SHL, a leading psychometric test provider, has several pre-employment assessments that companies may give their applicants during hiring. These aptitude tests provide the employer with a breadth of information to help them decide which candidate would be the best fit for the position and their team.
The SHL Aptitude Test covers various topics employers can choose from. However, applicants should prepare for their exams to be multiple-choice and timed. You will receive an email with a link to the exam, and test takers will usually have up to 10 days to complete the test.
Here are the most common topic areas that employers will include in the SHL Aptitude Exam:
Numerical Reasoning Test
The SHL Numerical Reasoning Exam will focus on your ability to work with numbers and perform calculations. These questions will ask you to use basic numeracy and arithmetic to answer. Additionally, many questions will include some sort of visual such as a table or a graph, that you will need to use to answer the questions.
For many employers, the ability to extract, analyze, and interpret data is essential to their business functions, so most applicants should prepare for numerical reasoning questions during their recruitment process.
The interactive version consists of 10 questions you must complete in 18 minutes, and the non-interactive version consists of 16 questions that you will have 20 minutes to complete.
Inductive Reasoning Test
The SHL Inductive Reasoning Test will assess your ability to identify relationships and apply those rules to answer questions. The most common way this is presented on exams is by presenting several figures with an underlying pattern and asking which shape or figure will come next in the series or which one is missing from the sequence.
The interactive version of the inductive reasoning test consists of 15 questions to be answered in 18 minutes, and the non-interactive version consists of 18 questions you must answer in 24 minutes.
Deductive Reasoning Test
During the SHL Aptitude Test, you may also encounter an SHL deductive reasoning test. These types of questions will ask you to draw a conclusion based on pieces of information. For example, you may receive several statements and must make an inference based on the facts provided.
The interactive version of this exam will consist of 12 questions you must answer in 18 minutes. The non-interactive version will consist of 18 questions with a 20-minute time limit.
Verbal Reasoning Test
Verbal reasoning exams are among the most common tests you will encounter during recruitment. During the SHL Aptitude Test, the SHL verbal reasoning test will provide several text passages the test taker must read and interpret to answer questions and draw conclusions. Many questions will ask whether a specific statement or conclusion is true or false based on the given information or if there isn’t enough information to decide.
This exam will consist of 30 questions, and you will have 19 minutes to complete the exam.
Mechanical Comprehension Test
Candidates applying for specialized skills jobs such as mechanical or machinist positions will likely encounter a mechanical comprehension exam during the SHL Aptitude Test. These exams will assess your knowledge of basic mechanical and physical concepts and require you to apply theoretical knowledge to answer real-world problems. Many of these questions will involve diagrams, and some calculations may also be required. Learn more about the SHL mechanical comprehension test.
General Ability / Verify G+ Test
The General Ability exam, or the Verify G+, is a common SHL Aptitude Test that combines three exams: inductive, deductive, and numerical reasoning. This test is focused on your logical ability and how quickly you can solve problems.
The interactive version will give you 36 minutes to answer 24 questions, and the non-interactive version will give you 36 minutes to answer 30 questions.
OPQ Personality Questionnaire
In addition to the reasoning tests, the SHL assessment may include personality exams. The most common of which is the OPQ Personality Questionnaire. This exam will compare your work preferences with the type of employee the company seeks.
After taking the OPQ, SHL will provide the employer with your personality profile that describes your fit for the role, any developmental gaps you may have, and the future potential you may exhibit for the company.
While there are no strict correct answers on this test, it is best practice to research the company ahead of the test to get a better sense of what kind of employee they are looking for.
Situational Judgement Test
In addition to your workplace personality, companies will also include the SHL Situational Judgment Test (SJT) in their SHL assessment for candidates. The SJT will assess your workplace behavior by presenting several simulated situations that you must respond to. These will likely align with the duties you can expect to encounter in the role, and you will need to select which of the given responses you are most likely to choose and which you are least likely to choose.
Other SHL Aptitude Tests
The SHL Aptitude Test can include several other exams, including:
Checking Test: Checking tests are typically given to those in clerical or administrative roles to assess their attention to detail. They require test-takers to identify errors in numerical data or written text.
Verify Calculation Test: The verify calculation test will require you to pull data from a chart or table to answer questions. Some of these may require light calculations and will be assessing your ability to answer the questions quickly.
Motivational Questionnaire: This personality questionnaire will assess your workplace motivations and include the information in your personality profile for the employer.
RemoteWorkQ: This personality questionnaire will determine your readiness to excel in a remote workplace environment. It tests traits such as dependability and ability to focus.
Language Simulations: The language skills assessment will assess your fluency in a language and test your understanding of grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension. The test uses an Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) to add an auditory element to the exam.
Technical Skills: The SHL Aptitude Test may require you to take skill-specific exams to prove your ability in a specific area related to the job. For example, a software developer applicant may be asked to take a coding simulation test.
Job-Specific Simulations: Other job-specific simulations may be required for the SHL Aptitude Exam. For example, someone going into business may be required to write a memo or draft a report based on given information.
How to Prepare for the SHL Aptitude Test?
The best way to prepare for the SHL Aptitude Assessment is to use practice tests before the exam. Practice tests are the best resource for the SHL tests because they give you a better idea of what to expect on the exam. The tests will present several sample questions along with their answer solutions so you can understand how you should approach the different question types on the exam.
You may also ask the recruiter what exams you can expect to take during the assessment process so you can tailor your studying approach to those specific tests.
Candidates who take the time to properly prepare for the exams are significantly more likely to do well on the tests and advance to the next stage of the hiring process.
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.
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