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Practice

Leaflet

Why are aptitude tests used?


2/10 SHL Group Limited, 2007

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INTRODUCTION

PricewaterhouseCoopers make extensive use of ability tests and personality questionnaires in our recruitment

processes. These take various forms, notably tests of verbal and numerical reasoning, tests of diagrammatic

(logical) reasoning, and personality questionnaires. This leaflet contains some examples of each of these tests

and questionnaires, and some background information to assist applicants. The first section concentrates on

ability tests, while the next section relates to personality questionnaires. Additional information on these

selection tools can be found on the Internet at www.shldirect.com.

You will have been informed which of these types of test and questionnaire you will be required to complete.

An introduction to aptitude tests - why are aptitude tests used?

Employers are increasingly incorporating aptitude tests into assessment procedures - both for selection and for

development and counselling purposes. There is good evidence that tests which are professionally used and

evaluated can provide objective, reliable and relevant information concerning the likelihood of job success and

satisfaction.

You may be asked to complete some aptitude tests in the context of an extended selection or developmentprocedure. Assessment centres typically combine the information gained from aptitude tests with that obtained

from other questionnaires and exercises such as personality and interest inventories, in-trays, group exercises and

interviews to build up a comprehensive picture of the person being assessed.

Whatever the context in which you are being asked to complete some aptitude tests, you may find this leaflet

helpful. It has been designed to introduce you to three types of aptitude tests commonly used in graduate and

school leaver recruitment as well as professional and managerial selection and development. The leaflet should

help you prepare for the test session.

Tests can help you

to be fairly assessed in a competitive situation

to find out more about your own strengths and weaknesses

to select a career path for which you are suited

to be comprehensively assessed for selection, development or counselling purposes.

Tests enable the employer

to select people best suited to the demands of the job

to identify areas of weakness for staff development

to counsel staff appropriately

to place personnel appropriately within an organisation.

What sort of tests might you have to do?

The tests you are being asked to do will measure skills relevant to the job, position or responsibilities for which

you are being considered. While different jobs make different demands on individuals, extensive analyses of

many managerial and professional jobs have shown that competence in verbal and numerical critical reasoning

is a common requirement. More abstract abilities are also widely applicable within more technical roles. This

practice leaflet covers tests which require you to:

evaluate the logic of given statements

interpret data from statistical tables

infer and apply rules within symbolic systems and flowcharts.

In order to familiarise yourself with the type of questions that may be asked, read the instructions in each case,

and work through the questions as quickly and accurately as you can, bearing in mind that the tests themselves

have time constraints.



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Instructions

The verbal, numerical and diagrammatic questions which follow are multiple choice. For

each question, you are given several possible answers. When you have selected your answer,

you should fill in the appropriate circle on the answer sheet provided.

VERBAL TEST

In this test, you are given two passages, each of which is followed by several statements. Your

task is to evaluate the statements in the light of the information or opinions contained in the

passage and to select your answer according to the rules given below.

1 The main difference between nuclear and fossil-fuelled power stations is an economic one.

2 The price of coal is not relevant to discussions about the relative efficiency of nuclear

reactors.

3 If nuclear reactors were cheaper to build and decommission than fossil-fuelled power

stations, they would definitely have the economic advantage.

4 Physical stimuli usually win in the competition for our attention.

5 The capacity of the human brain is sufficient to interpret nearly all the stimuli the sensescan register under optimum conditions.

6 Eyes are able to cope with a greater input of information than ears.

MARK CIRCLE A

if the statement is patently

TRUE or follows logically,

given the information or

opinions contained in the

passage.

MARK CIRCLE B

if the statement is patently

UNTRUE or the opposed

follows logically, given the

information or opinions

contained in the passage.

MARK CIRCLE C

if you CANNOT SAY

whether the statement is true

or untrue or follows logically

without further

information.

Answer Sheet 1

Verbal Test

1 A B C

2 A B C

3 A B C

4 A B C

5 A B C

6 A B C

The big economic difference between nuclear a

nd fossil-

fuelled power stationsis that nuclear reactors

are more

expensive to build anddecommission, but che

aper to run.

So disputes over the relative efficiency of the

two systems

revolve not just aroundthe prices of coal and

uranium

today and tomorrow, but also around the way

in which

future income should be compared with curren

t income.

At any given moment we are being

bombarded by physical

and psychological stimuli competing for our atte

ntion.

Although our eyesare capable of ha

ndlingmore than 5

million bits of data per second, our

brains are capableof

interpreting onlyabout 500 bits of

data per second.With

similar disparitiesbetween each of t

he other senses and

the brain, it is easy to see that we

select the visual,

auditory, or tactile stimuli that we

wish to computeat

any specific time.



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NUMERICAL TEST

In this test, you have to use facts and figures presented in statistical tables to answer the

questions below. In each question, you are given either five or ten options from which to

choose. One, and only one, of the options is correct in each case. Note that for questions

which have 10 options you may have to fill in more than one circle to indicate your answer.

For some numerical tests of this nature you may be provided with a calculator - for some you

may be required to work without one. You may try the following questions with or without the

use of a calculator - as you wish. In addition, you may be provided with rough paper for your

working out.

Statistical Tables

POPULATION STRUCTURE 1985

Population Live Bir ths Deaths Percentage of population

at start of per 1000 per 1000 at start of year aged

year population population(million) (Jan-Dec) (Jan-Dec) under 15 60 or over

UK 56.6 13.3 11.8 19 21

France 55.2 13.9 10.0 21 19

Italy 57.1 10.1 9.5 19 19

Germany 61.0 9.6 11.5 15 20

Spain 38.6 12.1 7.7 23 17

PRODUCTION OF 15MM BUTTONS, JULY-DECEMBER

Productionin thousands

105

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

65

60

55

50

July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Total (standard and sub-standard)

button production

Standard quality button

production

SALES PRICE:

Standard

quality buttons 5.70 per 100

Sub-standard

quality buttons 2.85 per 100

MONTHS



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NUMERICAL TEST - QUESTIONS

1 Which country had the highest number of people aged 60 or over at the start of 1985?

A B C D E

UK France Italy Germany Spain

2 What percentage of the total 15mm button production was classed as sub-standard in

September?

A B C D E

10.5% 13% 15% 17.5% 20%

AB AC AD AE BC

23.5% 25% 27.5% 28% 30.5%

3 How many live births occurred in 1985 in Spain and Italy together (to the nearest

1000)?A B C D E

104,000 840,000 1,044,000 8,400,000 10,440,000

4 What was the net effect on the UK population of the live birth and death rates in 1985?

A B C D E

Decrease Increase Increase Increase Cannot say

of 66,700 of 84,900 of 85,270 of 752,780

5 By how much did the total sales value of Novembers button production vary from

Octobers?

A B C D E

28.50 142.50 285.00 427.50 No change

(Decrease) (Decrease) (Increase) (Decrease)

6 What was the loss in potential sales revenue attributable to the production of sub-

standard (as opposed to standard) buttons over the 6 month period?

A B C D E

213.75 427.50 2,137.50 2,280.00 4,275.00

Answer Sheet 2

Numerical Test

1 A B C D E

2 A B C D E

3 A B C D E

4 A B C D E

5 A B C D E

6 A B C D E



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DIAGRAMMATIC SERIES

Each problem in this test consists of a series of diagrams, on the left of the page, which follow

a logical sequence. You are to choose the next diagram in the series from the five options on

the right. Then indicate your answer by filling in completely the appropriate circle on the

answer sheet.

Time guideline: see how many questions you can answer in 5 minutes, remembering you

should work accurately as well as quickly.

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

A B C D E

Answer Sheet 3

Diagrammatic Test

1 A B C D E

2 A B C D E

3 A B C D E

4 A B C D E

5 A B C D E

6 A B C D E

7 A B C D E

8 A B C D EYou will find the correct answers

on the back page of this leaflet

1

2

3

4

5

6

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AN INTRODUCTION TO PERSONALITY

QUESTIONNAIRES

Questionnaires are used by employers and careers advisors to help gain a picture of how people

match different jobs. This leaflet is designed to help you understand more about questionnaires

and help you prepare for completing them.

Personality questionnaires are concerned with peoples typical or preferred ways of behaving,

such as the way they relate to others, or the way they approach and solve problems. The

benefit of a questionnaire is that the same carefully designed and fully researched questions are

asked of all people and their answers are captured and interpreted in a fair, consistent and

objective way.

Questionnaires typically explore the broad range of personality characteristics which are

generally relevant to the world of work. They are often used by organisations where

information is required about an individual, for example, in development, selection or

counselling. When questionnaires are used with other methods of assessment they can help to

ensure a more thorough exploration of how well a person is suited to a particular job.

Why do we use questionnaires?

They make our procedures fairer and more objective

We can learn more about which jobs might be suitable for you

They help show us who is right for a job

We can identify your training and development needs

What benefits are there for you?

You are assessed in a fair and objective way

You can choose work for which you are better suited and which will be more satisfying for

you

You can gain a better understanding of your personality and main sources of motivation

You can learn how you might develop in different areas

What sort of questions will I be asked?

The questions ask about your typical or preferred style of work. Your answers are then used to

produce a profile of how you see yourself compared to a group of similar individuals.


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Here are some examples of the sort of questions that will be asked.

You will be given blocks of four statements: A, B, C and D. Your task is to choose which one

you think is the most true or typical of you in your everyday behaviour, and then choose the

one which is least true or typical of you. Indicate your choices by filling in the appropriate

circle in the row marked M (for Most) and in the next row L (for Least).

The first block has been completed for you. The person has chosen, Enjoys organisingpeople as most true (or typical) and Seeks variety as being least true (or typical) of

him/herself. Now try questions 2, 3 and 4 yourself.

I am the sort of person who.......

1 A Has a wide circle of friends

B Enjoys organising people

C Relaxes easily

D Seeks variety

2 A Helps people with their problems

B Develops new approaches

C Has lots of energy

D Enjoys social activities

3 A Has lots of new ideas

B Feels calm

C Likes to understand things

D Is easy to get on with

4 A Enjoys organising events

B Sometimes gets angryC Is talkative

D Resolves conflicts at work

How do I complete a questionnaire?

Often, personality questionnaires are completed using paper and pencil. Typically, you will be

asked to fill in circles to indicate your answers as in the examples here. Sometimes, however,

computers are used. In this situation, you wont need to know how to operate a computer.

Everything you have to do will be explained at the session and you will be given a chance to

practice using the computer and ask questions before you start. Whether you use paper and

pencil or a computer, you will be asked the same kinds of question, and only be allowed to

choose one Most and one Least option for each set of statements.

SHL Group Limited, 2007

M A B C D

L A B C D

M A B C D

L A B C D

M A B C D

L A B C D

M A B C D

L A B C D


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Final points about personality questionnaires.

The questions are concerned with how you typically behave at work. Thinking about a typical work

situation may help you answer. If you have little formal work experience, think about how you behave

in similar situations such as voluntary work, school, college, or when doing other tasks, for example

housework and hobbies.

Although there is no time limit, you should work quickly rather than pondering at length over any one

question. This helps you to give your most natural answer, the one which best reflects how you are.

Make sure you answer all of the questions.

People who try to guess what is wanted are often incorrect and may give an impression of themselves

which doesnt fit in with other information. Many questionnaires contain questions which help to check

whether someone is describing themselves honestly and consistently, so try to be as accurate as

possible when answering the questions.

Feedback will be offered, usually in the form of a narrative report.

We may want to discuss our results with you. If you are offered this opportunity, use it to find out as

much about yourself as you can. This may be helpful to you in understanding yourself and your

strengths and limitations better.

The questionnaire is about your personality style, that is, the way you go about things. It is not about

ability, and there are no right or wrong answers. Just answer as you are.

Dont worry if some questions do not seem relevant. We will be focusing on those areas most relevant

to your situation.

The results will typically form only part of an assessment, and will be interpreted alongside otherinformation about you.

We will respect the confidentiality of your results.



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WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GIVE YOUR BEST PERFORMANCE?

Dont be discouraged if you found the questions difficult: there are several things you can do to

improve your performance.

Verbal Tests:

Read newspapers, reports, business journals.

Do verbal problem solving exercises, e.g. crosswords.

Numerical Tests:

Read financial reports in newspapers.

Study tables of data.Practise your mental arithmetic.

Diagrammatic Test

Solve puzzles in newspapers and magazines involving diagrams.

Play games involving sequence or strategies eg. chess, draughts.

And finally, be prepared for the test session

Get a good nights sleep before the tests.

Give yourself plenty of time to get to the assessment.

If you wear glasses or a hearing aid, be sure to take them with you and please let us know in

advance if you require any special facilities to help you complete these tests.

At the session

Listen carefully to the instructions.

Dont be afraid to ask questions.

Read each question carefully before answering.

Work quickly and accurately - most tests have time limits.

REMEMBER - the outcome of most assessments is based on the combination of data from

different sources. Even if you dont feel confident about your performance in the tests, you

may have other strengths which will be taken into account. Employers often offer the

opportunity to obtain feedback on test performance. This may help you to understand your

own relative abilities and may aid you in your career thinking.

Verbal Test

1 A B C

2 A B C

3 A B C

4 A B C

5 A B C

6 A B C

Numerical Test

1 A B C D E

2 A B C D E

3 A B C D E

4 A B C D E

5 A B C D E

6 A B C D E

Diagrammatic Test

1 A B C D E

2 A B C D E

3 A B C D E

4 A B C D E

5 A B C D E

6 A B C D E

7 A B C D E

8 A B C D E

ANSWERS TO THE APTITUDE TEST PRACTICE

QUESTIONS.


The Pavilion, 1 Atwell Place, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0BP Telephone: 0208 335 8000 Facsimile 0208 335 7000 www.shlgroup.com

The reproduction of this blue and yellow practice leaflet by photocopying process duplicating machine or any other method including computer installations is breaking the

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