The application form was straightforward, and an offer for an assessment day was received five days later.

Assessment Day:

• A one-hour numerical/logic test. No preparation is required for this test; you can either do it or you can't.

• A fifteen-minute tea break.

• A one-hour C++ programming test (on paper). Preparation is needed for this. Somewhere in your assessment day invitation email, it will state, "You don't have to know any C++ to pass the test..." Do not let this deceive you. In my opinion, the test requires a solid understanding of C++ to even read the questions, let alone answer them.

The test consists of an A4 page of C++ code. You are then asked questions about the code and to write some function bodies to match the function prototypes. The test (well, my test anyway) made heavy use of linked lists and pointers, so ensure you have a solid understanding of them.

Successful candidates then proceed to an interview.