Pymetrics Practice Games

What games are in the Pymetrics assessment?

The Pymetrics assessment typically includes up to 12 games: Balloon (risk tolerance), Faces (emotional recognition), Arrows (attention), Digits (working memory), Cards (reward sensitivity), Stop (impulse control), Lengths (perception), Keypress (sustained attention), Money Exchange I and II (fairness and social preferences), Hard or Easy (motivation), and Effort (motivation). Most employers use a selection of these.

What is the difference between Pymetrics and Arctic Shores?

Both are game-based psychometric platforms but differ in focus. Pymetrics (now Harver) is rooted in neuroscience research from MIT and NYU, focusing on emotional and cognitive trait measurement. Arctic Shores is a UK-based platform with a stronger emphasis on behavioural traits and learning agility. Check which platform your employer uses before you prepare.

Is there a right or wrong way to answer Pymetrics games?

Pymetrics does not have right or wrong answers. The games measure your natural tendencies and compare them to the profile of high performers in the role you applied for. Trying to game the results often backfires because inconsistent responses are flagged.

Which companies use Pymetrics?

Pymetrics (now part of Harver) is used by companies including Unilever, LinkedIn, Accenture, JPMorgan, Kraft Heinz, and Vodafone, most commonly at the early screening stages of graduate and experienced hire recruitment.

How long does the Pymetrics assessment take?

The full Pymetrics assessment typically takes 25 to 30 minutes across all games. Individual games last 1 to 3 minutes each. Completing it in one focused sitting gives the most reliable results.

Pump a balloon to increase its monetary value without letting it burst. Measures risk tolerance and reward sensitivity. The optimal strategy is to pump to a consistent safe level, and deviations from that reveal your natural risk profile.

Identify emotions from facial photographs, including subtle and blended expressions. Measures emotional recognition and empathy — traits linked to interpersonal effectiveness and social intelligence.

Respond to the direction of a central arrow while ignoring flanking distractors. Measures attentional focus and inhibitory control, two traits strongly linked to sustained performance under cognitive load.

Memorise and repeat sequences of numbers, with sequences increasing in length. Measures working memory capacity and information processing speed.

Draw cards from decks with varying reward and penalty probabilities. Measures reward sensitivity and learning from feedback — key indicators of adaptive decision-making.

Press a key when you see a target shape, but withhold the response when a stop signal appears. Measures impulse control, a core executive function linked to self-regulation.

Judge which of two lines is longer, presented at varying size differences. Measures perceptual precision and visual discrimination speed.

Press a key as fast as possible in response to a visual cue. Measures sustained attention and processing speed over time, tracking whether your performance degrades.

Decide how to split a sum of money between yourself and another person. Measures fairness orientation and prosocial behaviour — relevant to teamwork and ethical decision-making.

Decide whether to accept or reject offers made by another party. Measures trust, reciprocity and tolerance for perceived unfairness — social preference traits relevant to negotiation.

Choose between a hard task with a larger reward or an easy task with a smaller reward. Measures intrinsic motivation and willingness to take on challenge.

Exert effort by pressing keys rapidly to earn rewards of varying sizes. Measures motivation and physical effort exertion, providing a behavioural signal of drive and persistence.