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.

I have a subscription to the Torygraph becauseit was £25 for the year.

I am pretty sure they make a load of stuff up.

I only found out about this now

Sorry. I don't read that type of newspaper.

That's a troubling statement.

"I dont want to hear things that I dont agree with"

Read lots of sources: Grandad, Torygraph, socialist worker, whatever.

Then you might actually be informed and learn to see the biases in each of them. Somewhere in between all of them is the truth.

Putting your fingers in your ears and staying in a safe space, then telling people they're wrong, is 99% of what's wrong with this place these days

Try the Spectator then.

It's a much better paper anyway - and does have some variety of stances.

And it also covers this story. I think its flared up now because the removal of those tests has vastly increased the applicants coming into the final process and is now consuming too much time to sift them all. Iirc, because there are no prequalifying tests everyone that gets through gets the much more time-consuming full works of interviews etc

Reducing standards has to be a bad thing. Let me give you a few examples with references.

1. Have they reduced fitness level testing standards for entry to the armed forces?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/army-ap-washington-rand-national-guard-b2042243.html The Army has scrapped its move to have a physical fitness test that's gender- and age-neutral, and will now allow women and older soldiers to pass while meeting some reduced standards.

1. Have they reduced entry fitness testing standards for civilian services such as fire brigade?

https://www.fbu.org.uk/news/2014/06/25/new-academic-report-shows-governments-attempt-lower-fitness-standards-puts-lives New academic report shows government’s attempt to lower fitness standards puts lives at risk, firefighters say

1. Have they reduced entry fitness testing standards for civilian services such as the police?

https://nationalpolice.org/lowering-fitness-standards-for-public-safety-jeopardizes-lives/ Lowering Fitness Standards for Public Safety Jeopardizes Lives

1. If the economy was doing really well I'd suggest then their move was a good idea, that we had a competent treasury.

https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/11/27/the-treasurys-deeply-misleading-data-on-the-impact-of-the-budget/ The Treasury’s deeply misleading data on the impact of the Budget. "Any reasonable person should think, as a result, that the Treasury has deliberately set out to produce highly misleading data on a sensitive topic." Maybe it's not deliberate, maybe it's incompetence.

1. Chocolate. . Because cocoa levels have fallen below legal minimums, many household brands can no longer be legally labeled as "chocolate". I won't include a link for this because if you eat chocolate then you'll have noticed.

What is the treasury?
https://www.mmu.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-11/Understanding%20the%20Treasury.pdf

HM Treasury (hereafter: ‘the Treasury’) is, in its own words: [T]he government’s economic and finance ministry, maintaining control over public spending, setting the direction of the UK’s economic policy and working to achieve strong and sustainable economic growth.
The Treasury is generally understood as the most powerful organ in the UK government, with power over – or responsibility for – most public spending by most other parts of government. Arguably the nature of its interactions with other government departments means it is a more important seat of power than 10 Downing Street and/or the Cabinet Office (which formally coordinates policy across Whitehall), although the Prime Minister of course has power of appointment over the Treasury’s ministerial team.

If there's one department that needs a meritocracy then it's the treasury.

India is not perfect but the economy is growing.

I was just saying to be an Economist in the Indian ministry of finance you need to go through and pass multiple rounds of public examinations. A bit more than an online numeracy test.

@MsGreying If you're going to use AI to find sources to support your point, maybe check that they actually do support it. Your first link reports no detrimental operational effects from making the US army tests easier. The police link is an opinion piece and provides no supporting data (for all us numerate types to interpret). The chocolate example also falls foul as that's an example of a standard being maintained it's just that companies have altered their products and no longer meet said standard. And using an example from Tax Research to support an argument made by Robert Jenrick is outstanding given they are about as opposed to the tax activities of the Reform elite as it's possible to be.

Why would you want less fit firefighters?

Why don't you want numerate people in the treasury?

Surely that’s like giving a typing test to someone who is a qualified secretary? Why bother when their education record speaks for itself?

Ok, well let’s imagine the test was of Latin.

of course you can use any test you want to screen applicants. But if you insist they all pass a test in Latin first you’ll have many more applicants from private schools in the final rounds.

in the same way that some uk universities used to insist on having a gcse in a modern foreign language - you don’t need this knowledge (unless you are doing a degree in an MFL and then I’d hope you have more than a gcse in it). But the requirement cut down applicants for universities.

and you could say that standards matter so people need to be able to pass a test of basic knowledge.

And yes, the civil service did used to have Latin exams. Part of the Northcote Trevelyan reforms.

https://civilservant.org.uk/library/2019-Richard_Willis-testing_times-a_history_of_civil_service_exams.pdf

Lol. These aren't qualified people..they are fresh grads applying for work.

"All degree subjects are welcome” and applicants were encouraged if they had “a 2:2 undergraduate degree in any discipline."

Again. Knowing Latin has no impact on the job. Knowing basic maths and numeracy does. If someone in the treasury can't interpret basic data and graphs, lord save us.

As I've said before to be an Economist in India you need to do 6 exams and pass an interview. Perhaps we should up the examination standards then?

Well I don’t know much about graphic design but surely cleaners and people carrying out pitch maintenance will have to be reasonable fit and strong. They will be hauling equipment around so if they are a seven stone weakling or someone with a bmi of 40 they would struggle?
So there will be a physical fitness level required?

I know in cricket they have to have a minimum level of fitness to play for England.

Being numerate and good at maths is a skill that should be tested.

The Treasury is obsessed with diversity targets. Same with the Bank of England.

It's not surprising that our economy is a total mess!

1% GDP growth!

I don't get what some of you are flipping so hard about.
To be an economist in CS you need to have adequate qualifications. You don't just rock up with none, pass numeracy test and get the job.
Many staff in HMT will not ever do work of economist.
When I was policy advisor, we didn't model, that's what economists were for. We then worked with them on best eay of interpreting the data into working policy to make sure it was correct reflection. Like if I wrote policy for FSA, I wouldn't be doing testing of listetia growth myself.... You use experts in their fields.

The CS online numeracy test really doesn't make much difference when it comes to recruiting the best ime....

I think some people are imagining that test is more than it is. While I don't get how it was stopping EM, my household being that, it was really not that groundbreaking skill test

I get you that it won't make a major difference. But surely able and competent policy advisors should be able to pass it?

Obviously there's way more to it after that stage to ascertain, but surely get the basics first?

Like if you can't pass that basic bar, what are you trying to do in the treasury?

Exactly. The global average is about 3% and the UK always used to believe that anything less than 2% was a sign of weakness.

Who would have thought raising taxes on all those businesses would have been a great thing?

This would be like making a qualified doctor do a first aid test as a part of the recruitment process. Silly. Hence it being binned 6 years ago

Are you unable to read the article? They aren't qualified, they are fresh grads applying for work at the treasury. They can come from ALL degree positions. This isn't an economist role. Even then doing a maths test is perfectly fine. They scrapped it for "diversity".

History grads can apply, so can politics grads.