Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
Pre-employment test practice
A clearer head. A more prepared you.
Prepare for psychometric and aptitude tests in your hiring process. Practise reasoning, understand your mistakes and build a routine around the assessment in your invitation.
Try sample questions · Browse timed practice
What is a pre-employment test?
A pre-employment test is an assessment used during hiring to evaluate job-related abilities or behavioural characteristics. It may include reasoning tests, personality questionnaires or situational judgement. Employee testing is a broader term that can also cover assessments of existing staff; this page focuses on preparation for job applicants.
Try the thinking for yourself.
Original questions and preparation guides in English.
Original numerical sample: regional revenue (£ million) is Q1: 42, Q2: 48, Q3: 45, Q4: 54. By what percentage did Q4 revenue exceed Q3?
Options: 9%, 15%, 20%, 25%.
Answer and explanation
20%. Change = (54 − 45) ÷ 45 = 9/45 = 20%. Use Q3 as the base.
One next step, for where you are now.
Build a routine, work on one section, or check your pacing across a timed exam.
- Open my study plan — Organise regular practice across verbal, numerical and logical reasoning. Return to your saved plan to continue.
- Choose a section drill — Choose a reasoning section and question count. Check the setup, then start your drill.
- Browse timed exams — Work across the reasoning sections under a clock, then review your answers and choose what to practise next.
Psychometric and aptitude test practice
Aptitude tests assess abilities such as numerical, verbal and logical reasoning. Psychometric testing can also include personality questionnaires. Start with the test types named in your invitation; ability questions and workplace scenarios need different approaches.
Numerical reasoning
Tables, charts, ratios and percentages. Read the data, choose the right calculation and check the units.
Work through numerical questionsVerbal reasoning
Read a passage and decide what follows. Keep your answer within the evidence you are given.
Work through verbal questionsLogical reasoning
Spot a pattern or draw a conclusion from rules. Test the rule against every piece of information.
Work through logical questionsPersonality and situational judgement
Work-style questionnaires ask about your typical behaviour. Situational judgement questions ask you to evaluate responses to a workplace scenario. Read the role context and respond thoughtfully; a personality profile is not an arithmetic answer key.
See the reasoning, step by step.
A chart, a sentence, a pattern. Different questions become clearer when you know what to look for.
Find the right starting point.
Revenue rises from 45 to 54. What is the percentage increase?
Show the reasoning
20% increase The increase is 9. Divide by the starting value of 45: 9 ÷ 45 × 100 = 20%. The starting value is your denominator.
Stay inside the evidence.
All September analysts attended induction. Did the August analysts attend?
Show the reasoning
Cannot say The passage tells you about September only. It gives no attendance information for August, so you cannot decide whether those analysts attended.
Check the rule at every step.
The arrow turns 90° clockwise in each frame. Which direction comes next?
Show the reasoning
The next arrow points left Up → right → down → left. The same 90° clockwise turn explains each transition, so apply it once more to the third frame.
Make every practice session useful.
- Read your invitation Check the provider, modules, time limits, calculator rules and deadline. Ask the recruiter about access arrangements before you start.
- Attempt, then review Try a short sample. Explain your choice before checking the answer, then record whether the difficulty was reading, method, calculation or pace.
- Practise with a clock Choose a timed module when the method feels familiar. Review the questions you missed before your next attempt.
Your invitation sets the format.
Pre-employment tests do not all share one clock. Use the named provider’s candidate resources alongside your skills practice.
RubricMark provides independent practice. Provider names identify external resources and do not imply affiliation. Practice results are learning feedback, not an employer percentile or hiring prediction.
A better way into the questions.
- Aptitude test practice: how to prepare for a job assessment — Identify your assessment, build a practice routine and review the mistakes that matter.
- Numerical reasoning test practice: questions and worked answers — Practise percentage change, ratios and tables with original worked examples.
- Verbal reasoning test practice: true, false or cannot say? — Separate what a passage proves from what sounds plausible.
- Logical reasoning test practice: rules, patterns and conclusions — Work through deductive and inductive examples, then test your reasoning.
Your pre-employment testing questions, answered.
What is pre-employment testing?
Pre-employment testing uses assessments during recruitment to examine job-related abilities or behavioural characteristics. This can include numerical, verbal or logical reasoning, personality questionnaires and situational judgement. Psychometric tests are one part of this broader category. Check your invitation for the exact assessments.
How do I prepare for a pre-employment test?
Read the invitation and the provider’s candidate instructions. Try sample questions, review the reasoning behind each answer and practise the skills you find difficult. Add timed practice once you understand the method, and follow your assessment’s calculator and navigation rules.
Can I try pre-employment test questions with answers?
Yes. The samples on this page are available without signing in and reveal an explanation after you choose an answer. The linked numerical, verbal and logical reasoning guides also include original worked examples. Browse Practice Hub for account-based timed practice and its access options.
Is an aptitude test the same as a personality test?
An aptitude test asks you to solve problems or reason from information and has scored answers. A personality questionnaire asks about typical preferences or behaviour. Psychometric testing is a broader term that can include both.
How long does a pre-employment test take?
It depends on the assessment. Korn Ferry publishes Elements module times of 16 minutes for verbal, 16 for numerical and 15 for logical reasoning. Criteria’s CCAT has 50 questions in 15 minutes. These are different formats; use the instructions in your own invitation.
Is there a universal pre-employment test pass mark?
No universal pass mark applies across providers, employers and roles. Selection rules and comparison groups vary. Use practice accuracy and explanations to guide your study; RubricMark does not predict an employer’s hiring decision.
Is employee testing the same as pre-employment testing?
Employee testing is a broad term for assessments used with applicants or existing employees. Pre-employment testing specifically takes place during hiring. RubricMark offers applicant practice questions and preparation guides on this page; it does not administer tests for employers.
Preparing for the next stage? Open the interview toolkit
Explore all psychometric and aptitude guides
Find the assessment basics, reasoning methods and preparation checklists you need. All guides are in English.
Preparation overviewUnderstand your assessment
- Aptitude test practice: how to prepare for a job assessment
- Graduate psychometric tests explained: aptitude and judgement
- Psychometric test sample questions and assessment examples
- Online psychometric assessment: how remote hiring screens work
- Free psychometric assessment practice that stays ethical
Build your reasoning skills
- Numerical reasoning test practice: questions and worked answers
- Verbal reasoning test practice: true, false or cannot say?
- Logical reasoning test practice: rules, patterns and conclusions
- Numerical reasoning test strategy: read units before calculating
- Verbal reasoning test strategy: answer from the passage only
- Abstract reasoning test method: compare changes systematically
- Numerical, verbal and abstract tests: what each screen measures