How our reasoning practice test is built and scored
Graduate employers screen with numerical and verbal reasoning tests and score you against a group they choose. Our practice test gives you both halves in that style. Here is how the questions are made and why we show your result the way we do.
By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Reviewed · Take the Reasoning practice test
The real test and ours
The real Reasoning[1]
- Format
- Tables and charts of business data; passages with True, False or Cannot say statements
- Score
- A percentile against a norm group the employer chooses
- Pass mark
- Set by each employer and rarely published
Our practice test
- Questions and time
- 50 questions in 45 minutes (about 54 seconds each)
- Sections
- Numerical reasoning, Verbal reasoning
- Full practice tests
- 6, with no hand-written question repeated between them
- Topic drills
- 4 sets of 12 questions for each section
- Per test
- 25 hand-written and 25 generated questions
- Official?
- No. LifeScore is not affiliated with SHL or any test publisher.
What it is, and what it is not
What it is
- 25 numerical questions on tables, then 25 verbal True, False or Cannot say questions
- Your percentage right, and the ranges candidates report for screening rounds
- Original questions in the style of graduate tests
What it is not
- An SHL test, or connected to SHL or any test publisher
- Scored against an employer's norm group
- A guarantee of passing any employer's screen
How the questions are made and checked
| Question type | Per test | How it is made |
|---|---|---|
| Numerical reasoning (tables) | 25 | Generated, answer computed |
| Verbal reasoning (True, False, Cannot say) | 25 | Hand-written (bank of 170) |
Every numerical question is generated from a table of made-up business data, and the answer is calculated by the code from the same table, so the key and the table cannot disagree.
The verbal passages and statements were drafted with the help of AI writing tools. The first 90 passages were independently re-checked by a second pass that confirmed each True, False or Cannot say answer and every number in it.
Each practice test is 50 questions, ordered from easy to hard. The same test always has the same questions. Hand-written questions are dealt out so that no hand-written question appears in two different full practice tests.
Found a question with two right answers, or a wrong key? Tell us and we will fix it and log the fix in the change log.
How your score is estimated
Real reasoning tests turn your raw score into a percentile against a comparison group, such as graduates applying for finance roles. The same raw score can be the 40th percentile against one group and the 70th against another, so there is no universal pass mark.
So the result leads with your percentage right and the ranges candidates commonly report for getting through a first-round screen (about 60% right), a competitive graduate scheme (about 70%) and a strong result (about 80%). These ranges are what candidates report, not employer data.[1]
| Right answers | Score | Ahead of candidates |
|---|---|---|
| 10 of 50 | 20% right | 4% |
| 15 of 50 | 30% right | 8% |
| 20 of 50 | 40% right | 18% |
| 25 of 50 | 50% right | 36% |
| 30 of 50 | 60% right | 54% |
| 35 of 50 | 70% right | 74% |
| 40 of 50 | 80% right | 89% |
| 45 of 50 | 90% right | 98% |
| 50 of 50 | 100% right | 99%+ |
What the estimate assumes
- Score shown
- Percentage right out of 50
- Reported ranges
- About 60%, 70% and 80% right, as candidates commonly report
- Middle of candidates (for the percentile)
- 29 of 50 right (58%), our assumption for graduate candidates
- Our questions vs the real ones
- Assumed similar in difficulty. Not tested against real results
Limits worth knowing
- No employer norm group sits behind the result. Use it to find whether numbers or words cost you more, not to predict a pass.
- Real tests are often shorter and timed per section; ours gives you 45 minutes for all 50 questions.
- Abstract, inductive and situational judgement tests are not covered yet.
Version history
More practice tests
14 October 2026Six full practice tests in total, with 80 more verbal reasoning statements.Launched
10 October 202650-question numerical and verbal practice test with section scores.
See where you stand before test day.
50 questions, 45 minutes, scored exactly as this page describes. Your score shows the moment you finish.
References
- 1.American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education (2014). Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. AERA (open access edition, 2021). testingstandards.net
How we choose sources is in our editorial policy. Every source we cite is on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.