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Psychometric tests for graduate jobs: practice and examples
Four timed practice sets written for this site, with the working shown after every question, plus Pip for the ones you want to talk through.
Pick a practice set
- Numerical reasoningTables and charts, percentages, ratios and rates, under time pressure. 8 questions, 8 minutes.
- Verbal reasoningShort passages and True, False or Cannot say judgements. 8 questions, 7 minutes.
- Situational judgementWorkplace scenarios and which response works best. 6 questions, 6 minutes.
- Logical reasoningSequences, deductions and spotting the assumption in an argument. 6 questions, 6 minutes.
When they turn up
Many graduate employers send online tests soon after you apply, often before anyone has read your application. Others use them later as a check. Some ask you to resit part of a test in person at an assessment centre, so work on your own and treat the first sitting as the real one.
How to get better quickly
- Learn the format first. Read the practice material the employer sends. Do not skip it.
- Practise against a clock. Untimed practice teaches you very little about the test.
- Review every miss. Was it the method, misreading the question or running out of time? Each one has a different fix.
- Stop when you are tired. Two short sets beat one long session.
- Sit the real test somewhere quiet, with a calculator if allowed, and when you are at your sharpest.
Game-based tests
Some employers use short games in place of traditional questions. They are hard to practise for and that is partly the point. Read the instructions, play at your normal pace and do not try to guess what is being measured.
Questions
Are psychometric tests pass or fail?
Usually your score is compared with a group of other people, and each employer decides what counts as enough. That is why a practice score does not predict a real result.
Can you practise for them?
Yes. Practice will not change your ability, but it removes the surprise of the format and the clock, and that is where most marks are lost.
What is the difference between psychometric and aptitude tests?
Psychometric is the wider term. Aptitude tests measure reasoning, such as numerical or verbal. Personality questionnaires are psychometric too, though they have no right answers.
Who publishes these tests?
Employers buy tests from publishers such as SHL, Talogy and Saville, and critical-thinking tests such as the Watson Glaser are widely used in law. Our sets are written by us in a similar style. They are not those tests.
Pip can get things wrong. Check anything that matters with the employer. Leave your name and phone number out of what you paste. How Pip works · Privacy