Numerical reasoning tests are used by many employers — particularly in finance, consulting, law, and business — as part of their application process. They test your ability to work with data, percentages, ratios, and tables quickly and accurately. They are not testing advanced mathematics.
What numerical reasoning tests assess
Numerical reasoning tests present data in the form of tables, charts, or graphs and ask you to calculate or interpret information from them. Common question types include: calculating percentage changes, ratios and proportions, currency conversions, profit margins, sales figures, and comparing datasets. The maths itself is not complex — GCSE-level is sufficient. The challenge is speed and accuracy under time pressure.
Common test providers
Employers use tests from various providers including SHL, Korn Ferry (Talent Q), Saville Assessment, Cubiks, and Cut-e. Each provider has a slightly different format. If you know which employer's test you are taking, look up their specific format. Practice questions from different providers are widely available online from sites such as JobTestPrep and Assessment Day.
How to prepare
Practise under timed conditions using official-format questions. Many tests give you around 60 to 90 seconds per question. Build speed by practising the core calculation types repeatedly. For percentage change: (new - old) / old × 100. For ratios: identify the parts and calculate proportionally. For chart questions: read axes carefully before calculating. Use a calculator if permitted, but practise without one too — many tests are now non-calculator.
Common errors to avoid
The most frequent errors are misreading scales or axes on charts, confusing percentage change with absolute change, rounding too early in a multi-step calculation, and running out of time because individual calculations take too long. Review any question where you used more than 90 seconds. If a specific calculation type is causing consistent errors, practise that type separately until it becomes automatic.
Checklist
- Identify the test format used by the employer
- Practise percentage change, ratios, and data interpretation
- Use timed practice conditions from the start
- Review every error and understand the correct method
- Know whether a calculator is permitted
- Build familiarity with tables, bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs
Common mistakes to avoid
- Practising untimed and being shocked by time pressure on the real test
- Misreading chart axes or table headers
- Rounding intermediate calculations too early
- Not reviewing errors and simply moving on to more questions