How the RCI works
The RCI is one test on one 10-minute clock that mixes three kinds of reasoning. TestGorilla describes it as a screener of how quickly you process information and reason across areas, for roles at all levels but especially entry-level jobs, internships and other high-volume hiring. It runs in English only.
Its sample set shows the question styles in order: word analogies and True, False or Cannot be determined statements; picture sequences with five options lettered A to E; then number questions such as series, a table and a work-rate problem. These are the styles of TestGorilla’s Verbal, Abstract and Numerical Reasoning tests, and some sample questions are shared with those tests.
TestGorilla does not publish the number of questions. The counter at the top of the screen shows the total once you begin.
How to pace and answer a mixed test
Set your pace on the first screen, then switch routine as the question type changes:
- Pace: read the total on the counter and divide 10 minutes by it. That is your budget per question.
- Analogies: say the relationship as a sentence and test each pair against it.
- Statements: True needs a sentence that proves it, False a sentence that disproves it; otherwise it is Cannot be determined.
- Picture sequences: track one feature at a time, such as position, rotation or shading, and cross out options that break it.
- Number questions: for series, check the gaps, then ratios, then alternating steps. Keep a calculator for tables and percentages.
Worked examples
An analogy. Author : Novel. Options: Reader : Book; Composer : Symphony; Painter : Brush; Actor : Stage.
An author creates a novel. Only Composer : Symphony fits “a ___ creates a ___”. Reader : Book shares the topic but not the relationship, and a brush is a painter’s tool, not what a painter creates.
A series. What comes next: 5, 11, 8, 14, 11, 17, ? Options: 14, 15, 20, 23.
The steps alternate: add 6, then take away 3. After 17 comes a take-away step, so the answer is 17 minus 3, which is 14. The 23 is the trap for anyone who only sees the add-6 steps.
Tips for the real RCI
- Number questions usually take longest, so move briskly through analogies and picture sequences to leave time for them.
- Have a calculator, pen and paper ready. TestGorilla allows them.
- Guess rather than skip. A skipped question counts as wrong and a wrong answer costs nothing.
- Submit before the clock runs out. A selected but unsubmitted answer is lost.
- The RCI is only in English. If English is not your first language, ask for the 20% extra time at setup; the employer is told you asked.
Practise the RCI on CogniPrep
Ours has 30 questions in 10 minutes, ten of each kind, in the order of TestGorilla’s sample set: verbal, then abstract, then numerical. The count of 30 is ours, as TestGorilla does not publish one. The verbal and numerical questions come from the same banks as our Verbal and Numerical Reasoning tests, and the picture sequences are generated fresh each time. One question per screen, no going back and a skip marked wrong, then a raw percentage, a percentile against CogniPrep players and feedback on each of the three areas.