Numerical reasoning 8 questions
Percentages, speeds, ratios, averages and a small data table, the arithmetic of everyday work.
Free Aptitude Test
40 questions on the five areas employer aptitude tests use. Instant score report, no email, no paywall.
- 40 questions
- ~20 minutes
- Free full report
- No sign-up
A shirt costs $40 and is 25% off. What is the sale price?
What you get
See the report you’ll get
A working copy of the free report, filled with example answers. Click the tabs to look around. Yours is generated the moment you finish.
Sample report · example answers
113Aptitude score
Above average Top 19%
29 of 40 correct · 19:40 · 81st percentile
A score of 113 is higher than about 81% of people. Only 1 in 5 score higher.
In a room of 100 people, someone scoring 113 would outscore 81 of them.
- Outscored: 81
- Would score higher: 19
Only 1 in 5 people score higher than 113.
How job applicants score
The typical score of people applying for these jobs on a widely used employer aptitude test, on the same scale as this report.
| Applicants for | Typical score |
|---|---|
| Research analyst, advertising manager | about 120 |
| This score | 113 |
| Accountant, teacher | about 112 |
| Cashier, meter reader, bank teller | about 100 |
| Custodian, material handler | about 90 |
Median applicant scores on the Wonderlic Personnel Test, from Gottfredson (1997). Employers set their own cutoffs and usually weigh interviews and experience alongside any test.
Score by reasoning area
-
Numerical reasoning7 of 8 correct
Percentages, rates, ratios and tables: the arithmetic of everyday work, done in your head.
About the 89th percentile for this area -
Verbal reasoning6 of 8 correct
Word meanings, analogies and reading a passage for exactly what it says, no more.
About the 76th percentile for this area -
Logical reasoning6 of 8 correct
Sequences, orderings and deductions that hold whatever the topic.
About the 78th percentile for this area -
Spatial reasoning5 of 8 correct
Turning, flipping and folding shapes in your mind.
About the 67th percentile for this area -
Mechanical reasoning5 of 8 correct
Gears, levers, pulleys and pressure: physical common sense.
About the 64th percentile for this area
Strongest areaNumerical reasoning
7 of 8 correct, about the 89th percentile.
Most room to growMechanical reasoning
Start with these explanations in the Answers tab. Each shows the rule behind the question.
11 questions to review
Every question with the right answer and why. Mistakes first.
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✗A $50 jacket is 30% off. What is the sale price?Numerical reasoningYour answer: $15Correct: $35
Why: 30% of $50 is $15. That is the discount, not the price: $50 − $15 = $35.
-
✗You push a heavy box up a ramp to the same height. Which ramp needs less force?Mechanical reasoningYour answer: Both need the sameCorrect: A long, gentle ramp
Why: A long, gentle ramp spreads the same lift over more distance, so each push needs less force.
-
✓Which word is closest in meaning to RESILIENT?Verbal reasoningYour answer: Hardy
Why: Resilient means able to recover quickly from difficulty, like something hardy.
Three example rows, using practice questions. Your report lists all 40 test questions, mistakes first.
The story card
A 9:16 card with the score and the room of 100, sized for Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp stories. Friends who tap the link can take the same test.
Example answers, not a real person’s result. Scores use a standard scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.
Inside the test
What the 40 questions measure
Five areas, eight questions each, mixed together and ordered from easy to hard. Nothing needs specialist training: the mechanical questions test common sense about how things move, not textbook physics.
There is no time limit, so your score shows how well you reason, not how fast you rush.
Verbal reasoning 8 questions
Synonyms, opposites, analogies and a short passage you judge as true, false or impossible to say.
Logical reasoning 8 questions
Sequences, orderings, if-then rules and set problems that hold whatever the topic.
Spatial reasoning 8 questions
Rotations, mirror images, cube nets, counting blocks and a paper-folding puzzle.
Mechanical reasoning 8 questions
Gears, levers, pulleys, a seesaw and water pressure, drawn as simple diagrams.
Try one
Numerical · 1 of 5
A $50 jacket is 30% off. What is the sale price?
Practice questions in the same style, not ones from the test. Start the real test ↑
What is an aptitude test?
An aptitude test measures how well you reason with the kinds of problems a job throws at you: numbers, words, logic, shapes and machines. Employers use them to screen applicants. Unlike a knowledge test, there is little to memorize, but knowing the question formats helps a lot.
| Aptitude test | IQ test | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | How you handle job-style problems | Overall reasoning ability |
| Areas | Numerical, verbal, logical, spatial, mechanical | Pattern, numerical, verbal, logical |
| Typical use | Hiring and course selection | Curiosity, schools and research |
| Score | Standard score and percentile | IQ and percentile |
Want the IQ version? Take the free IQ test, which uses the same honest scoring.
How employers use aptitude tests
General reasoning tests are among the most studied hiring tools. A classic 1998 review by Frank Schmidt and John Hunter put their correlation with job performance at about .51. A 2022 re-analysis by Paul Sackett and colleagues argued that earlier statistical corrections overstated it and put the figure nearer .31. Either way, few single hiring methods predict performance better, which is why so many employers use them.
Well-known employer tests include the Wonderlic, the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) and SHL’s numerical and verbal reasoning tests. Most are timed: the Wonderlic, for example, allows 12 minutes for 50 questions. This test is untimed, so use it to learn the formats and find your weak areas, then practise against the clock if your real test is timed.
How scoring works
Each question has a difficulty, and harder questions count for more. Your answers are scored with the same item-response model as our IQ test and placed on a standard scale: 100 is average and every 15 points is one standard deviation, so 115 beats about 84% of people and 130 beats about 98%. Your report also estimates a percentile for each of the five areas.
The difficulties are provisional until enough people have taken the test to recalibrate them, so treat your score as a well-founded estimate, not a certified result.
How to improve your aptitude score
- Review every explanation. Your report shows the rule behind each question you missed.
- Find percentages in two steps. Work out 10%, then scale it: 30% of $50 is 3 × $5.
- Read passages literally. “Cannot say” is often right when a passage links two things without proving cause.
- Sketch spatial problems. A quick drawing beats turning a shape in your head.
- Learn three mechanical rules. Meshing gears alternate direction, levers trade force for distance, and pulleys share a load between rope segments.
- Practise timed if your real test is timed: aim for about 15 seconds a question.
Aptitude test questions, answered
Is this aptitude test free?
Yes. Your score, percentile, area breakdown and every explained answer are shown the moment you finish. There is no email, no account and nothing to pay.
How long does the aptitude test take?
Most people finish the 40 questions in 15 to 25 minutes. There is no time limit, and your progress is saved in your browser if you leave and come back.
Is this the same as the Wonderlic or the CCAT?
No. Those are proprietary, timed tests that employers buy. This free test uses the same kinds of questions, untimed, so it works as practice and as a check on your strengths, not as a copy of any one test.
What is a good aptitude test score?
The scale is centred on 100, the average. 110 or more is above average, 120 or more is roughly the top 10%, and 130 or more is about the top 2%.
Can you fail an aptitude test?
There is no pass mark on this test. Employers who use aptitude tests set their own cutoffs, and most weigh the score alongside interviews and experience.
Sources
- Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262–274.
- Sackett, P. R., Zhang, C., Berry, C. M., & Lievens, F. (2022). Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(11), 2040–2068.
- Gottfredson, L. S. (1997). Why g matters: The complexity of everyday life. Intelligence, 24(1), 79–132.
More free tests
- Free IQ test: 30 questions, about 15 minutes.
- Brain games: reaction time, memory and focus in a minute or two each.
- IQ percentile calculator: convert any score to a percentile.