“Ability Assessment”
fit-for-purpose test
€ 890,00
The “Ability Assessment” fit-for-purpose test is a simulation-based assessment designed to evaluate whether aspiring brokers or traders have the cognitive, behavioural and numerical capabilities, and other relevant characteristics required to operate in commodity and energy trading environments.
Licence for individual
24/7 access during one year to the tests for a single learner.
Assessing trading capability under uncertainty
Trading roles in commodity and energy markets require professionals to make decisions under uncertainty, complexity and time pressure. The “Ability Assessment” fit-for-purpose test is designed to evaluate whether a candidate possesses the core capabilities needed to perform effectively in such an environment.
The assessment is grounded in the Framework for Acting under Uncertainty and Complexity (FAUC) and focuses on behavioural, analytical and decision-making skills rather than theoretical knowledge.
Core abilities tested
During the assessment, candidates are evaluated on capabilities such as:
- numerical awareness and calculation skills;
- decisiveness and timing of decisions;
- resilience and adaptability under pressure;
- situational awareness and self-monitoring;
- entrepreneurial and proactive behaviour.
These abilities are critical for anyone aiming to operate as a deal-maker in professional trading environments.
Simulation-based testing methodology
Candidates act in the role of a trader while running the simulation. They are free to transact as they see fit, manage their financial or risk position and respond to changing circumstances. At selected moments, candidates are challenged with questions to assess their awareness of positions, financial outcomes and risk exposure, or they are supposed to respond to calls for action.
This approach allows assessors to observe how candidates behave, think and decide - rather than how well they memorise theory.
Clear and objective outcome
At the end of the simulation, the candidate receives a score indicating their suitability for a brokerage or trading role. This provides organisations with a clear, objective and comparable outcome that supports selection, recruitment and development decisions.
Practical details
- Duration: approximately 1 hour;
- Format: simulation-based assessment;
- Focus: behavioural, numerical and decision-making capabilities;
- Outcome: scored assessment indicating trader suitability.
For who?
Traders & Non-Traders
Entrima serves parties with a trading function, as well as brokerage firms, trading venues (e.g. commodity or energy exchanges), clearing organisations (e.g. central counterparties, general clearing members), and regulatory authorities, as well as those parties which serve companies with a trading function, including software vendors, data & news providers, accountancy firms, legal firms and consultancy firms. Companies with a trading function include commodity trading companies and oil & gas corporations, as well as mining firms and utilities. With those organisations, Entrima provides learning services to the front, middle and back offices, as well as the finance and IT department. As a consequence, amongst our clientele are professionals with a business function a control function or a support function, including traders, dispatchers, originators, analysts, risk managers, compliance officers, controllers, confirmation officers and settlement officers. After all, we educate in the field of companies’ business functions, control functions and support functions. Hence focus is on trading, market risk management, credit risk, auditing, trade compliance, trading technology and trade operations.
As a result, all courses provided by Entrima are valuable to and fit for any professional within the energy and commodity market.
Various types of organisations desire and require expertise concerning wholesale markets, products, pricing and trading.
- Commodity and energy consumers & prosumers
- Commodity and energy companies (producers, suppliers & trading firms)
- Trading venues (exchanges)
- Clearing organisations
- Brokerage firms
- System operators
- Policy makers & regulatory authorities
- Legal firms
- Accountancy firms & auditors
- Consultancy firms
- IT companies
- Data & news providers + price reporting agencies
Our courses are suitable for various target groups, including the following:
- In general:
- Any professional with a profession in or relating to the traded markets
- Any person who wants to know more about markets and trading
- Any professional with a profession in or relating to the traded markets
- In particular:
- Professionals with a business function
- Brokers
- System operators
- Balancing responsible persons
- Dispatchers & shift traders
- Asset & portfolio traders
- Proprietary traders
- Originators
- Professionals with a control function
- Regulators
- Auditors
- Risk managers
- Trade compliance officers
- Trade surveillance experts at trading firms, venues & brokerage firms
- Professionals with a support function
- Back office staff (including settlement officers, confirmation officers)
- Finance professionals (including controllers, accountants)
- ICT specialists (including application managers, data managers)
- HR experts
- Accountants
- Legal advisors
- Professionals with a business function
Learning objectives
Optimise your abilities with the competence trainer
Whether you have gained knowledge in daily practice at work or at our learning platform, one day, the moment will appear that you need to apply it. However, the impact of a potential error often forms an obstacle to get started with full force and with maximum enthusiasm.
Exercise without risk
Practising in advance in a safe environment without consequences removes the hindrances and helps you to gain confidence and embed knowledge at a deeper level.
Practise unlimited
The aim of the simulation platform is manifold. It includes simulations to familiarise with order submission, order matching, price formation, market analysis and price forecasting, trading strategies, trading technicalities, position management, clearing, settlement, margining, transaction cost, order types, risk management, value at risk, the Greek variables, and many more topics and themes.
Objectives
The bundle of trading simulations includes the following learning objectives:
- Master basic processes & concepts – Incl. related terminology
- The trading environment
- The trade process & the contract lifecycle
- Straight through processing (of orders and deals)
- The decision-making process, psychology of markets and handling emotions
- Become an expert in trading
- Transacting or deal-making (buying & selling)
- Open a position & close a position
- Order types, plus order submission, processing and matching
- Hitting & lifting
- Market making & market taking (the role of initiator versus aggressor)
- Learn about position management
- Long/short (master short selling)
- Netting (multilateral)
- Conquer types of product
- Forwards, futures & options
- Spreads (cross-commodity spreads, time spreads, location spreads)
- Assure your expertise in pricing
- Price formation, order book and bid & ask
- Market liquidity
- Price volatility
- To familiarise with the look & feel of screen-based trading
- What is shown on a screen? And which details matter most?
- Analyse what bid or ask stands for
- Master the working of an order book
- To analyse the bid-ask spread
- To observe market depth
- Master OTC trading and the usances in bilateral deal-making, including:
- Master agreement, credit risk management (limits) & the role of inter-dealer brokers
- Overcome exchange-trading
- Clearing
- (Cross-)margin
- Learn about risk management
- Value at risk (VaR)
- Price correlation
- Greek variables (Delta, Gamma, Vega, Theta, Rho)
- Perform market analysis
- Processing data &, news as well as price forecasting
- Fundamental analysis, technical analysis, quantitative analysis, psychological analysis
- Price chart analysis
- Dynamic graphical representation of the price development
- Charting: Support & resistance lines, as well as confirmation & reverse patterns
- Forward curve analysis
- Static graphical representation of prices of contracts with a different time-to-maturity
- Contango & Backwardation
- Cost of carry
- Master FX trading
- Exchange one currency position for another currency position, as you like
- Monitor FX rate developments and the impact of it for deal-making
- Provide price quotations & learn about FX exchange rates
- Experience inter-bank transactions
- Become an expert in timing
- For any market participant, timing is essential; it will impact the financial performance.
- Learn how to optimise the financial performance
- Experience future cash flows are margins can be assured
- Interpret result – Understand the financial statement
- Take into account relevant aspects in order to qualify or to quantify the performance:
- Direct transaction costs (fees), as well as indirect transaction costs (slippage)
- Profit & loss (P/L), realised (after liquidation) & unrealised (open positions; M-to-M)
- The process of (cash) collateralisation
- Deposits (initial margin + variation margin)
- Cash management
- Finance liquidity & working capital
- Identify transaction cost
- Exchange fee & clearing fee
- Learn about trading psychology (mental management)
- Experience the gaming effect – Experience stress & adrenaline due to market dynamics
- Experience a profit, but also a loss; hence, an a-symmetric mental experience
- Experience the market going against your position
- Perform multi-tasking
Study Advice
Who benefits the most?
Click on the job title below that is most relevant to you to get a quick impression of what training with the competence trainer could mean for you. Each title links to a short video that gives an overview of the varied options available and offers a glimpse into the relevant training sessions within the simulation platform.
What is your occupation?
Click on the link to start video explanation:
- Exchange staff
- Brokers
- System operators
- Policy makers
- Junior traders
- Senior traders
- Risk managers
- Trade compliance & Surveillance experts
- Finance specialists
- Accountants & Auditors
- Legal experts
Frequently asked questions
Who should take the Ability Assessment?
This assessment is intended for brokers-to-be, traders-to-be, junior brokers, junior traders and professionals who aspire to move into a brokerage or trading role within commodity or energy markets.
Is this a knowledge test?
No. The assessment does not test market knowledge. It evaluates behavioural, numerical and decision-making capabilities required to perform as a broker or trader, and whether the candidate is resilient, can work under time pressure and is able to manage stress.
How is the assessment conducted?
The assessment is fully simulation-based. Candidates act in the role of a deal-maker and are evaluated based on their actions, decisions and situational awareness during the simulation.
How can organisations use the results?
The results can be used to support employee selection, recruitment, onboarding and development decisions for brokerage or trading roles.
Try a simulation
Experience what it means to learn in an interactive environment that mirrors real-world dynamics in the commodity & energy markets. The online simulation lets you explore scenarios, make decisions and observe outcomes in a safe, engaging setting.
Curious how it works? Try the simulation yourself and discover the impact of applied science; hence, Learning-by-doing.
Simulation Platform (Competence Trainer)
See through the eyes of your colleagues
& learn-by-doing
Trusted Trading Simulation Platform for Commodity & Energy Professionals
Our trading simulation platform is designed specifically for professionals in the commodity and energy markets who want to sharpen their skills in a safe, risk-free environment. Whether you’re deepening your trading know-how, improving risk management, or mastering operational flows, this platform lets you learn by doing — without real-world exposure.
ENTRIMA
You’ll access a wide range of realistic, browser-based simulations that mimic actual market conditions, covering product pricing, trading strategies, position management and market operations. Each simulation runs with dynamic scenarios to challenge your decision-making, helping you build confidence and expertise at your own pace.
Why choose this Trading Simulation Platform?
- Safe, risk-free practice: Execute trades, respond to market developments and explore strategies without any financial exposure;
- Real-world design: Market conditions and trading activities reflect real wholesale markets for commodities and energy;
- Flexible learning: Run simulations repeatedly, with varied conditions to expand your practical experience;
- Build competence & confidence: Practise order placement, pricing analysis, risk assessment and portfolio decisions until you feel secure with your capabilities;
- Designed for professionals: Perfect for traders, analysts, risk managers, compliance officers and operations staff who must perform with precision.
What you’ll gain
This trading simulation platform helps you translate theoretical knowledge into practical expertise:
- Understand the full trade lifecycle from order submission to execution;
- Apply pricing concepts across different commodities and derivatives;
- Practise risk-management techniques including volatility response and scenario analysis;
- Improve decision-making under simulated pressure.
Every simulation is accompanied by step-by-step guidance, performance feedback and the freedom to repeat until you’ve fully internalised best practices.
Upskilling professionals across the world’s key hubs
In the global commodity & energy markets, trading, risk management and trade operations run around the clock. The major hubs - Singapore, Shanghai, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Geneva, Riyadh and London - connect physical flows with financial markets, regulation and technology-driven operations.
ENTRIMA provides a 24/7 learning offering designed for professionals working in these fast-moving centres. With flexible, blended learning journeys accessible anytime and anywhere, you stay aligned with the pace, complexity and continuous evolution of international commodity & energy markets.
