Revelian cognitive ability test practice

What the real test usually looks like

Revelian is now part of Criteria Corp. Criteria announced on March 3, 2020 that it had acquired the Australia-based assessment company Revelian (Criteria), and in January 2022 it said Revelian had been fully integrated into a single global brand, Criteria (Criteria). Criteria's 2026 assessment portfolio lists its current cognitive tests, and the Revelian Cognitive Ability Test (RCAT) is not among them (Criteria portfolio). Some employers may still send it, so if your invitation names it, it is worth preparing for.

Criteria does not publish the RCAT's format, so the details below are what preparation sites commonly report:

• 51 questions in 20 minutes, a little over 23 seconds each (JobTestPrep; WikiJob).
• Three kinds of questions, mixed together: verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, in a randomized order, with the questions getting harder as you go (JobTestPrep).
• Verbal questions ask you to find groups of words or draw logical conclusions. WikiJob's example lists six words and asks you to pick the two that are not like the other four (WikiJob).
• Numerical questions are reported as number series, word problems and puzzles like Sudoku, where numbers fit a grid by a rule.
• Abstract questions are pictures: you spot patterns in shapes or the odd one or two out.
• Some questions need two answers. JobTestPrep's samples show five or six options and some items that ask for two of them.
• No penalty for a wrong answer, according to JobTestPrep, so answer every question you reach.
• Formerly called Onetest. WikiJob says Revelian was formerly Onetest, so an older invitation may use that name.

What our mocks cover. Our full mocks are in the style of the Revelian Cognitive Ability Test: 34 questions in 13 minutes, 17 verbal questions and then 17 numerical questions, five options each (or two words to pick out of six), no calculator, and no going back once you move on. They leave out the abstract part, which uses shapes, and they group the questions by kind instead of mixing them. If your test turns out to be a different general aptitude test, our cognitive ability test covers a similar mix.

Question types with worked examples

One worked example for each common question type, with the trap that catches most people. All are original.

1. Odd two out. "salmon, trout, eagle, cod, sparrow, tuna: which two do not belong?" Eagle and sparrow are birds; the other four are fish. Trap: finding a rule that picks out one word, or three. The right rule splits the list into exactly four and two.

2. Analogies. "Pen is to writer as brush is to ___: painter, canvas, paint." Painter, because a writer uses a pen and a painter uses a brush. Trap: choosing a word that goes with "brush" (paint, canvas) instead of one that copies the relationship. Say the first pair as a sentence, then use the same sentence for the second.

3. Logical conclusions. "No managers work on weekends. Sam works on weekends." So Sam is not a manager. Trap: adding facts the statements do not give, such as what job Sam does. Choose only what must be true.

4. Number series. "3, 4, 7, 11, 18, ?" Each number is the sum of the two before it: 7 + 11 = 18, so 11 + 18 = 29. Trap: looking only at the gaps (1, 3, 4, 7) and missing that each gap is itself an earlier number. If the gaps do not settle into a pattern, try adding pairs.

5. Word problems. "Three workers paint a fence in 6 hours. How long would 2 workers take at the same rate?" The job is 3 x 6 = 18 worker-hours, so 2 workers take 9 hours. Trap: answering 4, as if fewer workers finish faster. Ask whether the answer should be bigger or smaller before you calculate.

6. Number grids. In a 3 by 3 grid where every row adds up to 20, a row reads 7, ?, 5. The missing number is 20 - 12 = 8. Trap: guessing the rule from one row. Check it against a second row or column before you choose.

How to prepare

1. Know your pace: about 23 seconds a question. 20 minutes for 51 questions is 1,200 / 51, or about 23.5 seconds each. Our mocks keep the same pace: 34 questions in 13 minutes. If a question has taken twice that, choose your best answer and move on.
2. Answer everything. JobTestPrep reports no penalty for wrong answers (JobTestPrep), so a quick, reasoned guess beats a blank.
3. Practice the odd-two-out format. Name the group in a word or two ("trees", "metals") before you look at the options. If your group leaves more or fewer than four words, find another rule.
4. Learn the common series patterns. Doubling, doubling plus one, growing gaps and adding the two previous numbers cover most series. Our number series guide walks through them.
5. Do 10 minutes of mental math a day. Percent change, rates and simple equations come up again and again. Our percentage questions guide has the fast methods.
6. Read the last line first. "Must be true", "opposite" and "which two" all change what a right answer looks like.
7. Practice shapes too, if your invitation mentions them. Our mocks leave out the abstract part, so add our abstract reasoning test to your practice.
8. Take full timed mocks. At this pace, a few minutes of hesitation costs several questions. Full mocks make the speed feel normal.

How scoring usually works

Criteria does not publish how the RCAT is scored on a page we could find, and the employer decides how to use your result. Preparation sites commonly report:

• Your score is compared with a group. WikiJob says Revelian scores are found by comparing your result with a comparison group your employer has chosen (WikiJob). The same number of correct answers can look stronger or weaker against a different group.
• Wrong answers cost nothing. JobTestPrep reports no penalty for a wrong answer (JobTestPrep), so the count of correct answers is what matters.
• There is no public pass mark. Each employer sets its own standard for each role. Ask the recruiter whether results are shared with candidates.

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

Common mistakes on Revelian-style tests

• Picking the right pair for the wrong reason. In odd-two-out questions, name the group of four first. If you only notice that two words are alike, you may pick a pair that is not the odd one out.
• Accepting the first rule you see. A list can share a letter count or a first letter by chance. The rule that matters is about meaning.
• Mixing up "could be true" and "must be true". In deduction questions, an option that might be true is still wrong.
• Dividing by the new number. Percentage change is always divided by the starting value.
• Stopping one step short. In age and rate problems, the first number you work out (Leo's age, boxes per hour) is often an option. Check that you answered the question asked.
• Losing time on one hard question. At about 23 seconds each, one minute stuck costs two or three later questions. Choose and move on.

A one-week study plan

About 30 minutes a day. If your test is in two or three days, do days 1, 5 and 6.

• Day 1: Take the free sample above with the timer on. Note which kinds of questions cost you the most time.
• Day 2: Verbal: odd two out, analogies and opposites, 20 of each, timed at about 23 seconds a question.
• Day 3: Number series and number grids, with the number series guide.
• Day 4: Word problems: rates, percentages and ages, then short deductions ("must be true").
• Day 5: A full 34-question mock in 13 minutes. Review every wrong answer and every question you rushed.
• Day 6: Drill your two weakest types, then a second full mock. If your invitation mentions shapes, add 15 minutes of abstract reasoning.
• Day 7: Light review only. Check your invitation, plan a quiet 30 minutes for the test, and sleep well.