cut-e / Aon
Updated November 5, 2026How hard are cut-e / Aon tests?
Aon (formerly cut-e) tests feel harder than they are on paper because of how they are built: short, tightly timed and designed so you run out of time. Knowing that in advance takes much of the sting out. Here is where the difficulty really sits, test by test, and what it means for summer 2028 applicants sitting them for UBS.
Under 15 min
Typical length of one test
20 items
scales ix inductive test
rising difficulty
2:30
Per question, Aon Logical Reasoning
10 adaptive questions
3 min
Per 5 questions, Applied Numeracy
Quick answer
Hard on time, not on content. Each Aon test is short, usually under 15 minutes, and the limits are set so most people cannot answer everything. Several formats are adaptive or get harder as you go, and wrong answers usually cost points. The maths and reading are everyday level; the pressure is speed with accuracy.
Key points
- Aon says it is normal not to finish in the time; without a limit everyone would score the same.1
- Wrong answers usually lose points on Aon ability tests, so speed only helps if you stay accurate.1
- Several tests get harder as you succeed: digitChallenge and Logical Reasoning are adaptive, and scales ix rises in difficulty across its 20 items.4,7,8
- No special knowledge is needed. Aon says familiarity with online tests is what helps.1
Where the difficulty comes from
Time is the first reason. Aon says individual tests usually last under 15 minutes and that it is normal to be unable to answer every question in the time allowed; a limit is what spreads the scores out.1 The practice-task guides repeat it: you are not expected to answer everything, only as many as you can correctly.2,3
Scoring is the second. On Aon performance tests, points are usually added for right answers and taken away for wrong ones.1 Rushing to the end can lower your result, which makes pacing a real skill rather than a race.
Difficulty that moves is the third. digitChallenge gets harder after correct answers and easier after mistakes, the Logical Reasoning test picks each of its 10 questions based on your last answer, and scales ix presents 20 items in increasing order of difficulty.4,7,8 On switchChallenge and gapChallenge the questions keep coming and may get harder as you progress.5,6
How hard each test is
Numerical and verbal reasoning are the most familiar: true, false or cannot say statements against fixed data sheets. The content is not advanced, but the sheets are dense and you have to settle each statement from the right one. For numerical, Aon says to have a calculator, pen and paper ready.2,3
Applied Numeracy is tight: 20 questions in four sections of five (unit conversions, the rule of three, percentages, and areas and spaces), each section timed at 3 minutes. Some wrong options are built on common mistakes.9
Inductive and deductive puzzles are where many people feel least prepared. Aon itself says inductive-logical reasoning is not easy to improve, though puzzles and strategy games help.4 switchChallenge and gapChallenge are unlike school tests, and both come with practice tasks you can repeat as often as you like before the real one.5,6
Personality questionnaires are not hard in this sense. They have no right or wrong answers and, as a rule, no time limit.1
What it means for UBS applicants
UBS assigns up to four assessments by business area: verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, inductive-logical reasoning and UBS Culture Match, a set of work scenarios where you pick the most effective action. You have seven days from the invite and cannot retake them.10
The hard part for a summer 2028 applicant is that there is one shot. UBS describes the verbal and numerical tests as drawing logical conclusions from complex information in tables and charts, and points you to Aon's practice page.10 Spend the first part of the seven days on Aon's practice tasks, then sit each test once, alert and undisturbed.1,10
US firms that use it
Each line links to that firm's own process page.
How to prepare
- 01
Expect not to finish
Go in knowing the time limit is meant to stop most people before the end, so running out of time is not a sign you failed.1
- 02
Hold accuracy over speed
Wrong answers usually cost points, so work quickly but carefully, no faster than you normally work.1
- 03
- 04
Use the untimed introduction
The instructions and examples before each test have no time limit. Use them to settle the format before the clock starts.1
This answer is general guidance for orientation, not a guarantee. Test formats, timings and employer cut-offs change, so verify the details on the provider or employer site before you apply. Last updated November 5, 2026.
Sources
- 1.Prepare for your Online Assessment, Aon. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 2.Practice Tasks: Numerical Reasoning (PDF), Aon. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 3.Practice Tasks: Verbal Reasoning (PDF), Aon. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 4.Practice Tasks: scales ix (PDF), Aon. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 5.Practice Tasks: Deductive Logical Reasoning, switchChallenge (PDF), Aon. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 6.Practice Tasks: Deductive Reasoning, gapChallenge (PDF), Aon. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 7.Practice Tasks: Logical Reasoning (PDF), Aon. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 8.Practice Tasks: digitChallenge (PDF), Aon. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 9.Practice Tasks: Applied Numeracy (PDF), Aon. Read Nov 5, 2026.
- 10.Early careers, UBS. Read Nov 5, 2026.