Aptitude Test Practice

What the real test usually looks like

"Aptitude test" is an umbrella name, so the exact test depends on the employer. Publishers such as TalentLens, Criteria and SHL each offer their own versions. What most have in common:

• Numerical reasoning: percentages, ratios, averages, word problems and reading tables or charts.
• Verbal reasoning: reading short passages, word meanings and spelling or grammar.
• Logical reasoning: number series, deductions from statements and pattern rules. SHL, for example, lists separate deductive and inductive reasoning tests.
• Multiple choice under a time limit, taken online from a link the employer sends.

Lengths vary a lot between publishers. A few examples from the publishers' own pages:

• Criteria's Basic Skills Test (CBST): 40 questions in 20 minutes, covering basic math, verbal skills and attention to detail (Criteria).
• Criteria's Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT): 50 questions in 15 minutes, mixing verbal, math and logic, and spatial reasoning (Criteria).
• SHL's Verify Numerical Reasoning: up to 18 questions in 25 minutes, each based on a graph or chart (SHL fact sheet).

So "aptitude test" can mean one fast mixed test or a set of slower separate tests. Your invitation usually says which, and sometimes names the publisher. If it names one, practice that style: see our Wonderlic-style, CCAT-style or SHL-style tests.

Question types with worked examples

These original aptitude test questions and answers cover the three main sections. Each shows the method and the trap.

Ratio (numerical). "Profit is shared 3 : 5 between two partners. The total is $40,000. How much does the second partner get?" There are 8 parts, so one part is $5,000 and the second partner gets 5 parts: $25,000. The trap is dividing by 5 or 3 instead of the total number of parts. Our ratio questions guide has more.

Average (numerical). "Four shifts produced 120, 135, 110 and 155 units. What is the average?" The total is 520, and 520 / 4 = 130. A quick check: the answer must sit between the smallest (110) and largest (155) values.

Percentage decrease (numerical). "A price falls from $250 to $200. What is the percentage decrease?" The fall is $50, and 50 / 250 = 20%. The trap is dividing by the new price, which gives 25%.

Reading a statement (verbal). "Sales rose in every month except March." Can you say sales rose in April? Yes. Can you say March sales fell? No: they may have stayed level. Stick to what is written.

Spelling (verbal). "Which is spelled correctly: accomodate, acommodate, accommodate?" Accommodate, with double c and double m. The trap is that all three look right at a glance; check one letter pair at a time.

Number series (logical). "4, 8, 7, 14, 13, ..." The pattern alternates: x2, -1, x2, -1, so the next step is x2: 26. If one rule does not fit every step, try two rules taking turns.

Coding (logical). If CAT is coded DBU, each letter moves one place forward in the alphabet. So DOG becomes EPH. Apply the shift to every letter, and check the first two letters against the options before you work out the rest.

How to prepare

1. Take the free sample first. Your section scores show which of numerical, verbal or logical needs the most work.
2. Work out your seconds per question. Divide the time by the number of questions in your invitation. Criteria's CBST gives 30 seconds a question (20 minutes for 40), while SHL's Verify Numerical Reasoning gives about 80 seconds (25 minutes for up to 18). Your pace plan depends on which kind you face.
3. Practice the weakest section daily for a week. Short daily sessions beat one long session the night before.
4. Learn to work out percentages quickly. Percentage change, percentage of a total and reverse percentages come up in almost every numerical section. Our percentage questions guide covers them.
5. Recognize number series patterns. See our number series guide.
6. Read verbal questions literally. Answer from the text, not from what you know. Our verbal reasoning test trains this.
7. Check the rules in your invitation: calculator, scrap paper, time limit and whether you can go back to earlier questions.

More tips are in our guide on how to pass an aptitude test.

How scoring usually works

Most aptitude tests start with your raw score, the number of correct answers, then compare it with a reference group:

• Raw score: a simple count. Criteria, for example, says employers receive your CCAT raw score out of 50 (Criteria).
• Percentile: where your raw score sits in a comparison group. The 70th percentile means you scored higher than about 70% of that group. It is not the percentage of questions you got right.
• Norm group: the people you are compared with, such as other applicants or the general population. The same raw score can give a different percentile against a different group.

The employer sets a target for each role, and many use the result alongside your application and interview rather than on its own. There is rarely one pass mark that applies everywhere.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you got right, with a breakdown by section so you know what to practice next. It is not a score from any real test.

Which aptitude test will you get?

Read your invitation and the employer's careers page for clues, then match it to the right practice:

• It names Wonderlic, Criteria (CCAT), SHL, the Predictive Index or Caliper: use our Wonderlic-style, CCAT-style, SHL-style, PI-style or Caliper-style practice.
• It says "numerical", "verbal" or "logical" reasoning: practice that section on its own with our numerical, verbal or logical reasoning tests.
• It is for a technical or trade role: expect a mechanical aptitude test or a spatial reasoning test.
• It is for an office or admin role: you may also get a clerical test or an Excel assessment.
• It only says "aptitude test" and gives 10 to 15 minutes: it is probably a fast mixed test. Our cognitive ability test practices that pace.

If you cannot tell, the mixed test on this page is the safest starting point.

Common mistakes on job aptitude tests

• Practicing without a timer. Untimed practice feels productive but builds the wrong habit. Time everything, even short sets.
• Getting stuck on one question. On most tests every question is worth the same. Move on and come back only if the test allows it.
• Dividing by the wrong number in percentage change. Always divide the change by the starting value.
• Bringing in outside knowledge on verbal questions. If the passage does not say it, you cannot assume it.
• Forcing one rule onto a series. If a single rule does not fit every step, look for two alternating rules or growing gaps.
• Skipping the instructions screen. It tells you about calculators, going back and how long you have. Reading it costs nothing; the clock usually starts after.

A one-week study plan

About 30 minutes a day. Short on time? Do days 1, 5 and 6.

• Day 1: Take the free sample above. Note your weakest section and your pace.
• Day 2: Numerical: percentages and ratios with the percentage and ratio guides.
• Day 3: Logical: number series and deductions with the number series and syllogisms guides.
• Day 4: Verbal: short passages and "cannot say" statements, then spelling and word meaning.
• Day 5: A full timed aptitude mock. Review every wrong answer.
• Day 6: Drill your weakest section, then a second full mock.
• Day 7: Light review, check your invitation's rules and sleep well.