How to pass an aptitude test

Work out your pace from the real format

Pace is the number most people never calculate. Divide the time by the number of questions, and practice at that speed:

• Wonderlic: 50 questions in 12 minutes (Wonderlic), about 14 seconds each.
• CCAT: 50 questions in 15 minutes (Criteria), about 18 seconds each.
• Graduate-style aptitude tests: Prospects says you will often have about one minute per multiple-choice question, with tests running roughly 15 to 60 minutes (Prospects).

The two kinds call for different habits. At 14 to 18 seconds, you are recognizing question types and answering on instinct backed by practice. At a minute per question, you are reading a table or passage carefully and checking your working.

Neither Wonderlic nor Criteria expects you to finish. Wonderlic says test takers are not expected to complete all the questions in the time (Wonderlic FAQ), and Criteria says fewer than 1% of candidates answer all 50 (Criteria).

Guessing and skipping: the rules differ

Whether to guess is one of the most common questions, and the honest answer is that it depends on the test.

No penalty for wrong answers. Criteria says the CCAT has no penalty for wrong answers (Criteria). On a test like that, an informed guess is always better than a blank.

Scoring that accounts for guessing. Wonderlic says its cognitive scoring weights each question by difficulty and by the impact of guessing (Wonderlic). It also advises candidates not to spend too long on any one question and not to skip around hoping to come back (Wonderlic FAQ).

Everything else: read the instructions on the first screen. They usually say whether you can go back, whether wrong answers cost marks, and whether the test ends when the time runs out or when you finish a section.

A good default: if you can rule out even one option, choose from the rest and keep moving.

Build the core skills

A small set of skills covers most aptitude test questions. If your free sample shows a weak spot, these guides go through the method, the traps and practice questions:

• Numbers: percentage questions, ratio questions and speed, distance and time. Calculators are not allowed on some fast tests; Wonderlic and Criteria both say so for theirs (Wonderlic FAQ, Criteria).
• Patterns: number series questions, the seven patterns behind most series.
• Logic: syllogisms and deductive reasoning examples, for "which must be true" questions.
• Workplace judgement: situational judgement test examples, if your test includes scenarios.

Spend most of your time on your one or two weakest areas. Polishing what you already do well feels productive, but it moves your score less.

A one-week plan

Day 1: baseline. Take a free timed sample of the test you will sit. Note your score, where you ran out of time, and which question types went wrong.

Day 2: weakest skill. Read the guide for your weakest type and work through its practice questions untimed. Then do ten more at the real pace.

Day 3: second weakest skill. Same routine for the next type.

Day 4: first full mock. One complete timed test in a quiet room, in one sitting. Review every miss and label it: method, misread or time.

Day 5: fix what the mock showed. Short timed sets of the question types you missed most.

Day 6: second full mock. Compare it with day 4. Look at pace as well as score: did you reach more questions?

Day 7: rest and set up. Light review only. Check your device, connection and login link, and plan when you will take the test.

With fewer days, keep the order and squeeze it: baseline, weakest skill, one full mock.

If you only have one day

Do three things, in this order:

1. Take a timed sample to see the format and the pace. This alone removes much of the shock of the real test.
2. Learn your plan for time. Know how many seconds you have per question and decide when you will move on.
3. Fix one thing. Pick the question type that cost you most and read its guide. One clear method is worth more than skimming five.

Then stop and sleep. A tired brain loses more points on a fast test than a last-minute cram can gain.

Handling nerves on the day

Most people feel some nerves before a test that matters. A few practical steps help:

• Know what to expect. Practice is the best remedy for test nerves, because nothing on screen is new.
• Use the first screen. Read the instructions slowly and take a few slow breaths before you start the clock.
• Expect to not finish. On fast tests, running out of time is normal and built into the design. Seeing unanswered questions at the end does not mean you did badly.
• Let a bad question go. One question you could not do says nothing about the next one. Choose an answer and move on.
• Plan for problems. If the connection drops or the page freezes, contact the employer straight away and explain what happened.

What practice can and cannot do

Practice makes the format familiar and helps you find a sustainable pace, which is where most avoidable points are lost. It will not change the underlying ability a test measures overnight, and no honest site can promise a result on a real test. The aim is to make sure your score reflects what you can actually do.