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No single exam body exists. Well-known providers include SHL, Korn Ferry and Talogy (formerly Cubiks).

Aptitude test / psychometric assessment (not a single certification exam)

Aptitude tests used in English-language hiring are not a single certification exam. Providers such as SHL, Korn Ferry and Talogy (formerly Cubiks) each sell their own products, and candidates sit whichever one the company they applied to has under contract. What is measured includes numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning and information checking, and most tests are multiple choice and delivered online. SHL's Verify G+, for example, has its specification published in an official fact sheet: 30 questions in total, ten each of numerical, deductive and inductive reasoning, adaptive, with a 36-minute time limit. Verify G+ is designed to be sat unproctored, and its inductive reasoning items use only shapes and symbols, with no language at all. All three providers publish free practice tests for candidates, so the screen and the controls can be tried before the day. Providers do not publish passing scores or pass rates, and the bar for moving forward is set by the hiring company. No certificate is issued.

Official page

Who takes it

  • Candidates applying for graduate hiring at English-speaking or global companies who have been sent an online assessment after the document screening
  • People who have received an SHL or Korn Ferry test link during a mid-career process at a foreign-owned company
  • People who have prepared for Japan's SPI but have never met numerical or verbal reasoning set in English
  • People who would rather not meet formats absent from Japanese aptitude tests, such as purely visual inductive reasoning, for the first time on the day
  • People who want to get a feel for difficulty shifting under an adaptive test before it counts

What it lets you do

  • SHL, Korn Ferry and Talogy all publish free practice tests for candidates on their official sites, so you can get used to the same screen and the same controls beforehand.
  • Some tests have their specification published officially, as SHL Verify G+ does in its fact sheet with a 36-minute limit and a maximum of 30 questions. You can measure your own pacing against it.
  • SHL states officially that inductive reasoning items are entirely non-verbal, using only shapes and symbols, so you know in advance that they call for preparation separate from English ability.
  • There are task formats with no counterpart in Japanese aptitude tests, such as Korn Ferry's checking, where you compare information across two tables and judge whether it matches. Knowing the format means not being thrown by it on sight.
  • Some tests are designed for unproctored online delivery, which makes clear that you need your own equipment and connection in order.

The exam

As published by No single exam body exists. Well-known providers include SHL, Korn Ferry and Talogy (formerly Cubiks).. Anything we could not confirm is left out. Check the official page before you apply.

Questions
Varies by test. SHL Verify G+ has 30 questions: ten each of numerical reasoning, deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning.
Time
Varies by test. SHL Verify G+ has a 36-minute limit (32 to 36 minutes on average).
Pass mark
Not published by the providers. Providers do not publish cut scores, and the bar for moving forward is set by the hiring company.
Format
Delivered online. Most are multiple choice, and SHL Verify G+ is computer adaptive and designed for unproctored settings. The areas measured vary by test and include numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, checking information, calculation and mechanical comprehension.
Languages
English
When it runs
There are no fixed test dates. Candidates sit the test within the window set by the company they applied to.
Validity and renewal
Not a certification, so the concept of expiry does not apply (how results are handled is up to the hiring company and the provider).

How hard it is

Not published by the providers. Providers do not publish pass rates. SHL Verify G+ is computer adaptive, with the next question determined by whether the previous one was answered correctly, so no benchmark of the form "get this many right to pass" is given. The bar for moving forward is set by the hiring company as its own benchmark.

How long people study

Not published. No official material from a provider giving a standard study time could be confirmed. SHL, Korn Ferry and Talogy all publish free practice tests for candidates; what they officially recommend is not putting in study hours but getting used to the format, the screen and the controls in advance.

Syllabus

  • Numerical reasoning (interpreting charts, tables and statistical data, and making numerical judgements)10 of 30 questions on SHL Verify G+
  • Deductive reasoning (drawing logical conclusions from given information, and judging the strength of arguments)10 of 30 questions on SHL Verify G+
  • Inductive reasoning (identifying rules and patterns in items made up of shapes and symbols only, with no language)10 of 30 questions on SHL Verify G+
  • Verbal reasoning (understanding and interpreting business documents)
  • Checking information (judging whether information in two tables matches)
  • Calculation
  • Mechanical comprehension

Our apps and books for this exam

  • AceTest - Aptitude Prep

    Download on the App Store

Questions people ask

Is an aptitude test a qualification? Do you get a certificate for passing?
It is not a qualification. It is an assessment companies run as part of hiring; there is no single exam body and no certificate. The results go to the company you applied to.
Can I find out in advance whose test I will be taking?
It depends which provider the company you applied to has under contract. You can often tell from the invitation email, or from the logo and URL on the test screen. SHL, Korn Ferry and Talogy all provide free practice tests on their candidate pages, so the reliable approach is to check the format there beforehand.
What percentage do I need to get through?
Providers do not publish cut scores. On adaptive tests such as SHL Verify G+, the difficulty of the next question changes according to whether you answered correctly, so the mechanism is not one that a simple percentage correct can describe.
How is SHL Verify G+ structured?
According to the official fact sheet, it has ten questions each of numerical reasoning, deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning, 30 in total. The time limit is 36 minutes (32 to 36 minutes on average), and it is multiple choice, adaptive, and designed for unproctored settings. The ten inductive reasoning questions use only shapes and symbols, with no language at all.
Can I use my preparation for Japan's SPI directly?
Some parts overlap, such as numerical processing and reading charts and tables, but there are elements SPI does not have: the questions are set in English, there are shape-based inductive reasoning items and checking tasks, and adaptive tests shift in difficulty as you go. Each format needs its own practice.

Sources

These are the pages the figures came from. Some are published in Japanese only, and are marked as such — we keep the original titles rather than translating them, so you can match what you find on the official site. Exam rules change; check the official page before you apply.

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