Aptitude testing: the right test for each role

Taking an aptitude test?

If an employer has invited you to sit one, free practice tests and a guide to what to expect are in the candidate area.

Practice for your test

1. Pick the reasoning

2. Match the level

3. Set the pass mark

4. Prepare candidates

Pick the reasoning

Most roles turn on one or two kinds of reasoning: verbal, numerical or abstract. Test the ones the job uses every week, and leave the rest out.

Match the level

A test pitched too easy passes everyone. Pitch it too hard and you lose people who would have done the job well. Set the difficulty to the level you hire at.

Set the pass mark

Set it from what the role needs, never from a round number. Every point you raise it shrinks the pool, and it can change who gets through.

Prepare candidates

Tell candidates what the test covers and point them to the free practice tests. People who know what is coming give you a truer read of how they think.

Frontline and volume

Contact center, retail and operations roles depend on learning procedures fast and working accurately with numbers. A short test early in the process narrows a large applicant pool before anyone spends time on interviews.

Test accuracy with numbers

Early careers

Graduates and apprentices have little work history to judge, so reasoning carries more of the decision. Verbal and numerical tests at graduate level show who will learn fastest once training starts.

Test written reasoning

Analytical roles

Finance, analyst, consulting and policy roles run on written reports and figures. Test verbal and numerical reasoning at professional level, where the gap between candidates is judgment rather than knowledge.

See tests for professional roles

Technical and safety

Engineering, maintenance and security roles depend on reading diagrams and plans and seeing how things fit together. Abstract and spatial reasoning tests show who can work that out before it matters on site.

Test diagram reasoning

Sales aptitude

A sales aptitude test checks the reasoning sellers use daily: pricing and discount math on the spot, and reading a proposal or contract closely. Pair it with a behavioral read of drive and resilience.

Test pricing math

Fairer shortlists

In our modelling, adding a behavioral assessment progressed 44% more minority ethnic candidates than aptitude alone, at a 31st percentile cut-off.

Pass marks set from the role
Same structure for every candidate
Aptitude added only where needed

Source: Saville modelling of operational assessment data

Short to take

Entry level tests take around 12 minutes, and candidates can try free practice tests before they start.

Free practice in the candidate area
Available in most major languages
Invitations explain what to expect

Simple to add

Aptitude is switched on or off project by project, so you only test reasoning in the roles that need it.

Scores sit beside behavioral results
Results flow into your HR system
No separate platform to learn

What buyers ask

Straight answers to what HR teams ask before they add aptitude to a hiring process.

Talk to us Explore Support

Is aptitude testing the same as cognitive ability testing?

Yes. Aptitude, ability and cognitive ability tests all measure how well someone reasons with words, numbers and diagrams. Aptitude is the older and more common word. To see the assessments we offer, go to our cognitive ability assessment page.

What kinds of aptitude tests do you offer?

Our aptitude tests cover verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and abstract reasoning. Verbal shows how well someone understands and evaluates written information, numerical how they work with figures and data, and abstract how they spot patterns and solve problems they have not seen before. Each is set to the level you hire at, and most roles need one or two of them rather than all three.

What is a sales aptitude test?

A sales aptitude test measures the reasoning a sales role relies on, usually numerical reasoning for pricing and margins and verbal reasoning for proposals and contracts. It shows who can think on their feet with a customer. Pair it with a behavioral assessment for drive and resilience.

How long does an aptitude assessment take?

Around 12 minutes at entry level. Tests for professional and senior roles cover more kinds of reasoning and take longer.

Where should we set the pass mark on an aptitude test?

Set it from what the role needs. A higher pass mark shrinks the pool and can change who gets through. Basing the decision on aptitude together with a behavioral assessment, rather than aptitude alone, progresses a more diverse shortlist at the same pass mark in our modelling.

Do we need aptitude testing for every role?

No. Add it where the job depends on learning fast or handling complex information, and leave it out where it does not. Aptitude is set project by project, so one hiring process can test reasoning for analysts and skip it for roles that do not need it.

Ask us which test fits your role

Tell us the role, the level and how many people apply. We will recommend a test.

Aptitude testing that spots who’ll learn the job fastest