Arup tests personality, numbers and logic in three short assessments. Your region changes the mix

Arup says its UK and Ireland graduate assessment is three short assessments covering personality plus timed numerical and logical reasoning. Our reasoning test covers numerical data questions, and the CCAT practice test covers the logic half with number series and deduction.

Arup does not publish question counts, times or the test provider on the pages we read. The Americas and Asia Pacific routes name different tests: behaviours, logical reasoning and critical thinking. Which region you apply in matters more than any general advice.

For UK and Ireland graduates, Arup says the online assessment is three short assessments: personality, numerical reasoning and logical reasoning, with the reasoning tests timed. The word short applies to each, which suggests a rhythm of quick switches between different tasks.

That rhythm is its own challenge. The brain takes a minute to settle into any new task, and a short timed test punishes slow settling. Practise switching on purpose: do ten minutes of numerical questions, then ten minutes of logic, with no break between them.

For the numerical half, the free reasoning test above gives you 25 table and chart questions. The method pages, numerical reasoning questions, cover percentage change, ratios and reading charts accurately.

For the logical half, Arup does not describe the format, so train the general skill of finding a rule. The CCAT practice test includes number series, deduction and shape sequences. Ten minutes a day on those for a week gives most people a noticeable gain.

Arup recommends completing the assessments in a quiet space free from distractions. That sounds obvious, but with timed tests the cost of an interruption is the test. Switch off notifications, tell housemates, and plug in your laptop.

If you are applying from a shared or noisy home, ask a university careers service about a booked room. Many offer one for exactly this purpose.

The UK and Ireland assessment centre is online and has three parts: an interview, a technical exercise and a case study exercise. Arup says it aims to tell you the outcome within two weeks.

For the technical exercise, revise the fundamentals of your discipline rather than advanced topics. For the case study, practise reading a short brief and laying out a structured response: the problem as you see it, two or three options, a recommendation and the main risk.

Arup's Americas page describes three assessments covering behaviours, logical reasoning and critical thinking, then a resume review and a 90-minute virtual interview. The Asia Pacific route mirrors that structure. Some of those pages are older, and one FAQ mentioned 2018 dates.

If you are outside the UK and Ireland, read your region's page and treat the UK numerical and personality description as background only.