What Are the Different Types of Aptitude Test?

These are the most common types of aptitude test that you will encounter:

 Numerical reasoning tests. These tests require you to answer questions based on
statistics, figures and charts.
 Verbal reasoning tests. A means of assessing your verbal logic and capacity to
quickly digest information from passages of text.
 Intray exercises. A business-related scenario that assesses how well you can
prioritise tasks.
 Diagrammatic tests. Tests that measure your logical reasoning, usually under strict
time conditions.
 Situational judgement tests. Psychological tests that assess your judgement in
resolving work-based problems.
 Inductive reasoning tests. Tests that identify how well a candidate can see the
underlying logic in patterns, rather than words or numbers.
 Cognitive ability tests. A measurement of general intelligence, covering many
categories of aptitude test.
 Mechanical reasoning tests. These assess your ability to apply mechanical or
engineering principles to problems; they are often used for technical roles.
 Watson Glaser tests. Designed to assess a candidate's ability to critically consider
arguments; often used by law firms.
 Abstract reasoning tests. Another name for inductive reasoning tests.
 Spatial awareness tests. These tests assess your capacity to mentally manipulate
images, and are often used in applications for jobs in design, engineering and
architecture.
 Error checking tests. An unusual type of aptitude test that focuses on your ability
to identify errors in complex data sets.
Take a Free Practice Numerical, Verbal and Diagrammatic
Test
If you would like to practise simulation numerical, verbal and
diagrammatic reasoning tests, please try the ones below, which
were created by WikiJob in association with psychometric experts,
and which are closely modelled on real tests.

The numerical test consists of 10 questions to be answered in 10

minutes, while the diagrammatic and verbal tests consist of 5/10
questions to be answered in 5 minutes (although there is no timer
on the test itself).

Our tests are slightly harder than the real thing, in order to make
them sufficiently challenging practice. Don't forget to first check
out the test tips and techniques mentioned further down this
page.

You can take the tests as many times as you like. Click the 'Take
test' link below on either to get started.

WikiJob also has a psychometric tests app, available for

both Android and Apple devices, which includes 10 numerical
tests and 8 verbal tests. The tests include a timer and worked
solutions at the end.

Numerical Practice Test

Try this numerical reasoning practice test similar to SHL, PSL and
the GTIOS psychometric tests used by many companies as part of
their application process.
Questions 10
Pass Percentage 70%
Time Limit 10 min
Take test

Verbal Reasoning Practice Test

Verbal reasoning tests are used by interviewers to find out how

well a candidate can assess verbal logic. SHL is perhaps the most
well-known producer of verbal reasoning tests, and the most
widely used.
Questions 10
Pass Percentage 70%
Time Limit 5 min
Take test

Diagrammatic Reasoning Test

Diagrammatic reasoning tests assess your capacity for logical

reasoning, using flowcharts and diagrams. Try these five practice
questions, designed to be similar to those used by major graduate
employers.
Questions 5
Pass Percentage 80%
Time Limit 5 min
Take test

Test Structure for Aptitude Tests

Tests are timed and are typically multiple-choice. It is not
uncommon for some available answers to be deliberately
misleading, so you must take care as you work through.

Some tests escalate in difficulty as they progress. Typically these

tests are not designed to be finished by candidates.
Scores and Marking

Your score relates your performance to an average group. Your

aptitude, ability or intelligence has a relative value to this
average result.

Typically, an 'average' performance is all that is required to pass

an aptitude test. Most employers take people's backgrounds into
consideration for marking.

For example, maths graduates will have an unfair advantage over

arts graduates on a numerical test. Consequently, most employers
use these tests as only part of the assessment process.

Negative Marking

Many aptitude tests incorporate negative marking. This means

that for every answer you give incorrectly, a mark will be deducted
from your total (rather than scoring no mark).

If this is the case, you will normally be told beforehand. In any test
that does incorporate negative marking, you must not guess
answers, even if you are under extreme time pressure, as you will
undo your chances of passing.

What exactly is an aptitude test and how should you approach

one? Find out more in this short video.

Aptitude Tests: Preparation and Practice

Practice in Advance
Evidence suggests that some practice of similar aptitude tests may
improve your performance in the real tests.

Practice exam technique and try to become more familiar with the
types of test you may face by completing practice questions. Even
basic word and number puzzles may help you become used to
the comprehension and arithmetic aspects of some tests.

WikiJob recommends practising aptitude tests prior to the real

assessment. JobTestPrep offers a wide range of professionally
constructed psychometric questions, written in the same style as
PSL and SHL tests (the tests most graduate employers use to
assess candidates).

Aptitude tests can also be practised with similar providers such

as AssessmentDay.

Preparation Before the Test

Treat aptitude tests like an interview: get a good night's sleep,

plan your journey to the test site, and arrive on time and
appropriately dressed.

Listen to the instructions you are given and follow them precisely.

Before the actual aptitude test itself, you will almost certainly be
given practice examples to try. Make sure you ask questions if
anything is unclear at this stage.

You will normally be given some paper on which to make rough

workings. Often you can be asked to hand these in with the test,
but typically they do not form part of the assessment.

Taking the Test

You should work quickly and accurately through the test. Don’t
get stuck on any particular question: should you have any
problems, return to it at the end of the test.

You should divide your time per question as accurately as you can
– typically this will be between 50 and 90 seconds per question.

Remember that the tests are difficult and often you will not be
expected to answer all the questions. Be particularly cautious if
the aptitude test uses negative marking; if this is not the case,
answer as many questions as possible in the time given.

Remember that multiple-choice options are often designed to

mislead you, with incorrect choices including common mistakes
that candidates make.

Tips for Success

These five tips are well worth remembering before you take
an aptitude test for real:

 Treat the test like you would any other exam.

 Work swiftly and accurately through any test.
 Work out the maximum time you can spend on any
question and stick to it religiously. You can return to
questions at the end. Never get stuck on any particular
question, even if you think you nearly have it.
 If you are going to an assessment centre, take a calculator
you understand with you. If you do not, you will be forced to
use whatever they might provide you with.
 Answer as many questions as possible in the time given.
But be wary of negative marking.
WikiJob recommends taking practice reasoning tests for better
performance during the examination. Our partner JobTestPrep has
copious sample tests to try, until you have really mastered this
type of assessment. You may also want to look at this
psychometric workbook, which covers numerical, verbal
and spatial reasoning tests, with hundreds of practice questions.

Further Reading
You may also like to read:

 How to prepare for SHL tests. A general primer.

 What is a psychometric test?. All the info you'll need on
psychometric testing.
 What is the UKCAT?. Who will need to take the UKCAT test
and how it's structured.
 What is an In-Tray test?. How to approach this type of
exercise, and tips for success.
 What are your weaknesses?. How to gauge where your
weaknesses lie.

To ask questions and get advice about aptitude tests, visit

the WikiJob discussion forum.

Do you need more practice?

WikiJob recommends using JobTestPrep's mock aptitude

test packages to help you pass:
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Numerical Reasoning Tests

A numerical reasoning test is one of the core sections of any
psychometric assessment test.

You’ll need to understand numerical information, then apply the

appropriate operations to find the correct answer.

Numerical reasoning tests are multiple-choice, and you’ll

typically be given between 4 and 6 options to choose from.

The maths required is generally high-school level (for age 16).

Despite this, you’ll need to be well practised and efficient.
In most tests, you’ll typically have between 45 seconds and 2
minutes on average to answer each question. Some rarer forms
of numerical reasoning tests have no time limit and/or negative
scoring (incorrect answers subtract from your total score, rather
than just scoring 0).

In numerical reasoning tests, you will typically deal with graphs,

tables, number sequences and text. These will contain the raw
data needed to answer a written question, but you will often have
to perform several operations on that data to arrive at the answer.

The key is being practised enough to quickly identify what

operations are needed and then to perform them accurately.

It’s important that you remember not to make assumptions.

Everything you need to answer the question is on the page, and
on the page alone.

Similarly, there should be no prior knowledge required beyond

basic mathematical skills. No niche formulas to memorise or
anything like that.

Depending on the company, numerical reasoning tests could be

taken at home or at an assessment centre. Sometimes both: many
organisations use an anti-cheating method that requires
candidates to take another test at the assessment centre in
person.

If the home score and the in-person score are wildly different,
then alarm bells start to ring. Basically, don’t pay someone to take
your test for you.

Here’s what we’ll cover in the rest of this article:

Numerical Reasoning
Question 1 of 10

Which period saw the greatest percentage decrease in water prices?

y0-y1y1
-y2y2-y3
All the same
Cannot tell

Why Do Employers Use These Tests?

Psychometric assessment tests have a long history of research
behind them.

A strong correlation between performance on these tests and

performance in the workplace has led to companies all over the
world investing heavily in them and employing them as a crucial
aspect of their recruitment process.

The numerical reasoning part of these psychometric tests focuses

on your ability to work with numbers.

Many employers need to know that you have a solid foundation

of basic mathematical skills. These skills (calculating percentages,
ratios, fractions, profit, revenue and so on) are crucial in almost
any area of business.

Company recruiters know that their new hires won’t necessarily

have a great deal of industry or job-specific knowledge. That’s
what comes with experience.

The key for them is to choose applicants who have

the foundations that allow them to adapt to the environment and
pick up the skills and knowledge they need.

That’s the reason why these numerical reasoning tests typically

don’t require mathematical skills beyond addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, ratios and percentages.

Companies are primarily interested in your grasp of the basics.

They’re asking: ‘Is this person confident working with numbers in
general?’.

It’s also the reason why they often have a strict time limit. This
sort of arithmetic should be the kind you can do quickly and
accurately, whenever it is needed.

To summarise, employers use these tests primarily because of:

 Their proven track record at indicating workplace

performance;
 Their use of mathematical skills that are relevant to the job
you’re applying for;
 The fact that these tests are quite fair in general.

They’re based on nothing but your raw ability and practice.

For these reasons and more, many employers even say that they
value these aptitude tests more than university degrees.
What Makes Numerical Reasoning Tests Challenging?
Numerical reasoning tests are often the most difficult aptitude
test type for many candidates. This is for a few key reasons, which
we’ll outline here.
Time Limit
As mentioned previously, you generally have between 45 seconds
and 2 minutes per question on average.

At the lower end of that scale, that’s really tough. In fact, there are
many tests in which making it to the end is a feat in itself.

Having the ability and confidence to be able to interpret the data,

decide what needs to be done, and then perform those
operations quickly is challenging, so practice is essential.
Multiple Operations
Many questions won’t have a straightforward answer. You won’t,
for example, only have to multiply two numbers to reach the
solution.

This is an often-overlooked skill that only comes from practice.

You might be a whizz at the actual addition, multiplication,
percentages and so on, but you’ll still be left behind if you can’t
quickly and accurately identify exactly which operations you
need to do, and in what order.

Make sure you practice how to work with the question in relation
to the data you’re given. You need to be able to quickly see how
you can answer the question from what’s in front of you.
Maths
Sometimes the mathematical skills themselves can be difficult –
especially if maths isn’t your strongest area.

When you factor in the previous two difficulties – the time limit
and understanding how to answer the question – the pressure of
the situation can very easily make it difficult to perform.
What Maths Knowledge Do I Need to Pass?
The good news is that you won’t need any particularly advanced
mathematical skills. Certainly, things like algebra or trigonometry
are out. So you need to focus on honing the basics.

In particular, make sure you’re comfortable with:

 Addition
 Subtraction
 Division
 Multiplication
 Working with percentages
  Working with ratios
 Working with fractions
 Converting currency
 Reading graphs and tables
 Inflation and rebasing

And remember: you will be under pressure, both from a strict time
limit and from the importance of the test. Though these skills are
simple, they need to be second-nature. Practice them until they
are.

A few tests are marked negatively. Other tests also include an

accuracy score that’s visible to the employer. Find out in advance
if your test will be marked this way. If so, guessing questions
won’t be a good strategy, as it will result in low accuracy.

You will usually be allowed a calculator. At home, this will be your

own, but at assessment centres they are often provided.
Nevertheless, always bring your own with you just in case.

In addition to these basic skills, you will also need a good grasp of
how to string them together to arrive at an answer.

You may need to interpret a graph and then perform a number of

different operations on different numbers to reach the solution.

---

WikiJob recommends taking practice reasoning tests for better

performance during the examination. Our
partner JobTestPrep has copious sample tests to try, which you
can practice until you have really mastered this type of
assessment.

---
Different Suppliers of Numerical Reasoning Tests
Not all numerical tests are created equal. While they all aim to test
a similar set of skills, each test creator will have their own ideas
about how best to go about that.

As part of your preparation, if you can find out what test provider
the company you’re applying to is using, then you’ll be able to
focus your practice even more.

The main providers are:

 Capp Assessments
 Criterion
 Cubiks
 cut-e
 IBM Kenexa
 Pearson
 Saville
 SHL
 Talent Q
 Team Focus PFS
 Test Partnership

Two of the main test providers are SHL and Pearson, some of the
oldest names in the industry. Their tests tend to set the industry
standard, with many test suppliers following suit and only making
relatively minor changes to the format.

If in doubt, you can’t go wrong practising their tests.

With that said, some providers do shake things up.

For instance, Talent Q has an innovative test that adapts as you

go. Your correct and incorrect answers help to inform the test of
your skill level, and it adjusts the questions accordingly. This
allows the test to be flexible and short.

cut-e also stands out from the pack. With very short tests
between 5 and 12 minutes long, its questions focus on more
abstract, mathematical elements rather than graphs and charts.

This can throw some candidates off, who are used to working with
more practical types of questions.

Of course, you should always bear in mind that companies can

choose to change supplier at any time. Which supplier a company
uses sometimes depends on the specific role and department.

Practising reasoning tests is always beneficial. However, be aware

that the format might change, even though underlying skills
remain the same.

Ensure you build up the essential skills you need that are
applicable to any numerical reasoning test. It’s those skills that are
being examined, not specific knowledge of a particular test.

Being able to think on your feet and adapt to changes is also

something most employers will be looking for.
How Do I Find Out Who My Test Supplier Is?
There are a number of ways to go about finding this out.

A good starting point is to do some online research. Use sites

like JobTestPrep that have plenty of information on the various
test suppliers and which companies use them, as well as the other
way round: companies and which test suppliers they use.
It’s worthwhile searching Google for answers and see what comes
up. Often, previous candidates have done this research and
discuss it on Glassdoor and WikiJob’s forum.

When doing this, beware of outdated information. Always

check when something was posted and decide whether it’s likely
to still be relevant.

A more direct way you can get this info is to email the HR
team at the company you’re applying for. This might seem
awkward, but it’s a perfectly legitimate question to ask.

Some companies might be a little reluctant to tell you but, with a

bit of perseverance, they usually will.
How to Prepare in Advance for a Numerical Reasoning Test: A Step-by-Step
Guide
With limited time, the best thing you can do is to practice and
prepare for your test, whether you’re taking it online or in person
at an assessment centre.
Practising for Your Test
The very first step is to research your test. Read up everything
you can about numerical tests in general and see if you can find
out exactly what kind of tests the company you’re applying to
uses.

Also, check out forums or ask friends who’ve taken the test for
any tips. This will help you to focus your practice and make it
much more efficient, as well as getting used to the format you’ll
be faced with.

Other test-takers will often have some great advice based on first-
hand experience.
Once you think you have a good grasp on what you’re up against,
the next step is to simply practice, practice and practice. Run
through sample questions and full mock tests as much as you can.

You want the process of answering the questions to feel like

second nature.

For at least some of that practice, you should also try it under test
conditions. In particular, you need to get used to timing
yourself and sticking to strict time limits.

If you have 30 minutes to answer 30 questions, then you need to

make sure you don’t spend longer than a minute per question on
average.

You can do this by using a stopwatch. Every time it reaches a

minute (or whatever the average time is), reset it and move on.
Come back to the ones you didn’t finish if you have time at the
end.

This will help you to not be flustered by the pressure of the test
itself. Once you’re totally used to the format and the questions,
the actual test is just a matter of staying calm and getting it done.
Just Before the Test
First, make sure that you’ve had plenty of sleep, plenty of water,
and something to eat.

Remember to bring with you or put out beside you:

 A calculator (if allowed)

 A stopwatch
 Some scrap paper and a pencil
 Some water
If you’re doing it online at home, then find a quiet, private room
you can sit in. Make sure you won’t be disturbed, and check that
your internet is stable.

Take a deep breath, stay calm, and start your test.

Additional Resources
It’s always good to search widely for resources that can help you
prepare for your numerical reasoning assessment.

Here are some of our suggestions for additional resources that

are worth looking into.
Apps
We’ve created a psychometric tests app, available for both Apple
and Android. It contains questions that simulate the ones
published by SHL, Kenexa, CAPP and Cubiks, among others.
It has a built-in timer, and afterwards, you can check out the
solutions with workings, to learn and progress.
Online Practice Tests
JobTestPrep offers a wide range of professionally-designed
numerical reasoning practice packs, questions, tests and resources
for you to sink your teeth into.

They’re written in a similar style to PSL and SHL tests, which are
two of the most popular, but the skills will nonetheless be
applicable to any numerical test you take. The questions are
structured in a professional format, just like the real thing.

Practice numerical reasoning tests are also offered by providers

like Psychometric Success and AssessmentDay. Practising with
different resources will help reduce surprises during the real test.
Books
While not as popular these days for practising aptitude tests,
don’t count out the humble book. We’ve found Rob Williams’
book Passing Numerical Reasoning Tests to be very helpful, for
instance.

Marilyn Shepherd has also written a useful book called Numerical

Reasoning Tests. In it, you’ll find a treasure trove of beginner,
intermediate and advanced practice questions with answers and
detailed workings.

It’s a great book to really get to grips with the nuts and bolts of a
numerical reasoning test.
Effective Strategies When Taking the Test
If you’ve practised and prepared well, then hopefully taking the
real test should feel familiar. Just with a little more pressure.
Do things exactly as you’ve prepared. Calculate the average time
you have per question and use your stopwatch to stay on time.

Here are a few things to remember as you take your test:

Use Practice Questions to Your Full Advantage
Often, you’ll be given a couple of example questions so that
you’re aware of the format and can orientate yourself.

This is not just time to relax! These questions are the perfect
opportunity to get to grips with the test.

Here, you’ll have the time to look carefully at the format. How do
they pose questions? What is the data like? What kind of
calculations need to be done?

Jot down anything you think might help you going forward.

This will also be the last chance you have to ask any questions you
might have before the test begins.
Read the Questions Carefully
Don’t let the time limit stop you from reading thoroughly. It’s
particularly important because mistakes are often the cause of
forgetting to do a particular step of calculations, or not
comprehending the question correctly.

Don’t let yourself get caught out.

The best advice is to read every question twice and then make
sure you read the information carefully as well.
Don’t Make Assumptions
Remember that everything you need to answer the question is on
the page and nowhere else. If you happen to remember a figure
or a fact from your research elsewhere that seems like it could be
relevant, ignore it.

Also use this knowledge to encourage you. If an answer seems

impossible to find, you know for sure that it is possible based only
on what’s on the page.

Similarly, if you’re really stuck, then look at some of the multiple

choice answers you’re given and work backwards. How would you
arrive at that answer? Does that seem correct, then?
Focus
A key skill that the numerical assessment aims to test is your
ability to scan data and hone in on what’s important.

That’s why it’s crucial that you read the question carefully so that
you know what you need to find out. Then read the context
carefully. What data does the table contain? What does the graph
show?

Then you need to figure out what data you can ignore and
concern yourself only with the information that will help you to
answer the question.
Make Notes
Have your scrap paper beside you and make use of it. It can
quickly become overwhelming having to juggle a lot of data and
information in your head.

Save yourself the trouble and write down the facts you think are
important as you work through the question.
Always Check Units, Currencies and Bases
A very common slip-up in numerical tests is to get units of
measurements, currencies, etc confused.

Sometimes you will need to convert between currencies, and so

you might have a US Dollar price listed as well as a Euro figure, for
instance. Using these two figures as if they were the same
currency will send you straight to the wrong answer.

Don’t just look at the numbers. Check the context and what kind
of number it is.

The same goes for graphs, tables and charts. Always check the
axes, what they represent, and if there are any abbreviations (such
as writing ‘10’ on the graph, when the axis explains it refers to ’10
million’).

It seems obvious, but in the heat of the moment these things can
be easily forgotten.
Ignore Other Test-Takers
If you’re taking a test in person at an assessment centre, it’s likely
that you won’t be alone in the room.

Don’t let it get to you. Other candidates might be sighing, or

fidgeting, or rustling paper, or looking around. It doesn’t matter –
you’re there for your test and your test only.

There’s no time to be distracted, so keep your head down and

focus on your own numerical test.

---

As with any type of recruitment-related test, ensure you

familiarise yourself with the process so that you know what to
expect and are adequately prepared.

Psychometric tests are quite formal and impersonal, but there are
many ways in which you can practice. As well as our own
aptitude tests, WikiJob recommends the test packages available
from JobTestPrep.

---

What Information or Allowances Should the Test Provider Give You?

This process shouldn’t just be all about the employer and what
they can find out about you. It’s also important that companies
are open and transparent (within reason) about their testing and
evaluation process.

Make sure you know what you should be able to expect from
them before you take your test.
For starters, the company must have your informed consent that
you’re okay with being tested. The informed bit of that means
that it should be possible to know:

 What the test is designed to measure

 How the test is used in the overall application process
 What relevance a test of this nature has to the role you’re
applying for
 How private and secure your test data is (where it’s stored,
for how long, and who has access to it)
 What kind of feedback (if any) you can expect afterwards
 How to discuss accommodations for disabilities

Essentially, the company should let you know what the test entails
and should be open to you asking questions about it.

Sometimes with disabilities, instead of making accommodations

for taking the test, the company and/or test provider prefers to
make adjustments to your raw score, rather than your conditions
for taking the test.

If in doubt about anything (especially disabilities), make an

enquiry and explain your situation.
FAQs
Is it Better to Finish the Test or Focus on Accuracy?
This depends partly on how the test is run. To find out what kind
of test you’re taking, check out the ‘Different Suppliers of
Numerical Reasoning Tests’ section further up the page.

In general, it’s best to go for accuracy. For most tests, the

employer will receive an accuracy score as well as your raw score.
They will be more interested in a candidate who took slightly
longer but was much more accurate, than a candidate who raced
through but was sloppy.
When Should I Get Feedback on How the Test Went?
What feedback you get and when varies a lot from company to
company. Some provide you with no feedback, some only if you
succeed, some offer a summary to all candidates.

Depending on the kind of feedback offered, this can happen

instantly after you complete the test (an automated feedback
system), or anywhere from a few days to a few weeks (or never)
after completing the test.

If you’re unsure of whether or not you get feedback or when you

should have it, just ask the company’s HR team.
Can I Use a Calculator?
In most cases, yes.

The majority of tests conducted in person at an assessment centre

must be done with calculators provided, but always bring your
own just in case. It’s always best to use a calculator you’re familiar
with.

As always, there’s no harm in asking beforehand whether

candidates can use their own calculators.
Can I Use My Mobile Phone During the Test?
You probably won’t be allowed to if taking the test in person, but
it wouldn’t help anyway.

The tests are designed so that all you need is your calculator and
your own numerical ability. There’s no time to find answers on
Google or forums.
I’m Thinking of Getting Someone Else to Take the Test for Me. Is That a Good
Idea?
No.

Getting someone else to take the test for you might help you
make it past the unsupervised online tests and through to the
next stage of the process (assuming, of course, that the individual
is actually better at the test than you).

But employers aren’t stupid, and they won’t be fooled in the long
run. It’s very common that at the assessment centre stage you’ll
be asked to take another set of aptitude tests, supervised and in
person.

The result of this test will be compared against your original

online test and analysed. If you have cheated, you will most likely
be found out at this stage.

And that’s just one of many anti-cheating methods employers

have. Many of them aren’t publicised, because if they were then
cheaters could look for ways around them.

It would be devastating to make it so close to getting the job,

only to get found out and have your application (or even job
offer) immediately rescinded, as well as possibly getting
blacklisted from applying in the future.

Don’t take the risk. Putting in the practice is a much more

effective and rewarding strategy.
Further Reading
You may also like to read:

Verbal Reasoning Test

Verbal reasoning is the ability to understand and logically work
through concepts and problems expressed in words.

Verbal reasoning tests tell employers how well a candidate can extract
and work with meaning, information and implications from text. It’s all
about logic expressed verbally.

In most cases, the questions will have you read a passage of text, and
then assess whether a given statement related to that text is true, false,
or if you cannot say (in other words, whether there is insufficient
information in the text to say for sure).

Some tests will have longer passages of text to read through and
multiple questions per passage. Others may have very short passages,
but only one or two questions on each. The way to approach them is
identical: read the text carefully and thoroughly, and then assess the
given statement.

Though the test format may vary, typically you will have between 30
seconds and 2 minutes to answer each question. Consequently, working
quickly and accurately is vital. Practice will be beneficial.

It’s essential to not make assumptions as you take the test. In other
words, use only the information presented, as additional facts (not
presented as part of the question), will never contribute to the answer,
even if those facts are common knowledge. The tests assess verbal
reasoning, not general knowledge.

These tests can either be taken at home (online and unsupervised) or at

an assessment centre, or both. Alongside many other anti-cheating
methods, companies will often have you retake aptitude tests in person
at the assessment centre, in case someone else completed the initial
online test on your behalf.
Contents
Why Do Employers Use These Tests?
Psychometric tests have a long history behind them. Research over the
past decades has shown a strong correlation between performance on
these tests and performance in the workplace. So it’s no wonder that
employers everywhere make extensive use of them.

The verbal reasoning section of psychometric tests aims to ascertain

a core skill set: the ability to work logically, accurately and intelligently
with the written word.

Verbal reasoning tests are looking to assess how well a candidate can:

 Think critically about a set of information

 Come to logical conclusions
 Compare different written texts to each other
 Articulate relevant details and information to colleagues and
clients

Verbal aptitude is, of course, a fundamental skill in the workplace. It’s

key for communicating with others, reading and interpreting reports,
discussing plans with clients, or writing clear emails.

That’s the case even if the role is highly technical and doesn’t
immediately seem to have much to do with words. You’ll still need to be
able to communicate your work to others, act on communications and
reports, and interpret textual data.

Many studies have shown that psychometric tests like the verbal
reasoning test are a much better indication of your key skills than even a
university degree.
How Does a Verbal Reasoning Test Work?
If you want to do well in verbal reasoning tests, you’ll need to
understand how they work, so you can plan how best to practice them.
The Structure of the Test
The first thing to note is that the test will almost always be timed and
that the time limit is rarely forgiving. It’s hard to accurately deduce the
information you need in a matter of only a minute or so.
For each question, you will be presented with a passage of
text containing written information. This can be in any style or format: it
might be an email, business report, internal memo or news article.

Based on that passage of text, you’ll be presented with a statement that

says something relating to what you’ve just read. You must then select
one of the following three answers:

 True: the statement follows logically from the information in the

passage.
 False: the statement is logically false based on the information in
the passage.
 Cannot say: based on the information in the passage, it is
impossible to say with certainty whether the statement is true or
false.

Note that not all test providers will use the terms ‘true’, ‘false’, and
‘cannot say’. They might, for example, use ‘correct’, ‘incorrect’, and
‘insufficient information’.

Click on the answer you think is correct. If you make a mistake or want
to go back and change an answer, you can usually navigate back through
the questions.
What Kind of Information Will be Included in the Test?
While the text passage is likely to be related to the role or industry
you’re applying for, it could be about anything. Don’t let the topic throw
you off - the test does not aim to measure knowledge of any particular
subject, but rather ability to parse and interpret the text.

Don’t let existing knowledge influence your answer. For example, you
might be sure that the answer is ‘true’ in reality, but if there isn’t enough
information to come to that conclusion in the text, then you should select
‘cannot say’.
What Does a Verbal Reasoning Test Measure?
Primarily, the verbal reasoning test aims to measure a candidate’s ability
to:
  Quickly and accurately comprehend written information
 Interpret written information logically
 Analyse statements about written information and determine
their veracity

These are foundational skills in any workplace and impact on internal

communications, communicating with clients, reading industry reports,
reacting to news articles, following written instructions, and giving
others written instructions.

Essentially, the verbal reasoning test is a great indicator to the employer

of how good a communicator a candidate is, as well as how good they
are at acting on communication.

The test also examines logical faculties more generally, by looking at the
way you take in information and critically evaluate it.

You’ll need to read the text closely and use your comprehension skills to
discern its logical meaning. While you won’t need to be good at
spelling, grammar is an important part of the test. It’s often in those
grammatical nuances that the answer can be found.

Check out our video for a short overview of what verbal reasoning
tests aim to measure.
What Makes Verbal Reasoning Tests Challenging, and Are They Fair?
All aptitude tests are challenging. They need to be, or they wouldn’t tell
employers very much about their candidates.

Let’s examine some areas that can cause difficulty with verbal reasoning
tests specifically.
Time Limit
The most immediate difficulty that presents itself is time pressure. It’s
not difficult to pore over a text slowly and then come to a conclusion.
But it is difficult to reach that conclusion in a minute.
For this reason, it’s crucial that you practice. With practice, not only
will you become more confident at working within the time limit; you’ll
be more conditioned to focus on the key points of the text and the
question.
Difficulty of Interpretation
Another thing that can trip you up if you’re not the most confident
reader is the language itself.

Often the text will be straightforward, business-like and relatively

simple to understand, but you may come across language you’re
unfamiliar with, or a verbose style. Some evidence also indicates that
ethnic minorities and international students whose native language is not
English may be at a disadvantage, due to linguistic and cultural
differences.

Reading different types of texts (academic journals, newspapers, blogs

etc) will help. And even if you don’t know what a specific word means,
you can often infer its meaning by the context.
Cannot Say
The ‘cannot say’ answer often causes confusion.

It’s frequently simple to distinguish whether a statement is true or false.

Establishing whether an answer is strictly true - or whether it’s likely to
be true, but logically you cannot say for sure - can be tricky.

That’s where accuracy of reading comes into play, alongside critical

thinking. You need to establish whether the text implies that something
is true or false, but doesn’t actually necessarily mean it is, or whether the
text definitely states that something is true or false.

The key to tackling this ambiguity is to practice reading accurately as

well as quickly. You’ll need an eye for detail combined with logical
thinking.
Different Suppliers of Verbal Reasoning Tests
Verbal reasoning tests come in many formats. While they all aim to
evaluate the same set of attributes, each test provider uses a different
means to do that.

To make your practice even more effective, research which test supplier
the company you’re applying for uses. That way, you can seek out more
focused practice materials and mock tests.

Always be aware, however, that companies can change their test

supplier at any time. What was true for one intake might not be true for
the next. Bear in mind also that come companies use different suppliers
for different departments and roles.

The main test providers are:

 CEB SHL
 Criterion
 Cubiks
 Talent Q
 cut-e
 Mendas

The most common type is CEB SHL, which is what we’ve modelled our
free practice test on (see below). CEB SHL is a good reference point as
the industry standard for verbal reasoning tests. Its tests tend to be
between 17 and 19 minutes long for 20 questions, so speed and
accuracy is key.

Criterion is unique in that it has an environmental focus to its questions.

There are 30 questions which you have to answer within 20 minutes, so
timing is pretty tight. The tests also get progressively more difficult, so
try to be quicker for the first set of questions to give yourself some
breathing room later on.

Cubiks offers tests similar to CEB SHL, with passages of text that tend
to be a bit shorter. You should be working to a minute or less per
question, so you’ll need to be quick, but other than that there shouldn’t
be any particular surprises.

Talent Q uses adaptive tests. This means that each question is generated
based on your previous answer. The better you’re doing, the harder the
questions. The aim of this is to hone in on your skill level much faster,
allowing the tests to be quick. Typically, candidates have around 90
seconds for questions with a new passage of text, and 75 seconds for
subsequent questions on the same text.

The tests offered by cut-e employ a different structure. Candidates are

given a series of different sets of text simultaneously on various tabs,
and need to flick back and forth between the texts to piece together the
answers.

With 22 questions over 35 minutes, Mendas offers a slightly slower-

paced test. Its verbal reasoning test is combined with financial testing, so
expect a very different kind of text to the others.

In general, while focused practice is really useful, don’t become too

pigeon-holed. The tests are designed to test your skills without needing
external knowledge or practice of the format, so if you can’t find out
who your test supplier is, just work on the general skills.
How Do I Find Out Who My Test Supplier Is?
There are various methods to try to determine the specific supplier:

 Websites like JobTestPrep often mention the suppliers companies

use and are a great place to start.

 Google, forums like WikiJob’s and websites like Glassdoor can be

a good avenue to find previous candidates who might know from
their own research. However, beware of outdated or irrelevant
information. Always check when this info was posted, and which
office, country, department and role they’re talking about.
  Email the company’s HR team. This is the direct approach. While
they might be reluctant to tell you, it’s a legitimate question to
ask.
How to Prepare in Advance for a Verbal Reasoning Test: A Step-by-Step Guide
When preparing for your test – either in-person at an assessment
centre or online – it’s important to plan ahead to make the best use of
your time.

The first step is research. Check forums, practice sites, test provider
websites and anything else you can find.

When you feel like you’ve got a good idea what you’re in for, it’s time
to practice.

There are plenty of mock tests out there, so make full use of them. While
you’re practising, do so under test conditions. It can often feel like a
whole different beast when you take the thing for real, so becoming used
to the situation will definitely help.
Set aside the required amount of time for the test. Find a quiet room and
ensure you won’t be disturbed. Gather everything you’ll need. Put your
phone outside the room and fully focus on the task at hand.

It can also be very useful to practise timing yourself. Time in verbal

reasoning tests is often tight and it’s important to stay on schedule. Use a
stopwatch.

Before the test or at the very beginning, work out the average amount of
time per question you have. Use a stopwatch to make sure you don’t go
too far ahead of that time. This is a great way to get used to tackling the
questions at the pace needed for the actual test.

In the 24 hours before the test itself, aim to:

 Get an early night. Being well-rested can make all the difference
when you need a combination of speed and accuracy.
  Eat a good breakfast. Concentration can dip when you’re hungry.
Don’t let a lack of toast ruin your test.

 Have everything you need ready. No last-minute panicking.

Don’t underestimate the simple things. They can make a huge impact.
Effective Strategies When Taking the Test
With all research and preparation and practice done, the main thing is to
stay calm and approach the test in the same way you have all
your practice tests.

Keep these nine tips in mind throughout:

Be Aware of the Time
The timing usually isn’t generous. You’ll need to stay on a tight
schedule to get all the questions done.
Read the Questions First
That way, you already know what you’re looking for when you read the
text and can focus on that. This will allow you to be quicker and more
accurate.
Don’t Use General Knowledge
It bears repeating because it’s crucial. Everything you need to answer
the question is in the text and in the text only. Don’t fill in any gaps with
outside knowledge.
Deal in Logical Certainties
The ‘cannot say’ answer is there for good reason and has as much
chance of being the correct answer as ‘true’ or ‘false’. If the information
on the page doesn’t give a conclusive answer, pick ‘cannot say’.

Candidates often trip up on answers when they’re pretty sure that it’s
one or the other, but the text doesn’t say that it is for certain. Be careful
to note the difference.
Take Things Literally
Similarly to the previous tip, you should treat every statement in the text
literally. There are no implications that hint towards an answer – either
an answer follows logically, or it doesn’t.
If You Can’t See It, It’s Not There
If the key piece of info you need to make a judgement isn’t in the text,
it’s perfectly possible that the answer is intended to be ‘cannot say’.
If You’re Struggling on a Question, Come Back to It Later
You can usually go backwards and forwards on the test. Use this to your
advantage. If you can’t work a question out, don’t waste time staring at
it. Get on with the other questions and come back if you have time.
Use the Practice Questions to Your Advantage
At the beginning of the test, you’ll often be presented with a few
practice questions so you can see what the format is.

Just because these don’t count towards your score doesn’t mean they’re
not worth concentrating on. They present the perfect opportunity to gain
some vital information. Instead of trying hard to answer the question
correctly, take a close look at the format.

You might be able to glean information like how long the passages of
text tend to be, what kinds of topics they’re on, what the statements are
like, etc. Pay attention here, because every bit of knowledge can save
you time later.
Ignore Everyone Else
Sometimes all the assessment centre candidates will be in the same room
taking the test. For some, this can be distracting. Be aware that this can
happen: try to ignore everyone else and focus only on your own work.
Other people might be shuffling around, sighing with exasperation or
chewing gum loudly – it doesn’t matter. You’re there for you and no one
else.
Additional Resources
These are our recommendations for resources to use:
  Apps – We have our own psychometric tests app that contains 8
timed verbal tests that are closely modelled on real tests. For
each test, there are full explanations of answers, to help you see
where you went wrong and how you can improve.

 Online Practice Tests – JobTestPrep offers numerous

curated practice tests for different test types and providers. These
can give you a great feel for how the different tests work. Well
worth checking out. Also be sure to check out AssessmentDay.

 Books – Don't discount books when it comes to preparing for your

test. We particularly like Rob Williams' Passing Verbal Reasoning
Tests. We also recommend this book, packed full of tips, hundreds
of pages of sample questions, and detailed workings to show you
exactly how each question is answered.
Free Example Verbal Reasoning Test
Time to get stuck in. We’ve got a realistic practice verbal reasoning
test for you to take right here.

Created by WikiJob alongside psychometric experts and modelled on

real tests, it should give an insight into how the test will go and what you
need to work on.

The test has 10 questions which should be answered in around 5

minutes if you’re timing yourself, although the test itself doesn’t have a
timer.

It’s designed to be slightly tougher than the real thing, so don’t worry if
you struggle at first. To pass, you’ll need to score 70% or higher. You
can take the test as many times as you like. Click the 'Take test' link
below to get started.
Verbal Reasoning Practice Test
Verbal reasoning tests are used by interviewers to find out how well a
candidate can assess verbal logic. SHL is perhaps the most well-known
producer of verbal reasoning tests, and the most widely used.
Questions 10

Pass Percentage 70%

Time Limit 5 min

Take test

What Information or Allowances Should the Test Provider Give You?

Companies should always be transparent when putting their candidates
through a strenuous application process. Most importantly, companies
need your informed consent to test you.

 What that means is that you need to know – or be able to easily

find out – the following:
 What the test is designed to measure
 What relevance the test has to the job
 How the test fits into the overall application process (is it only a
part of their decision, or the main aspect?)
 How secure your data is: where it’s stored, for how long, and who
has access to it
 What kind of feedback you can expect

How to discuss accommodations for disabilities, learning disabilities or

other things that might affect your ability to take the test on a level
playing field

Put simply, the company should let you know what the test is, how it’s
run, and should be open to you asking reasonable questions about it.

One thing to note is that sometimes companies don’t make

accommodations for candidates during the test. Rather, they prefer to
adjust the raw scores afterwards.
FAQs
What if English isn’t my native language?
The answer to this depends partly on how good your English is. The test
will be in English and most likely so will your work environment. If you
feel comfortable with the level of English required for the job, there
should be no real issues.

So long as you understand the text in front of you, the real work is in
the logical reasoning, rather than any advanced knowledge of the
language or cultural norms. If in doubt, ask the HR team to see if there’s
anything they can do or advice they have.
I have dyslexia. Will that be a problem?
Dyslexia or similar learning difficulties will make the test more difficult.
However, to compensate for that, employers almost always make an
allowance for it.

Talk to them: explain the specifics of your condition and ask them what
they might be able to do to help put you on a level playing field.

For instance, it might be appropriate to give you extra time, or a slightly

altered test.

Rest assured that you won’t be the first person with dyslexia or another
learning difficulty that the company has come across. They won’t want
to reject good candidates simply because the application process doesn’t
accommodate them properly.
Is it better to make sure I finish the test, or aim for accuracy?
It’s usually better to aim for accuracy. This is for a number of reasons.

The most obvious is that in the rare sort of test that has negative
marking, incorrect answers will lose you points. But accuracy is also
usually tracked regardless and sent to the employer, even if you don’t
get to see it. And they tend to prefer candidates who are a little slower
but more accurate, within reason.
When should I get feedback on the test?
This can vary a lot from provider to provider.
In general, expect to receive feedback within 1–3 weeks. For a
few online tests, candidates get their results instantly.

Depending on the provider and the company, you may also get some
written feedback to say where you went wrong and how you can
improve. This is somewhat rare, but it does happen.

As always, you can ask a contact at the company for more information.
Shouldn’t I just get someone else to take the test for me? Surely they’ll never find out.
No. Don’t even think about it.

Employers have been at it a lot longer than you. They know cheating
happens and so over the years have invested a lot into anti-cheating
methods.

While most of these are, for obvious reasons, kept largely obscure, they
exist. And they’re effective. Aside from cheat-detecting software,
companies will often have you retake the aptitude tests in person at
the assessment centre. If your performance there is vastly different (not
only in terms of score, but also style, approach and so on), then alarm
bells will ring.

Basically, you are very likely to be caught. Your application – or even

job offer if you made it that far – will be rescinded and you may be
blacklisted from applying in the future.

Practice is simply a far better, more effective and more rewarding use of
your time than cheating.
Further Reading
You may also want to check out these other WikiJob articles:
WikiJob
 Forum
 Free Aptitude Tests
 Career Advice


SHL Tests Numerical Tests Verbal Tests Abstract Tests Case Studies Mechanical Tests
Logical Reasoning
Logical reasoning tests (also known as critical reasoning tests) are designed to assess
a candidate's ability at skills such as how to interpret patterns, number sequences or the
relationships between shapes.

As such they have much in common with diagrammatic tests, as well as abstract
reasoning tests and inductive reasoning tests. There are also verbal versions of logical
tests, examples of which we'll cover in more detail below.

Logical reasoning tests assess a candidate's ability to use structured thinking to deduce
from a short passage which of a number of statements is the most accurate response to
a posed question. This involves the ability to isolate and identify the various
components of any given argument.

Logical reasoning tests are frequently used during the application process at investment
banks, accountancy & professional services firms and consulting firms, among others.

The tests are usually provided by an external supplier, such as SHL or Kenexa.

If you want to practise example tests and improve your performance, you can
take practice logical reasoning tests here.

Contents

1. The Different Types of Logical Reasoning Test

2. Tips on How to Prepare for Your Logical Reasoning Test
3. Take a Free Logical Reasoning Test
4. Further Information on Aptitude Tests

The Different Types of Logical Reasoning Test

The most common form of logical reasoning test you'll come across is
the diagrammatic version, which we'll cover first. As some employers also like to
use verbal logic tests, we cover how to tackle those, with example questions, in the
second section.

Diagrammatic Logical Reasoning Tests

These types of question require you to look at some data, identify the pattern or rules,
and then spot which object does not meet those rules.
Watch out for relative position, number of items, relationship between items, colour,
shape, and orientation of shapes: there are many different variations on these rules and
there may be some extraneous data in there that complicates the rules.

Let's have a look at a couple of examples. And if you're looking for further ones to try,
take a look at these practice test packages.

Question 1: Identify the odd one out

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In this question, some of the squares have three items in and some have four – you
need to work out whether or not that is important. In this particular case, there are two
rules.

The first is that the largest shape must be grey, and the second is that the bottom shape
must be black.

The odd one out is, therefore, C, as the bottom shape is stripey and not black.

Question 2: Identify the missing square

This type of question requires you to look at the patterns in the squares and understand
their relationship to one another, so as to identify the missing square.

There are three rules to spot in this question. Firstly, there is a relative positional rule: the
position of the black square corresponds to the position its square holds within the
diagram.

Secondly, there is a movement rule, in that the circle moves around the boxes in a
clockwise position.

Finally, the arrows in the first and third columns are reflections of one another. The
correct answer is therefore C.

Verbal Logical Reasoning Tests

Verbal logic tests always consist of a series of questions (usually 20 to 30) based on
short passages called stimuli.

Each stimulus takes the form of an argument – a conclusion based on evidence. You will
need to understand the stimulus to answer the questions based on it.

Common types of questions include weakening, strengthening, assumption, main point,

inference, and parallel logic.

Each is designed to test your ability to understand, analyze, evaluate and manipulate
arguments.

Test-Taking Strategy
The best approach to tackling logical reasoning tests entails being an active reader.
This means thinking about what you're reading; paraphrasing the complicated parts;
determining the topic, scope, the author's purpose and passage structure, and author's
voice; and asking yourself questions about the passage.

Understanding Assumption
One type of logical reasoning question involves identifying an assumption.

An assumption bridges the gap between an argument's evidence and conclusion. It is a

piece of support that is not explicitly stated but that is required for the conclusion to
remain valid.

When a question asks you to find an author's assumption, it's asking you to find the
statement without which the argument falls apart.

In order to test whether a statement is necessarily assumed by an author, you can use
the denial test.

Simply deny or negate the statement and see if the argument falls apart. If it does, that
choice is a necessary assumption.

If, on the other hand, the argument is unaffected, the choice is wrong.

Let's consider an example:

"Edward plays badminton for Epsom High School. Therefore, Edward must be over six feet
tall."

In this statement, the second sentence is the conclusion and the first sentence is
the evidence for it. However, in this case the argument is not complete. The piece that
is missing is the assumption.

From the information above, we can rephrase the example as: "All badminton players for
Epsom High School are over six feet tall". Now we can use the denial test. If it
was not true that all badminton players for Epsom High School are over six feet tall,
then we could not logically conclude that Edward must be taller than six feet. It would
be possible that he was, but it would also possible that he was not.

By denying the statement like this, the argument has fallen to pieces; it is no longer
valid. This is our proof that the statement above is a necessary assumption of this
argument.
Example Verbal Logic Question
This is an example of a typical question from a verbal logical reasoning test:

"If all beaches were publicly owned, we would have to rely on government funds to
maintain them. It is true that more people would have access to the ocean and beaches,
but at what cost? If the beaches are not cared for adequately, soon there will be nothing
left worth having access to. We should consider carefully before nationalizing more coastal
property."

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above?

 A - The public does not want additional access to beaches.

 B - The government is currently responsible for the maintenance of all public and private
beaches.
 C - The public already has some access to many beaches.
 D - Other property has been nationalized in the past, with no complaints from the
original owners of the property.
 E - Some privately owned beaches are not well maintained.

The correct answer is B. Here's why:

The evidence is that, while nationalizing will allow more people more access to beaches,
it could also lead to worse beaches.

The author points out that access to beaches is only good if the beaches themselves are
cared for adequately and are therefore desirable.

The author's conclusion is the last sentence: "We should consider carefully before
nationalizing more coastal property."

So, the author believes we have reason to be concerned that the beaches won't be
taken care of as well as when they were privately owned.

Note that nowhere is this claim supported; it is assumed.

So the answer choice must deny the central assumption and imply that the government
would do a good job taking care of beaches.

Choice two agrees with what we want, by saying that private beaches are cared for by
the government.

So, if the government were to nationalize those beaches, nothing changes: It should
take on no new maintenance obligations, and we have little additional cause for concern
about dirty beaches.
Tips on How to Prepare for Your Logical Reasoning Test
Logical reasoning ability is closely correlated with general intelligence. However,
familiarity with the types of questions you might face and some strategies for solving
the questions will certainly help you perform better.

Here are our five top tips:

1. Practice sample diagrammatic IQ tests. Many test publishers also provide practice
tests that you can access, such as JobTestPrep; this is certainly worth doing.

2. It can be useful to develop a mental checklist of strategies to solve logical reasoning

questions, such as a list of different rules that govern size, shape, number etc. This can
help you to work more methodically in the test.

3. Look at one rule at a time. There may be extraneous data within the question, which is
designed to confuse you. Focusing on a single aspect can help you work out what is
important and what's not.

4. Manage your time. Sometimes you will come up against a question where you just
cannot see the answer. Tempting as it can be, don't spend too much time on it. Move on
and if you have time at the end, go back and check it.

5. If you’re struggling to find a pattern, sometimes there are clues in the answers. Look
for any patterns or themes in the possible answers; that might help you spot what is
important within the question. For example, if you have a sequence of shapes and all of
the answers are squares or triangles, you know that the next shape in the sequence must
be either a square or a triangle, which could help guide you as to why.

Take a Free Logical Reasoning Test

Below is a logical reasoning test for you to try out. It was created by WikiJob and
JobTestPrep in association with psychometric experts and is closely modelled on real
tests.

The test consists of 10 questions to be answered in 10 minutes (although note there is

no timer on the test itself). Our tests are slightly harder than the real thing, in order to
make them sufficiently challenging practice.

You can take the test as many times as you like. Click the 'Take Test' link below on either
to get started.

Logical Reasoning Practice Test

Questions 10
Pass Percentage 80%

Time Limit 10 min

Take test

Further Information on Aptitude Tests

You may also want to check out these articles:

 Diagrammatic Tests. Tests that measure your logical reasoning, usually under strict time
conditions.
 Inductive Reasoning Tests. Tests that identify how well a candidate can see the
underlying logic in patterns, rather than words or numbers.
 Deductive Reasoning Tests. These measure your ability to take information from a set
of given premises and draw conclusions from them.
 Abstract Reasoning Tests. Tests that assess a candidate's general intellect and ability to
work out new concepts and abstract ideas, rather than testing their prior knowledge.
 Non-Verbal Reasoning Tests. Covers a range of aptitude tests that assess your
inductive, diagrammatic and spatial reasoning capability.
 Numerical Reasoning Tests. These tests require you to answer questions based on
statistics, figures and charts.
 Verbal Reasoning Tests. A means of assessing your verbal logic and capacity to quickly
digest information from passages of text.
 Intray Exercises. A business-related scenario that assesses how well you can prioritise
tasks.
 Situational Judgement Tests. Psychological tests that assess your judgement in
resolving work-based problems.
 Cognitive Ability Tests. A measurement of general intelligence, covering many
categories of aptitude test.
 Mechanical Reasoning Tests. These assess your ability to apply mechanical or
engineering principles to problems; they are often used for technical roles.
 Watson Glaser Tests. Designed to assess a candidate's ability to critically consider
arguments; often used by law firms.
 Spatial Awareness Tests. These tests assess your capacity to mentally manipulate
images, and are often used in applications for jobs in design, engineering and
architecture.
 Error Checking Tests. An unusual type of aptitude test that focuses on your ability to
identify errors in complex data sets.
 What Are Psychometric Tests?. A full primer on the range of psychometric tests and
how best to prepare for them.
 Career Unlocked: A PwC Game-Based Assessment

today.Take a test!
Diagrammatic Reasoning
Diagrammatic reasoning questions (also known as logical
reasoning or inductive reasoning questions) are designed to
assess your logical reasoning ability. They consist of multiple
choice questions and are administered under exam conditions.

Many of the aptitude tests that you will face during the job
selection process will contain questions of this type. These
questions may either be integrated into a test along with verbal
reasoning and numerical reasoning questions, or they may be
presented as a separate diagrammatic reasoning test paper.

The aptitudes measured by questions that use words and

numbers can easily be related to real jobs, which invariably
require some degree of literacy and numeracy. Questions which
use figures and diagrams seem to have very little application to
regular professions and yet these types of question appear in
most graduate and management aptitude tests. This is because
evidence from psychology shows that this type of pure reasoning
question is less dependent on your educational and cultural
background than either verbal or numerical questions.

If you want to practise example tests and improve your

performance, you can take practice diagrammatic reasoning
tests here.

What to Expect From Your Diagrammatic Reasoning Test

Diagrammatic reasoning tests are designed to be challenging, in
order to differentiate between candidates and to identify the
maximum performance they are capable of. They usually have
tight time scales, typically 30 minutes to complete 20 questions.
and questions that rapidly increase in difficulty. This means that
you will need to identify more rules to solve the problems, and
that the complexity of these rules is likely to increase.

While the various test providers use different question types and
formats, there are some common general concepts that it is worth
understanding. We'll cover these in the sections that follow.
Practice Diagrammatic Reasoning Questions: An Example
Diagrammatic reasoning questions measure your ability to infer a
set of rules from a flowchart or similar diagram, and then to apply
those rules to a new situation. These questions are often found in
tests aimed at selecting people who need to work through
complex, and often conceptual, problems in an analytical way.

In this example, the diagram shows 'inputs' and 'outputs' in the

large boxes. The 'operators' or 'processes' are shown in the small
boxes. You need to determine what effect each of the 'operators'
or 'processes' is having on the 'input' in order to produce the
'output' shown.
In this example, there are two operations separating each input
from the output. The first task is to isolate the function of one of
these operations and then to use a process of elimination to work
out what each operator does.
If we examine the Operator C/E in the diagram above, we can
deduce that it cannot reverse the colours of the input because in
Path A-C the input and output colours are the same.

Using this piece of information, we can assume that Operator D is

reversing input and output colours. Looking at Path D/E, this
means that Operator C/E must be reflecting the input in the
vertical plane.

Using this piece of information, we can deduce that Operator A is

adding the angled line to the input, from top left to bottom right.

Finally, we can deduce that Operator B must be rotating the input

90 degrees clockwise.

Now that we know what effect each of the operators has, we can
proceed to answer the questions.

The answers in order therefore are: D, B, A, C, B. The original test

is available here (20 minutes).
Take a free practice diagrammatic test
If you would like to practise a simulation diagrammatic reasoning
test, please try the one below, which was created by JobTestPrep
in association with psychometric experts, and is closely modelled
on real tests.

The test consists of 5 questions to be answered in 5 minutes

approx (although there is no timer on the test itself). Our test is
slightly harder than the real thing, in order to make it sufficiently
challenging practice. You need to get 80% correct (4 out of 5) to
pass the test. Don't forget to first check out the test tips and
techniques section further down this page.

You can take the test as many times as you like. Click the 'Take
test' link below to get started.

Diagrammatic Reasoning Test

Diagrammatic reasoning tests assess your capacity for logical
reasoning, using flowcharts and diagrams. Try these five practice
questions, designed to be similar to those used by major graduate
employers.
Questions 5

Pass Percentage 80%

Time Limit 5 min

Take test
What is the Difference Between Diagrammatic Reasoning and Abstract
Reasoning?
The term diagrammatic reasoning is often used interchangeably
with abstract reasoning by employers, although technically
speaking abstract reasoning questions are slightly different
to diagrammatic reasoning questions.

For example, abstract reasoning questions tend to focus on

working out new concepts and abstract ideas, and are more
closely correlated with questions in IQ tests that assess a
candidate's ability to see the underlying logic in a pattern of
symbols or shapes. So you may be asked to complete a sequence,
identify the odd one out, or say what relation A is to B, given C's
relationship to D. To give you an idea, see the diagrams in
our article on abstract reasoning questions.

Diagrammatic reasoning questions are a little different in that

they might use letters and numbers (where abstract
reasoning tends to be more based on shapes) and there will
sometimes be operators and processors as part of the question
(as in the sample question above). Both tests rely on a logical
thought process to deduce patterns.
If you are told that the test you are going to sit
contains diagrammatic reasoning questions, then it is a good idea
to ask to see a sample of the types of question that it will contain.
This will allow you to find out exactly what sort of questions you
are going to be asked.
Practice Abstract Reasoning Questions: Some Examples
The following questions give you an idea of how abstract
reasoning works. Each question involve a series of figures which
appear in a sequence or pattern – these can be thought of as the
'problem' figure. You need to analyse this problem figure and
determine which of the answer figures best completes it.

The answer in each case is just below the diagram, so don't scroll
down too far!

Which symbol in the Answer Figure best completes the sequence in the Problem Figure?

In this example, the question figure is rotated clockwise through

90 degrees each time. The answer is therefore option C, which
represents the last shape rotated through a further 90 degrees.

Which of the Answer Figures best fits the missing space in the Question Figure?
In this example, each complete row and column of the question
figure contains one line of each type – horizontal, vertical,
bottom-left-to-top-right and top-left-to-bottom-right.
Option D is therefore the correct answer, as when this is used to
complete the figure each row and column contains one of each
line type.

Tips and best techniques for diagrammatic reasoning tests

These four tips are well worth remembering before you take the
inductive reasoning test for real:

 Bring and use a stopwatch.

 Learn the differences between test providers in terms of
how they frame questions and how long the test will be.
 Work swiftly but carefully.
 Calculate the maximum amount of time to be allocated
to a question and stick to it, using your stopwatch.

The tests are timed, and typically there is time pressure. Most
online tests are designed to be completed within the time
allocated.
Useful techniques
Good exam technique for this type of question is to write down a
note about the operation next to the symbol as you work
them out. Often when performing written tests at assessment
centres, you will not be allowed to write on the original question
paper. In this case, you are usually provided with scrap paper onto
which you can do a quick sketch. It is very easy to make mistakes
on this type of question while under pressure, so make sure you
take time and care to not become confused when answering - a
single incorrect assumption can derail all your answers for the
question.

It can be really helpful to practise some diagrammatic reasoning

tests before you have to complete one under test conditions. This
is because they are very different from the sorts of problems one
tends to encounter in everyday life. Familiarity with the types of
questions they include will help ensure that you don’t panic or
freeze when you first see them.

Moreover, the more examples you work through, the more sorts
of patterns you will encounter and the more of a ‘feel’ you will get
for the materials. Make sure that you memorise the patterns
discussed above but don’t let them blind you to creative
alternative solutions.

Sometimes there may be questions where however much you

look at them, you can’t see the pattern. Once you have given the
question a good try move on. Don’t waste your time wrestling
with one question at the expense of your overall performance.

You can find examples of each type of question at Job test Prep
and AssessmentDay.
Other useful articles on WikiJob
You may also like to read:
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How to Succeed at In-Tray and E-Tray

Exercises
What is an e-tray exercise?
An e-tray exercise is a simulated computer based exercise used
as part of an assessment centre. The exercise requires you to read
and respond to a series of messages presented in an email inbox.
The exercise is based around a fictional work/business scenario
where you have been given a particular job role.

You will be asked to read each item and make a decision on range
of issues that arise. In order to respond to the emails, you will
need to refer to various pieces of useful information given to you,
for example background information on the company, an
organisational chart, or newspaper articles about your company
or industry. No prior knowledge is required to complete the
exercise and all the information needed is provided within the
assessment.

Why do employers use e-tray exercises?

Employers use e-tray exercises to assess a set of core
competencies that are required for a particular work role. These
competencies are often assessed by employers during an
interview following the e-tray exercise, through the use of
competency based questions. Competency based questions,
however, involve describing a past situation or task when you
have exhibited that particular quality. With an e-tray exercise,
employers are able to assess these competencies first hand in a
pressurised and timed simulation.

An e-tray exercise helps them assess your ability to manage and

respond to a series of different tasks, to negotiate conflicting
demands and analyse different priorities. Some of the core
competencies which employers assess during e-tray exercises are:

You can take practice e-tray and in-tray tests here

Time/Task management

 ability to delegate
 ability to prioritise
Client Focus

 flexible and adaptable when dealing with client requests

Analytical skills

 ability to evaluate the relative importance and urgency of

information
Interpersonal skills

 ability to respond tactfully and take into consideration

different personality types
Negotiation skills

 ability to consider multiple and/or conflicting demands and

decide on a course of action that contributes to the overall
benefit of the organisation
Decision making ability

 ability to make accurate and quick decisions

What items will be allocated to me during the e-tray exercise?

At the beginning of the e-tray exercise you will be provided with
background information regarding your role in the organisation
and other key facts such as the organisational structure.

The items allocated to you during the e-tray exercise could

include any of the following: Emails, Invitations, Memos, Letters,
Complaint letters, Telephone messages, Staff information,
Organisational charts, Policy documents, Reports,
Newspaper/magazine articles, Calenders, Reviews- internal and
external.
How do I decide on the best way to action each item?
In deciding how to respond to each task, you will need to
consider the following:
Who is the item from?
What is the individual’s significance to the organisation? Are they
an internal stakeholder, such as a staff member? Or are they
external, such as a client, customer or supplier?
'When was the item sent?
Check the date of the item and consider if there is a deadline. Is
this deadline flexible? If you are unsure, is it possible to confirm or
arrange for additional time to attend to the item?
How important is the issue?
Some e-tray exercises will ask you to sort the item into ‘urgent’
‘non urgent’ or ‘important’ before you proceed to choose your
response or how you would action the item. Consider how the
item affects the organisation and in what way. Consider which
areas of the company are affected by the item, for example:
inventory supply, cash flow, legal, customer satisfaction, health
and safety, union relations, competitors, or company reputation.
Do you need to attend to the item personally and straight away?
Some items will require your personal response, while others can
be delegated or forwarded to another staff member or colleague.
Additionally, assess how urgent the item is or if it could be
deferred to action at a later time. Take into consideration who has
sent you the item when assessing it’s urgency and importance.
Do certain tasks need to be completed in order?
Are there tasks which need completing before moving on to
others? Can tasks be bundled and addressed by the same person
and actioned at the same time? Are there conflicting tasks?

Structure
Most e-tray exercises will be divided into three parts.
Part 1: Reviewing background information
You will be provided with some background information about
your company and your role. These may be presented as on-
screen email folders. These folders or documents often contain
information such as the organisational structure, company mission
or objective, your team, your area of work, company policies or
procedures, press cuttings, and other background information
relating to your scenario.
Part 2: Multiple choice email response.
In part two you will respond to emails by selecting a multiple
choice option. Some tests may ask you to choose two responses-
the ‘most likely’ response along with the ‘least likely’ response for
the same email. Other e-tray exercises will ask you to choose one
response from three or four options. The tests currently used
by Deloitte and KPMG use the latter format. Often, in a simulated
exercise, these emails will appear in your inbox with increasing
frequency as you answer them and particularly towards the end of
the time limit.
Part 3: Written email response.
After completing the multiple choice section, you will then be
given the task of constructing a written email. Employers will be
assessing your grammar and written English ability during this
part of the exercise. This means you should ensure your response
does not contain any spelling mistakes as there will be no spell
check available. Take into consideration who the email is
addressed to, and choose an appropriate tone for the person you
are replying to. Employers will also be looking to see how you
structure your email. If you are given two emails to respond to,
ensure you manage your time effectively so you are able to
respond to both adequately. Employers will also be testing your
reasoning ability during the written response, as the exercise will
often ask for you to make a recommendation and provide reasons
to substantiate your decision/recommendation. A key technique is
to plan what you are going to say before you start writing, and to
write your concluding paragraph first and work backwards
providing supporting arguments for your conclusions.

© WikiJob 2007-2020. All rights reserved.

Situational Judgement Test
Situational judgement tests are a type of psychological aptitude
test that assesses judgement required for solving problems in
work-related situations.

This type of test presents candidates with hypothetical and

challenging situations that employees might encounter at work,
and may involve working with others as part of a team, interacting
with others, and dealing with workplace problems.

The key is that an SJT should reflect things that you will actually
encounter during your job.

In response to each situation, candidates are presented with

several possible actions (in multiple-choice format) that could be
taken when dealing with the problem described.

Situational judgement tests are typically designed for the specific

company, rather than for generic situations. This makes
any situational judgement test you take feel relevant to the role,
which helps you as a candidate tackle it and helps the employer
feel more confident about the results.
Situational judgement tests are looking to see how you would
respond to workplace scenarios.

Contents

1. Why Do Employers Use Situational Judgement Tests?

2. What Competencies Do SJTs Typically Assess?
3. How Do Situational Judgement Tests Work?
4. Take a Free Practice Situational Judgement Test
5. Example Questions
6. How Employers See Your Test Results
7. Preparation and Tips
8. Further Reading
Why Do Employers Use Situational Judgement Tests?
Situational judgement tests, or SJTs, have been used for over 70
years, and date back to the 1940s. They have become increasingly
popular as tools for recruitment because they can assess job-
related skills other assessments are unable to measure, such
as problem-solving, decision making and interpersonal skills.

SJTs are also useful for assessing soft skills and non-academic,
practical intelligence. They are often used in combination with a
knowledge-based test to give a better overall picture of a
candidate's aptitude for a particular job.

Another advantage of SJTs for employers is that they are an

effective way of sifting candidates from a large pool, so you will
more frequently encounter them with large companies than small
ones.

Sometimes the SJT is combined with an in-tray exercise to form a

work scenario the employer considers realistic to the job role
being recruited for.

Companies that use situational judgement tests as part of their

application process include the Big Four business services firms
(PwC, KPMG, Deloitte and EY), the Civil Service Fast Stream, John
Lewis, Waitrose, Herbert Smith Freehills and Sony.
What Competencies Do SJTs Typically Assess?
Broadly speaking, situational judgement tests are looking to get a
sense of the candidate's ability in each of these four
competencies:

 Communication skills. How persuasive are you? Can you

select the best means to communicate on someone's level
and empathise with them?

 Teamwork. Are you willing to prioritise the needs of a team

above an individual? Are you capable of encouraging team
 members effectively?

 Decision making. Can you exercise discretion and solid

judgement when a situation requires action to be resolved?

 People skills. How do you approach customer feedback?

How do you demonstrate leadership?

Essentially, what SJTs are measuring is your ability to perform your

role well not in terms of the competencies needed, but in terms of
the environment.

Someone could be an excellent project leader in a small company

with small teams and lots of freedom but struggle at the same
role in a larger company with bigger teams and more layers of
management to go through.

The SJT will, therefore, assess how suited you are to the
environment that surrounds your job. Who are you dealing with?
How fast-paced is it? How much initiative do you need to take,
versus how much prior planning needs to be conducted? What
kind of teams will you be working in?

It’s crucial for both you and the company to be sure that,
regardless of how good you are at the nuts and bolts of your job,
you’ll be working in an environment that allows you to thrive.
How Do Situational Judgement Tests Work?
Most commonly, your task on a situational judgement test will be
to select both the most effective and the least effective response
to the situation described, from a choice of 4 or 5 possible
actions. However, some tests may ask you to pick only the most
effective response or to list the responses in order of
effectiveness.
Unlike most psychological tests, SJTs are not usually acquired 'off-
the-shelf', but are designed as a bespoke tool, tailor-made to suit
individual job role requirements. For this reason, and also
because situational judgement tests are produced by a number of
different firms, tests may differ slightly from one another in terms
of length, format and structure.

The format of SJTs still varies widely: most are digital, though a
few are still paper-based. Some now use video clips or digital
animation to provide a more realistic setting to the tests.
The Questions
Situational judgement tests usually consist of a series of work-
based scenarios that could be faced by someone working in the
position you have applied for. Scenarios may range from ethical
dilemmas to difficulties with colleagues or clients, to common
everyday problems.

SJTs usually assess the key competencies companies believe are

essential for employees to possess to be successful in the
particular job role applied for. In each scenario, one or more of
the competences from the job description is likely to be tested.

The test will usually consist of between 25 to 50 short descriptions

of problem situations. Each description is usually followed by one,
two or three questions, which will ask you to select either: the
most effective and the least effective responses available; just the
most effective response available, or; to rank all the responses in
order of effectiveness. Situational judgement tests are always
multiple choice.

One curious aspect of situational judgement tests is that they

usually don't have a time limit. The idea is that you should
answer the questions relatively promptly, basing your answers to
some extent on instinct, but you shouldn't be pressured into
rushing into a response.

Generally speaking you will be given around a minute per

question as a guideline (as in the free sample test below).

Each answer is worth one mark. Your score will be the total
number of correct answers.
Take a Free Practice Situational Judgement Test
If you would like to practise a simulation SJT, please try the one
below, which was created by JobTestPrep in association with
psychometric experts, and is closely modelled on real tests.

The test consists of 5 questions to be answered in 5 minutes

approx (although there is no timer on the test itself). You need to
get 80% correct (4 out of 5) to pass the test. You can take the test
as many times as you like. Click the 'Take test' link below to get
started.

Situational Judgement Test

Situational Judgement tests assess your ability at solving
problems in work-related situations. Try these five practice
questions, designed to be similar to those used by major graduate
employers.
Questions 5

Pass Percentage 80%

Time Limit 5 min

Take test
Example Questions
Question One
This question asks candidates to choose the most effective and
the least effective responses from a list of five.

Everyone in your department has received a new computer system

except for you.

What would you do?

Please choose the most effective and the least effective responses:

A – Assume this is a mistake and speak to your manager

B – Confront your manager regarding why you are being treated

unfairly

C – Take a new computer from one of your colleagues

D – Complain to the Human Resources department

E – Quit
Answers to Question One:

 A – This is the most effective response available from the

list. If you have not been given appropriate equipment to do
your job, then speaking to your manager (who has
responsibility for ensuring you are given the correct
equipment) is the right thing to do.
 B – It is not right to assume you have been treated unfairly,
until you have spoken to your manager.
 C – Although you have not been given a new computer and
your colleagues have been, it would not be right to take
someone else's computer. This does not fix the problem, just
moves the problem on to someone else.
  D – Making a complaint would be a good decision if your
manager fails to act after you have spoken to them, but you
should speak to them first.
 E. This is the least effective response available from the list.
Quitting would be ridiculous, after what is effectively only a
small problem.
Question Two
This question asks candidates to rank the available responses
from most effective to least effective in number order.

You are aware that large amounts of company property have been
going missing over the past couple of weeks. You have noticed one
of your colleagues putting stationery and other equipment from the
office into her bag on a number of occasions and suspect that she is
responsible.

What is your response to the situation?

Rank the following options in number order from the least effective
to the most effective response, with (5) being the least effective and
(1) being the most effective.

A – Gather more evidence and catch her red-handed

B – Confront your colleague and ask her about what you have
noticed

C – Inform your manager that you suspect your colleague is

stealing

D – Don't do anything. If guilty your colleague will be caught

E – Privately ask some of your colleagues if they have noticed

anything suspicious recently
Answers to Question Two:

 5 (least effective) – D. This would be the worst option from

the list. This option does not resolve the issue. You have not
addressed why this behaviour is occurring, confronted your
suspicions or informed anyone else. This activity is illegal and
may now continue indefinitely.
 4 – A. In this option you are not taking decisive action.
Instead, you are spying on your colleague and wasting your
own time. In the meantime more hospital property may be
stolen.
 3 – E. In this option, you are at least doing something, but
are still not taking any decisive action. Gathering further
information will not necessarily bring about a resolution or
allay your suspicions, will not prevent further theft and may
lead to misplaced rumours being spread about your
colleague, who may quite possibly be innocent.
 2 – C. By doing this you take decisive action and draw your
problem to the attention of someone senior, who can deal
with the situation through the correct channels. However,
you might be wrong and you haven't given your colleague
the chance to explain their actions first.
 1 – (most effective) B. This is the best option from the list as
it allows you to discuss the issue directly with your colleague
addressing your suspicions and clearing any doubt or
ambiguity. On the basis of this outcome, you would then
proceed to option C.
Question Three
This question asks candidates to choose only the most effective
response from a list of four.
At the end of a busy day at work, you accidentally send an e-mail
containing an attachment with some confidential client information
to the wrong person.

Which of the following would be the best thing to do?

A – Decide to leave the office and deal with any problems tomorrow

B – Decide to overlook your error, send the e-mail to the correct

person and leave things like that

C – Immediately send a follow-up email to the 'wrong' person, or if

possible telephone them explaining your mistake. Then send the
email to the correct person

D – Find your manager, explain what has happened to them and let
them deal with any problems
Answers to Question Three:

 A – This is the least effective decision. In this scenario, you

would have sent the wrong person the important email, but
not have sent the correct individual the email.
 B – This is not an effective decision. Although you do send
the email to the correct person, you do not rectify the error
you have made, which you must do.
 C – This is the most effective decision. In this scenario, you
explain your mistake to your colleague and send the email to
the correct person.
 D – This is not an effective decision. If the contents of your
email are very confidential then it would be a good idea to
explain your mistake to your manager. However, it is not
necessary to pass this type of issue to your boss to deal with,
when you could quite easily deal with this yourself.
How Employers See Your Test Results
Once you complete your SJT, the results are usually scored
automatically. But, being a soft skills test, the answers aren’t
always clear-cut.

Sometimes there are several decent answers, and sometimes

there are none that seem good.

Typically, the employer will rank the answers of each question.

The computer will then assign your answers scores based on these
rankings, and add them up to a final score.

The employer will be shown your final score, but they might also
receive extra information.

If the questions were divided into types of questions that target

specific competencies, then they might receive a breakdown of
your score by competency. This will show the employer where you
are strongest and where you are weakest.

It’s also likely that your results will be presented in comparison to

all other candidates’ test scores. This gives the employer vital
context, as an easier test may have a higher average score.

Knowing how an employer might be analysing your answers can

help. It can be a useful way of thinking about a difficult question
from a new angle.

For example, you can take each question and think “What would
the employer consider to be the best answer here?”.
Preparation and Tips
No special training, knowledge or experience is required to take
this type of test. A candidate's answers should draw on general
knowledge and life experience only.
That said, candidates will benefit from practising similar questions,
such as those above.

Apart from anything else, practice helps to make you more

comfortable with the test and its format, reducing some of those
nerves and allowing you to focus more clearly.

It would also be useful to familiarise yourself with the key

competencies your prospective employer is looking for from
candidates, as it is these competencies that are likely to be tested
in the situational judgement test.

During the test, it is important that you read each scenario and
each possible response, before answering the question or
assigning rankings. The first option available may seem very
sensible, but it is important to avoid assigning any rankings until
you have considered each option carefully. For example, the last
option available may be an even more sensible option and the
most effective response.

Bear in mind that you are not being asked to judge if an option is
right or wrong, just to evaluate which is the best (and worst)
option available to you from those provided.

For questions that ask you to rank responses in number order, it is

important to note that the ranking is relative. All the available
options may be effective, or they may all be ineffective. It is your
job to decide on the relative rank, rather than to decide if each
option is right or wrong.

Use only the information provided in the question. Do not make

assumptions during the SJT.
Further Reading

 What is a Psychometric Test?

 How to Answer the Interview Question: What are your
Strengths?
 How to Approach Brain Teaser Questions
 Watson Glaser Tests
 How to Master Situational Strengths Tests
 The MMPI Test Explained
 The Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
WikiJob

 Forum
 Free Aptitude Tests
 Career Advice


SHL Tests Numerical Tests Verbal Tests Abstract Tests Case Studies Mechanical Tests

Don't lose out on that job.Practice aptitude teststoday.Take a test!

Cognitive Ability Test

Cognitive ability tests, such as the Wonderlic test, Revelian
tests and Predictive Index tests, have become a crucial part of
many companies’ recruitment processes. They are a form
of psychometric test designed to measure intelligence through
logic, reasoning and problem-solving exercises.

This article will provide a broad overview of what cognitive ability

tests are, how they are structured and how to prepare for them.
Contents

1. A Brief History of Cognitive Ability Tests

2. How Do Cognitive Ability Tests Work?
3. Why Do Employers Use Cognitive Ability Tests?
4. Types of Cognitive Ability Test
5. How to Prepare for a Cognitive Ability Test
6. Test Day: Tips for Approaching the Test Itself
7. Final Thoughts
8. Further Reading

A Brief History of Cognitive Ability Tests

Cognitive ability tests began to develop at the end of the 19th
century as a way to measure ‘general mental ability’. Initially such
tests were highly inaccurate, leading to psychologists
developing standardized methods of qualitatively scoring
intelligence and comparing test results.
For example, psychologist William Stern coined the term
‘Intelligence Quotient’ in 1912, as a means of finding the
difference between a child’s mental age and their chronological
age.

In 1904, psychologist Charles Spearman recognized that

individuals who demonstrated the ability to complete one task,
such as identifying patterns, would also do well at other tasks,
such as solving arithmetic problems. Spearman theorized that
individuals possess a ‘general mental ability’ similar to
intelligence. Thus, the concept of a test to assess cognitive ability
began to develop.

Since the groundbreaking work of psychologists such as

Spearman and Stern, cognitive ability tests have
become common recruitment tools across multiple industries,
from the military to sales and everything in between.

In the United States, around 43% of all companies now

use psychometric tests like cognitive assessments to measure a
job candidate’s suitability, and the figure is 70% for FTSE 100
companies.

It is therefore highly likely that you will be asked to take

a cognitive ability test by a prospective employer.

How Do Cognitive Ability Tests Work?

The classic cognitive ability test uses the following types of
questions:

 Numerical reasoning questions test your ability to

understand, analyze and apply numerical and statistical data.
You'll need to calculate percentages, fill out missing
 numerical data or work out the next number in a series.

 Verbal reasoning questions test your ability to understand

written information and use critical analysis. Classic questions
will require you to read a passage then state whether
statements about the passage are ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘cannot
say’.

 Abstract reasoning questions test your ability to work with

abstract ideas and concepts. Questions often include visual
diagrams, which you must use to identify missing
information or complete a sequence.

 Spatial awareness questions test your ability to work with

patterns and shapes. Common questions include mentally
rearranging shapes to make new ones, or visualizing patterns
and images when they are rotated or flipped.

 Mechanical reasoning questions test your ability to use

basic principles of mechanics, such as working with cogs,
levers, springs and pulleys.

Most tests can be completed using a computer. Typically the test

will be made up of multiple-choice questions of varying difficulty;
the results will present an accurate profile of your intellectual
capabilities.

Usually, cognitive ability tests will have a time limit for

completion. Some will require you to complete all the questions;
others will ask that you complete as many questions as possible in
the time allowed.
You should always familiarize yourself with how your particular
test will be timed during your preparation. Be aware that the
length of time it takes you to complete the test may be taken into
account in your results.
Why Do Employers Use Cognitive Ability Tests?
Psychologists tout cognitive ability tests as being an excellent
predictor of a prospective employee’s future performance at work.
The tests measure abilities such as:

 Comprehending concepts
 Abstract thinking
 Problem-solving
 Planning and organization
 Learning quickly from experience
 Adapting to unknown situations
 Applying new knowledge

Demonstrating a high cognitive ability indicates that a candidate

is good at adapting to new work environments, making
intelligent decisions and learning new skills quickly – essential
skills for excelling at a new job.

Candidates with higher test scores tend to be more productive

and require less training than their lower-scoring counterparts.
This can equate to significant financial benefits for the employer.

For these reasons, cognitive ability tests are a crucial and

sometimes deciding factor in many employers' recruitment
processes.
Types of Cognitive Ability Test
Employers source their cognitive ability tests from a variety of test
providers depending on their individual needs. Here are some of
the test providers and the companies which use them:
Wonderlic Test
The Wonderlic test assesses job candidates' aptitudes using a
mixture of logic and puzzle recognition, fact recognition, word
problems and verbal reasoning questions.

There are two versions of the test:

 The Wonderlic Personnel Test: 50 multiple-choice

questions with a time limit of 12 minutes.

 The Wonderlic Personnel Test – QuickTest: 30 multiple-

choice questions with a time limit of 8 minutes.

Some companies known to use Wonderlic are:

 MENSA International
 ThoughtWorks
 Gulf Coast Commercial Group
 Apple Chevrolet
Predictive Index Test
The Predictive Index Cognitive Assessment tests skills such as
verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and pattern recognition. It
comprises 50 questions to be answered in 12 minutes.

Companies that use Predictive Index tests include:

 IKEA
 Chevron
 Microsoft
  Dell
SHL Tests
SHL is one of the leading providers of employment aptitude tests.
Each SHL test is designed to assess one particular competency.

The test is usually conducted in two stages. First, the candidate

completes the test online. Then, if the candidate is invited to
an assessment day, they will be asked to complete another
shorter version of the test to verify their answers.

Types of SHL test include:

 Verbal Reasoning Test – 30 questions to be answered in 19

minutes, or 18 questions in 11 minutes, at an assessment
day.

 Numerical Reasoning Test – 18 questions to be answered

in 25 minutes, or 10 questions in 15 minutes, at
an assessment day.

 Inductive Reasoning Test – 24 questions in 25 minutes;

designed to evaluate your logic skills.

 Deductive Reasoning Test – 20 questions to be completed

in 18 minutes. Requires you to use logic to come to
conclusions, identify errors in information, and evaluate
arguments.

Companies that use SHL tests include:

 Philip Morris
 Gannett Company
 Ford Motor
  Microsoft
Revelian Tests
Revelian tests are taken by over 200,000 people worldwide and
are the most popular psychometric test taken by graduate
jobseekers in Australia.

Revelian has identified various characteristics typical of candidates

with the cognitive ability required to succeed at work, and has
developed aptitude tests in the following areas:

 Cognitive ability
 Verbal reasoning
 Numerical reasoning
 Abstract reasoning

Companies that use Revelian tests include:

 Deloitte
 BMW
 Medina Hotels
 Pepsico
How to Prepare for a Cognitive Ability Test
Many job candidates believe there's no benefit in preparing
for cognitive ability tests. Some think their intelligence will speak
for itself; others think that, since the questions are random and
cannot be predicted, it's not possible to prepare.

In fact, you can (and should) prepare for cognitive ability tests by
familiarizing yourself with:

 The structure of the test.

 The time frame in which you need to complete the test.
 The types of questions that will come up.

The more familiar you are with the overall format of the test, the
more time you can spend focusing on answering the questions
during the time limit.
There are also countless cognitive ability sample questions and
tests you can access online to prepare for the test. Although the
questions won't be the same as on the real test, practising similar
styles of questions and timing yourself is the best way you can
prepare.

If you’re looking for free cognitive test samples, here is a

free numerical practice test sample and a free verbal reasoning
test sample to get you started.

You can also find practice tests on sites such as Job Test
Prep and AssessmentDay.

As most practice tests aren’t timed, set yourself a timer of one

minute per question to ensure your practice reflects true test
conditions as closely as possible.

Test Day: Tips for Approaching the Test Itself

 Get a full night’s sleep the night before your test and eat a
good breakfast to ensure you are in top condition.

 Drink plenty of water and don’t forget to take water to the

test (if it’s being conducted under controlled conditions).

 Work out the maximum time you can spend on each

question (for example, one minute per question).

 Take a stopwatch to time yourself and ensure you’re not

spending too long on each question.

 If you’re taking the test online, have a notepad or piece of

scrap paper and a pen ready for the problems you can’t
 work out in your head.

 Read every question twice and try not to answer too

quickly. This is particularly important in verbal reasoning
tests – look out for negatives, double-negatives or other
modifying words, which could trip you up if you skim over
them.

 Don’t apply outside knowledge to the questions – all the

information you need to work out the answer logically will be
in the question.

Final Thoughts
Some final tips to bear in mind:

 Ask prospective employers what cognitive ability tests

they require as part of their application processes, so you
can get a head start on preparation.

 Practice, practice, practice. Replicate true test conditions by

timing your tests.

 Check whether you will be allowed to take notes during

your test. If not, practice answering sample questions using
just your memory and mental ability.

 Don’t spend too long on each question, as this can affect

your overall score.

Finally, try these helpful practice tests to help you get a feel for
the real thing.
Further Reading
You may be interested in these other articles on WikiJob:
Psychometric Tests

Aptitude Tests

Mechanical Reasoning Tests

Spatial Awareness Tests

Wonderlic Test
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Mechanical Comprehension Test

What Is A Mechanical Reasoning Test?
Mechanical reasoning tests assess your ability to apply specific
mechanical or engineering principles to novel situations in order
to identify the correct answer. They are usually used as part of an
assessment process for engineering or technical roles.

You can think of mechanical reasoning tests as a test of applied

knowledge – they measure what you know rather than your
underlying potential (in the way an abstract reasoning test does).
Since this is a test of applied knowledge and understanding, your
performance can be improved by practice.
How Do Mechanical Reasoning Tests Work?
Mechanical reasoning tests aim to understand your ability to work
with mechanical concepts. They therefore aim to challenge and
stretch participants, usually through a limited time period for
completing the test and/or increasingly difficult questions. Your
performance will be compared to the performance of a group of
similar people (known as a norm group) and your performance
relative to the norm group will be used to define your mechanical
reasoning ability.

Typical Mechanical Reasoning Questions

Mechanical reasoning tests assess applied mechanical ability and
typically include questions referring to a range of mechanical
principles. Learning and understanding these principles is
essential for success on tests of mechanical reasoning.

Typically, the format of a mechanical reasoning test will include a

question followed by a number of potential answers, of which
only one is correct. Your job is to identify which is the correct
answer. Remember, there may be cases where it is impossible to
answer the question because there is insufficient data available, in
which case there will be an answer option which reflects this, eg.
‘impossible to say’.

Levers
A lever is a bar that pivots at a fixed point (called the fulcrum).
Levers are used to make it easier to move a load around a pivot;
pushing one end of the lever down results in the upward
movement of the opposite end, and this is governed by a specific
equation:

w x d1 = f x d2

Where: w = weight, d1 = distance from the fulcrum to the weight,

f = force needed, d2 = distance from the fulcrum to the point
where the force is applied.

In the example below, the fulcrum is in the centre of the pivot,

meaning that a force of 5kg will balance the weight of 5kg.
Example question 1: How much force is required to lift the
weight?

The correct answer is a) 4kg. The calculation required is:

f = (w x d1)/d2

f = (10 x 2)/5

f = 20/5

f = 4kg

Things to watch our for in questions about levers:

 Sometimes there are questions where there is more than one

weight that needs to be lifted. In this case you need to work
out the force required to lift each weight separately, then
add them together to get the total force required.
  Levers are usually used to reduce the amount of force
needed to move an object. That said, you should not assume
that this will be the case in the questions where the fulcrum
may have been positioned to mean that a force greater than
the weight is needed to lift it.
 Watch out for different configurations of levers like those
shown below:

Gears
A gear is wheel or cylinder with teeth or cogs on their outside
edges. Gears are typically used in combinations of different sizes
and are used in three main ways: to increase or reduce speed and
force, to transmit force over a direction, or to change the direction
of motion.

Gears have a number of properties that are often explored in

mechanical reasoning tests:

 Gears that are connected by a chain or a belt (i.e. not

physically touching) move in the same direction.
  If gears are touching (also known as meshed) they will move
in opposite directions. This will alternate for each cog in a
sequence; therefore for an odd number of cogs, the final
gear will move in the same direction as the first, and for an
even number of cogs, the final gear will move in the
opposite direction to the first.
 The first gear in a sequence is known as the ‘driver.’
Subsequent gears are known as ‘followers.’ You can calculate
the gear ratio by dividing the number of teeth on the
follower by the number of teeth on the driver. Where there is
a low gear ratio there will be more speed and less force;
conversely, where there is a high gear ratio there will be less
speed and more force.

Questions about gears typically use one of more of these rules

and ask you to calculate the speed, direction or force of a
particular gear/cog, given information about others in the
sequence.

Pulleys
Pulleys typically involve a wheel with a cord/rope/belt around.
They are used to raise heavy weights by changing the direction of
a force applied to the rope. There are various figurations that the
pulley can have, and these are important for solving the
questions:

 Fixed: the load moves but the pulley does not. The force
required to lift the object is equal to its weight.
 Moveable: the pulley moves with the load. The force required
to lift the object is equal to half the weight.
 Combination: including more than one pulley (often, but not
always, including fixed and moveable pulleys). The force is
 reduced but the distance increases. The force required to lift
the object is equal to the weight divided by the number of
ropes supporting it.

Example Question 2: How much force is required to lift the

load?
a) 20 kg b) 10 kg c) 5 kg d) Impossible to say.

The correct answer is c) 5 kg. The weight is 20 kg and there are 4

ropes supporting the weight. Therefore the force required to lift it
is 20kg divided by 4, which is 5kg.

Take A Free Mechanical Reasoning Test

Below is a mechanical reasoning test for you to try out. It was
created by WikiJob and JobTestPrep in association with
psychometric experts, and is closely modelled on real tests.

The test consists of 10 questions to be answered in 10 minutes

(although note there is no timer on the test itself). Our tests are
slightly harder than the real thing, in order to make them
sufficiently challenging practice.

You can take the test as many times as you like. Click the 'Take
test' link below on either to get started.

Mechanical Reasoning Practice Test

Questions 10

Pass Percentage 80%

Time Limit 10 min

Take test

Top tips For Success In Mechanical Reasoning Tests

Practice! Since mechanical aptitude tests are tests of your applied
knowledge, it is really important to ensure that you have learned
and practised the types of problems likely to be included. A
suggested list of topics to revise includes (but is not limited to):

 Levers
 Gears
 Pulleys
 Springs
 Screws
 Acceleration
 Gravity
 Clamps
 Shafts
 Pressure
 Friction
 Weights
 Volumes
 Conveyor belts
 Kinetic and potential energy
 Balancing scales
 Simple electrical circuits
 Applied maths
 Magnetism
 Mirrors and reflection

Take the time to understand in your own mind what problems are
solved by these mechanical techniques, how they work, and how
they are applied in the real world.

Learn from your practical experience. Preparing for mechanical

reasoning tests does not have to be entirely theoretical. If you
enjoy working with your hands, practise taking things apart to
understand how they work. Fix things. Build things. Try ideas out
practically and see what you learn from doing so. Find
opportunities to work with tools and equipment, read technical
user manuals, anything that familiarises you with the mechanical
mindset and builds your knowledge.

Practising example aptitude questions is also important. Make

sure that you work through some practice tests, such as those
provided by Job Test Prep, to ensure you understand how to solve
the questions and you can get straight on with answering them in
the real test.

In your mechanical reasoning test, work quickly but carefully and

double-check that you have understood the question and that
your calculation is correct. Only correct answers will count towards
your score, so it is worth taking the time to ensure that you have
understood addressed all aspects of the question.
Further Practice
If that was useful, you may also like to try our free aptitude tests,
which have been designed to simulate the questions typically
used in online assessments. Although they do not contain any
questions from the real tests, they are based upon them, and
designed to provide practice to help you through.

If you spot any problems with our tests, please

email info@wikijob.co.uk to let us know.
Other Articles You May Find Helpful

 Diagrammatic Reasoning Tests

 Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Tests
 Cognitive Ability Tests
 Logical Reasoning Tests
 What is a Psychometric Test?
 EEI Tests
  CAST Test
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Watson Glaser
The Watson Glaser critical thinking test is designed to assesses
an individual’s ability to digest and understand situations and
information.

It is often used by organisations where the ability to critically

consider arguments or propositions is particularly important, such
as law firms.

Most people complete the Watson Glaser test within 50 minutes

(approximately 10 minutes per sub-test). Tests administrators
normally allow candidates one hour to complete the test.

The Watson-Glaser test has been co-normed on a sample of over

1,500 respondents representative of graduate level candidates.
You will be judged against this respondent group when you sit
the test.

You can practise realistic Watson Glaser Tests here.

The Watson Glaser test is designed to test your capacity to think
critically.

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to logically and rationally consider
information.

Rather than accepting arguments and conclusions presented, a

person with strong critical thinking will question and seek to
understand the evidence provided.

They will look for logical connections between ideas, consider

alternative interpretations of information and evaluate the
strength of arguments presented.
Everyone inherently experiences some degree of subconscious
bias in their thinking. Critical thinking skills can help an individual
overcome these and separate out facts from opinions.

The Watson Glaser critical thinking test is based around

the RED model of critical thinking:

 Recognise assumptions. This is all about comprehension.

Actually understanding what is being stated and considering
whether the information presented is true, and whether any
evidence has been provided to back it up. Correctly
identifying when assumptions have been made is an
essential part of this, and being able to critically consider the
validity of these assumptions – ideally from a number of
different perspectives – can help identify missing information
or logical inconsistencies.
 Evaluate arguments. This skill is about the systematic
analysis of the evidence and arguments provided. Being able
to remain objective, while logically working through
arguments and information. Critical evaluation of arguments
requires an individual to suspend their judgement, which can
be challenging when an argument has an emotional impact.
It is all too easy to unconsciously seek information which
confirms a preferred perspective, rather than critically
analyse all of the information.
 Draw conclusions. This is the ability to pull together a range
of information and arrive at a logical conclusion based on
the evidence. An individual with strong critical thinking skills
will be able to adjust their conclusion should further
evidence emerge which leads to a different conclusion.
Why is Critical Thinking Important to Potential Employers?
Critical thinking is important to employers because individuals
who engage in quality thinking make better decisions. They arrive
at conclusions which are impartial, well informed and objective.

Furthermore, such people are able to make decisions with limited

supervision, enabling them to independently make judgements: in
a world where time can be money, waiting for someone else to
validate decisions can be costly and result in missed
opportunities.
What is Involved in the Watson Glaser Test?
The Watson Glaser test evaluates a candidate’s critical thinking
ability in five separate
areas: inferences, assumptions, deductions, interpretations and
evaluation of arguments.

Each of these skills is tested separately and there are therefore

five different types of questions in the Watson Glaser test. We will
explore each of these below.
Inferences
An inference is a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning. It
enables conclusions to be drawn that are not explicitly stated. For
example, if we see someone driving a Ferrari we may conclude
that they are wealthy.

However, there are a number of alternative explanations: they

may have rented or borrowed the car, or they may have acquired
huge debt as a result of buying the car.

The problem with inferences is that people often reach a

conclusion based on insufficient data, and the conclusion may not
therefore be correct.
An inference question typically involves a statement (which you
are to assume is true) and a number of inferences based on that
statement. Your job is to evaluate whether the inference is correct.
You can do this using both the information contained within the
passage and information which is commonly accepted knowledge,
or information that practically every person has.

You will be given five potential responses and you have to select
which you feel is most accurate. These options are:

Definitely True – from the facts given there is no reasonable

possibility of it being incorrect.

Probably True – in light of the facts given, it is more likely to be

true than false.

Insufficient Data – in light of the facts given it is impossible to

say whether it is true or not.

Probably False – in lights of the facts given, it is more likely to be

false than true.

Definitely False – from the facts given, there is no reasonable

possibility of it being true.

An Example Question
Statement Studies have shown that people who live in England
are more likely to own their own homes than people living in
Scotland, although there is little difference in the rate of home
ownership amongst people who have the same level of
educational achievement. The average level of educational
achievement is significantly higher in England than Scotland.
Inference 1 People with high educational achievements are in a
better position to buy their own homes than people with low
educational achievements.

(TRUE. The inference follows from the passage.)

Inference 2 There is a lower rate of home ownership in Scotland

among people with relatively high educational achievements than
among people in England with much lower educational
achievements.

(FALSE. The passage says that the levels of home ownership are
similar in England and Scotland for the different levels of
educational achievement, and that more people in England both
have higher educational achievement and are likely to own their
own homes. This suggests a link between educational
achievement and home ownership in both England and Scotland.
Therefore the person with the highest educational achievement is
more likely, on average, to own their own home than the person
with lower educational achievements, regardless of whether they
live in England or Scotland.)

Inference 3 People with higher levels of educational achievement

are more likely to own their own homes, since they earn more
money than those with lower educational achievement levels.

(PROBABLY TRUE. It is widely known that educational achievement

is linked, on average, to higher-salary jobs. While one cannot
conclusively say that this is true based on the information within
the passage, it is probably true based on commonly accepted
knowledge.)
Take a Free Practice Watson Glaser Test
If you would like to practise a simulation Watson Glaser test,
please try the one below, which was created by JobTestPrep in
association with psychometric experts, and is closely modelled on
real tests.

The test consists of 10 questions to be answered in 10 minutes

approx (although there is no timer on the test itself). Our test is
slightly harder than the real thing, in order to make it sufficiently
challenging practice.

You need to get 70% correct to pass the test. Don't forget to first
check out the test techniques section further down this page
beforehand.

You can take the test as many times as you like. Click the 'Take
test' link below to get started.

Watson Glaser Test

A Watson Glaser test is designed to assesses your ability to digest
and understand situations and information; it is frequently used
by law firms. Try these 10 questions as an introduction.
Questions 10

Pass Percentage 70%

Time Limit 10 min

Take test

Assumptions
An assumption is something we take for granted. An example
might be: “When I retire I will receive a final salary pension”. This
assumes that you will get to retire, that you will be alive at
retirement age, that your pension fund performs well, and that
your pension arrangements will not change.

People make many assumptions which may not necessarily be

correct; being able to identify these is a key aspect of critical
thinking.

An assumption question typically involves a statement and a

number of assumptions. Your job is to identify whether an
assumption has been made or not, and you will have a choice of
two answers: yes or no.

Statement We need to save money so we’d better take a holiday

in the UK.

Assumption 1 Holidays in the UK are cheaper than holidays

elsewhere.

(YES. It is assumed in the statement that the cheaper price of

holidays in the UK will enable the individual to save money.)

Assumption 2 Transport costs make international holidays more

expensive than those in the UK.

(NO. This assumption is not made in the statement, there is

nothing mentioned about the cost of transport within the
passage, and there are many reasons why a holiday in the UK may
be cheaper.)

Assumption 3 It is possible to take a holiday within the UK.

(YES.This is assumed, as in order for the individual to take a

holiday within the UK, it must be possible to take a holiday within
the UK.)
Deductions
A deduction is the drawing of a conclusion in a particular
instance, by referring to a general law or premise. However, there
may be occasions when such deduction is incorrect.

For example, in the statement: "Satsumas, oranges and

clementines are all citrus fruits. They are all orange; therefore all
citrus fruits are orange." Clearly this is incorrect.

Deduction questions include a statement (which you must assume

is true), followed by a number of potential conclusions. Your job is
to identify whether the conclusion logically follows from the
statement and you will have two options: yes or no.

Statement It sometimes snows in January. Schools are always

closed when it snows. Therefore:

Deduction 1 Schools are never closed on days when it is not

snowing.

(NO. The conclusion does not follow. You cannot tell from the
statements whether or not schools ever close on days when it
does not snow. Some may do.)

Deduction 2 Schools are sometimes closed in January.

(YES. The conclusion does follow from the information provided

since schools must be closed on days when it snows in January.)

Deduction 3 Sometimes schools are open in January

(NO. The conclusion does not logically follow from the

information provided, even though you may know that in reality
schools are often open in January.)
Interpretation
An interpretation is an evaluation of whether a conclusion can
logically follow from the information or evidence provided. This
requires an individual to understand the precise meaning or
significance of a piece of information and applying this
information appropriately.

For example, if you are told in a study that the wavelength of light
visible to the human eye range from 380–750nm, you can
conclude that no humans can see light at 30nm.

Statement A study of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions within the

EU from 1990 to 2010 shows that the volume of CO2 emissions
fell consistently, from 24bn tonnes per year in 1990 to 16bn
tonnes per year in 2010.

Interpretation 1 The reductions in CO2 emissions demonstrate

that energy efficiency initiatives have been successful

(NO. This conclusion does not follow from the information given,
which provides no evidence to explain the changes in CO2
emissions.)

Interpretation 2 The amount of CO2 emitted within the EU in

1992 was less that 24bn tonnes.

(YES. The conclusion follows beyond a reasonable doubt since,

according to the statement, the volume of CO2 emissions fell
consistently.)

Interpretation 3 CO2 emissions in 2011 were lower than in 1990.

(NO. This conclusion does not follow beyond doubt, because

evidence is only provided for the period 1990 to 2010.)
Evaluation of Arguments
This set of questions examines your ability to evaluate the
strength of an argument. Arguments can be strong or weak, and
to be strong an argument must be important and directly related
to the question.

In these questions, you will be presented by a statement followed

by a number of arguments (which you should assume are true)
and you must then decide whether each argument is strong or
weak.

Statement Should the voting age in the UK be lowered to 16?

Argument 1 Yes; voting provides an opportunity for young

people to feel like adults.

(WEAK. This would be a poor reason for lowering the voting age.)

Argument 2 Yes; young people will be affected in the future by

decisions made today.

(STRONG. This is important and relevant to the statement.)

Argument 3 No; 16-year-olds are unduly influenced by

celebrities.

(WEAK. This argument is not directly related to the question, since

being influenced by celebrities does not necessarily mean that 16-
year-olds should not have the opportunity to vote on important
issues.)
How Can You Prepare for a Watson Glaser Test?
Critical thinking ability can be significantly improved by practice.
It is a skill that can be learned, although it does come more easily
to some people than others.
Look for opportunities to think critically about information every
day. Once you start practising, you’ll find useful material
everywhere: blog posts, newspapers, and journal articles are great
places to look.

It can be useful to organise your thinking and practice around the

RED model mentioned earlier in the article:

 Recognise assumptions. Practise identifying the

assumptions in material. What can be objectively proven and
what is inferred? Where might there be gaps in your logic?
What information is important and relevant, and what isn’t?
What is missing? Is there any information that needs to be
included which isn’t?
 Evaluate arguments. Practice carefully analysing the
arguments presented. What is your perspective on the
evidence? Could someone else have a different perspective?
Consider the impacts of the arguments from a range of
different viewpoints (it can be useful to use a model
like PESTLE – political, economic, socio-demographic,
technological, legal and environmental – to organise your
thoughts). How would someone argue against your position?
What merits are there to their arguments?
 Draw conclusions. After you have considered all of the facts,
what is the best possible conclusion? Could there be any
other conclusions? What new information might change your
conclusion? Does this conclusion seem sensible based on
your common sense and experience? What are the
implications of this conclusion?

It is also useful to develop your self-awareness. Understanding

your biases and thinking patterns can help you identify where
your thinking might be limited.
Finally, do take some practice tests. It can be really helpful to
work through some examples with explanations as you will really
start to understand how they work and how to think through the
questions and arrive at the correct answer.
Other Articles You May Find Useful

 What is a Psychometric Test?

 How to Answer the Interview Question: What Are Your
Strengths?
 How to Answer the Interview Question: What Are Your
Weaknesses?
 Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT)
 How to Answer Brain Teaser Questions
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Abstract Reasoning
What are abstract reasoning tests and why are they used?
Abstract reasoning tests (also known as inductive
reasoning or diagrammatic reasoning tests) are widely used within
selection processes to assess a candidate's general intellect and
ability to work out new concepts and abstract ideas, rather than
testing their prior knowledge. They are closely correlated with IQ
tests, and rely upon the candidate's ability to see the underlying
logic in a pattern of symbols or shapes (instead of relying on
words or numbers).

This type of test is useful to employers because the ability to

answer abstract reasoning questions is independent of
educational experience and cultural background, and can be used
to provide an objective indication of intellectual potential.They are
particularly useful for jobs where problem-solving and initiative
are important, or where candidates will need to deal with complex
data, or perform non-routine tasks where initiative is required.

That said, abstract reasoning questions may be used by any

employer as an assessment for any position, as they are seen to
be a good measure of general intelligence, and test your ability to
perceive spatial relationships and work out co-relationships,
without any prior knowledge of language or mathematics.

To successfully complete abstract reasoning tests, you need to be

able to think creatively and use lateral thinking (also known as
fluid intelligence) to solve novel problems. You also need to see
the relationships between shapes and figures, identify rules and
similarities, and quickly apply these to identify the answer.

If you want to take practice abstract reasoning tests and improve

your performance, click here.
Success in abstract reasoning tests is all about spotting the
patterns.
What to expect from your abstract reasoning test
Abstract reasoning tests are designed to be challenging, in order
to differentiate between candidates and to identify the maximum
performance they are capable of. They usually have tight time
scales, and questions that rapidly increase in difficulty. This means
that you will need to identify more rules to solve the problems,
and that the complexity of these rules is likely to increase.

While there are many permutations of question types and

formats, there are some general concepts which are common, and
it can be useful to familiarise yourself with these.
Common question types in abstract reasoning tests
Question 1: Identify the missing square

This type of question requires you to look at the patterns in the

squares and understand their relationship to one another, so as to
identify the missing square.

There are three rules to spot in this question. Firstly, there is

a relative positional rule: the position of the black square
corresponds to the position its square holds within the diagram.
Secondly, there is a movement rule, in that the circle moves
around the boxes in a clockwise position. Finally, the arrows in the
first and third columns are reflections of one another. The correct
answer is therefore C.
Question 2: Complete the sequence

This requires you to identify and understand the pattern behind

the order in which the dominoes are presented. There are two
patterns here. The first, third and fifth (and therefore seventh)
dominoes have the rule that the number of the top is six and the
number on the bottom is increasing by one each time. The second
pattern includes the second, fourth and sixth dominoes, and has
the rule that the number on the bottom is four and the number at
the top is decreasing by one each time. The correct answer is
therefore C.
Question 3: Identify the odd one out
This type of question requires you to look at some data, identify
the pattern or rules, and then spot which square does not meet
those rules. Watch out for relative position, number of items,
relationship between items, colour, shape, and orientation of
shapes: there are many different variations on these rules and
there may be some extraneous data in there that complicates the
rules.

For example, in this question some of the squares have three

items in and some have four – you need to work out whether or
not that is important. In this particular case, there are two rules.
The first is that the largest shape must be grey, and the second is
that the bottom shape must be black. The odd one out is
therefore C, as the bottom shape is stripey and not black.
Question 4: 1 is to 2, as 3 is to 4

This type of question is all about relationships between data:

being able to recognise what links two boxes together and then
apply this rule to a new shape to solve the problem.

There are two rules here. First, the shape in box 2 has one more
side that the shape in box 1. As the shape in box 3 has six sides,
the correct shape for box 4 must have seven sides. The second
rule is around the arrow and the rule is that for shapes with an
even number of sides, the arrow points up. For shapes with an
odd number of sides the arrow points down. The correct answer is
therefore A.
Tips on how to prepare for your abstract reasoning test
Abstract reasoning ability is closely correlated with general
intelligence. However, familiarity with the types of questions you
are likely to encounter and some strategies for solving the
questions will certainly help you perform at your best. Here are
our five top tips:

1. Many people find that they enjoy the mental challenge of

solving abstract reasoning tests! There is a range of puzzle
books and apps available that you can use to practise with.
Similarly, many test publishers provide practice tests that you
can access, such as JobTestPrep; this is certainly worth doing.
2. It can be useful to develop a mental checklist of strategies
to solve abstract reasoning questions, such as a list of
different rules that govern data like size, shape, number etc.
This gives you a starting point to think about questions and
can help you work methodically in the test.
3. Look at one rule at a time. There may be extraneous data
within the question, which is designed to confuse you.
Looking at only one aspect of the question at a time can
help you work out what is important and what isn’t.
4. Manage your time. Sometimes you will come up against a
question where you just cannot see the answer. On these
occasions, don’t spend too much time on it, move on and if
you have time at the end, go back and check it.
5. If you’re struggling to find a pattern, sometimes there are
clues in the answers. Look for any patterns or themes in the
possible answers; that might help you spot what is important
within the question. For example, if you have a sequence of
shapes and all of the answers are squares or triangles, you
know that the next shape in the sequence must be either a
square or a triangle and that can help you work out why.
Further information on aptitude tests
You may also want to check out these articles:

 Numerical reasoning tests. These tests require you to

answer questions based on statistics, figures and charts.
 Verbal reasoning tests. A means of assessing your verbal
logic and capacity to quickly digest information from
passages of text.
 Intray exercises. A business-related scenario that assesses
how well you can prioritise tasks.
 Diagrammatic tests. Tests that measure your logical
reasoning, usually under strict time conditions.
 Situational judgement tests. Psychological tests that assess
your judgement in resolving work-based problems.
 Inductive reasoning tests. Tests that identify how well a
candidate can see the underlying logic in patterns, rather
than words or numbers.
 Non-Verbal Reasoning Tests. A way to tests candidates'
'raw' cognitive ability outside of their language skills.
 Cognitive ability tests. A measurement of general
intelligence, covering many categories of aptitude test.
 Mechanical reasoning tests. These assess your ability to
apply mechanical or engineering principles to problems; they
are often used for technical roles.
 Watson Glaser tests. Designed to assess a candidate's
ability to critically consider arguments; often used by law
firms.
 Spatial awareness tests. These tests assess your capacity to
mentally manipulate images, and are often used in
applications for jobs in design, engineering and architecture.
 Error checking tests. An unusual type of aptitude test that
focuses on your ability to identify errors in complex data
sets.
  Predictive Index tests. A cognitive and personality
assessment used by (mainly US) recruiters.
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Spatial Awareness Test

Spatial awareness tests, or spatial reasoning tests, assess your
ability to think spatially and mentally manipulate images, and
perceive patterns between them. These are important skills – we
use them every day as we position and orientate ourselves in the
world.

People with highly developed spatial skills are able to remember

shapes and objects in their mind and mentally ‘see’ them from
different perspectives and in different formats. This can be
particularly useful in careers such as engineering, design,
architecture and the military.

What to expect from your spatial awareness test

Spatial awareness tests aim to assess your maximum spatial
reasoning ability; they intentionally place you under pressure,
either through tight time periods or increasing difficulty, to see
what the most complex spatial reasoning you are capable of is.

Your performance on the spatial reasoning test will then be

compared to a norm group (this is a group of people with similar
attributes to yourself) to understand how you perform compared
to other people. There will typically be a pre-defined level of
ability that you will need to demonstrate in order to continue with
the selection process.

Spatial reasoning questions

On your spatial reasoning test, you will typically encounter a
number of questions that will require you to manipulate 2D and
3D images. Typical question types involve mirror images, three-
dimensional cubes and matching similar types of shapes. Some of
the more common question types are explored below.
Organising 2D shapes (also known as broken shapes)
In these questions you will be presented with a number of shapes
and asked to identify which shape they will make if combined. A
variant on this question is to be given a whole shape and then
identify which shapes would fit together to make it. These
questions test your ability to aggregate spatial information and
understand their relative size and angles.
The answer in each case is just below the diagram, so don't scroll
down too far!
Question 1: Which image can be made from the three shapes shown?

The answer is C.

Some tips for solving broken shapes questions: think about the
relative lengths and widths of the different shapes. Consider the
angles and which might fit together well. Look for any extra or
different shapes in the answers.
Reflection and rotation
In these questions you will be presented with an image (which
could be 2D or 3D) and asked to identify the same image from
another perspective; for example, its mirror image.

This assesses your understanding of the properties of the object,

your ability to remember it, and your ability to mentally
manipulate your perspective and see it differently.
Question 2: Which answer shows a reflection of the image below?

The answer is D.

Some tips for solving reflection questions: first check whether

any elements of the answers have changed in relation to one
another. For example, in answer A, the triangles are no longer
next to the square - which is not possible in a reflection. Then
look for any elements which have not been manipulated in the
same way - for example, in answer E, the triangles have been
inverted but the arrow has not.

Block counting
In these questions you will be presented with shapes composed of
a number of blocks, some of which may be hidden, and asked to
calculate how many blocks are needed to make the shape. This
tests your understanding of how 3D shapes are composed.
Question 3: How many blocks make up the shape below?
The answer is E.

Some tips for solving block-counting exercises: it can be

helpful if you are able to break the large block into a series of
smaller blocks. For example, in the exercise above, there is a block
of three 5-cube pillars (which together makes 15 blocks), a group
of three 3-cube pillars (which together makes 9 blocks), and 2
single blocks. Adding together 15 + 9 + 2 gives 26.

This is quicker and produces easier sums, leading to more robust

answers.

Transforming 2D images to 3D images

In these questions you will be shown a shape that can be folded
to make a cube. You need to mentally make that cube and
understand what it looks like. You will then need to identify which
cubes can or cannot be made from the 2D image.

This assesses your ability to understand 2D plans in 3D and to

mentally manipulate and rotate objects.
Question 4: When folded, which box can be made from the 2D image shown below?

The answer is E.

Some tips for solving 2D to 3D questions: check whether there

are any answers that have rotated only one element. For example,
in answer D, the triangle points now face the circle, which shows
that they have rotated relative to other elements and are
incorrect.

Look for any elements that physically could not be next to one
another. For example, in answer B, the two white squares are next
to one another, which is physically not possible as on the diagram
they are always separated.
Tips and best techniques for spatial reasoning tests
These five tips are well worth remembering before you take
the spatial reasoning test for real:

 Bring and use a stopwatch.

 Learn the differences between test providers in terms of
how they frame questions and how long the test will be.
 Work swiftly but carefully.
 Calculate the maximum amount of time to be allocated
to a question and stick to it, using your stopwatch.
 Keep practising until you are able to answer questions
like those above with ease.

The tests are timed, and typically there is time pressure.

Most online tests are designed to be completed within the time
allocated.
How to develop your spatial reasoning ability
As with many skills, practice will help you develop your spatial
reasoning ability. To enhance your ability, you can take practice
tests which will help familiarise you with the types of questions
involved. Tests which also explain how to arrive at the answers are
particularly good, such as the ones available here. You can also
try free spatial ability tests at Psychometric Tests.

You can also develop your skills with practical day-to-day

activities, such as looking at diagrams, plans and blueprints for
items and imagining how they might fit together. Perhaps you
could have a go at making or assembling something yourself
using a set of plans?

Drawing things in 3D can also be helpful, as you start to

understand how different shapes look from different perspectives.
Similarly you can draw a shape, have a go at creating its reflection
and then check whether you are right using a mirror.

Other Useful Articles on WikiJob

You may also like to read:

 Diagrammatic Tests
 Inductive Reasoning Tests
 Cognitive Ability Tests
 Abstract Reasoning Tests
 Logical Reasoning Tests
 All About Aptitude Tests
 What Are Psychometric Tests?
 EEI Tests
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GMAT?

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Don't lose out on that job. Practice aptitude tests today.Take a test!

Error Checking Test

What are error checking tests and why are they used?
An error checking test is a type of aptitude test that assesses
your ability to quickly identify any errors in complex data sets
such as codes, or combinations of alpha-numeric characters.
These data sets are often referred to as 'strings'.

Generally speaking, error checking tests evaluate your ability to

compare a string of figures or numbers and work out which of the
options offered is the best match relative to the question
posed. Error checking tests are conducted under severe time
constraints. A typical test will give you 20 seconds per question.
Therefore, without an understanding of how they work, what they
look like and how to answer them quickly, you will not be able to
do yourself justice.

With proper practice, you will be able to achieve a much better

score result. Practice does not mean years or even months. In fact
you could improve your test performance in a matter of weeks, if
not days, so it is well worth putting in a little bit of effort
beforehand.
Is an error checking test an aptitude test?
Error checking tests are commonly (and perhaps, mistakenly)
categorised as an aptitude test (the latter referring to a
candidate's ability to easily detect errors in complex data sets).
However, practice shows that anyone can rapidly improve their
error (data) checking skills by understanding types of data strings,
errors, and through practice. Therefore, labelling it as an aptitude
test is questionable; it is better to think of them as tests of ability.

Success in error checking tests is about being able to identify

abnormalities quickly.

Practice Makes Perfect

Since an error checking test is not really an aptitude test, it is
possible to improve your performance much more quickly than
you would for a numerical or logical reasoning test. Aptitude
test tutorials, or 'aptutorials', can be used to achieve this goal. The
best way to prepare is to use a combination of tutorials
and practice tests.
What is a data checking test?
A data checking test is very similar to an error checking test,
though there are some slight differences. One key difference is
that you have less data to work with. As such, the data checking
test is a more simple form of the error checking test, with fewer
items to check through. For example, you may be given a table
containing many alpha-numeric strings and have to compare
them to one string that you have been given. You will then have
to identify the correct match from the table of strings.
Who takes error checking tests?
Error checking tests are used by employers for applications in a
variety of roles, including::

 Administrative staff in the private and public sector

 Commercial sales
 Marketing
 Business development and financial services
 Call centre operations
 Education
 Health
 Hospitality and leisure
 Operational staff in engineering, construction, manufacturing
and transport

Kenexa-style error checking test

In this type of test, you will be provided with two sets (or lists) of
data strings to compare such as codes, currency values, credit
card numbers, dates, car licence numbers, etc. For each given
string of data, you should say whether the two sets contain
the same or different items.

An example is provided below:

Error checking test: tips for success
Potential employers/recruiters want candidates to perform to the
best of their ability during their assessment. To that end, making
sure that candidates are fully prepared and ready for their test is
in everyone's interest. Bear the following tips in mind:
 1. Read all the instructions. Although it may seem like
common sense, a surprising number of candidates skip
important details in the instructions. The instructions may
contain vital information regarding the test, which may be
pivotal in correctly answering the questions. Always take the
time to read every piece of information provided to you by
the test publisher and the employing organisation.
2. Practice beforehand. You can find cheap error checking
tests online quite easily. Practising in advance will give you a
much better chance of success.
3. Use a current web browser. Modern psychometric tests use
specialist online testing platforms to deliver tests to
candidates. As such, make sure that your web browser is up-
to-date, to avoid any issues with compatibility. Similarly,
candidates may need to disable any popup blockers when
undertaking an error checking test.
4. Stay calm. Psychometric tests can feel particularly nerve-
racking, and error checking tests are no exception. We
recommend you make every attempt to keep calm during
your test, as excess test anxiety may serve to negatively
impact your performance. Get plenty of rest the night before,
and keep the time in mind throughout.
5. Work quickly and accurately. Accuracy is very important, as
incorrect answers may count against you. Error checking
tests typically have short time limits compared to
other cognitive ability tests. Working quickly may require
some practice to ensure top performance.

We hope this was useful. For further information on

other aptitude tests, click on any of the links below.

 Verbal reasoning test

 Numerical reasoning test
  Situational judgement test
 Diagrammatic reasoning test
 Logical reasoning test
 Mechanical reasoning test
 Abstract reasoning test
 Clerical aptitude tests
 Criticall tests
 Microsoft Word tests
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GMAT?

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Numerical ReasoningVerbal ReasoningDiagrammatic ReasoningWatson GlaserLogical

ReasoningSituational Judgement Tests

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