SHL Practice Test: How to Prepare for SHL Verify Assessments
SHL is a test publisher, not one single test. If an employer says you have 'an SHL test', check your invite for the exact product name, since it could be Verify Numerical, Verify Verbal, Verify Inductive Reasoning, the OPQ personality questionnaire, or an interactive format that uses drag-and-drop items instead of multiple choice.
SHL is one of the largest assessment publishers in the world, and employers use its tools at almost every stage of hiring, from graduate schemes to senior technical roles. That scale is exactly why 'I have an SHL test' is not enough information to prepare on. SHL sells a range of separate assessments, and the one you were sent depends on the employer and the role.
Your invite email or test portal will usually name the specific product: Verify Numerical Reasoning, Verify Verbal Reasoning, Verify Inductive Reasoning, Verify Interactive G+, or the OPQ personality questionnaire. Some of these are traditional multiple-choice tests with a fixed time limit. Others belong to SHL's interactive range, which replaces some multiple-choice items with drag-and-drop or other on-screen interactions.
This page covers the reasoning tests most candidates meet — numerical, verbal, and inductive or deductive — plus what to expect if your invite mentions an interactive or gamified format. It does not reproduce SHL's real items; the questions below are written from scratch to practise the same underlying skills.
The format at a glance
- Format
- A range of separate tests (numerical, verbal, inductive and deductive reasoning, OPQ personality) rather than one exam; some delivered in an interactive, drag-and-drop style (source)
- Verify Interactive G+ timing
- 36 minutes of test time across 24 questions, completed in one sitting (source)
- Question style
- Some Verify modules use standard multiple choice; SHL's interactive range uses drag-and-drop and other on-screen interactions instead (source)
- Scoring
- Norm-referenced: your raw score is compared against a comparison group tied to the job level, not marked against one fixed pass line (source)
- Who uses it
- Large employers across finance, technology, retail and graduate recruitment, usually as an early screening stage before interviews
What it measures
Numerical reasoning
Numerical reasoning items give you data in a table or chart and ask you to work out a value, ratio or percentage from it. SHL is checking whether you can pull the right figures out of a cluttered table under time pressure, not whether you can do advanced maths — most of the arithmetic itself is simple once you find the right numbers.
Verbal reasoning
Verbal reasoning presents a short passage, then a statement you must mark true, false or cannot say based only on the passage. The trap is bringing in outside knowledge or assuming something the text does not actually say. This format measures careful reading and evidence-based judgement, not vocabulary or writing ability.
Inductive and deductive reasoning
Inductive items ask you to spot a rule in a sequence and predict what comes next; deductive items give you a short set of statements and ask what must logically follow. Both measure pattern recognition and structured thinking without relying on job knowledge, which is why SHL uses them across very different roles.
Interactive formats
SHL's interactive range measures the same underlying abilities as the standard tests but delivers items through drag-and-drop, sorting or other on-screen actions instead of multiple choice. The scoring targets the same skill; the interface is different, so the main adjustment is getting comfortable with the mechanics before the clock starts.
Practice questions with worked answers
Written by us to mirror the published format. Work each one out before you read the explanation — the method is the part that transfers, the answer is not.
- Q1Numerical reasoning
A company's regional sales for one quarter were: Region A $420,000, Region B $365,000, Region C $510,000, Region D $295,000. What percentage of total quarterly sales came from Region C? Round to the nearest whole percent.
- 24%
- 29%
- 32%
- 35%
Correct answer
32%. Add all four figures to get the total ($1,590,000), then divide Region C's figure by the total and convert to a percentage: 510,000 / 1,590,000 = 32.1%, which rounds to 32%. Finding the total first, before dividing, is the fastest route to this kind of question.
- Q2Verbal reasoning (true / false / cannot say)
Passage: 'Since the new scheduling software was introduced, the logistics team has processed 18% more orders per week without adding staff. Delivery times have not been tracked separately.' Statement: 'The new software improved delivery times.' Is this statement true, false, or can you not say?
- True
- Cannot say
- False
Correct answer
Cannot say. The passage explicitly states delivery times were not tracked, so there is no evidence in the text to confirm or deny the statement. 'False' would require the passage to contradict the statement directly; here it simply gives no information either way, which is the definition of 'cannot say'.
- Q3Inductive reasoning (pattern recognition)
The sequence below gives the number of sides on a repeating series of shapes, in order: 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, ? What number comes next?
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Correct answer
4. The series repeats a four-term cycle: 3, 4, 5, 4. Marking off the cycle shows the sequence is on its third repetition, having just completed the '3' at the start of that cycle, so the next term is the '4' that follows it. Spotting the repeat length before guessing is the key move.
- Q4Deductive reasoning (syllogism)
All analysts in the compliance team have completed the ethics certification. Maria is an analyst in the compliance team. Which conclusion follows logically?
- Maria has completed the ethics certification.
- Maria will complete the ethics certification next year.
- Maria only needs the certification if she is promoted.
- Not enough information to conclude anything about Maria.
Correct answer
Maria has completed the ethics certification.. This is a valid syllogism: if all members of a group have a property, and Maria is a member of that group, then Maria has that property. The other options add information the statements never gave, which is the usual wrong-answer trap in deductive items.
- Q5Numerical reasoning (interactive-style)
SHL's interactive formats often ask you to judge quantity through a drag-and-drop or sizing interaction rather than picking from a list. Written as a standard question: a jar contains three times as many red counters as blue counters. There are 8 blue counters. If 4 more red counters are added, how many red counters are there in total?
- 20
- 24
- 28
- 32
Correct answer
28. First find the starting number of red counters: 3 times 8 blue counters is 24. Then apply the change described: 24 plus the 4 added counters is 28. Interactive items still test this same two-step arithmetic; only the input method changes.
How scores are read
Strong performance
You answered most items correctly within the time limit. This clears most employer cut-offs for the level the test was set at, though published cut-offs vary by employer and are not shown to candidates.
Borderline
You answered roughly half the items correctly, or ran out of time before finishing. Whether this passes depends entirely on the specific cut-off the employer set for the role, which SHL does not publish.
Needs more practice
You answered well under half correctly, or struggled to finish in time. This is the band where focused, timed practice on the specific test type you were sent makes the most difference before a retake or the next stage.
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How to prepare
Find the exact test name first
Before you practise anything, check your invite email or the test portal for the specific product name — Verify Numerical, Verify Verbal, Verify Interactive G+, OPQ, or something else. Practising the wrong format wastes the limited days you have before the real test.
Practise reading tables fast
For numerical reasoning, the bottleneck is usually finding the right row and column under time pressure, not the calculation itself. Practise scanning a table for the two or three numbers you actually need before you start any arithmetic.
Read the passage before the statement
For verbal reasoning, read the full passage first, then the statement, then go back to the exact sentence that proves or disproves it. Answering from memory of the passage is the most common way candidates lose points on true/false/cannot say items.
Separate 'false' from 'cannot say'
False means the passage contradicts the statement. Cannot say means the passage simply does not give enough information either way. Mixing these two up is the single most common verbal reasoning mistake, so practise spotting which one applies before you answer.
Time yourself in short bursts
SHL tests run under tight time limits, so untimed practice will not tell you what actually happens on test day. Practise in short, timed blocks and track how many items you answer accurately, not just how many you attempt.
Test the interface before the real thing
If your invite mentions an interactive or gamified format, spend a few minutes getting used to drag-and-drop or sorting mechanics on any similar practice tool first. Losing time to an unfamiliar interface costs you accuracy on items you could otherwise answer.
Expect a second stage
SHL tests are usually a screening step, not the final word. Employers commonly combine a reasoning test with a personality questionnaire or a follow-up interview, so treat the test as one part of a longer process rather than a single pass or fail moment.
SHL is a test publisher, not one single test. It sells a range of separate assessments including numerical, verbal and inductive reasoning tests, personality questionnaires (OPQ), and an interactive range with drag-and-drop items. Check your invite for the specific product name before you prepare.
It depends which SHL product you were sent — the question count and time limit vary by test and by the employer's chosen configuration. Your invite email or the test platform will show the exact number and time limit for your specific test.
Most candidates find SHL tests hard mainly because of the time pressure, not the difficulty of any single question. The underlying maths and logic are usually straightforward; the real challenge is working accurately fast enough to finish.
It is part of SHL's interactive assessment range, which measures general reasoning ability using on-screen interactions such as drag-and-drop instead of standard multiple choice. It covers deductive, inductive and numerical reasoning within one test.
There is usually no fixed universal pass mark. Employers compare your score against a comparison group for the role and set their own cut-off, so the same score can pass for one employer and not another.
Time limits vary by which SHL test you are given, so check your specific invite for the exact limit. Verify Interactive G+, for example, allows 36 minutes across 24 questions in a single sitting.
No. JobCannon's practice test is a free, unaffiliated test written to mirror SHL's published formats so you can practise the skills involved. It is not SHL's real assessment, and your result on it does not predict your SHL score.
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JobCannon is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to SHL Group Limited. SHL and SHL Verify are trademarks of their respective owner, and these practice questions are original, written to mirror SHL's published test formats, not copies of real SHL items.