How should you prepare for an aptitude test?
Start by identifying the assessment in your invitation, try a small set of questions, and review your method before adding a clock. An aptitude test asks you to reason or solve problems. It is one possible part of a broader psychometric assessment, which may also include personality or situational judgement.
Check the test before choosing a practice routine
Write down the provider, assessment name, deadline and modules. Check whether a calculator is allowed, whether you can revisit a question, and whether time is allocated to the whole assessment or individual questions. If you need an access arrangement, contact the recruiter before starting.
Two assessments can both be called cognitive ability tests and still need different pacing. Criteria lists 50 questions in 15 minutes for its CCAT and does not allow calculators. Korn Ferry lists separate Elements clocks of 16 minutes for verbal, 16 for numerical and 15 for logical reasoning. These are provider-specific examples, not a universal psychometric test format.
Make your first attempt informative
Choose a short sample in the relevant skill. Before revealing the answer, explain the operation or inference you used. A correct guess tells you less about your method than a defensible explanation. If you are stuck, record the point where the reasoning broke down.
For example, if you selected a percentage-change answer using the final value as the denominator, your next task is to practise identifying the starting value. Repeating a whole mixed test may hide that specific error among many other questions.
Use a simple review log
- Reading: Did you overlook a word, legend or condition?
- Method: Did you choose the wrong operation or reverse a logical statement?
- Execution: Was the method sound but the arithmetic inaccurate?
- Pace: Did one question use more time than you intended?
Record one correction you can apply next time. Then attempt a different example without help. Once the method is familiar, try a timed module and compare accuracy with the kinds of errors in your log.
Choose your next practice topic
For tables and percentages, use the numerical reasoning worked examples. For passage-based decisions, try verbal reasoning questions. For rules and patterns, start with logical reasoning practice.
On assessment day, follow the actual instructions rather than a generic rule such as “always skip” or “always use a calculator”. Practice feedback helps you decide what to revise; it is not a prediction of an employer’s decision.
Try the interactive reasoning samples, then browse timed aptitude practice. The examples here are original learning exercises. Your employer’s invitation controls the live format and rules.