Talent Q Elements practice test

What the real test usually looks like

Talent Q Elements is Korn Ferry's set of ability tests. Korn Ferry's 2017 review of its Talent Q tests names Elements as the cognitive ability tests in verbal, numerical and logical reasoning, and advises that people applying at supervisory level and above take Elements (Korn Ferry review). Korn Ferry describes the tests like this (Korn Ferry):

• Verbal: your ability to understand and interpret written, business-related information.
• Numerical: your ability to analyze statistical data, with sets of figures and a number of decisions to make.
• Logical: your ability to see patterns and themes, with sets of symbols that have missing elements.

The tests adapt to you. Korn Ferry's guide for test takers says all its cognitive ability tests are adaptive. You start with a question of average difficulty. If you answer correctly within the time limit, the next question is harder; if you answer incorrectly or run out of time, it is easier. There is a time limit for each question, and Korn Ferry suggests having paper, a pen or pencil and a calculator to hand (Korn Ferry guide).

Length, as commonly reported by preparation sites:

• Verbal: 15 questions; numerical: 12 questions; logical: 12 questions (AssessmentDay).
• Time: about 15 to 16 minutes per test. One site reports the numerical questions in groups of three on one data exhibit, with 90 seconds for the first question on a set and 75 seconds for each one after it (Practice Aptitude Tests).

What our mocks cover. Our full mocks are in the style of Talent Q Elements: 27 questions in 32 minutes, 15 verbal questions on business passages then 12 numerical questions on data tables. Verbal questions have four options and numerical questions four or five. You cannot go back to an earlier question, and a calculator is allowed. They leave out the logical test, because it is built from symbols and pictures. They also do not adapt or time each question: the real test changes difficulty after every answer and gives each question its own limit, while our mocks give every learner the same questions and share one clock across them.

Question types with worked examples

One worked example for each question type, with the trap most people fall into.

1. Verbal: supported, not just plausible. Passage: "Sales rose 8% after the new website launched in May." Question: Which is supported? "The website caused the rise" is not, because the passage only puts the two facts side by side. "Sales were higher after May than before" is. Trap: picking the option that sounds most reasonable rather than the one the passage actually says.

2. Verbal: "may" versus "must". Passage: "Staff may claim travel costs over $20." An option saying staff must claim them, or that costs under $20 cannot be claimed, goes beyond the text. Trap: reading permission as a rule, or a rule about one case as a rule about all others.

3. Verbal: weakening a claim. To weaken "the change saves money", look for an option that adds a new cost or removes the saving. Trap: choosing a true-sounding fact that has nothing to do with the claim.

4. Numerical: a rate, not a total. Table: Store A sells 500 items for $10,000; Store B sells 300 items for $7,500. Which earns more per item? A: $20; B: $25. B earns more per item, though A earns more in total. Trap: answering from the totals.

5. Numerical: two steps from one table. Table: 400 units in Q4 at $50 each. Question: If units rise 5% next quarter at the same price, what is revenue? 400 x 1.05 = 420 units, x $50 = $21,000. Trap: stopping after the first step. Elements-style numerical questions often chain two or three simple calculations.

How to prepare

1. Use Korn Ferry's own free practice tests. Korn Ferry offers practice assessments for verbal, numerical, logical and checking ability (Korn Ferry), and its guide recommends taking them first to learn the format and time allowances (Korn Ferry guide).
2. Have your tools ready. Korn Ferry suggests paper, a pen or pencil and a calculator to hand (Korn Ferry guide).
3. Use the time each question gives you. Korn Ferry's guide says that, as each question has a time limit, the best strategy is to use the full time and not rush into an unconsidered answer. Watch the timer on screen for each question.
4. Expect it to feel hard. The test raises the difficulty when you answer correctly, so hard questions are normal and can be a good sign. Do not let one tough question unsettle the next.
5. Read passages for exactly what they say. Practice spotting "may", "must", "most" and "only", and separating what is stated from what merely sounds likely.
6. Rebuild quick number skills. Rates per item, percentage change, shares of a total and two-step projections cover most numerical questions.
7. Practice at a steady pace. Our full mocks give about 70 seconds a question. Take them timed so working steadily under pressure feels normal.

How scoring usually works

What Korn Ferry says. Korn Ferry's guide for test takers says your responses on each ability test are compared with the scores of a comparison group of people who have taken the tests before, and the result is given as a percentile: in the 75th percentile, you did better than 75% of that group. It says you should receive feedback from the recruiter, hiring organization or employer, and that it is fine to ask for it (Korn Ferry guide). The employer decides how to use the result.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you answered correctly, with a breakdown by part (verbal and numerical), so you can see where to focus. It is a practice score: it is not a Korn Ferry score, percentile or cut-off, and it does not predict whether you will pass.

Common mistakes on Elements-style questions

• Rushing because the clock is visible. Each question has its own limit. Use it; a quick wrong answer moves you to easier questions.
• Reading "supported" as "plausible". The right verbal option follows from the passage, not from general knowledge.
• Missing small words. "May", "must", "most", "only" and "at least" often decide between two close options.
• Answering from totals. Many numerical questions ask for a rate per item, a share or a change, not the biggest number in the table.
• Dividing by the wrong figure. Percent change is the change divided by the starting value.
• Stopping one step early. Check that your answer is the quantity the question asked for, not a figure on the way to it.