Aptitude test
The SHL Assessments
SHL is the most widely used psychometric publisher in graduate recruitment. Its Verify range covers numerical, verbal and inductive reasoning, increasingly in interactive formats, alongside the OPQ personality questionnaire. Here is what each part involves, how it is scored, and how to prepare so the format is familiar before test day.
In short
SHL assessments are a family of ability and personality tests used to screen graduate and internship applicants. The core is the Verify range of aptitude tests, numerical, verbal and inductive (logical) reasoning, now often delivered as Verify G+ or the newer Verify Interactive formats, plus the OPQ personality questionnaire. Scores are reported as a percentile against a comparison group rather than a raw mark, and each firm sets its own cut-off. You pass them by learning each format, practising numerical, verbal and inductive questions under strict time limits, and answering the OPQ consistently against the behaviours the role actually needs.
The basics
What it is
SHL is the psychometric publisher behind a large share of graduate screening in finance, consulting, law and professional services. The best known products are the Verify ability tests: numerical reasoning (interpreting tables, charts and ratios under time pressure), verbal reasoning (judging statements as true, false or cannot say from a passage) and inductive or logical reasoning (spotting the pattern in a sequence of shapes). Verify G+ combines these into a single general-ability test, while Verify Interactive uses redesigned, harder-to-game question types.
Alongside the ability tests, the OPQ (Occupational Personality Questionnaire) maps how you typically work across traits such as influence, structure and resilience. It is not pass or fail in the same way, but employers screen for a profile that fits the role, so consistency and self-awareness matter. SHL tests are used in both the UK and US, usually as an early online stage after the application.
It sits early and it is decisive. Because SHL scores are norm-referenced against a comparison group of graduates or managers, the assessment lets a firm rank thousands of applicants on a comparable scale before a recruiter reads a single CV. A weak section can quietly end an application before it ever reaches a human, which is why treating the Verify tests as a serious, practised stage rather than a formality matters so much.
Intervyo is an independent preparation platform and is not affiliated with SHL or any test publisher. Our practice materials are original recreations of the Verify and OPQ style, built so you can rehearse the format and remove the shock of the unfamiliar, never copies of any live test. The aim is to make the interface and pacing second nature so that on the day you spend your time reasoning, not working out how the assessment behaves.
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What it measures
The dimensions under test
Numerical reasoning
Reading tables, charts and ratios and doing percentage, proportion and growth calculations accurately at speed. The maths is GCSE level; the test is whether you can pull the right figures and compute cleanly inside about a minute.
Verbal reasoning
Judging whether statements are true, false or cannot say based only on a short business passage. It measures disciplined comprehension, not vocabulary or general knowledge.
Inductive / logical reasoning
Spotting the rule behind a sequence of shapes or diagrams and applying it to find what comes next. It captures fluid, abstract reasoning independent of language and numbers.
Deductive reasoning
Working out what must be true from a set of conditions, such as scheduling, allocation or arrangement constraints. Verify G+ blends this in alongside the numerical and inductive items.
Personality and work style (OPQ)
How you typically relate to people, approach problems and manage pressure at work, mapped across the OPQ32 traits. There is no right answer, but your profile is read against the role.
Motivation (MQ, when included)
What energises and drains you at work. Some graduate schemes pair the OPQ with the Motivation Questionnaire to gauge fit with the role and environment as well as ability.
The format
What to expect
See it in action
A worked example
Here is a worked SHL Verify numerical question, the format you will meet most often. It shows how to move from the exhibit to the answer inside the roughly 60-second window without wasting time on data you do not need.
- 01
Read the question before the chart
The item asks: by what percentage did Region B revenue grow from Year 1 to Year 2? Reading the question first tells you exactly which two numbers to find, so you can ignore the other regions, years and the footnote.
- 02
Locate only the two values you need
The table shows Region B at 40 in Year 1 and 52 in Year 2 (in millions). You do not need the totals, the other regions, or the currency note; touching extra data only burns the clock.
- 03
Do the percentage-change calculation
Change is (52 - 40) / 40 = 12 / 40 = 0.30, so 30 percent. On the calculator that is one step: 52 divided by 40 gives 1.3, subtract 1, times 100.
- 04
Match an option and commit
Select 30 percent and move on. If your figure is not one of the options, you have almost certainly misread a value or the units, so re-check the exhibit rather than redoing the arithmetic.
The takeaway
The maths is GCSE level; the real test is whether you can read the right two numbers and calculate cleanly inside a minute. Speed comes from reading the question first and touching only the data it needs.
The scoring
How it is marked
SHL rarely reports a raw mark. Your answers are converted to a score against a comparison (norm) group, usually other graduates or managers, and reported as a percentile or a sten (1 to 10). Employers then set their own cut-off, so the bar you must clear depends on the firm and how competitive the scheme is. The sten-to-percentile mapping below is approximate.
90th percentile and up (sten 8 to 10)
The top decile of the comparison group. Comfortably clears any graduate cut-off and often marks you out as a standout on the cognitive screen.
70th to 89th percentile (sten 6 to 7)
Above the bar most firms set for graduate and internship schemes. A strong, safe result even at competitive employers.
Around the 50th percentile (sten 5)
About the average of the comparison group. Clears firms that set the bar at the median, but is risky where the applicant pool is strong and cut-offs sit higher.
Below the 50th percentile (sten 1 to 4)
Below the comparison-group average. Likely to fall short of most competitive cut-offs, though some firms weigh it alongside the rest of your application.
The variants
Versions you might be sent
Verify G+ (General Ability)
The flagship graduate screen, combining numerical, deductive and inductive reasoning into one test of roughly 36 minutes with a single overall score. This is what most banking and consulting candidates sit.
Verify Interactive
Newer, mobile-friendly numerical, verbal and inductive tests using dynamic question types (sliders, drag-and-drop) and large randomised item banks, designed to be harder to over-practise or cheat.
Standalone Verify reasoning tests
Individual numerical, verbal, inductive or checking tests, sometimes used on their own for specific roles rather than bundled into Verify G+.
OPQ32 (Occupational Personality Questionnaire)
A forced-choice questionnaire mapping 32 workplace traits across relationships, thinking style and feelings. There is no pass mark, but your profile is compared to the role and checked for consistency.
MQ (Motivation Questionnaire)
An optional questionnaire on what drives and drains you at work, sometimes paired with the OPQ in graduate schemes to assess fit alongside ability.
Who uses it
Firms that screen with this test
Each links to a dedicated firm guide: the application process, the interview stages, and what they look for.
The prep
How to prepare
Learn the exact question formats
Numerical, verbal true / false / cannot say and inductive sequences each have a distinctive style. Practise the specific formats so none of them is a surprise and you are not wasting the early questions getting used to the interface.
Train for speed under the clock
SHL tests are tightly timed, often around a minute per question. Drill against a strict timer so quick, accurate answers become natural, and learn when to make a fast estimate and move on.
Master the verbal rule
On verbal reasoning, answer only from the passage. Cannot say means the text does not give enough information, even if the statement seems likely. Getting this rule right is the single biggest verbal score lift.
Be consistent on the OPQ
For the personality questionnaire, picture the role and answer as your genuine working self. Wild swings or trying to game an ideal profile show up as inconsistency, which is exactly what it is designed to catch.
How not to fail
Common failure modes
The specific ways candidates lose marks on this test. None of these need talent to avoid, only awareness.
- 01Reading the chart before the question. Digesting the whole exhibit first wastes the clock on data you do not need. Read the question, then pull only the two or three values it depends on.
- 02Marking a plausible statement True. On verbal, a statement can be true in the real world yet unsupported by the passage. If the text does not state or entail it, the answer is Cannot Say, not True.
- 03Fumbling the calculator. Switching to the on-screen calculator app or hunting for keys costs seconds every question. Use a physical calculator you know well and set it up before you start.
- 04Rushing the first items. Careless early errors are the easiest marks to lose. A steady, correct pace beats a fast, sloppy one across twenty-plus questions.
- 05Gaming the OPQ. Swinging your answers to fit an imagined ideal profile creates contradictions the consistency check flags. Answer as your genuine professional self.
- 06Leaving questions blank. An unanswered item scores zero. If time is short, make an educated guess and move on rather than skipping it entirely.
On the day
What strong candidates do
The habits that separate high scorers, most of them decided before the timer even starts.
Read the question, then the exhibit
Know which values you need before you look, so you scan straight to them and ignore distractor rows and columns.
Pre-set a physical calculator
A calculator you have practised on, plus scratch paper, set up before the timer starts, so the mechanics never cost you a question.
Hold a steady per-question pace
Budget roughly a minute, commit to an answer, and move on. Bank the easy points rather than sinking two minutes into one hard item.
Apply the Cannot Say discipline
On verbal, treat the passage as the only source of truth and default to Cannot Say whenever the text does not clearly support or contradict the statement.
Isolate one feature at a time
On inductive items where a shape changes in several ways, track rotation, then shading, then count separately rather than reading everything at once.
Answer the OPQ as your working self
Picture the role, answer honestly and consistently, and let a coherent profile emerge rather than chasing a template.
Practise on the real format
Reading about the test is not practising it.
Intervyo recreates SHL Assessments in its real format, timed and scored, with instant feedback so the structure is familiar before it counts. Start free, no card required.
FAQ
Common questions
SHL tests are ability and personality assessments used to screen graduate and internship applicants. The most common are the Verify aptitude tests, numerical, verbal and inductive reasoning, plus the OPQ personality questionnaire.
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Intervyo is an independent preparation platform. Our practice tests simulate the style and format of SHL assessments and are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the test publisher.