How the RCAT works
Revelian’s candidate help pages described the test as 51 questions covering numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning, with 20 minutes to complete as many as you can. You can view a set of example questions before you start.
Its advice was to move as quickly as you can, answer the questions you feel confident about, then attempt the remaining questions if you have time, because most people do not complete all 51 in the time allowed.
Why no two candidates see the same paper
Since 2012 the RCAT has been delivered by what Revelian calls Linear-on-the-Fly Testing (LOFT). When you log in, 51 items are drawn from a large bank: 17 verbal, 17 numerical and 17 abstract. The first three items cover the three types in a random order, and that order then repeats through the paper.
Each item comes from a difficulty grouping, and the groupings run from easiest to hardest, so the test gets harder as you progress. Revelian’s aim was security: every candidate gets a unique set of equivalent items, so sharing questions helps nobody.
What the questions look like
Revelian’s published example items show the range. An abstract item asks which two of six figures do not belong with the others. A verbal item lists Boat, Bus, Walk, Train, Run and Car, says four are alike in some way, and asks you to select the other two. Numerical items ask you to replace a question mark with the missing number, in a series or in a 3x3 grid.
The example screens also show a flag icon and a Submit button, under a heading that reads Cognitive Ability.
The separate verbal, numerical and abstract tests
Revelian also sold each strand on its own, delivered by the same streaming method. The Verbal Reasoning Test (RVRT) has 35 items in 10 minutes and assesses your ability to reason using words and understand verbal relationships. The Numerical Reasoning Test (RNRT) has 25 items in 12 minutes on numerical relationships and concepts. The Abstract Reasoning Test (RART) has 32 items in 10 minutes on relationships and patterns in shapes and diagrams.
All three come with the same warning as the RCAT: most people do not finish, so answer what you are confident about first. Your invitation names the test you have been set.
How it is scored
Your score is the number of questions you answer correctly, compared with a group the employer selects, such as an industry group, its own employees or a general group. The result is the percentage of that group you outscored: Revelian’s example is that 34% means your score beat 34% of the comparison group.
Results stayed in place for up to 12 months, and Revelian did not allow a resit while they were valid. Withdrawing your application removed your results from that position.
How our practice versions work
Our RCAT practice gives you 51 questions in 20 minutes, 17 of each type, rotating in a fixed cycle from a random starting type, on one clock for the whole paper. You move with Next and Back, can flag questions, and can open a review grid that shows which questions are answered, blank or not yet reached. The last question takes you to that grid, where you hand in.
Odd-two-out items take two picks, and a third tap replaces your oldest choice. Numerical answers are typed rather than chosen. Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, and our items come from a smaller pool than Revelian’s, so repeat sittings can repeat questions. The RVRT, RNRT and RART practices use the same screens at 35, 25 and 32 questions.