Treasury scraps numeracy tests 'in a bid to attract more diverse graduates'

By SOPHIE CHURCH, POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 23:53, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 23:53, 30 June 2026 The Treasury has ditched its numeracy test for graduate hires in a bid to attract more diverse candidates. In a move branded 'ideological nonsense', it was revealed on Tuesday that Whitehall's economics department had scrapped its mathematical reasoning exam after finding it was having an 'adverse impact'. The test had typically demanded that graduates prove they could perform calculations and use data to solve problems when applying for jobs in the Treasury, which controls Britain's purse strings. It also expected candidates to complete a verbal reasoning assessment as part of their application process. But the department explained that it ditched the maths test in 2019 due to it harming the chances of candidates coming from a wider mix of backgrounds. In board minutes seen by The Spectator magazine, the Treasury said it binned the exam as it wanted 'more diverse ethnicity at assessment centres'. It added: 'Having two tests creates an additional 'hurdle' for candidates to jump over and another opportunity for candidates to be sifted out of the process.'  And it went on to claim, in response to a Freedom of Information request, that 'subsequently, the levels of adverse impact decreased in the 2020 campaign'. Whitehall, HM Treasury Building at the Corner of Parliament Square and Parliament Street The Treasury then removed its verbal reasoning test in 2024 after being advised by an ethnic diversity recruitment specialist that their candidates 'tend to struggle'. The replacement 'Civil Service Strengths Test' instead asked graduates whether they agree with statements such as: 'I prefer not to have to concentrate on one thing for too long' or 'it is important for me to exceed expectations when I am given a task to do'. Both the Tories and Reform last night railed against the Treasury's 'ideological' pursuit of boosting diversity. The Conservatives laid the blame at the door of the Equality Act's duty for public bodies to consider how their decisions impact those with so-called 'protected characteristics'. Tory MP Jack Rankin said: 'Kemi Badenoch has fought against this kind of ideological nonsense for years. 'Under her leadership, the Conservatives will scrap the Public Sector Equality Duty and restore genuine meritocracy.'  And Tory peer Lord Frost said the revelations would 'surprise absolutely nobody involved with the Civil Service in recent years'. He added: 'Most departments did some version of this. Many Civil Service leaders publicly revelled in the results.' Reform's economics spokesman Robert Jenrick, meanwhile, said: 'If people can't add up, they shouldn't be in the Treasury.' A Treasury spokesman said: 'It is complete nonsense to suggest that we have lowered our hiring standards for the sake of diversity.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.