What the test asks you to do
SHL’s fact sheet describes Verify Deductive Reasoning as a test for entry-level and mid-level candidates that asks them to evaluate arguments, analyse scenarios and draw logical conclusions. It measures the ability to draw conclusions from the information provided, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of arguments, and to complete scenarios using incomplete information.
The sample question SHL publishes shows the shape of an item. You are given a short list of facts and asked which of five statements must be true:
- Facts: Jane drives a red car. Susan drives a blue car. There are no red cars in Ohio. Blue cars get 33 miles per gallon.
- Options: Jane lives in Ohio; Susan lives in Ohio; red cars get 36 miles per gallon; Susan’s car gets 33 miles per gallon; Jane and Susan live in the same state.
- Answer: Susan’s car gets 33 miles per gallon. It is the only statement the facts force. The others need information the facts do not give, or sit badly with them.
Versions and names
SHL’s cognitive assessments page lists the test as SHL Verify Deductive Reasoning. Its fact sheet gives 20 minutes, a maximum of 18 questions, multiple choice and adaptive, designed for an unproctored setting, with the number of sittings given as one plus a Verification Test. The fact sheet does not describe that second sitting.
SHL’s practice page offers deductive practice in two formats, a mobile-enabled interactive version using drag and drop that gives you a report, and a standard multiple-choice version, so ask the employer or check the invitation for which one you will meet. Deductive questions also make up a third of Verify G+, which uses the same Jane and Susan sample.
How it is scored
SHL does not publish how the deductive test is marked. It says the test uses computer adaptive technology, which it credits with a shorter test, unsupervised delivery and a more precise score. SHL does not say whether a wrong answer costs more than a blank, so treat any claim either way as unconfirmed.
How our practice version works
Our SHL deductive game uses a different question shape from SHL’s sample. Each item lists two to four premises and one conclusion, and you judge the conclusion as Definitely Follows, Possibly Follows or Does Not Follow. That trains the same skill, separating what the premises force from what is merely possible, but SHL’s own sample asks you to pick the one statement of five that must be true.
It runs 18 questions from a fixed bank of 36, easiest first, each with its own 67-second clock; a question that runs out of time is recorded unanswered. It is not adaptive, there is no Back button or review, and nothing is deducted for a wrong answer.