich uses
UK graduate schemes and internships.
- Strengths-based online assessment: Behaviours and working with numbers
- Job simulation and video interview: Video and written responses
Source: Zurich UK graduate application tips, checked 2026.
What Zurich says about its assessments
Zurich UK recruits graduates and interns through the same four-stage process, designed, in Zurich's words, to reduce bias and let you show your best self. Both online stages are strengths-based: they look for what you do well and enjoy, set in fictitious scenarios that resemble Zurich's work. For the second of them, the job simulation and video interview, Zurich sends candidates to the Cappfinity Preparation Hub to practise, so that stage runs on Cappfinity's platform.
The four stages
- Online application, with eligibility questions and your CV
- A strengths-based online assessment
- A job simulation and video interview
- A final assessment and interview, online or in person
Zurich uses your CV only to check eligibility: hiring managers and interviewers do not see it before your interview. What you show in the two online stages is what carries you to the final one.
Stage 2: the strengths-based online assessment
Zurich says this assessment explores behaviours and working with numbers. You meet fictitious scenarios linked to the scheme you applied for, which also double as a preview of the work. Expect two kinds of task: choosing how you would respond in workplace situations, and handling figures. For the first, read our guide to the Cappfinity situational strengths test; for the second, our Cappfinity numerical reasoning guide.
Stage 3: the job simulation and video interview
If you pass the online assessment you are introduced to a fictitious project, typical of Zurich's work, and work through a series of scenarios as if you were already in the role you applied for. Along the way you complete different types of tasks, including video and written responses. The Cappfinity Preparation Hub, which Zurich links from its tips page, has guidance and practice assessments for this stage.
The video answers are where your motivation shows. Know why you chose this scheme and insurance, and have a few short examples ready that show Zurich's values: optimism, caring, reliability, results orientation, togetherness and forward thinking.
Stage 4: the final assessment
The last stage is a final assessment and interview, online or at a Zurich office. Zurich suggests revisiting the details of your scheme and researching its products and services beforehand, and treats the day as a chance to meet people from the business.
Schemes and eligibility
Zurich UK runs six graduate schemes, and you apply to one only:
- Accounting
- Actuarial
- Business management
- Change and technology management
- Sustainable energy
- Technology engineering
Each scheme is a permanent job that lasts two or three years, and some include an apprenticeship qualification with about a day a week off the job. You need the full right to live and work in the UK, as Zurich cannot sponsor international students, and you must be graduating soon or have graduated within the last three years. You also need to live within commuting distance of the office named in the advert. Applications open each September; Zurich's apprenticeships use a shorter three-stage version of the same process, without the job simulation.
Top Tips
Answer as yourself, not as the ideal candidate
A strengths-based assessment is looking for what you do well and enjoy doing. Choosing what you think Zurich wants to hear, rather than what you would actually do, makes your answers harder to read as a consistent picture of you.
Keep a calculator and paper nearby
The first online assessment includes working with numbers. Practise reading figures from tables and charts quickly so the numerical tasks do not eat into your attention.
Write your own answers
Zurich says applications that use AI-generated responses will not be considered. Draft your examples in your own words before the job simulation, so the written tasks come quickly.
Rehearse short video answers
Recording yourself answering two or three questions about your motivation and a time you worked well with others is the quickest way to get comfortable before the video stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Zurich use Cappfinity?
Yes, for its UK early careers. Zurich's graduate and internship tips pages send candidates to the Cappfinity Preparation Hub to prepare for the job simulation and video interview stage.
Can I apply for more than one Zurich graduate scheme?
No. You choose one scheme before you submit your application, so read the scheme descriptions first.
Is the internship process the same?
Yes. Interns go through the same four stages: application, strengths-based online assessment, job simulation and video interview, and a final assessment.
Can international students apply?
No. Zurich UK needs graduates to have the full right to live and work in the UK.