How the Hogan HBRI works
Every HBRI problem is set in a business context and asks you to use business information to reach a decision: reading a chart, judging what a memo supports, working out a figure. Hogan describes it as measuring the ability to evaluate sets of data, make decisions and solve problems.
Hogan splits the test into two kinds of reasoning. Qualitative reasoning works with data visualisation, logic and verbal information. Quantitative reasoning works with mathematical and spatial information. Employers are reported to receive a qualitative score, a quantitative score and an overall score, so being strong on one and weak on the other shows clearly.
The test is reported to have 24 multiple-choice questions. The original version had no time limit and took most people about 25 minutes; a version with a 30-minute limit is now also used, so check your invitation.
How to approach HBRI questions
Work each problem the same way:
- Read the question before the data, so you know which figure or claim you are looking for.
- For a number question, note the units: per unit or total, percent or percentage points.
- Estimate before you calculate, so a slip stands out.
- For a written question, choose what the information supports, not what is generally true in business.
- On the timed version, 24 questions in 30 minutes is 75 seconds each. If one has taken twice that, choose your best answer and move on.
Worked example
A quantitative style question: “A product sold 1,200 units at £20 in the first quarter and 1,500 units at £18 in the second. By what percentage did revenue change?” The options are A. 25% increase, B. 12.5% increase, C. 10% decrease and D. 15% increase.
Revenue was 1,200 × £20 = £24,000, then 1,500 × £18 = £27,000. That is a rise of £3,000, and £3,000 ÷ £24,000 = 12.5%, so the answer is B. Option A is the rise in units alone, C is the fall in price alone, and D subtracts one from the other.
A qualitative style question: a memo says “Every supplier we use must deliver on time at least 90% of the time. Last year Supplier K delivered on time 86% of the time.” Which statement follows? A. Supplier K is the cheapest option. B. Supplier K did not meet the standard last year. C. Supplier K will improve this year. D. The standard is too strict. Only B follows from the memo; the others may or may not be true.
Tips for the real HBRI
- Find out from your invitation whether your version is timed, and what you may use. Have paper and a pen ready either way.
- Practise percentage change, ratios and per-unit figures. They are the core of the quantitative questions.
- Practise reading tables and charts quickly: titles, axes and units first.
- Work out which side is weaker for you. Because the two reasoning scores are reported separately, practice on the weaker one pays off most.
Practise the HBRI on CogniPrep
Our HBRI practice has 24 business questions of our own, 12 qualitative and 12 quantitative in alternating order, four options each, on one 30-minute clock. You select an answer and then submit it; you can skip, but there is no going back, and nothing is deducted for a wrong answer. There is no on-screen calculator. At the end you see your qualitative and quantitative scores side by side, a combined score and a percentile against CogniPrep players. Whether the real test deducts for wrong answers is not published.