BDO online assessment and interviews

Black Heritage Insight Programme and summer insight days in the UK, as there's no general first-year spring week

Last checked 22 September 2026

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Both first-year options run in July rather than spring, and whether the Black Heritage programme uses every step below isn't stated

Programme and dates

Black Heritage Insight ProgrammeOfficial:Two days for first-year university students from Black heritage backgrounds, with a chance to fast-track into the hiring processSource: Employer page, work experience and insight days
Who can applyOfficial:First-years on a three-year course or second-years on a four-year course, of Black heritage, with your own right to work in the UK, as the firm can't sponsor visas for early careers programmesSources: Employer page, careers FAQs Employer page, work experience and insight days
Expected about 26 January 2027Status on 22 September 2026Unverified:Not posted on 22 September 2026, last cycle's programme closed on 10 July 2026, and a tracker estimates the next opening around 26 January 2027Sources: Employer page, work experience and insight days beBee, copying a targetjobs listing Trackr

Dates move, so confirm them on the firm's own careers site before you apply

Put this term's effort into spring weeks that are open or opening soonGo to practice for: Put this term's effort into spring weeks that are open or opening soon
Check whether the Black Heritage programme fits you, and note the July insight days if not
Look for the Black Heritage posting from late January
Try a few short reaction and pattern gamesGo to practice for: Try a few short reaction and pattern games
Record three answers, including why this stream, with up to 3 minutes to speakGo to practice for: Record three answers, including why this stream, with up to 3 minutes to speak

Ticks are saved in this browser only

Application formOfficial:A short form where you pick up to two teams within one streamSources: Employer page, early careers recruitment process Employer page, careers FAQs
Task-based assessmentOfficial:Interactive puzzle-style tasks on quantitative and inductive reasoning, resilience and decision-making, with no preparation neededSource: Employer page, early careers recruitment process
Video interviewOfficial:Recorded answers assessed on your communication, your knowledge of the stream you chose and your fit with the firm's valuesSource: Employer page, early careers recruitment processPractise for Video interview: Recorded video interview

Reported:Applicants last cycle say the tasks were new that year and the link arrived minutes after applying, with 4 or 5 short tasks that differed between peopleSources: The Student Room, early careers applicant thread, 2025 to 2026 The Student Room, early careers applicant thread, page 2 The Student Room, early careers applicant thread, page 3
Unverified:Reported tasks include reading emotions in faces, a quick left or right response, a pattern prediction game of about 100 trials and a balance puzzle, with timings from single accountsSources: The Student Room, early careers applicant thread, 2025 to 2026 The Student Room, early careers applicant thread, page 2
Unverified:Guides give 30 to 45 minutes in totalSource: AptitudePrep
Official:AI can help you prepare and polish your written application, but not during the tasks, the video interview or the assessment centre, and misuse can remove you from the processSource: Employer page, early careers recruitment process

Official:A practice stage comes first, with a camera and microphone check, a sample question and a replay before you submitSource: Employer page, early careers recruitment process
Official:Some parts are timed, such as the video interview, and you're told which at the start of each sectionSource: Employer page, careers FAQs
Unverified:One tax applicant last cycle reported 3 questions in about 15 minutes, up to 3 minutes per answer and 2 attempts, with a motivation question framed as a scenarioSources: The Student Room, early careers applicant thread, page 2 The Student Room, early careers applicant thread, page 3

Official:Internship and graduate routes go on to a virtual assessment centre with a case study presentation and a group exerciseSource: Employer page, early careers recruitment process
Official:Interns also have an interview inside the virtual centre, while graduates have a later interview in the officeSource: Employer page, early careers recruitment process
Official:The Black Heritage programme can lead to a summer internship offer and a paid role as a university brand ambassadorSource: Employer page, careers FAQs

Official:The 2026 insight days were 3-hour office sessions from 7 to 31 July 2026, open to anyone aged 16 or overSources: Employer page, news release on summer insight places Employer page, summer insight days listing, 2026 edition
Official:Applications for the 2026 insight days closed on 21 July 2026, with limited placesSource: Employer page, summer insight days listing, 2026 edition
Unverified:The 2026 Black Heritage programme ran over two days in July 2026 in Birmingham, Leeds and LondonSource: beBee, copying a targetjobs listing
Official:Most of the firm's early careers applications open in late SeptemberSource: Employer page, careers FAQs
Official:You can apply once per recruitment season, in one stream with up to two teamsSource: Employer page, careers FAQs

Details change between recruitment cycles, so your invite and the employer's own pages have the final word

Official:: The employer or organisation says it on its own website or in its own documents
Reported:: From surveys, news, candidate reports or prep sites, not the employer's own pages
Unverified:: Sources disagree or the evidence is thin, so treat it as a possibility

BDO UK: Work experience and insight days, live September 2026
BDO UK: Careers FAQs, live September 2026
BDO UK: Early careers recruitment process, live September 2026
BDO UK: News release on summer insight places, 16 June 2026
BDO UK, listing on Bright Network: Summer insight days listing, 2026 edition, 2025 to 2026 cycle

beBee, copying a targetjobs listing: Insight listing for Black heritage students, 2026 edition, 2025 to 2026 cycle
Trackr: Spring week timeline for 2027, September 2026, opening dates estimated from earlier cycles
The Student Room: Early careers applicant thread, 2025 to 2026, September to October 2025
The Student Room: Early careers applicant thread, page 2, October 2025
The Student Room: Early careers applicant thread, page 3, October 2025
AptitudePrep: Task-based assessment guide, 2026