NUMERICAL & VERBAL REASONING TESTS Verbal & numerical reasoning tests are commonly used by employers for applicants seeking competitive internship and full-time career. Verbal Reasoning This segment consists of a series of passages, each of which is followed by several statements. You are required to evaluate each statement in the light of the passage that precedes it. Subsequently, you must decide whether each statement is “True”, “False” or “Cannot Say Without Additional Details”. Numerical Reasoning You may be asked to answer various questions which are related to a statistical table or chart depicting key facts & figures to which you need to refer. Sometimes, you may be given a series of number sequences, each of which has one number missing which you have to replace from the options given. Verbal and numerical reasoning tests are usually administered over a period of 20-40 minutes. Speed and accuracy are part of the test. Why Companies Reply On Numerical & Verbal Reasoning Tests? To verify applicant’s claims - You have presented yourself in the best possible light, highlighting skill-sets such as excellent communication skills, language proficiency, number crunching abilities, etc. Employers will implement an aptitude test to see many of these skills you actually do have. To sift out the best candidates from a large pool of applicants – Employers will be inundated with hundreds of applications. Aptitude tests will be used to eliminate unsuitable candidates. To minimize subjectivity - As students, you wouldn’t want to be interviewed by indifferent or exhausted interviewers or be rejected because of prejudice of the interviewer. To make the right choice - Employers are assured of placing the right staff for the right positions. The Process At the point of your application (internship/full time career), you are required to complete the verbal & numerical reasoning tests online. Some companies allow you to take the tests at any point in time within a week. This is only the first stage of screening by employers. You will be notified instantly whether you pass or fail the test. If you receive a reply, “Your Application is under Consideration”, it’s good news. Successful candidates will subsequently be invited for a face-to-face interview. Be prepared to re-sit the tests before/after you meet the interview panel. The tests can either the traditional paper-based or online. Employers want to see how you perform in a different environment. Under normal circumstances, the results of both tests shouldn’t differ greatly. Preparation is always valuable. You may be tested for abilities that you have not exercised for a long time. It’s quite possible that your score may not be satisfactory when taking the tests for the first time. Don’t be discouraged. Start preparing the moment you know you have to take the tests. This will boost your confidence and vastly improve your score.

Tips on how to prepare for the tests Feeling calm and confident about taking the tests is a very useful way to improve performance. It is far easier to feel positive if you know you are well prepared for the tests. Avoid negative thoughts that will impede performance. Therefore, discard phrases such as “I hate all these tests”, “I am weak in mathematics”, “lately, my retention power has dropped”, “I never do well under time constraint”, “I may create a mess of it”. Numerical Reasoning

• Ensure that you are familiar with the functions of your calculator. Some employers issue calculators which you have to use for the test. Therefore, be aware of the range of financial/scientific calculators in the market.

• Work within the time constraint. Complete all questions during the actual test – don’t leave

any questions unanswered.

• Read regular financial & business articles which contain plenty of examples of financial data.

• Train yourself to think about numbers – add/subtract prices as you go round shopping, calculate your monthly allowances mentally or using your bills to help you work out percentages and fractions

• Observe graphs and tables in text books, trade journals, newspapers, etc. They are usually presented with a written explanation, which could be this kind of written explanation that you are asked to provide when presented with a chart or a graph as part of the numerical reasoning test.

• Study & understand the company annual reports. Verbal Reasoning

• Look up words you don’t understand is a good start. Get a good dictionary and a thesaurus.

• Build up your vocabulary. Many books and online resources available which would help you to do that. Besides learning new words, make an effort to use them in your daily conversation. This will go a long way to enhance your capability in contextual comprehension. You are not expected to memorize the whole dictionary.

• Develop strong reading habit. Reading extensively is paramount to tackle the tests. Understand whatever you read, especially of newspapers, periodicals and reputed books and novels.

• Don’t be too dependent on your spellchecker – you can end up clicking on a word you didn't intend to use.

• Be aware of the most common spelling errors - you will never believe how irritating these can be to your employer.

• Total clarity in all the rules of English grammar basics – know the differences between verbs (words of action), nouns (objects) and adjectives (words of description). In this way, you will be able to single out similarities, differences and relationships in the test.

Suggested Reference Books You will find the following books useful for your preparation: Susan Hodgson, Brilliant Tactics to Pass Aptitude Tests Peter S. Rhodes, Succeed at Psychometric Testing: Practice Tests for Critical Verbal Reasoning Peter S. Rhodes, Succeed at Psychometric Testing: Practice Tests for Diagrammatic & Abstract Reasoning Moutafi Joan, Perfect Numerical Test Results Mike Bryon, The Verbal Reasoning Test Workbook Heidi Smith, How to Pass Numerical Reasoning Test Suggested Websites

SHL Group is a talent management firm that provides assessment and development solutions to help companies maximize their human resources.

The Group’s website www.shldirect.com offers practical tests such as verbal reasoning; numerical reasoning; inductive reasoning; personality and motivation questionnaires. Candidates are also given advice on how to approach these tests.

Other websites worth exploring include:

1. http://www.careerpsychologycentre.com/solutionsadvanced.html Purchase package online 2. http://testyourself.psychtests.com/ Showcases a variety of free tests; many of them are suitable for career fittings 3. http://www.psychtesting.org.uk/test-registration-and-test-reviews/test-reviews.cfm?frmAction=results&page=results&srchMisc=&srchTest_Name=&srchTest_ShortName=&srchTest_OriginalName=&Field_ContentDomains=&Field_AreaofUse=&SelTest_luPublisher=&StepSize=10&showAll=true Showcases a variety of tests that may be useful, but requires paying. 4. http://www.tests-direct.com/home.html Showcases a variety of tests that may be useful, but requires paying 5. http://morrisby.com/pages/individuals/practicetests.aspx Free practice tests 6. http://www.mensa.org/workout2.php Challenging free tests covering numerical and diagrammatic reasoning and brainteasers 7. http://www.assessmentday.co.uk/ Showcases a variety of tests that may be useful, but requires paying. 8. https://pg.sitebase.net/pg_images/taleo/reasoning_tests/English_-_Practice_Reasoning_Test_-_5.6.08.pdf