What the Sova checking test involves
Sova describes the test in one line: it evaluates attention to detail and the ability to quickly spot errors, so that candidates can deliver precise and reliable work in fast-paced environments. It publishes no item count, time limit or sample screen.
Expect it for roles where a copying mistake has a cost, such as data entry, claims, payroll or order processing. Like the rest of a Sova assessment, it starts with a practice question and sits inside one sitting branded as the employer.
Because the screen is not published, our practice version uses a common checking format: a record compared with its copy, marking what differs.
How to check a record against its copy
Use one routine and keep it:
- Go through the fields in the same order every time, top to bottom.
- Compare character by character, not by the overall look of a value.
- Split long numbers and codes into groups of three or four and compare each group.
- Look out for the common slips: swapped digits, a letter O for a zero, a dropped or doubled letter.
- If a record matches completely, move on. Some records contain no errors.
Worked example
Master: Name Joanna Pritchard; Account AC-4417-0928; Address 52 Mill Lane; City Norwich; Reference 306/15/2208. Copy: Name Joanna Pritchard; Account AC-4471-0928; Address 52 Mill Lane; City Norwich; Reference 306/15/2280.
Name, address and city match. In the account number, the middle group reads 4417 in the master and 4471 in the copy: the last two digits are swapped. In the reference, the last group reads 2208 against 2280, the same kind of swap. So two fields are wrong: Account and Reference. Both errors keep the same digits, which is why glancing at the shape of a number misses them.
Tips for the real Sova checking test
- Find a quiet place. Interruptions cause exactly the slips this test is looking for.
- Read the on-screen instructions closely, since the format is not published and may differ from any practice.
- Balance speed and care. Sova stresses spotting errors quickly, but a missed or false flag still costs you.
- Use the practice question to fix your scanning routine before the scored items start.
- Keep the same pace at the end as at the start. Accuracy tends to fall as you tire.
Practise Sova Checking and Accuracy on CogniPrep
Ours gives you 24 records, generated fresh each sitting, each shown as a master and a copy with six fields such as name, account number, postcode and reference. Up to three fields in a copy are wrong, and some copies are perfect. Tap the fields that differ, then press Next record; there is no Back. There is no clock, but your pace is recorded. Your score out of 100 weights accuracy most, then how many fields you get through, how well accuracy holds up and how rarely you flag a correct field, with a percentile against CogniPrep players. The format is ours, because Sova does not publish its own.