SHL Inductive Reasoning Test 2026: find the rule, then build the next step yourself
The SHL inductive reasoning test today is Verify Interactive Inductive: up to 15 adaptive tasks in 18 minutes where you spot a hidden rule in codes or figures and build the next step on screen, by tapping codes into a chain or coloring a figure.1 Its sister test, Interactive Deductive, gives up to 12 rule puzzles in 18 minutes.2 Try 10 timed questions and one real color-the-figure task free.
- How SHL assessments work: guide and lesson video8 min read
- Interactive inductive: chains, colors, next frame5 min read
- Three inductive drills, easy to real-test hard12 tasks each
- Interactive deductive: rooms, calendars, approvals6 min read
- Three deductive drills10 tasks each
- Inductive simulation 1: 15 tasks, adaptive18 min
- Deductive simulation 1: 12 tasks, adaptive18 min
- 6 inductive figure questions, 4 deductive logic questions
- 13:12, the 72 / 90-second pace
- Series, matrices, odd one out, puzzles
- Score by area, every rule explained
Free · no account, no email · SHL-style items written for our course, not SHL questions
What do interactive inductive tasks look like?
A short tour: a code chain, a figure you color segment by segment, a floor plan with rules, and the worked solution after each task.
Trailer · the inductive and deductive lessons of SHL Assessment Prep 2026
What is the SHL inductive reasoning test?
Verify Interactive Inductive is SHL’s current inductive test: up to 15 tasks in 18 minutes, adaptive, each a sequence of codes or figures that follows hidden rules.1 You do not pick from options; you continue the sequence yourself: tap the next codes into a chain, color the segments of the next figure, or tap the frame that comes next. Similar tasks form the inductive part of Verify Interactive G+, where every part of an answer scores on its own.3 The older single Verify inductive test was retired in 2024; the multiple-choice G+ still asks about ten inductive items with options.4,5
| Interactive Inductive | Interactive Deductive | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Up to 15 tasks, 18 minutes1 | Up to 12 tasks, 18 minutes (prep sites also report 18 in 10)2,6 |
| What you work out | The rule behind a sequence of codes or shapes1 | An arrangement that meets every stated rule2 |
| How you answer | Tap codes into a chain, color segments, tap the next frame | Place people in rooms, events on a calendar, approve or reject requests, order arrivals |
| Difficulty | Adaptive1 | Adaptive2 |
| Pace | About 72 seconds a task | About 90 seconds a task |
| In the course | Lesson II, 3 drills of 12, two 15-task simulations | Lesson ID, 3 drills of 10, two 12-task simulations |
What is the SHL deductive reasoning test?
Verify Interactive Deductive gives you a set of rules and asks you to build an arrangement that meets all of them: up to 12 tasks in 18 minutes, adaptive.2 Where inductive asks “what is the rule?”, deductive hands you the rules and asks “what follows?”. Start with the most restrictive rule, then check every rule once more before you submit.
Inductive and deductive facts at a glance (2026)
Checked October 24, 2026 against SHL’s fact sheets and support notes- Publisher
- SHL. The employer chooses the tests and sends you the link.9
- Interactive Inductive
- Up to 15 tasks in 18 minutes, adaptive, rules in shapes and character sequences.1
- Interactive Deductive
- Up to 12 tasks in 18 minutes, adaptive (prep sites also report 18 tasks in 10 minutes).2,6
- Scoring
- Interactive tasks score each part, so a partly right answer earns credit (SHL describes this for the interactive G+).3
- Multiple-choice version
- Inside the 30-question Verify G+: 10 inductive and 10 deductive items in 36 minutes.4
- Older test
- The classic single Verify inductive test was retired in 2024.5
- Result
- Compared with a norm group the employer picks; no published pass mark.7
- Proctoring
- Can be on: consent screen, lock on window switching, webcam snapshots every 120 seconds (October 2025).5
- Official sample
- SHL Direct has free interactive samples worth one run.8
Inductive, deductive or a mixed test: which did you get?
Invitations name the test. If yours mixes several areas, a sister page covers it.
| Name in the invitation | What it is | Where to train |
|---|---|---|
| Verify Interactive Inductive (this page) | Rules in codes and figures, up to 15 tasks1 | Lesson II, drills, two simulations |
| Verify Interactive Deductive (this page) | Rule puzzles you build, up to 12 tasks2 | Lesson ID, drills, two simulations |
| Verify G+ general ability test | Numerical, deductive and inductive tasks mixed, up to 24 in 36 minutes3 | The G+ path |
| SHL numerical reasoning test | Charts and tables you build from business facts | Lesson IN |
Not sure which SHL test you got? The SHL practice tests overview lists every format.
Which inductive and deductive tasks are hardest?
Colored figures where two blocks move in opposite directions, and calendars with six rules. In both, one overlooked detail breaks the answer: a block that also swaps color, or a three-day event that runs into a closed day. The lessons give one method per format, with a live task to try.
Can you color the next figure?
A real inductive task from the course engine: four figures follow a rule, and you build figure 5 by tapping its segments to color them. No clock here; in the test you would have about 72 seconds.
The interactive sample task needs JavaScript.
Sample task from SHL Assessment Prep 2026 (our item, SHL-style). Check scores every segment and shows the rule; New task loads another one.
How does the course train inductive and deductive reasoning?
One method per format, a live task in each lesson, drills at three levels with worked solutions, then a full 18-minute simulation for each test.
3:56Lesson II · coloring the next figure, one block at a time
- 1Lesson II
One feature at a time
A 5-minute guide and a 3:56 video: list the features, track each one across all frames, check speed and direction, apply every rule once to the last frame. Live tasks for chains, colors and frames.
- 2Lesson ID
Most restrictive rule first
A 6-minute guide and a 4:32 video: rooms, where-is-who at a time, arrival order, calendars and approvals, each with a method, a worked example and a live task.
- 3Drills
6 interactive drills
Three inductive drills of 12 tasks and three deductive drills of 10, levels 1 to 3. After every task: your score with partial credit and a worked solution.
- 4Simulations
15 and 12 tasks, 18 minutes
Two adaptive simulations per test, one clock, no going back, a report that shows which task type to train next.
One area, or the mixed G+?
Some employers send single tests, others the mixed G+. The course start page asks which SHL test you got and opens the matching path; the single-test path covers numerical, deductive and inductive.
How long do you need for inductive and deductive prep?
The controls and the methods take a few sessions; speed comes from the drills. Pick your situation.
Methods, drills, one simulation.
Train the test named in your invitation first, then rehearse it once under the clock.
- Day 1Lesson II or ID, live tasks~25 min
- Days 2–3Level 1 and 2 drills, read every solution~35 min/day
- Day 4Level 3 drill~25 min
- Day 5Test-day lesson, then simulation 1~25 min
Both tests to level 3.
Many invitations combine inductive and deductive: get both formats fluent before the simulations.
- Week 1Lessons II and ID, level 1 drills~30 min/day
- Week 2Level 2 and 3 drills in both~30 min/day
- Week 3Simulation 1 of each, weak formats again~30 min/day
- Before the testSimulation 2 on your test device18 min
Learn the methods calmly.
Without a deadline, do one live task per format and keep the simulations for later.
- NowLesson II and its three live tasks20 min
- WeeklyOne drill, alternating inductive and deductive20 min
- InvitationSwitch to the one-week plan
What does the course cover for inductive and deductive?
The interactive lessons and simulations from the single-test path, plus the multiple-choice lessons.
Is free inductive practice enough?
SHL Direct has official interactive samples; do them once for the real controls.8 Most other free material is multiple choice only.
| Free practice | SHL Assessment Prep 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Answer format | Options A to E | Interactive tasks you build, plus the multiple-choice version |
| Deductive | Rarely covered | Five interactive deductive formats and two multiple-choice families |
| Scoring | Right or wrong | Partial credit per code, segment or placement |
| Feedback | An answer key | A worked solution with the rule for every task |
| Volume | One short set | 66 interactive drill tasks, 4 simulations, 72 multiple-choice questions |
| Cost | $0 | $68 once, 90 days of access |
Inductive and deductive FAQ
Is this SHL inductive reasoning practice free?
Yes, without an account or email: ten timed questions, six inductive (figure series, matrices, odd one out) and four deductive (true/false/uncertain and ordering puzzles), plus one interactive color-the-figure task. You get a score by area and the rule behind every answer.
How many tasks are on the SHL inductive reasoning test?
Verify Interactive Inductive has up to 15 tasks in 18 minutes, about 72 seconds each.1 It is adaptive, so the tasks depend on your answers.
How long is the SHL deductive reasoning test?
SHL lists Verify Interactive Deductive at up to 12 tasks in 18 minutes.2 Some prep sites report 18 tasks in 10 minutes; your start screen shows the real figures.6
What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
Inductive: you find the rule yourself from a sequence and apply it once more. Deductive: the rules are given, and you work out what must follow, for example who sits in which room.
Is the SHL inductive test interactive or multiple choice?
The current single test is interactive: you build the answer.1 The multiple-choice Verify G+ still includes about ten inductive questions with five options each.4 Your invitation or the start screen tells you which one you have.
What is Verify Inductive?
Verify Interactive Inductive is the current name of SHL’s inductive test; the classic Verify inductive test it replaced was retired in 2024.1,5
How do I find the rule in an inductive task quickly?
Look at one feature at a time: position, direction, color, size, count, or each part of a code. Track it across all frames, check direction and step size, then apply each rule once to the last frame. Letters become easy if you turn them into numbers (A = 1, E = 5, J = 10).
Is abstract reasoning the same as SHL inductive reasoning?
Close. “Abstract reasoning” is a common name for figure-based rule tests; SHL calls its version inductive reasoning, and its General Ability Screen lists abstract reasoning among four areas.9
Do partly right answers count?
In the interactive tasks, yes: each code, segment or placement scores on its own, so never leave a task at its starting state.3 In the multiple-choice version only the full answer counts.
Can I find SHL inductive reasoning test answers or a PDF?
Not ones that work. The tests are adaptive, tasks are generated from large banks, and sessions can be proctored.1,5 A method you can apply to any sequence is what transfers.
How is the SHL inductive reasoning test scored?
Your result is compared with a norm group the employer chooses; SHL publishes no pass mark, and the employer sets its own cut-off.7
What do I get for inductive and deductive prep?
One payment of $68 opens SHL Assessment Prep 2026: lessons II and ID with videos and live tasks, six interactive drills, four adaptive simulations, the multiple-choice lessons MI and MD with six drills, and the five other paths. Access lasts 90 days, with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
Everything for inductive and deductive
- Lessons II and ID with videos and live interactive tasks
- Six interactive drills with partial credit and worked solutions
- Four adaptive simulations: 15 inductive or 12 deductive tasks in 18 minutes
- Multiple-choice lessons MI and MD with six drills
- Test-day lesson: proctoring, devices, results
- Five more paths, from Interactive G+ to Verbal Ability
One feature at a time.
Learn the method once and every sequence gets smaller.
Get SHL Assessment Prep 2026: $68P.S. Not ready to buy? Take the free inductive and deductive practice first, then decide.