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SHL Assessment Practice Tests: Free Verify Prep

Free SHL assessment practice for all 6 SHL Verify tests: numerical, verbal, inductive and deductive reasoning, the situational judgement test and the OPQ32 personality questionnaire. Build speed, accuracy and confidence before the real assessment.

What is SHL?

The world's most used aptitude tests

SHL (now part of The Predictive Index) produces the Verify suite of aptitude tests used by thousands of employers, from Big 4 firms and investment banks to public sector bodies like the NHS.

Timed, right/wrong answers

Unlike personality tests, SHL Verify tests have correct answers and strict time limits. Scores are compared against a norm group of graduates or professionals in your target role. Practice directly improves results.

Unsupervised online format

Most employers send SHL Verify tests via a link completed at home. A subset of candidates are then re-tested in a supervised setting to verify scores. Consistency between both attempts matters.

What Each Test Measures

Numerical Reasoning

17–25 min · 18 questions

Financial tables and charts. Each question asks you to extract a figure and perform a calculation, usually a percentage change, ratio, or total. A calculator is allowed. The challenge is reading the data accurately under time pressure, not the maths itself.

Verbal Reasoning

19 min · 30 questions

A short passage followed by a statement. You choose True (the passage supports it), False (the passage contradicts it), or Cannot Say (the passage neither supports nor contradicts it). Base your answer only on what is written, not your general knowledge.

Inductive Reasoning

24 min · 24 questions

A sequence of shape frames each following hidden rules (colour cycle, size change, rotation, position shift). You identify the rules and select the correct next frame from five options. Rules often operate simultaneously across multiple dimensions.

Deductive Reasoning

20 min · 18 questions

Two to four premises are given. A conclusion follows. You judge whether it Definitely Follows (forced by logic), Possibly Follows (consistent but not forced), or Does Not Follow. Ignore whether the conclusion sounds true in the real world and judge strictly from the premises.

Situational Judgement Test (SJT)

25 min · 20 scenarios (untimed)

A workplace scenario is described. Four or five response options are listed. You rate each option from 1 (Very Ineffective) to 5 (Very Effective). Your ratings are compared against an expert key aligned to the employer's competency framework. Higher alignment to the expert key means a higher score.

OPQ32 Personality Questionnaire

Untimed · 104 blocks

One hundred and four blocks of four statements. For each block you select the statement most like you and the statement least like you. There are no right or wrong answers. The output is a personality profile across 32 dimensions grouped into Relationships with People, Thinking Style, and Feelings and Emotions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which companies use SHL tests?

SHL tests are used by thousands of employers globally, including Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, EY, Accenture, NHS, Barclays, HSBC, Shell, and many more. They are a standard screen at almost every major UK and US employer.

How hard is the SHL numerical reasoning test?

The maths itself is GCSE level: percentages, ratios, percentage change. The difficulty is reading the correct data from a table or chart quickly under time pressure. With practice, most candidates can significantly improve their score.

What does "Cannot Say" mean in the verbal test?

"Cannot Say" means the passage provides neither enough evidence to say the statement is true nor enough to say it is false. It is the most commonly missed answer type because candidates over-infer from their general knowledge. Stick strictly to what the passage says.

Is there a pass mark for SHL tests?

Employers set their own cut-off score, typically around the 50th–75th percentile depending on role competitiveness. You are compared against a norm group, so your absolute score matters less than where it places you relative to other candidates.

How long are the SHL Verify tests?

Numerical: 18 questions in 17–25 minutes. Verbal: 30 questions in 19 minutes. Inductive: 24 questions in 24 minutes. Deductive: 18 questions in 20 minutes. Times vary slightly by employer configuration.

Companies That Use SHL

SHL aptitude and behavioural tests are the most widely used psychometric assessments globally, common across manufacturing, technology, banking and telecommunications hiring.

Bombardier

Aerospace & Rail

Adapted the SHL Verify G+ cognitive test for its graduate assessment process.

HEINEKEN

FMCG & Brewing

Used SHL inductive reasoning assessment to shortlist graduate candidates.

Microsoft

Technology

Microsoft China uses SHL assessments to screen and hire graduate talent.

KBC Bank

Banking & Finance

Uses SHL as its assessment partner, combining cognitive and personality testing.

BT

Telecommunications

SHL assessment framework used across selection and development.

Vodafone

Telecommunications

SHL verbal and numerical reasoning tests reported in the graduate process.

Deutsche Bank

Banking & Finance

Listed among leading employers using SHL psychometric assessments.

Employers change assessment vendors over time, so confirm the current process for your role before preparing.

US Employers That Use SHL

Each guide below is written for candidates applying in the United States, and says what the published evidence actually establishes about that employer, where the source says the assessment sits, and where the source stops short. Every association is backed by a page we opened and cited, and several of them name a vendor without naming a product, which the guides say plainly rather than filling in. Hiring processes change and vary by role, so treat your own invitation as the final word.

Guides and Tips

Read up before you practise: what the tests reward, what catches candidates out, and why shortcuts do not work.

Can You Cheat SHL Tests? The Verification Test

The supervised re-test is designed to catch an inflated first score. How SHL verification works.

Phone or Laptop? Which Assessments Survive a Small Screen

Some assessments will not open on a phone at all and some are built for one. What the publishers actually say about devices, and a recommendation per test type.

The Civil Service Fast Stream, Stage by Stage, and What Success Profiles Changes

Most Fast Stream guides describe a process that is no longer published. What gov.uk actually lists for 2026 entry, where the Judgement Test and Work Strengths tests really belong, and why the assessment centre marks 4D rather than the nine behaviours.

Inductive, Deductive and Logical Reasoning: What the Names Actually Mean

Five publishers use three words for two abilities, so the word on your invitation tells you less than it looks like it does. What each one measures, who calls it what, and why the two need opposite habits at the desk.

The Investment Banking Assessment Path: Tests, Video, Assessment Centre

Banking and finance run more selection stages than almost any other sector, and the first two are decided without a person. The sequence, the vendors, and why the numerical bar is genuinely higher.

Numerical Reasoning Data Interpretation: Charts, Tables, Ratios and Change

The arithmetic is the small half. The marks go missing in the wrong row, the units line nobody read and the second table nobody opened, and every one of those has a matching wrong answer waiting in the option list.

About CogniPrep SHL Practice

CogniPrep provides authentic simulations of all 6 SHL Verify assessment tests: Numerical Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Deductive Reasoning, Situational Judgement (SJT) and the OPQ32 Personality Questionnaire. Each practice test replicates the real question formats, timing and scoring methodology. Users receive a percentile score and detailed performance breakdown after each test. SHL is the world's most widely used aptitude assessment provider, used by Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, KPMG, the NHS, Barclays, Unilever, Shell, BP, Rolls-Royce, Network Rail and hundreds of other major employers globally. The SHL Verify tests are adaptive and delivered online. Practice significantly improves familiarity with the question formats and reduces test anxiety, leading to better performance on test day.

  • 6 SHL tests available: Numerical, Verbal, Inductive, Deductive Reasoning, SJT, OPQ32
  • SHL Numerical Reasoning: ~18 questions, 25 minutes, data tables and charts
  • SHL Verbal Reasoning: ~30 questions, 19 minutes, True/False/Cannot Say format
  • SHL Inductive Reasoning: ~24 questions, 25 minutes, shape sequence pattern completion
  • SHL Deductive Reasoning: ~18 questions, 20 minutes, syllogisms and logical conclusions
  • SHL SJT: workplace scenarios rated for effectiveness
  • OPQ32: 32-scale occupational personality questionnaire, no right or wrong answers
  • Major employers: Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, KPMG, NHS, Barclays, Unilever, Shell, BP

Ready to Start Practising?

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