Numerical reasoning test: Online skills assessment to screen and hire the best candidates

Use our Numerical reasoning test to hire the best

This numerical reasoning test evaluates candidates’ general aptitude with numbers and their skill in interpreting them for a wide range of applications. This test will help you identify candidates with strong numerical skills.

Covered skills

Interpreting numbers, fractions, percentages
Understanding number patterns
Interpreting text and tables
Interpreting charts, graphs and diagrams

Use the Numerical reasoning test to hire

Any role in which numerical aptitude is important, especially if it involves dealing with financials (budgets, forecasts, business cases, etc.) or interpreting and developing (number-heavy) spreadsheets.

Type

Cognitive ability

Time

10 min

Languages

English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese (Brazil)

Level

Intermediate

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About the Numerical reasoning test

As more business processes become all the more digitized, the ability to read graphs, analyze data, identify patterns, monitor figures, and draw conclusions for numerical datasets becomes all the more important. From finances to marketing, and from product development to customer success, nearly every department of the modern organization deals with numbers, data, and analytics.

The numerical reasoning test assesses candidates’ ability to reason from numbers through tasks that ask them to interpret numbers, fractions, and percentages, identify number patterns, and tables, charts, graphs, and diagrams. Candidates have to perform several operations on the data to arrive at the right answer.

Candidates who perform well on this test have a strong numerical aptitude. They can perform a wide variety of calculations and use numbers to solve problems, read patterns, and predict trends.

The test is made by a subject-matter expert

Anirban C.

The global IT industry has benefited from Anirban’s talents for over two decades. With a flawless reputation that precedes him, Anirban has earned a status as a sought-after agile project manager and consultant. He’s worked internationally as a Senior Project Manager with companies such as Ericsson, IBM, and T-Mobile.

Anirban’s love for learning helps him keep his skills sharp. He holds an MBA and a degree in engineering, is a certified Scrum Master, and has certifications in Prince2 and ITIL.

Crafted with expert knowledge

TestGorilla’s tests are created by subject matter experts. We assess potential subject-matter experts based on their knowledge, ability, and reputation. Before being published, each test is peer-reviewed by another expert, then calibrated using hundreds of test takers with relevant experience in the subject. Our feedback mechanisms and unique algorithms allow our subject-matter experts to constantly improve their tests.

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Watch how you can use the Numerical reasoning test

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View a sample report

The Numerical reasoning test will be included in a PDF report along with the other tests from your assessment. You can easily download and share this report with colleagues and candidates.

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How you can use numerical reasoning in the workplace

Your candidates will use numerical skills to solve problems presented in the test. These problems are things that applicants will likely face and need to solve at work.

Reading graphs, analyzing data, interpreting charts, and making observations from data are all daily tasks that require numerical-reasoning skills. Given the digital transformation that many businesses have undergone in the past decade, the tasks mentioned above have become part of many functions.

However, some core roles demand particularly strong numerical-reasoning skills:

• Accounting: Accountants have to look at the data presented to them, solve problems, and extract insights using their numerical skills. A great accountant will be detail-oriented and will have good numerical-reasoning skills.

• Architecture: Architects have to solve numerical problems on a daily basis. From drawing patterns in the correct scale to making calculations regarding their designs, they will need to use numerical-reasoning skills to excel in the role.

• Engineering: As with architecture, candidates applying for engineering roles will have to solve numerical problems every day. They will need to read designs to create and build complex systems, whether in software or related to building.

• Banking: When it comes to the banking sector, the candidate will have to spot numerical patterns in data to solve problems and predict future trends.

• Sales: Salespeople work with clients, communicating the company’s products and services. They have to be able to close sales and to do so, they need to deal with percentages, ratios, and data manipulation.

• Marketing: Marketing team members will need to work on campaigns with different segments, such as PPC marketing and Google Ads. To do so, they must know how to calculate ratios, multiply, divide, and subtract to figure out the effectiveness of their campaigns.

Why a Numerical Reasoning test is important

When searching for the perfect candidate in today’s job market, you need all the help you can get. One way to make the recruitment process more effective is to give your candidates a numerical-reasoning test.

A numerical test helps you find a qualified candidate even before you start interviewing, so including this test in your hiring process will increase your odds of success. Let’s see what a numerical test does.

A numerical-reasoning test is different from a math test. Numerical-reasoning tests measure the candidate’s ability to interpret numerical information correctly, while math tests assess the applicant's math knowledge.

Our test will help you find a candidate who is skilled at

• Interpreting numbers, fractions, and percentages
• Pattern recognition when it comes to numbers
• Understanding tables, charts, graphs, and diagrams

Numerical reasoning is all about correctly solving problems that employees will deal with at work on a daily basis. This is especially important for roles that deal with finances, spreadsheets, and business-case forecasts.

Numerical-reasoning test types

There are four types of questions a candidate will have to deal with when it comes to a numerical-reasoning test.

• Numerical computation: Questions about numerical computation will test the candidate’s arithmetic operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, averages, percentages and ratios.

• Numerical estimation: Numerical estimation relates to how candidates deal with numerical problems quickly. Answering the questions that test numerical estimation is about combining speed and accuracy, so candidates will have to be OK with a little bit of stress.

• Numerical reasoning: When it comes to numerical-reasoning questions, candidates receive some data and have to figure out the method to solve the problem and find the solution.

• Data interpretation: Data-interpretation questions require candidates to interpret data and analyze line graphs, charts, and tables to solve problems and come up with answers.

How can the Numerical Reasoning test help recruiters hire?

When searching for the perfect candidate for your role, you should send all candidates a pre-employment test to evaluate their numerical-reasoning skills. Of the many benefits that pre-employment assessments offer, here are just a few:

Simple and easy to use: Anyone can administer our pre-employment tests, and they are also a scalable solution because no matter how many applicants you have, all you need to do is send the test to your candidates with a single click.

• No more CV screening: Using our pre-employment tests removes the need to judge candidates on their resumes. Pre-employment assessments produce accurate, accessible, and clear results, whereas CV screening will only give you a headache when you have to sift through 200 applicants for a single role.

• Objective scoring: All your applicants take the same pre-employment test, and you receive the numerical results when they have finished. Each candidate is graded, so you can easily compare them to see who performed best. Since all candidates complete the same test with the same questions, the testing process is objective.

• Bias-free hiring: When you send your candidates TestGorilla’s pre-employment Numerical Reasoning test, you are giving them an opportunity to be evaluated objectively on their skills. This stands in contrast to CV screening, which can introduce unconscious bias. Our pre-employment tests remove bias from the hiring process.

In summary

Having a candidate with great numerical-reasoning skills is a must for many roles, so you should use all the tools at your disposal during the recruitment process to ensure you choose the right candidate. The Numerical Reasoning test is a great way to evaluate applicants and find the perfect candidate.

FAQs

What is the difference between an assessment and a test?

An assessment is the total package of tests and custom questions that you put together to evaluate your candidates. Each individual test within an assessment is designed to test something specific, such as a job skill or language. An assessment can consist of up to 5 tests and 20 custom questions. You can have candidates respond to your custom questions in several ways, such as with a personalized video.

Can I add my own questions to an assessment?

Yes! Custom questions are great for testing candidates in your own unique way. We support the following question types: video, multiple-choice, coding, file upload, and essay. Besides adding your own custom questions, you can also create your own tests.

How do video questions work?

A video question is a specific type of custom question you can add to your assessment. Video questions let you create a question and have your candidates use their webcam to record a video response. This is an excellent way to see how a candidate would conduct themselves in a live interview, and is especially useful for sales and hospitality roles. Some good examples of things to ask for video questions would be "Why do you want to work for our company?" or "Try to sell me an item you have on your desk right now." You can learn more about video questions here.

Can you explain how the other custom question types work?

Besides video questions, you can also add the following types of custom questions: multiple-choice, coding, file upload, and essay. Multiple-choice lets your candidates choose from a list of answers that you provide, coding lets you create a coding problem for them to solve, file upload allows your candidates to upload a file that you request (such as a resume or portfolio), and essay allows an open-ended text response to your question. You can learn more about different custom question types here.

Can I customize an assessment with my company logo and color theme?

Yes! You can add your own logo and company color theme to your assessments. This is a great way to leave a positive and lasting brand impression on your candidates.

What type of support do you offer?

Our team is always here to help. After you sign up, we’ll reach out to guide you through the first steps of setting up your TestGorilla account. If you have any further questions, you can contact our support team via email, chat or call. We also offer detailed guides in our extensive Help & Inspiration Center.

What is the cost for using the Numerical reasoning test?

You can find our pricing packages here. Sign up here to try TestGorilla today.

Can I combine the Numerical reasoning test with other tests?

Yes. You can add up to five tests to each assessment.

Where in my recruitment process should I use the Numerical reasoning test?

We recommend using our assessment software as a pre-screening tool at the beginning of your recruitment process. You can add a link to the assessment in your job post or directly invite candidates by email. TestGorilla replaces traditional CV screening with a much more reliable and efficient process, designed to find the most skilled candidates earlier and faster.

What are the main cognitive ability tests?

We offer the following cognitive ability tests: Numerical Reasoning, Problem Solving, Attention to Detail, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Thinking.

Which cognitive ability test should I add to my assessment?

Our cognitive ability tests allow you to test for skills that are difficult to evaluate in an interview. Check out our blog on why these tests are so useful and how to choose the best one for your assessment.

Numerical reasoning