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Aptitude Test Statistics - 2020/2021 Psychometric Tests 'Real World' Survey

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Josh Hancock Updated:

Here we present the findings to our 2020/2021 psychometric tests survey.

Numerical reasoning statistics

SHL is the most common test publisher of numerical reasoning tests. From over 1000 numerical tests reviewed, SHL were the publisher for 32% of them.

market share of numerical reasoning test publishers

Our data show that, from the 1462 respondents, numerical reasoning tests usually occur before any interviews - most commonly during your online application.

shows stage of application numerical tests occur

Verbal reasoning statistics

Verbal reasoning is one of the most common aptitude tests to take - however, we wanted to know how common is a verbal test for each job sector?

frequency of verbal tests for different sectors

There is a 90% chance of facing a verbal reasoning test when applying to law and teaching roles, with engineering favouring mechanical skills over verbal.

Over 70% of candidates said they would rather face a verbal reasoning test than a numerical reasoning test [Sample size = 721]

Logical reasoning statistics

SHL tops the list as the most used test publisher for logical reasoning tests, with TalentQ a close second.

market share of test publishers for logical tests

Logical reasoning is just one of many names for logic-based tests. From our sample, the most common title was ‘inductive reasoning’.

frequency of different names for logic tests

Inductive reasoning statistics

We asked inductive test takers what they felt was the most difficult part of the test...

most difficult part of inductive tests

30% of candidates felt that timekeeping was the hardest part - with inductive tests notoriously a fast-paced test.

Inductive reasoning tests are more likely to be used in engineering, science and IT roles.
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Diagrammatic reasoning statistics

Diagrammatic tests consist of many types of tasks that it hard to know what is likely to come up in the test.

frequency of different parts of diagrammatic tests

From our sample, 75% of candidates faced ‘rotation’ questions as part of their test with calculation and substitution questions occurring the least.

Diagrammatic tests favour those with analytical minds, with problem solving being a key skill for success.

Critical thinking statistics

Watson Glaser are synonymous with critical thinking tests and their market share confirms that.

77% of critical thinking tests, from our sample of over 800 test takers, were published by Watson Glaser.

market share of test publishers for critical thinking

Critical thinking tests consist of five different parts: assumptions, deduction, interpreting information, inferences, and analysing information.

When asked what was the most difficult part of their critical reasoning test, 35% of candidates found ‘assumptions’ to be the hardest.

hardest part of critical tests

Situational Judgement Statistics

Situational judgement tests (sjt) come in many forms and are often unique to the role/hiring company.

77% of critical thinking tests, from our sample of over 800 test takers, were published by Watson Glaser.

chart showing format frequency of sjts

80% of situational judgement tests that candidates had taken were text-only.

Over 70% of candidates prefer an sjt that is representative of the role and working environment they are applying to. [Sample size = 1445]

Spatial Reasoning Statistics

Situational judgement tests (sjt) come in many forms and are often unique to the role/hiring company.

Spatial reasoning tests incorporate various different tasks - 85% of candidates faced ‘2D to 3D’ questions as part of their spatial reasoning tests.

frequency of different tasks in spatial tests

Most of the common tasks occur at high percentages, so are likely to be in each test, other than ‘formation’ which has a low occurrence from our data.

Spatial reasoning tests are not commonly used in most sectors, but are viewed as some of the most enjoyable and mentally challenging tests available.

Personality Test Statistics

Personality tests are one of the most common aptitude tests and they take many different forms.

personality test style frequency

From our sample, over 50% used some form of ‘likert scale’ as the format of their questions.

Over 65% of our respondents revealed that they manipulated their answers to appear more favourably to the employer. [Survey sample = 824]

Assessment Centre Statistics

Assessment centres (ACs) are unique to hiring companies and usually the final step of an application process.

You can usually find online what the hiring company’s assessment centre will consist of. From our survey, 92% of respondents faced a ‘group exercise’ as part of their assessment centre.

different parts of assessment centre frequency

Assessment centres can seem scary, it’s the final step to securing the job. 37% of people felt that ‘interviews’ were the hardest part of their assessment centre.

‘Presentation exercise’ scored 20% of the vote, which deserves a mention as only 52% of the respondents actually encountered one as part of their assessment centre.

hardest part of assessment centre

87% of users aced their employment test in 2022*

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*According to our 2022 survey of 1486 users

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Additional psychometric test resources

We have lots of specialised and specific psychometric test advice waiting for you. Simply navigate over to our resources section where you can find all of our test advice, or click on one of the following links you may find useful: