SHL AMCAT Test Online Preparation – 2024

What is the SHL AMCAT Test?

The SHL AMCAT Test is a psychometric exam employers give applicants during recruitment to assess their aptitude for the position they are applying for. The Aspiring Minds Computer-Adaptive Test (AMCAT) was initially created by Aspiring Minds, but that company was acquired by SHL in 2020.

SHL AMCAT Structure and Scoring

The SHL AMCAT Test differs from other pre-employment exams because it is adaptive. This means the questions will become more difficult as you answer questions correctly, and vice versa. This is great for employers because they can use this one exam to test applicants for all different positions and career levels. However, exams that become progressively more difficult can be stressful for test-takers who do not adequately prepare.

The exam consists of 24 questions, and test-takers have a time limit of 35 minutes to complete the test. The multiple choice questions cover three abilities: Quantitative, Verbal, and Logical.

Scoring of the SHL AMCAT Test is also unique compared to other pre-employment aptitude tests because your score is based on how many questions you answered correctly and the difficulty of each question. This means that if you only answer questions at an entry-level, you will receive a lower score than those answering questions at an executive level, even if you both answer everything correctly. The hiring team uses this scoring scheme to determine which applicants are prepared for higher performance levels.

Quantitative Ability

One section of the SHL AMCAT Test is the quantitative ability exam. This is similar to questions on a numerical reasoning test in other pre-employment assessments. However, the questions on this exam will likely be more challenging than typical numerical reasoning questions. Still, you should be sure that you are prepared to answer questions containing the following:

• Arithmetic
• Basic algebra
• Basic geometry
• Charts
• Graphs
• Tables

Because this test will become more challenging as you progress, the test will adapt to the mathematics level you are comfortable with. However, suppose your position requires advanced mathematics or reasoning. In that case, you should brush up on your math skills and thoroughly prepare for the exam to ensure you answer more challenging questions and receive a higher score.

Verbal Ability

The verbal ability section of the SHL AMCAT Test is similar to the verbal reasoning assessments you’d encounter during other hiring processes. You will receive a passage of text and will need to answer questions based on the material. This test is more challenging because you will likely be reading text written formally and about an obscure topic.

You will then decide if a given statement is true or false or if there is not enough evidence in the text to determine either way. You must use the text to support your answer. Try not to use any outside knowledge when answering these questions.

Logical Ability

The last section of the SHL AMCAT Test is logical ability. The questions on this test are similar to the questions you would encounter in a logical reasoning assessment. In this section, you must follow specific rules to come to a logical conclusion.

However, the AMCAT exam differs from basic logical reasoning tests in that the rules on the AMCAT are almost counterintuitive, making them difficult to solve. You may read a statement you must take to be true that does not fit your current knowledge. For example, “All stop signs are blue” seems counterintuitive because it is not true in the real world.

For this test, you must take all statements at face value and assume that any given arguments are valid for the question’s sake. Because of this format, it is best to spend time preparing for this exam by practicing similar sample questions.

Tips for the SHL AMCAT Test

The SHL AMCAT assessment is one of the most difficult pre-employment assessments. Even though the topics of qualitative, verbal, and logical reasoning are pretty standard, the difficulty of the individual questions and the progressive nature of the exam adds to the test’s difficulty.

Here are a few tips that can help you succeed on the SHL AMCAT Test:

• Read through the logical ability questions carefully. The logical ability questions seem difficult because they are counterintuitive to us. Therefore, to understand the question thoroughly and answer the question correctly, you must read the arguments and answer choices carefully.
• Eliminate choices in the quantitative ability section: Mathematics questions are often intimidating. However, one easy way to increase your chances of selecting the correct answer is to focus on eliminating the incorrect answers. For example, suppose you notice a solution cannot be correct; for instance, the answer must be odd, and some choices are even. In that case, you can ignore the incorrect options entirely and focus on the possible correct answers.
• Read the questions before the passage in the verbal ability section: Reading the questions before the passage is a great way to understand what you need to focus on. This will help you pay attention to the correct details while reading and help you filter out unimportant information.
• When in doubt, make an educated guess: The SHL AMCAT exam is progressive, which means it uses your previous response to generate your next question. Therefore, to advance in the test and have the opportunity to answer more questions correctly, you’ll want to make an educated guess on unknown answers to move forward with the exam.
• Pay attention to the time. You only have 35 minutes to complete the SHL AMCAT Test. Therefore, you will want to ensure you do not spend too much time on a single question. Use your time wisely and watch the clock so you do not run out of time.

How to Prepare for the SHL AMCAT Test?

Because the SHL AMCAT Test is difficult, you should ensure you give yourself adequate time to prepare for all three sections of the exam. The best preparation tool you can use during your studying is practice tests.

Practice tests will provide several sample questions similar to what you will encounter on the SHL AMCAT exam. This will be extremely helpful so you can get a feel for how questions are asked, their difficulty, and how to best respond to them. The questions usually come with a solution, so you can understand why you may have gotten a question correct or incorrect. You will also be able to apply this information to similar questions in the future, boosting your chances of answering future questions correctly.

Full-length practice tests will also allow you to rehearse your timing which is invaluable for a timed exam such as the SHL AMCAT Test. You want to be sure that you go into the exam at the correct pace so you can confidently finish the exam on time.

Test-takers who give themselves adequate time to study and prepare for the SHL AMCAT assessment do significantly better than those who do not prepare. Because the employer will use this test to compare you and your peers, you want to do all you can to boost your confidence and score. Therefore, be sure to use practice tests and any other study materials you can find to increase your chances of doing well on the exam.

Disclaimer: SHL® is a registered trademark of SHL Group Ltd. SHL Group Ltd is not affiliated with Practice4Me or this website. This website solely provides information on how to prepare for job psychometric tests.