Numeracy tests not needed for Treasury Employees

[MsGreying]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/06/30/treasury-ditched-numeracy-test-to-increase-diversity-hires/

Department removed its mathematical assessment in 2020 to remove a ‘hurdle’ for candidates from ethnic minorities

AIBU to think this is bonkers.
Meritocracy has a very valid place in government.

The time requirement is not arduous. It's not a multi hour test. It doesn't take that long. You need IT to do it. I guess they also needed a laptop to submit the application? This is a graduate role. Their university will have computers to use as a last resort. You can use computers at the local public library.

Ah, on further looking I have found some econometrics past papers.

(econometrics is the application of statistics to economic data)

eg this past paper.

note it bears no resemblance whatsoever to a numeracy test.

https://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uctp39a/exam_MECT2_2006_final.pdf

Is India’s treasury regarded as superior to the UK’s @Jjjfs355 ?

I assume you briefly have a lapse and then remembered it's just X/Y -1.

Well, I actually don’t like percentages at all because I think they’re pretty inconsistent in terms of how confusing the wording can be.

in modelling or similar or if you are looking at repeated percentage change (eg working out compound interest over a number of years, or in a capital expenditure model where you need to discount cash flows I’d use decimals.

so for example the distinction between

X is n% of Y
X is a n% increase from Y
X is a N percentage point increase from Y

etc etc.

just use decimals ffs it’s clearer what is going on especially in a repeated multiplicative model

I think the policy advisors are different to the economists. Never the less they will need to interpret and present data. There should be some basic mathematical skill check?

Is it @Jjjfs355 ?

To be a civil servant economist in India you need to have a postgraduate degree in economics.

Then you need to clear 6 exams and after that clear a rigourous in person interview.

O K A Y

(Also the Indian economy is experiencing much faster growth rates than the UK)

um, a basic skill for policy advisors is looking at the impact of a policy, usually before the policy is introduced, which means doing some modelling based on quantitative (numbers) and qualitative (words) analysis of possible impacts.

this is not a basic level of numeracy sort of task, this is a master’s level doing research sort of task.

by all means insist that policy advisors should be able to work out percentages but it’s got very little to do with their work which is at a much higher level.

The ministry of finance is well regarded.

I'm just saying having a numerical test is a perfectly reasonable thing to have and shouldn't be scrapped for reasons of "diversity".

So if they can't do basic numeracy..... How will they handle the higher level stuff? 😲

I don’t understand why you don’t understand this.

a lot of basic numeracy gets forgotten by adults.

very few adults can do for example 4739 divided by 21 quickly. Because they don’t need to very often in their daily life and as everyone knows if you don’t use it regularly you forget it.

in practice in a job you use a calculator.

the maths skills needed by graduates in a role at the treasury do not require you to do division on a regular basis. If they did people would revise how to do it and do it.

they do require you to be able to build mathematical models using a range of assumptions and work out error bars based on changing assumptions and statistical analysis.

the skills are in the same area (maths) but they are miles and miles apart.

in the same way an advertising copywriter might not pass a grammar test (wtf is a fronted adverbial anyway?)

Yes there's poverty. But it's falling and has fallen for quite a while now.

I can't do 4739/21 in my head. But I can use a calculator to get it right.

For the numerical part, my readings say candidates were given two pieces of numerical information, such as a table, graph or chart, with four questions on each set. It says a calculator could be used for calculations such as percentages, ratios and more.

It was done as a basic filter. And to me, It was sensible because HMT policy advisers absolutely need to read costs, forecasts, departmental bids, spending profiles, charts and impact evidence. A person who cannot interpret a table, calculate a percentage, or spot which number has increased most would struggle in many Treasury teams.

The be kind message? What on earth are you talking about

Sorry, but the days when I would believe an unsubstantiated report in the Daily Telegraph are long gone.

People say oh I don't believe the telegraph. Okay then did they magically make up the fact that they removed the test?

I'm surprised there are people defending this. A basic numeracy test, what's so difficult about that? Why does it matter that the people who got through where less diverse? Surely what matters is the testing standards

I'm pretty sure the Torygraph is spouting nonsense again. You'll need GCSE Maths and English, like you do for most jobs.