SHL-Style Calculation Test

What the real test usually looks like

SHL publishes more than one calculation test, so the details depend on the version your employer chose. The invitation or the employer's careers page often names it.

Verify Interactive Numerical Calculation. SHL's fact sheet lists these details (SHL fact sheet):

• Allowed time: 10 minutes.
• Maximum number of questions: 12.
• Question format: interactive, activity-based and adaptive, so the questions adjust to your answers.
• Number of sittings: one.
• Device: designed for any device type, including phones, and for taking unsupervised.

The same fact sheet says the test measures your ability to work with numbers and use appropriate mathematics in different situations, including understanding the order of operations, doing calculations and spotting errors in calculations. SHL describes it as suited to entry-level jobs that need simple calculations done quickly and accurately.

The older Verify Calculation test. Practice sites commonly report an older format of about 20 short sums, each with one missing number, answered without a calculator and with no going back to earlier questions. One practice site reports 20 multiple choice questions in 6 minutes (JobTestPrep). These are third-party reports, not SHL's own figures, and the exact format depends on the version an employer uses.

Calculator. SHL's candidate support says that on a numerical or calculation test you may use a calculator unless you have been told otherwise (SHL support). Some versions are commonly reported as no-calculator, so read your instructions carefully. Either way, the time limit is tight, and quick mental arithmetic saves you time even when a calculator is allowed. SHL also suggests keeping a pencil and paper to hand.

How our full mocks work. Our mocks are in the style of SHL's calculation test: sums with one missing number, which you type in as a number rather than pick from a list. There is no calculator and no going back, so you get used to working each sum out and moving on. The free sample above gives four options per question so you can try the idea quickly.

If your invitation names a numerical reasoning test with tables and charts instead, our SHL-style practice test covers that format.

Question types with worked examples

These original examples cover the sums that come up most often. Each one shows a method and the trap that costs people time.

Undo the operation. "? - 38 = 117." Addition undoes subtraction: 117 + 38 = 155. To find a missing number, do the opposite of what is being done to it. The trap is subtracting again and getting 79.

Missing divisor. "540 / ? = 15." Here the missing number is the divisor, so divide the other way: 540 / 15 = 36. Check by multiplying: 15 x 36 = 540.

Estimate before you calculate. "? x 23 = 667." 23 x 30 = 690, a little too big, so the answer is just under 30. 690 - 667 = 23, which is exactly one more 23, so the answer is 29. Estimating first also rules out options that are clearly too big or too small.

Decimals: line up the points. "9.3 - ? = 4.65." Write 9.3 as 9.30, then 9.30 - 4.65 = 4.65. Most decimal mistakes come from subtracting digits in the wrong columns.

Dividing by a decimal. "? x 0.25 = 7." Multiplying by 0.25 is the same as dividing by 4, so the missing number is 7 x 4 = 28. Knowing that 0.5 is a half, 0.25 a quarter and 0.2 a fifth turns many decimal sums into whole-number ones.

Fraction of a missing number. "2/5 of ? = 18." Two fifths is 18, so one fifth is 9 and the whole is 45. The trap is working out 2/5 of 18.

Adding fractions. "1/3 + ? = 5/6." Put both on sixths: 1/3 = 2/6, and 5/6 - 2/6 = 3/6, which is 1/2. Simplify at the end if your answer is typed as a number.

Percentages by building blocks. "35% of 80 = ?" 10% is 8, so 30% is 24 and 5% is 4: 24 + 4 = 28. Building from 10%, 5% and 1% is faster than multiplying by 0.35.

Order of operations. "6 + ? x 3 = 27." Multiplication comes before addition, so ? x 3 = 21 and the answer is 7. Our percentage questions guide covers percentages in more detail.

How to prepare

1. Find out which version you are taking. Your invitation may name it. The timing, the number of questions and the calculator rule all depend on it.
2. Know your pace. SHL's Verify Interactive Numerical Calculation allows 10 minutes for up to 12 questions, a little under a minute each. Our free sample gives you 50 seconds a question. If you are stuck, make your best answer and move on.
3. Practice without a calculator. Even when one is allowed, reaching for it on every sum uses time you do not have. Mental arithmetic gets faster with daily practice.
4. Learn your times tables to 12, and a few more facts. Squares to 15 x 15, and the common pairs: 0.5 = 1/2, 0.25 = 1/4, 0.2 = 1/5, 0.125 = 1/8, 0.1 = 1/10.
5. Always estimate first. A rough answer tells you the size of the real one, which catches slips in decimal places.
6. Check by reversing. If you divided to find the answer, multiply back. It takes a few seconds and catches most errors.
7. Use pencil and paper for two-step sums. SHL suggests having them to hand, and writing down a middle result stops you losing your place.
8. Take full timed mocks. Ten minutes of fast sums is tiring in a way a few practice questions are not. Practice at the full length and pace, then review every miss and every slow question.

How scoring usually works

SHL does not publish a pass mark for its calculation tests, and employers set their own standard for each role. SHL's sample Verify candidate report shows how its Verify tests are usually reported: your score is compared with a large group of people who took the test before, and shown as a percentile and a grade (SHL sample report).

• Raw score: the number you got right. On its own it says little, because versions differ in length and difficulty.
• Percentile: where your score sits in the comparison group. The 70th percentile means you scored higher than about 70% of that group.
• Adaptive scoring: SHL describes Verify Interactive Numerical Calculation as adaptive and says this gives a more precise score. In an adaptive test the questions change with your answers, so the difficulty of what you answered counts, not just how many you got right.
• Accuracy and speed both matter. You need to work quickly, but a fast wrong answer does not help. Aim for steady and correct.

Results usually go to the employer, not to you. Ask the company or recruiter if you want feedback. Our SHL scores guide explains SHL's reports in more detail.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you got right. It is not an SHL score or percentile, and it does not predict your result on SHL's test.

Common mistakes on calculation tests

• Doing the same operation instead of the opposite. To find the missing number in "? + 25 = 60", subtract, do not add.
• Mixing up the divisor and the dividend. "120 / ? = 8" means ? = 120 / 8 = 15, not 120 x 8.
• Misplacing the decimal point. Line the decimals up, and estimate first so a tenfold error stands out.
• Taking the fraction of the wrong number. In "3/4 of ? = 36", 36 is the part, not the whole.
• Ignoring the order of operations. Multiply and divide before you add and subtract.
• Spending too long on one sum. With no going back, a minute lost on one question is a minute taken from the rest.

A one-week study plan

About 20 to 30 minutes a day. If your test is in two days, do days 1, 4 and 6.

• Day 1: Take the free sample above. Note which kind of sum was slowest: whole numbers, decimals, fractions or percentages.
• Day 2: Times tables to 12 and division facts, then 20 missing-number sums with whole numbers, no calculator.
• Day 3: Decimals and the common decimal-fraction pairs; 20 sums.
• Day 4: A full SHL-style calculation mock at the real pace. Review every miss and every slow question.
• Day 5: Fractions and percentages, with the percentage questions guide; 20 sums.
• Day 6: A second full mock. Compare your score and your time with day 4.
• Day 7: Light review, check your invitation for the calculator rule, and set up a quiet room with pencil and paper.