How to improve your SHL test score

Welcome to our SHL practice tests; SHL are the publisher of the OPQ in the UK, and globally.

PwC’s SHL psychometric tests

PwC uses SHL (CEB) test provider for their psychometric tests – the online reasoning tests are highly effective to filter to the best 10% of applications, from the several thousand they receive per role.

KPMG’s SHL psychometric tests

The KPMG online reasoning numerical test hosted by Cubiks will comprise of 20 questions opposed to the online reasoning verbal test which will have 40 questions.

The KPMG psychometric tests will assess two qualities – the first will assess your abilities to handle different situations in the workplace, by means of a Situational Judgement Test (SJT).

The second stage of the KPMG psychometric test will be an online reasoning numerical test and an online reasoning verbal test.

Ernst and Young’s psychometric tests

The Ernst and Young recruitment process entail 3 key stages; firstly, you will need to complete the application form, secondly the all-important psychometric tests and the assessment centre. The psychometric test used to be provided by Saville Consulting Group; however, EY now uses CAPP Assessments: firstly, the EY Business Behaviours test; secondly the EY situational judgement test; and lastly the EY What’s Your Mindset test.

Deloitte’s SHL practice tests

Deloitte has several stages in their recruitment process, ranging from several psychometric and aptitude assessments to the interview stages and assessment centres.

Deloitte’s first stage of psychometric test uses Arctic Shores’ Cosmic Cadet game-based assessment. Then the CAPP Assessments (Jobmi) verbal reasoning test and numerical reasoning test.

JP Morgan’s SHL practice tests

JP Morgan’s selection process involves:

  • Several aptitude tests, once they have completed the CV/Cover Letter stages (and a 300 words essay on their motivation for applying to JPMorgan).
  • SHL reasoning tests and it has 3 sections; the SHL numerical reasoning test, the SHL verbal reasoning test and the SHL inductive reasoning test.

Bank of America’s SHL practice tests

Similar to many investment banks, BAML receives thousands of applications – making it a necessity to score exceptionally high on the SHL/CEB psychometric tests. You must take a numerical reasoning test and on your personality traits.

SHL practice tests

Barclays’ SHL practice tests

Barclays has its own unique selection process. CEB’s personality and CEB’s aptitude tests are used. In addition, ‘Barclays Insight Test’. This is a mixture of situational judgement questions and ability questions.

UBS graduate psychometric tests

You must take an online SHL numerical reasoning test, online SHL verbal reasoning test and online SHL inductive reasoning test.

Achieving a high pass on all three of these SHL psychometric tests, means will get you an invite to the interview and assessment centre. This is fairly typical assessment centre. It is based on a group exercise, an individual presentation exercise and various UBS interviews.

SHL Personality Testing 

In our opinion, most medium to large-sized organisations recruiting graduates now uses SHL psychometric tests. Therefore you must understand what an SHL psychometric tests look like, how SHL psychometric tests work, and how they can achieve their best possible performance by practising using SHL practice tests.

Thus, SHL’s OPQ has been very popular for many years, although Saville Consulting’s WAVE has increasing popularity. The Myers Briggs personality test has been the most popular personality test for developmental purposes for the last 20-30 years.

SHL numerical reasoning tests

  • The general advice given for SHL numerical reasoning tests is typically that some focussed test practice will improve your score. Unfortunately, there aren’t any quick wins for being good at Maths.
  • Give your “first response”.
  • As a timed test, you need to average around one minute per question. Work briskly but accurately.
  • Each question counts the same so pick off the easy ones first and don’t waste your test time on the most difficult questions.
  • Practise some of the most common numerical test types at the main test publisher websites. For this reason alone, we strongly advise practising sample questions from Kenexa-IBM, TalentQ and SHL sites.
  • Ensure that you are comfortable using data tables, interpreting graphs and manipulating large financial figures.

SHL practice tests

Passing SHL verbal reasoning tests

SHL verbal reasoning tests come in many different types of format. The traditional comprehension format is to have a short text passage followed by a series of questions about facts, opinions, conclusions from the passage content. A bit like those English tests in primary school where you answered questions on a novel extract. Regardless of the type of test, it’s vital to remember:

  • To carefully read each question. Often questions hinge on 1-2 keywords so you must take more care to interpret these accurately.
  • If questioned whether something “always” applies whilst the passage states that it is “sometimes” the case, then this is a false interpretation.
  • One useful strategy is to scan the passage initially, then to read it in more detail.
  • It’s more efficient as you answer each question if you can recall roughly where to find the answer in the passage. 

SHL abstract reasoning tests

SHL abstract reasoning tests ask you to look for the changing pattern(s) in the “pictures”. The easier questions typically at the start of the test, will involve one change in colour, position, size etc of the figures shown.

Questions become more difficult as you must spot two or three changes in any of the features shown. Once you know one of the feature changes, check each answer option to discount any in conflict with it.

SHL Numerical Reasoning Test

An SHL test consists of verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, inductive reasoning, and mechanical reasoning. It is highly used in organizations to test an individual’s ability in a competency that has been identified as necessary in a job role. The test is, therefore, significant in assessing the critical skills for a job or an institution success. Employers thus prefer SHL tests as they can easily evaluate the workability of the employees.

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