Beat Any SHL Test With Authentic Practice Tests and Expert Prep Materials
Last updatedLearn expert strategies and quick tricks to overcome the SHL test with our comprehensive course, and practice with realistic full-length tests
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The SHL test is highly challenging and comes in a wide variety of versions. Preparation can seem overwhelming, so our in-house psychometricians have done the hard work for you by preparing an in-depth course to prepare step-by-step for the exact topics you can expect to face in your exam.
SHL’s tests aren’t just an assessment of your competence: they are directly pitting you against other test-takers, so make sure you’re fully prepared with our custom-built course and practice tests.
Table of Contents
- Which SHL Test Am I Taking?
- What Does The SHL Course Cover?
- What is Included?
- How do SHL Tests Work?
- Common SHL Test Types with Practice Questions
- SHL Spatial Awareness Practice Test
- SHL Inductive Reasoning Practice Test
- SHL Situational Judgement Practice Test
- SHL Mechanical Reasoning Practice Test
- SHL Verbal Reasoning Practice Test
- SHL Numerical Reasoning Practice Test
- How does Your SHL Score Influence Your Career?
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which SHL Test Am I Taking?
While SHL offers an extensive range of tests as part of their preemployment screening solutions, a majority of test-takers will be taking one or multiple of the following tests:
SHL Verify G+ (30 questions, 32-36 minutes): The Verify G+ test is SHL’s latest edition of their Verify exam, administered in an interactive interface. This test administers 30 questions, evenly split between Numerical, Inductive & Deductive ability with a time limit of 32-36 minutes.
SHL General Ability (30 questions, 32-36 minutes): This is the ‘basic’ cognitive ability test offered by SHL. This test is an older version of the Verify G+ and covers the same topics, but in a traditional format. This is still employed by a range of employers, though not as widely as the Verify G+.
SHL Numerical Reasoning (18 questions, 17-25 minutes): This test comprises purely of numerical topics, and focuses on assessing the candidate’s ability to correctly interpret given numerical & statistical data. A typical SHL Numerical Reasoning test consists of 18 questions and lasts between 17-25 minutes depending on the job level.
SHL Inductive Reasoning (24 questions, 25 minutes): SHL’s Inductive Reasoning test deals with the abstract end of logical ability rather than language-based logic. You may be more familiar with the term ‘Abstract Reasoning’ – that’s because it’s the same thing. Each of these question types has a shortcut that you can exploit to tackle these questions with pinpoint accuracy.
SHL Deductive Reasoning (18 questions, 20 minutes): The flip-side to SHL’s Inductive Reasoning test, this test presents the candidate with text-based problems to solve based on information within the given paragraph. As with any logic-based test, there are patterns you can learn and key points to focus on to answer questions quickly and accurately.
SHL Verbal Reasoning (30 questions, 19 minutes): One of SHL’s most conventional tests, SHL Verbal Reasoning deals with your comprehension of given written information. You will be presented with a passage of text and asked to determine the truth of certain statements based solely on the provided information. There are common pitfalls to cover in this test, which are covered in-depth in the Rapid SHL Course.
SHL Mechanical Reasoning (length & time varies): Covering gears, wheels & belts, pressure & magnetism, this test assesses your understanding of mechanical concepts. This is a mixture of intuitive answers and learned mechanical knowledge, so it is crucial to study thoroughly for this exam.
SHL Situational Judgment (30-50 questions, untimed): Situational Judgment tests are used to assess the non-cognitive aspect of your workplace fit by presenting workplace scenarios and asking which course of action you are most likely to take in response. These are delivered in a multiple choice format, and while it may seem as if there is no ‘right or wrong’ answer, there is absolutely a correct way to approach the test depending on the company to which you are applying. Our Rapid SHL Course covers how to assess the requirements of your SJT and implement strategies to put your best foot forward.
SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire (30-50 questions, untimed): SHL’s Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ) is a specialized test designed to take a lazer-focused view of your fit to a company’s culture and the job role you’re applying for. While the SHL SJT test presents workplace scenarios, the OPQ asks more open-ended questions such as “I see myself as a traditional person” with multiple choices ranging from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree”. Once again, it might seem like there may be no incorrect answer, but in our course we cover the ins and outs of how to understand the company you are applying for and tailor your responses accordingly.
Still not sure?
Don’t worry. Our Rapid SHL Mastery Course is a one-size-fits-all preparation resource, and contains everything you need to get prepared from start to finish. Take a look at our licenses:
Start your SHL test Prep today!
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If you’re still unsure of how to proceed with your upcoming test, feel free to reach out to Matt, our SHL expert, for personalised advice. You can reach him at [email protected]
What Does The SHL Course Cover?
Topics
SHL Verbal Reasoning
SHL Numerical Reasoning
SHL Inductive Reasoning
SHL Mechanical Reasoning
Occupational Personality Questionnaire(OPQ)
SHL Motivation Questionnaire
SHL Situational Judgement
You will be Learning and Practicing with
Helpful expert video lessons
Practice questions
End-of-module quizzes
Excel Exercises
Written guides
Features
Immediate online access
24/7 support via email
30 days money back guarantee
1 time payment
What’s Included?
SHL Practice Tests
3 timed, full-length SHL-style practice tests .
SHL Expert Video Lessons
Learn quickly the best tactics for every SHL section on any device, 100% online .
Top Quality SHL Materials
Prepare as quickly as possible, with the most up-to-date, accurate and effective SHL prep materials .
How do SHL Tests Work?
SHL tests are widely used by companies around the globe, and specifically within the UK, from a range of industries to identify the optimal ability level of any given applicant. They achieve this by placing the applicant in a high-pressure environment, with many questions to answer and limited time in which to answer them. Employers are then able to see if a candidate is a good fit for the demands of a given job position.
What are the different types of SHL tests?
There are a variety of SHL tests available for employers to administer. Broadly speaking, assessments can be split into two main categories:
- Behavioral/Personality: This type of SHL assessment focuses on the individual strengths and weaknesses of a candidate in order to establish how well the candidate fits a given job role as well as their ability to function in given workplace scenarios.
- Cognitive/Ability: SHL Cognitive/ability assessment serves as more of an objective measurement of a candidate’s ability. Questions in these SHL assessments provide a quantitative view of the ability level of candidates and compare this ability level to the industry ‘norm’.
SHL assessments are designed to challenge and trip-up the test-takers at any opportunity. But don’t worry. Prepterminal’s course features written guides, video guides, module quizzes, and full practice tests with elaborated explanations, to help you fully understand the content of the real thing and approach exam day with confidence.
Common SHL Question Types With Practice Questions
SHL provides a wide variety of SHL tests and even produces individual tests for clients to meet specific requirements in employee screening. Let’s take a look at the different categories and question types.
SHL Spatial Awareness Practice Test
The SHL Spatial Awareness Test focuses on a candidate’s spatial reasoning ability. The candidate is presented with questions that point to the differences or similarities between question items. The questions in the SHL test come in two main forms:
- Conforming Figure: In this question type, the candidate is required to identify which of the four given answer figures DOES share a common feature with the two given question figures.
- Outlying Figure: In this question type, the candidate is required to identify which of the four given answer figures DOES NOT share a common feature with the two given question figures.
SHL Inductive Reasoning Practice Test
The SHL Inductive Reasoning Test focuses on a candidate’s ability to interpret figures. A candidate needs to work out which item comes next in a series of items. These questions generally take one of the following 5 formats:
- Inversion Sequences: Figures in the sequence are being procedurally inverted, this requiring the examinee to identify elements that are being ‘flipped’ throughout the sequence.
- Rotation Sequences: Figures in the sequence are being rotated in some manner, with a couple of secondary changes occurring throughout the items of the sequence.
- Positioning Sequences: Elements of each item shift around, but the overall bearing of the item does not change significantly. Here, it is important to look for individual elements that shift around.
- Counting Sequences: A given element of the item will either increase or decrease, and there may also be secondary changes made to the image. It’s important to quickly identify the changing count of a certain element, and isolate the change to find the solution.
- Size Sequences: As suggested by the name, size sequences involve the changing of the size of the item by some measure, whether it is increasing or decreasing in volume. The trick here is to identify the increment of change and to use this knowledge when approaching the next step.
SHL Situational Judgement Practice Test
The SHL Situational Judgement Test is designed to take a close look at a candidate’s personal qualities in a work environment. This SHL test is different from the other types of tests as it is based on personality rather than cognitive ability. Questions in this category deal with how you would react to certain workplace situations. The aim of the test is to find out whether you are a good fit for the company’s culture and ethos.
While this SHL question type is much more of a grey area than the cognitive tests, there is a route to identifying the ‘right’ answers and putting your best foot forward so that the hiring will recognize your personal qualities and select you over other candidates. We cover these techniques and principles in our comprehensive SHL SJT guide.
SHL Mechanical Comprehension Practice Test
The SHL Mechanical Comprehension Test deals with the candidate’s mechanical knowledge and intuition. This SHL exam assesses a candidate’s ability to solve applied problems in four key areas:
- Gears: These questions require a candidate to identify the correct direction of rotation of gears which, when adjacent, have opposite tendencies of rotation. The challenge in these questions comes in the requirement to work out the speed of rotation of given gears based on the number of teeth or the radii of the gears in question.
- Wheels & Belts: Candidate should properly identify the rotation of a given number of wheels that are connected by a belt in different configurations. This can involve belts that are cross-connective and belts that are not.
- Pressure: This question type assesses a candidate’s understanding of the mechanical concept of pressure, whether it is solid, liquid, or gas pressure. This question type often requires candidates to identify the correct position of an object required in order to exert the minimum/maximum pressure on the ground, or the pressure exerted by a fluid when an object is immersed in it.
- Magnetism: This question type requires candidates to understand the key features of magnetic materials, and how to distinguish between magnetic and non-magnetic material. They must also understand the concept of magnetic poles, as well as electrical fields, and how they are represented using field lines.
SHL Verbal Reasoning Practice Test
The SHL Verbal Reasoning Test deals with a candidate’s ability to read and understand a passage of text and answer a number of questions based on the test. A candidate must also draw inferences and conclusions solely based on the text. As such, this question type does not necessarily require any pre-existing topical knowledge, but it is highly important to prepare and understand the principles governing these questions.
This question type is usually administered in a TRUE – FALSE – CANNOT SAY format. Where the truth of the statements is based upon the content of the passage of text.
This question type is often considered to be highly difficult as test-takers often struggle to find the subtle inferences included in the text.
SHL Numerical Reasoning Practice Test
The SHL Numerical Reasoning Test is a highly challenging mathematical assessment, delivered at different levels depending on the job role being applied for. Questions of this type cover the following topics:
- 1/2/3/4 Operations: Covers a candidate’s ability to deal with equations covering multiple operation types. The most complex variants of this question type involve all four operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, in a single equation.
- Rates & Proportion: This question type deals with a candidate’s ability to deal with problems concerning particular relationships between two variables or values. This type of question will often involve calculation involving values increasing or decreasing by a multiplier that is present in another value, requiring the candidates to extrapolate the multiplier from an existing value and apply it to another value.
- Ratio: Ratio questions involve comparing amounts of a given item, usually written using a colon notation. In this question type, it can be a challenge to quickly find the answer, so it is important to prepare and learn how to efficiently identify ratios without the need to manually count every single item in question.
- Tables: Questions on tables require candidates to calculate certain values using the data presented in table format. This question type will almost always draw on concepts covered in other parts of the SHL Numerical Reasoning Test, such as 1/2/3/4 operations or ratios. In this sense, tables might be considered as an alternative format for the other question types.
- Currency Exchange: Currency exchange questions are not dissimilar to ratio questions. This question type requires candidates to identify the value of an amount of money when converted to another currency, based on the exchange rate given in the question. While these questions can be solved through easy methods, these methods are unacceptably slow, so it is vital that you learn the proper methodology and a quick solution.
- Percentages: Percentage questions assess a candidate’s ability to deal with calculation in a percentage format. These questions can be seen as a kind of division, based on the notion that a percentage is a portion of 100. For these questions, it is important to understand the concepts at play on a deep level so that you can effectively answer questions within the restrictive time limit.
It has been observed that numerical reasoning is often found to be the most intimidating of the SHL test types, as it is not uncommon for most people to feel overwhelmed by mathematical questions.
How Does Your SHL Score Influence Your Career?
The purpose of an SHL test is to put candidates under pressure so that an employer can identify a candidate’s maximum level of performance. They then compare this level of performance to an identified norm group for the candidate’s given industry and job level. A cut-off point is used relative to this norm group.
This means that the candidate can only proceed to the next stage of screening if they have achieved a certain score. These parameters are easily interpreted as they are delivered in the form of percentile rankings, which are then categorized into grades from A-E:
Grade
Meaning
Percentile
A
Well Above Average
99-92
B
Above Average
90-73
C
Average
69-31
D
Below Average
10-27
E
Well Below Average
8-1
Candidates seeking to continue to the next stage of screening should aim for a grade B or above in their SHL practice tests, and SHL assessments. Below that grade, an individual falls into the realm of mediocrity or worse.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
I have a very short notice, do I have enough time to practice?
You are not alone here. 90% of our users recieve a short notice of just a few days and even less. That’s why we created this Rapid SHL Prep Course. You can quickly and dramaticaly improve your performance on the test day with our easy video tutorials and just the right amount of practice questions. You wont be overwhelmed with thousands of questions. You probably wont have the time for this and its unnecessary.
How many times will I be charged?
You will only be charged once for your license to use this course. There won’t be any recurring charges when your license expires, and no hidden fees.
How does the course work?
The Rapid SHL course is a modular program in which each module contains instructional guides & practice quizzes. At the end of the course you can take full-length practice tests to experience the real thing in a realistic timed environment.
Do I get practice tests?
Yes! The Rapid SHL course comes with a wide range of practice tests for each category, as well as full-length practice tests to test your knowledge after finishing all our modules.
Who is behind the course?
Michael Lerner, BSc, Psychometric Tutor, Criticall Test Expert
Since 2007, I have been teaching and preparing people for a variety of pre-employment psychometric tests. Over the past 7 years I have focused primarily on the Caliper test, as I identified a growing demand for this type of test and noticed that my students experienced difficulties with the Caliper.
I am familiar with many assessment tests, but this test is the trickiest of them all. Throughout the years, I have personally seen thousands of Caliper questions and I have developed a unique tactic for approaching each question type.
In Feb 2015 I decided to create this course, instead of one-on-one tutoring, as this course is more efficient, more affordable and easier to use. I personally wrote this course together with professional psychometric test writers who have studied the Caliper Test inside-out, and have fine-tuned it over the past 5 years, in keeping with a lot of the feedback from my students.
I update the course on a regular basis. Over the past 5 years, this course has helped more than 7,500 people pass the Caliper test and get hired. Many of them failed the first and sometimes second time before they found my course.
Start your CritiCall Dispatcher Course today!
1 week
$ 49.90
1 month
$ 59.90
3 month
$ 79.90
Zero risk: 30 days no questions asked money back guarantee
1 week
$ 49.90
1 month
$ 59.90
3 month
$ 79.90
SHL Verbal Reasoning
SHL Numerical Reasoning
SHL Inductive Reasoning
SHL Mechanical Reasoning
Occupational Personality Questionnaire(OPQ)
SHL Motivation Questionnaire
SHL Situational Judgement
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