SHL checking test practice

What the real test usually looks like

What SHL says. SHL's practice page lists a checking information test and describes it as measuring "how well you can review written text for accuracy, at a detailed level" (SHL). SHL does not give its length or timing on that page.

What preparation sites commonly report:

• 25 questions in 5 sections of 5, taking about 4 to 5 minutes in all (JobTestPrep; Assessment Centre HQ).
• A timer on every question. About 8 seconds a question in the first section, falling to 5 seconds by the last. When the timer runs out, the test moves on by itself (JobTestPrep).
• A target of up to nine characters, made of letters or numbers, and five options, one of which is an exact copy (JobTestPrep; Assessment Centre HQ).
• No going back. Once you answer, you cannot return to change it (Assessment Centre HQ).

What changes in a wrong option. Usually one character: two neighbors swapped, a character doubled or dropped, or a look-alike such as the letter O for zero, I for one, S for five or B for eight. The codes mean nothing, so you cannot guess from sense. You have to look.

How our full mocks work. Our mocks are in the style of SHL's checking test: 25 questions in 5 minutes, each a target code with five options and exactly one identical, and no going back. They leave out the real test's timer on each question: in ours, the five minutes are shared across all 25, so you set your own pace of about 12 seconds a code. To practice that, try to keep each answer under 10 seconds. If your invitation also includes numerical or verbal tests, our general SHL-style practice test covers those.

Question types with worked examples

Each example shows one kind of difference, with the habit that catches it.

1. A swapped pair. Target MT4827. Option MT4287 has the 8 and the 2 swapped. Habit: read in short chunks, such as MT, 48, 27, rather than the whole code at once. Swaps hide in the middle of a long code.

2. A doubled character. Target PX55R3. Option PX555R3 has a third 5. Habit: count repeated characters. A doubled or dropped character also makes the option one character longer or shorter, which you can sometimes see from its length alone.

3. A dropped character. Target G7720KQ. Option G720KQ has lost one 7. Habit: when a target has a pair of matching characters, check the pair first. Pairs are where characters go missing.

4. Letter for digit. Target A0Z4B1. Option AOZ4B1 has the letter O where the target has a zero. Habit: know the usual look-alikes: O and 0, I and 1, S and 5, B and 8, Z and 2. In many fonts the zero is narrower than the letter O, so look at the shape, not just the outline.

5. Rule options out. Five options, one right answer. Check the first chunk of every option and cross out any that differ; then the next chunk. Habit: eliminating is faster than proving one option correct, and with five seconds a question, every glance counts.

How to prepare

1. Learn the pace. At 25 questions in about 5 minutes, you have around 12 seconds a code on average, and commonly reported per-question timers fall from 8 seconds to 5. You need a method you can repeat without thinking.
2. Read in chunks of two or three. Split each target the same way every time, then check the same chunks in each option.
3. Use elimination. Cross out options as soon as one chunk differs. The last option standing is your answer.
4. Know the look-alikes. O and 0, I and 1, S and 5, B and 8, Z and 2. Practice spotting them at the size and font you will see on screen.
5. Check length and repeats. A doubled or dropped character changes the length. Repeated characters in the target are the first place to look.
6. Do not reread a target you have already checked. Trust your first careful read; second-guessing costs seconds you do not have.
7. Practice in short, sharp sets. Five minutes of checking a day for a week builds speed better than one long session. Our clerical test and data entry test add related practice.
8. Take full timed mocks. Twenty-five codes in five minutes feels very fast the first time. Practice at that pace until it feels routine.

How scoring usually works

SHL does not publish how the checking test is scored or what counts as a pass, and the employer decides how to use your result for each role. Preparation sites commonly report that SHL tests are graded by percentile rank rather than raw score (JobTestPrep): your result is compared with a group of people who took the test before.

• Raw score: the number of codes you matched correctly.
• Percentile: where that score sits in the comparison group. The 60th percentile means you scored higher than about 60% of the group.
• Speed and accuracy both count. With a timer on each question, an unanswered code earns nothing, and a fast wrong answer earns nothing either. A steady, careful method beats rushing.

Results usually go to the employer rather than to you, so ask the recruiter if you would like feedback. Our SHL scores guide explains how SHL's reports usually work.

Our practice score is the number of our own codes you matched correctly, with the time you took. It is a practice score: it is not an SHL score, percentile or cut-off, and it does not predict whether you will pass.

Common mistakes on SHL-style checking tests

• Reading the code as a word. Your brain fills in what it expects. Read character by character, in chunks.
• Checking only the start and the end. Swaps and dropped characters are most often in the middle.
• Missing look-alikes. O for 0 and I for 1 look almost the same at speed. Compare shapes, not outlines.
• Rechecking the right answer. Once four options are crossed out, choose the last one and move on.
• Spending too long on one code. A slow answer on one question steals time from the next. If you cannot decide, pick your best answer.
• Starting tired. Checking depends on attention. Take the test when you are fresh, in a quiet room.

A one-week study plan

About 15 to 20 minutes a day. If your test is in two days, do days 1, 4 and 6.

• Day 1: Take the free sample above. Note your score and how many seconds you had left.
• Day 2: Look-alikes: write out O and 0, I and 1, S and 5, B and 8, Z and 2 and practice spotting them in 20 codes.
• Day 3: Chunking and elimination: 30 codes, untimed, using the same method every time.
• Day 4: A full SHL-style checking mock at the real pace. Review every miss and name the kind of difference you missed.
• Day 5: Short timed sets of 10 codes at 10 seconds each.
• Day 6: A second full mock. Compare your score and time with day 4.
• Day 7: Light review, check your invitation, and plan to take the test when you are rested.