British Airways Graduate Scheme 2020

Is this thread dead? I've applied to British Airways 2020

Its about as quiet as my email address waiting for a response from BA.

I did not even receive any acknowledgement on whether I passed their tests or not.

Really? I did the numerical and deductive reasoning test, I received an email next day saying they will get back to me by December once they have looked at all applications, what stream did u apply for? And did u check your junk mail?

That email doesn't say whether you passed or failed the test. It just says they will get back to you.

Yeah they didn't say I passed or failed either way I don't think it's a good sign and I think I will be rejected soon, applied to barclays grad scheme and did their online test and got automated emails saying they are not taking my application further I don't understand these tests, they are not particularly hard and I feel I pass them, I can't figure what I'm doing wrong

Have you done any practice tests for feedback? If you're consistently passing the numerical elements of the tests, it might be the situational stuff that is holding you back.

I think it's worth remembering that different organisations want different types of people. I've applied for several schemes and in a couple of them I've received really positive results for the SJT segments, and in another scheme, I didn't even make it past the first screener. Initially, I was pretty disappointed not to progress further but I realise now that I was honest in my answers and if the way I respond to situations isn't how they'd like me to respond, I probably would have been really unhappy working in that environment.

Its just luck. They will either have a set number which you must exceed (lets say you need to score a certain mark in the tests or instant fail) OR they will gather the results from all candidates for a given round of applications and then get the candidates in the 70/80th percentile or better etc.

We are all in the same position. The graduate schemes are incredibly difficult to get into. Just got to keep applying.

Its just luck. They will either have a set number which you must exceed (lets say you need to score a certain mark in the tests or instant fail) OR they will gather the results from all candidates for a given round of applications and then get the candidates in the 70/80th percentile or better etc.

We are all in the same position. The graduate schemes are incredibly difficult to get into. Just got to keep applying.

It is the system, you either beat the system or fail the system, as someone from the national careers service put it

Regardless of whether they have a pass mark, or take the top xx% of performers, I don't believe it is luck that gets you through these tests. You can improve your performance by practice, whereas saying it's down to luck would be them drawing the names out of a hat for who gets to progress to the next round.

I agree these schemes are difficult to get, and that applying for many schemes is the right way forward. It is disappointing to get rejected, and it can knock your confidence. Still, each set of tests allows you to identify where you are weakest (for me, I've had to go back and practice percentage increases, etc.).

Anyway, it looks like no one has had any indication whether they have passed or failed for this scheme yet, and you've had good scores on your practice tests, so don't talk yourself into thinking you've failed.

Regardless of whether they have a pass mark, or take the top xx% of performers, I don't believe it is luck that gets you through these tests. You can improve your performance by practice, whereas saying it's down to luck would be them drawing the names out of a hat for who gets to progress to the next round.

I agree these schemes are difficult to get, and that applying for many schemes is the right way forward. It is disappointing to get rejected, and it can knock your confidence. Still, each set of tests allows you to identify where you are weakest (for me, I've had to go back and practice percentage increases, etc.).

Anyway, it looks like no one has had any indication whether they have passed or failed for this scheme yet, and you've had good scores on your practice tests, so don't talk yourself into thinking you've failed.

I don't like these tests because an individual often doesn't know whether speed or accuracy is prioritised. An individual usually doesn't get feedback on what questions were passed or failed. Feedback is only sometimes given and when it is, its only for situational tests.

The luck comes about because its an exam. For example, you may not understand exactly what a question is asking of you, or you may put in the wrong number into a calculator. These things happen. There is almost certainly an element of luck. In my opinion, there is a strong degree of luck involved. This is particularly true for the situational tests and perhaps less true for the numerical/verbal/logical ones.

I'd also say that practising these sort of tests is bull**** after a certain point. By all means, understand what is being tested. Some practice is advised but its overstated. You can practice the same tests over and over and still not be able to do something more quickly. Some things just take people more time to do than others. Yet someone is penalised for that. It is absolutely baffling because it is not something you will ever encounter in industry. People also don't really fail because they haven't practised. They more likely fail because they made a small mistake which is just human error. Practising doesn't eliminate human error.

The irony is that we don't know why someone has failed a numerical/logical/verbal test - they don't give feedback on these tests and so what is the point of practising if you don't know WHAT to practice on? They sometimes give feedback on those situational tests, but this feedback is always useless.

I agree there is an element of luck involved; I think there is in most things in life. I suppose I just prefer to believe I have the power to improve my performance via preparation rather than rely on good luck as it makes me feel more in control!

Yes I agree with that too. I really do wish companies would give us feedback on the tests though, or at the very least tell us what they prioritise or what score we need to get. When I do my GCSE's, A-Levels or uni exams, I know what I need to do to succeed. I don't know what I need to do to succeed in some of these tests. The game ones also take that to a new level.

Anyway, still haven't heard back from BA.

"Congratulations on completing your online assessment. We greatly appreciate the time and effort you’ve put in so far!

We are busy reviewing all applications received for this role, and expect to be in touch with you by 27th November 2019. This is when we will notify you if you have been successful in progressing through to the next stage in the process."

I'm not expecting to hear anything before the 27th. Though it would be nice to be put out of our misery!

Mine said the same but the only difference being the date which said December 13th for me

Sorry, yes in answer to your previous post, I also got the email with the same date as yours. I am applying for another role at another company which wanted me to remove personal details. I rewrote my CV and realised how rubbish the CV was which I submitted to BA lol. Oh well, we'll see how it goes. I actually don't even remember the role I applied for.