How the numerical questions work
Numerical questions appear among the verbal and abstract ones in the NZ Police test, one 30-minute sitting of 60 questions, rather than in a block of their own. The questions adapt as you go, becoming harder after correct answers.
Expect these types: mental arithmetic; converting between fractions, decimals and percentages; number series, where you find the next or missing number; number analogies, such as 4 is to 8 as 3 is to what; odd one out; and word problems, including speed, distance and time and simple algebra.
How to answer a numerical question
Match the method to the type:
- Series: write the difference between each pair of neighbours. If the differences are not constant, look at how they change, or try multiplying and dividing.
- Analogies: find the operation that turns the first number into the second, then apply it to the third.
- Odd one out: test simple properties in turn, such as odd or even, multiples, squares, and equal values written in different forms.
- Word problems: turn the words into a sum as you read, and note the unit the answer needs.
- Estimate before you calculate, then rule out options that are the wrong size.
Worked examples
What comes next: 3, 5, 9, 17, 33, ? The differences are 2, 4, 8 and 16, doubling each time, so the next difference is 32 and the answer is 65. The same rule shows another way: each number is double the one before, minus 1, and 33 × 2 - 1 = 65.
A patrol car covers 45 km in 30 minutes. At the same speed, how long does it take to cover 75 km? 45 km in 30 minutes is 1.5 km a minute, and 75 ÷ 1.5 = 50, so the answer is 50 minutes. As a check, the car travels 90 km an hour, and 75 km is five sixths of that, which is 50 minutes.
Tips for the numerical questions
- Practise mental arithmetic without a calculator in the weeks before. Podium’s preparation booklet recommends it for speed.
- Check your invitation and the on-screen instructions for whether a calculator or rough paper is allowed. NZ Police says to sit the test without notes, other devices or tools.
- Learn common equivalents, such as 1/8 = 0.125 = 12.5%, so conversions take no time.
- You are photographed at intervals during the test, so work alone in a quiet room where nobody will interrupt.
- If an answer looks the wrong size, recheck how you set the problem up before redoing the arithmetic.
Practise NZ Police numerical questions on CogniPrep
Our numerical drill gives you 20 questions in 10 minutes, six options each, adaptive and with no calculator. Questions come from a bank of 180: number series, missing numbers, odd one out, number pairs, and word problems on speed, distance and time, rates, money and simple equations. There is no going back and a skipped question counts as wrong. The result is a score out of 100 with a sten and band for the section.