Numerical reasoning at graduate employers: what each one actually says

Read across the employer pages and numerical tests fall into four shapes. The first is the untimed, adaptive test, which the Civil Service describes: questions based on tables and graphs, a calculator allowed, no clock, and a percentile result. The second is the single tight block, such as KPMG's 36-minute cognitive test shared between numerical and logical reasoning, or EY's numerical test, which its own guide gives as 12 questions.

The third shape is the numerical question inside a scenario. Zurich UK sets numerical skills inside fictitious work scenarios, and HSBC builds questions around graphs, data tables and mock emails. The fourth is the pass-mark gate: BAE Systems says graduates must meet a pass mark on a numerical and a verbal test, marked automatically.

Knowing which shape you face changes how you practise. For the first, you can take your time and aim for accuracy. For the second, you need pace. For the third, you need to say what a number means, not only work it out. For the fourth, you need to be safely above a bar you cannot see.

When employers list what a numerical test involves, the same handful of operations keep appearing. EY says its test covers currency, percentages and ratios. The Civil Service pages describe pulling the right figures from a table or graph, then working out a percentage, ratio, difference or average. Lloyds says you review data and answer questions that require you to interpret it. None of them mention advanced mathematics.

That is good news for preparation, because the ceiling is low and the floor is accuracy. A person who can compute a percentage change, share a total by a ratio and read a stacked bar without mistaking the axis will be fine on almost any of these tests. The risk is not difficulty. It is arriving without having done a single question against a clock.

Only some employers state a time. KPMG says 36 minutes for the cognitive test. EY's guide says 20 to 30 minutes while its FAQ says 20. TCS gives 25 minutes for the Numerical Ability part of its Foundation test. Rolls-Royce says its three graduate assessments together should take no more than 30 to 35 minutes, and HCLTech's page gives about 90 minutes for a cognitive test that covers numerical, verbal and reasoning ability.

Several others, including Lloyds, Network Rail and Aviva, give no time on the pages we read. A missing time does not mean no clock. It means you will learn the clock from your invitation, so practise as if there is one. Our assessment lengths guide collects every stated time in one table.

The Civil Service says a calculator is allowed. EY's materials give conflicting advice on calculators. Infosys's certification guidelines say calculators are not allowed. Most employers say nothing, which means you should read your invitation, and if it is silent, have both a calculator and paper to hand and ask the recruiter what is permitted.

The better habit is to be able to do without. If you can estimate that 18 per cent of 240 is just over 40 before touching a keypad, you catch keying errors and you survive a rule you did not expect.

Day one: take the free reasoning test above untimed to the end, then mark where you lost time. Days two to four: work through the numerical reasoning questions page one formula at a time, which are percentage change, ratios and shares, and averages. Day five: a second full sitting against the clock. Day six: review only the questions you got wrong. Day seven: rest, then a short mixed set.

If you want a full course rather than a plan you build yourself, the Reasoning Pass Pack is £29 (US$39) for this exam, or £49 (US$59) for all five exams we cover. It adds timed mocks, topic drills, a score predictor and a study plan, for one payment and no subscription. Our how to pass reasoning tests guide is free and covers the same formulas.

Apart from BAE Systems' statement that a pass mark exists, and Standard Chartered's statement that a score is compared with a level set in advance, the employers on this list do not publish the mark that decides your result. They do not publish question counts for most tests either, and they do not say which group your score is compared with. Be wary of any site that does.

Our good reasoning test score page explains what the ranges candidates report really mean and why you should not treat them as pass marks.