Citi
Candidates report the Plum assessment as the first online step after the application, before HR and interview rounds.
Plum Assessment: The Discovery Survey, Section by Section
The Plum assessment is the Plum Discovery Survey, a roughly 25-minute online survey that employers use to see how well a candidate fits a role. Candidates report it at employers such as Citi and Bloomberg, often as the first step after the application. It mixes preference questions, visual puzzles and workplace scenarios.
This page explains each section, which parts have right answers, how results reach the employer and how to prepare. Plum publishes little about the survey, so facts from Plum, prep sites and candidates are labelled separately.
Plum at a Glance
| What is it? | The Plum Discovery Survey, from Plum, a Canadian assessment company that Phenom announced it had acquired in April 2026. It builds a Plum Profile of your work preferences and abilities. |
|---|---|
| What is in it? | Five sections: two of preference questions (statements and adjectives), two of visual puzzles and one of workplace scenarios. |
| Is it timed? | Prep sites report no countdown. Plum says it takes about 25 minutes. Invitations usually expire after a few days; 72 hours is often reported. |
| Who sees the result? | The employer. Prep sites report a match score against the Talents the employer chose for the role; you get your Plum Profile, not the score. |
| Can you retake it? | Plum says you usually take it once and reuse the profile; a retake is possible a year after your last attempt. |
What Is the Plum Assessment?
Plum is a pre-employment assessment platform. Instead of testing what you know, the Discovery Survey looks at what you prioritise at work, how you solve unfamiliar problems and how you handle people. Plum turns your answers into a Plum Profile, and employers compare that profile with the needs of the role.
Plum's help center lists 10 Talents it reports on: Adaptation, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Decision Making, Embracing Differences, Execution, Innovation, Managing Others, Persuasion, Teamwork. Prep sites report that the employer picks the Talents that matter most for the role, so the same answers can fit one job well and another less well.
Plum says it helps employers assess fit but does not make hiring or interview decisions, so questions about what happens next go to the employer you applied to. In April 2026, Phenom, a recruiting-software company, announced that it had acquired Plum.
The Five Sections of the Plum Discovery Survey
Prep sites describe five sections in a fixed order, and Plum's help center describes how you answer each one. Plum does not publish how many questions each section has; one prep site reports about 20, 7, 5, 7 and 7.
| Section | What you do | Right answers? |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Statements | For each set of statements, choose the one most like you and the one least like you. | No: Plum calls this part a personality test |
| 2. Problem solving | Look at a sequence of grids and choose the one that comes next from four options. | Yes: one correct option per puzzle |
| 3. Adjectives | From a list of adjectives, choose the three most like you and the three least like you. | No: Plum calls this part a personality test |
| 4. Problem solving | A second set of grid-sequence puzzles in the same format, with varying difficulty. | Yes: one correct option per puzzle |
| 5. Scenarios | Read a workplace situation and choose the most and the least effective response. One prep site describes ranking every response instead. | In part: some responses are more effective than others |
The Plum Problem-Solving Puzzles
Sections 2 and 4 are visual. Prep sites describe a row of grids with shaded squares that change from one grid to the next, and four options for the grid that comes next. You select an option by clicking it; you do not drag pieces. No reading, maths or job knowledge is needed.
The puzzles look varied, but prep sites agree they reuse a small set of rules. A typical one: the shaded squares along one diagonal disappear two at a time while the other diagonal fills up. To solve them:
- Check one feature at a time: how many squares are shaded, where they are, which way they move.
- Look for two rules at once in harder puzzles, for example one row filling while one column empties.
- Eliminate options that break a rule you are sure of, then compare what is left.
These are the only sections with a single correct answer, so they are the part where practice pays off most.
The Statement and Adjective Sections
In section 1 you see a set of statements and choose the one most like you and the one least like you; the Next button stays disabled until you have chosen both. In section 3 you choose three adjectives that describe you best and three that describe you least, and the same adjective cannot be in both groups.
Plum's FAQ says these two sections are a personality test with no right or wrong answers. Its help center also explains that the format is forced choice on purpose: sometimes you have to pick between statements that all describe you, or none of them, and similar statements come back paired with different ones. Plum calls this prioritising, the way you would choose how to spend a limited day.
Our advice: answer honestly and consistently, and don't try to guess an ideal profile. The employer sets the profile for each role, so there is no single set of answers that fits every job.
The Social Intelligence Scenarios
Section 5 describes situations at work, such as a disagreement with a colleague or an unhappy client, with several possible responses. Plum's help center describes choosing the response you think is most effective and the one you think is least effective. One prep site describes ranking all the responses from most to least likely instead, so the format may vary.
Prep sites call this section social intelligence. Responses that deal with the problem directly, respect the other person and keep the work moving are usually better than ones that avoid the issue, escalate straight away or blame someone. That is general advice from us and prep sites, not Plum's scoring key, which is not public.
Which Employers Use Plum?
Plum does not publish a current client list, and employers rarely name it on their careers pages. These are candidate reports, so check your invitation: it comes from Plum and names the employer. Checked 23 October 2026.
Bloomberg
A 2022 intern candidate reports a Plum test of cognitive abilities due within 72 hours; a 2025 candidate in Tokyo describes puzzles and brain teasers, followed by a HireVue video interview invitation.
Source: Bloomberg interview review, 2022 (Glassdoor), Bloomberg interview review, 2025 (Glassdoor)
Prep sites also name other banks and consumer-goods companies. We list an employer only when a candidate report or an official page we can link to confirms it.
Plum Results, Match Scores and Retakes
After the survey you can open your Plum Profile, with insights about your strengths. Prep sites report that the employer sees something different: a match score showing how well your profile fits the Talents it chose for the role. No pass mark is published, and you do not see the match score.
Plum says you normally complete the survey only once: the same profile can be linked to other applications that use Plum, including ones made with a different email address. A retake is possible a year after your last attempt. That makes your first attempt count, so take it when you can focus.
How to Prepare for the Plum Assessment
- Check the deadline in your invitation. Plan a quiet 30 minutes well before it, on a laptop with a stable connection.
- Practise grid-sequence puzzles. They are the only sections with one right answer. Get used to checking count, position and movement one at a time.
- Read every option before choosing. In the scenarios, picture a capable first-year employee and ask which response solves the problem and keeps the relationship.
- Answer the statements and adjectives honestly. Forced choice will feel uncomfortable sometimes; that is by design. Choose what you prioritise, not what sounds best.
- Ignore “Plum answers” documents. The personality sections have no answer key, and the employer's role profile is not public.
- Get ready for the next stage. Candidates report a recorded video interview after Plum at some employers, such as a HireVue interview at Bloomberg.
If you need extra time or another adjustment, contact the employer before you start, using the details in your invitation.
Is a video interview next?
Candidate Falcon's one-way video interview practice lets you rehearse timed, recorded answers and get feedback on what you said. It is general interview practice, not a Plum simulation, and Candidate Falcon is not affiliated with Plum or Phenom.
Explore video interview practiceFrequently Asked Questions
What is the Plum assessment?
It is the Plum Discovery Survey, an online assessment from Plum (part of Phenom since 2026) that employers use to measure how well your preferences, problem solving and social judgement fit a role. Plum’s help center says it takes about 25 minutes and creates a Plum Profile. Candidates report it at employers such as Citi and Bloomberg, often as the first step after the application.
What are the sections of the Plum Discovery Survey?
Prep sites describe five sections in a fixed order: statements where you choose the one most and the one least like you; problem-solving puzzles where you pick the grid that comes next; adjectives where you choose three most and three least like you; a second set of puzzles; and workplace scenarios where you choose the most and least effective response (one prep site describes ranking them instead). Plum does not publish question counts.
Are there right answers on the Plum assessment?
Only in part. Plum’s FAQ says the statement and adjective sections are a personality test with no right or wrong answers. The puzzles have one correct answer each, and the scenario section asks which responses are more and less effective. Plum does not publish an answer key, and documents sold online as “Plum answers” cannot know the profile your employer set for the role.
Is the Plum assessment timed?
Prep sites report no countdown and about 25 minutes in total, which matches the time Plum’s help center gives. Invitations are usually valid for a few days; candidates and prep sites often mention 72 hours. Your invitation is the final word on the deadline.
What are the Plum Talents?
Plum’s help center lists 10 Talents: Adaptation, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Decision Making, Embracing Differences, Execution, Innovation, Managing Others, Persuasion and Teamwork. Prep sites report that the employer chooses the Talents that matter for a role and sees a match score for each candidate; candidates do not see that score.
Can I retake the Plum assessment?
Usually not straight away. Plum’s help center says you normally complete the survey once and can link the same Plum Profile to other applications, and that it can be retaken a year after your last attempt. If you applied with a different email address, ask Plum to link your profile instead of starting again.
How can I prepare for the Plum assessment?
Practise grid-sequence puzzles so the format is familiar, and check one feature at a time (count, position, movement, rotation, shading). For the scenarios, think about what a capable first-year employee would do. Answer the statement and adjective sections honestly and consistently, and take the survey in one sitting in a quiet place before the deadline.
Does Candidate Falcon offer Plum practice tests?
Not yet. This is an independent guide, and Candidate Falcon is not affiliated with Plum or Phenom. Candidate Falcon offers practice for HireVue games, Arctic Shores and Cappfinity-style tests, and one-way video interview practice, which helps if your process continues with a HireVue interview.
Related Resources
- HireVue video interview guide: If your process continues with a recorded HireVue interview.
- Arctic Shores assessment guide: Another assessment that looks at how you work rather than what you know.
- All free guides: Guides for other assessments and video interview platforms.
Sources: Plum's help center (Talents, Discovery Survey FAQs, forced choice, retakes, profile use, next steps), Phenom's announcement, prep sites (JobTestPrep, PracHub) and the candidate reports linked above, checked 23 October 2026. Candidate Falcon is independent and is not affiliated with Plum or Phenom.
