SHL numerical reasoning test: free practice

SHL's own fact sheets give its numerical tests as at most 10 questions in 18 minutes (Verify Interactive Numerical Reasoning) or at most 16 in 20 (Verify Numerical Ability), both adaptive. Each question is a table or chart of business data and one calculation. This free practice set is 12 original questions in 15 minutes, the same 75 seconds each as Numerical Ability.

Last checked

  • 12

    questions

  • 15 min

    time limit

  • Free

    score and answers

No sign-up. Every answer is explained at the end.

By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated · How we check facts · How the questions are made

How many questions are on an SHL numerical test, and how long is it?

It depends on the product named in your invitation. SHL's fact sheets give at most 10 questions in 18 minutes for Verify Interactive Numerical Reasoning and at most 16 in 20 for Verify Numerical Ability. Both adapt to your answers, so the questions get harder as you get them right.

Verify Interactive G+ is a different test: at most 24 questions in 36 minutes mixing numerical, deductive and inductive reasoning, with a score for each and an overall one.

SHL's published limits, with where each fact comes from
Verify Interactive Numerical ReasoningAt most 10 questions in 18 minutes; adaptive, interactive formatPublished by the ownerSHL, "Verify Interactive Numerical Reasoning" product fact sheet (PDF)
Verify Numerical AbilityAt most 16 questions in 20 minutes; multiple choice, adaptivePublished by the ownerSHL, "Verify Numerical Ability Test" fact sheet (PDF)
Verify Interactive G+At most 24 questions in 36 minutes across deductive, inductive and numerical reasoningPublished by the ownerSHL, "Verify Interactive G+" fact sheet (PDF)
How the score is reportedA percentile against a comparison group, plus standardised scores such as a T-score (mean 50, standard deviation 10)ReportedSHL, sample "Verify Ability Test Report" (verbal ability, PDF)
CalculatorNot stated in anything we could read. Check the instructions in your invitation for the product named thereReported
Pass markNone from SHL: the employer chooses its own cut-off, and rarely publishes itReported

How long do you get per SHL numerical question?

About 75 seconds on Verify Numerical Ability and 108 on Verify Interactive Numerical Reasoning. That is generous next to a verbal question, because each one needs you to find the right cells and calculate. On an adaptive test, the later questions are harder, so do not spend the early time you will need then.

Our arithmetic: minutes × 60 ÷ questions, from the published limits.
TestQuestions and timeSeconds a question
SHL Verify Interactive Numerical Reasoning10 in 18 min108 s
SHL Verify Numerical Ability16 in 20 min75 s
SHL Verify Verbal Reasoning30 in 19 min38 s
SHL Verify Interactive G+24 in 36 min90 s
Our practice test50 in 45 min54 s on average (70 s numerical, 38 s verbal)

What question types come up on SHL numerical tests?

Almost every table question is one of six calculations. Name the type before you touch the calculator; most wrong answers are the right arithmetic on the wrong cells, or the right cells in the wrong formula.

Our guidance. The practice set above has two of each type.

  1. Percent change

    Working: (new - old) / old x 100

    The usual slip: Dividing by the new figure. The base is always where you started.

  2. Share of a total

    Working: part / total x 100

    The usual slip: Forgetting to add the whole column first.

  3. Currency conversion

    Working: Pounds x the rate given for £1

    The usual slip: Dividing by the rate, which converts the other way.

  4. Ratio

    Working: Divide both by their highest common factor, in the order the question names them

    The usual slip: Flipping the order of the two parts.

  5. Growth projection

    Working: Value x (1 + rate) for each year, so two years is x (1 + rate) x (1 + rate)

    The usual slip: Adding the rate twice instead of compounding it.

  6. Rate comparison

    Working: Divide each row, such as sales / staff, then compare

    The usual slip: Picking the row with the biggest total instead of the biggest rate.

What do SHL-style numerical questions look like?

One worked example of each type, with the arithmetic shown. The free test above draws a new set of tables every time you start.

Example 1 · Currency conversion

Event budget (£). Exchange rates are given for £1. The printing supplier invoices in euros. How much is the printing cost in euros, to the nearest whole unit?

ItemCost (£)
Printing£6,800
Travel£2,400
Catering£3,300
£1 = euros1.16
£1 = Swiss francs1.12
  • A. €6,800
  • B. €8,677
  • C. €5,862
  • D. €7,616
  • E. €7,888
Answer E. The rate is per £1, so multiply to go from pounds to euros: £6,800 × 1.16 = €7,888. Dividing would convert the other way.

Example 2 · Percent change

Belmont Software: sales by region (£ thousands). By what percentage did South sales change from 2024 to 2025? Give your answer to one decimal place.

Region20242025
London810907
Scotland530588
Midlands390343
South420399
  • A. −2.5%
  • B. −5.3%
  • C. −7.5%
  • D. −5.0%
  • E. +5.0%
Answer D. Change ÷ old value × 100. South: (399 − 420) ÷ 420 × 100 = −5.0%. Dividing by the new value (399) instead is the usual slip.

Example 3 · Share of total

Greyfield Travel: sales by region (£ thousands). What percentage of the company's total 2025 sales came from London? Give your answer to one decimal place.

Region20242025
Scotland180149
North590702
London850731
Midlands430546
  • A. 41.5%
  • B. 52.3%
  • C. 37.4%
  • D. 34.4%
  • E. 25.0%
Answer D. Add the 2025 column for the total: 2,128. Then 731 ÷ 2,128 × 100 = 34.4%. Check you are reading the 2025 column, not 2024.

Example 4 · Projection

Greyfield Travel: sales by region (£ thousands). If North sales grow by 8% a year from their 2025 level, what will they be in 2027, to the nearest £ thousand?

Region20242025
Scotland610763
West820902
North8401,126
  • A. 980
  • B. 1,216
  • C. 1,418
  • D. 1,306
  • E. 1,313
Answer E. Growth compounds: 1,126 × 1.08 × 1.08 = 1,313. Adding 16% once (1,306) ignores the growth on the first year's growth.

Example 5 · Rate comparison

Sales (£ thousands) and staff by office, 2025. Which office had the highest sales per member of staff?

OfficeSales (£k)Staff
York1,87059
Cardiff3,56050
Bristol3,10029
Norwich1,20044
  • A. York
  • B. Cardiff
  • C. Bristol
  • D. Norwich
Answer C. Divide sales by staff for each office: York 31.7, Cardiff 71.2, Bristol 106.9, Norwich 27.3 (£k a head). Bristol is highest. Cardiff has the largest total, which is the trap.

Example 6 · Ratio

Head office staff by department. What is the ratio of Operations staff to Sales staff, in its simplest form?

DepartmentStaff
Operations52
Sales39
Marketing44
Finance133
  • A. 3:2
  • B. 5:3
  • C. 4:3
  • D. 13:11
  • E. 3:4
Answer C. Operations : Sales = 52 : 39. Both divide by 13, giving 4:3. Keep the order the question asks for.

Ready for full-length timed mocks?

Twelve questions show you the question types. A run of full mocks shows whether you can hold the pace for a whole test.

The Reasoning Pass Pack gives you 6 full mocks on the real clock, 8 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

The Reasoning Pass Pack is 396 questions: 6 timed mocks of 25 numerical and 25 verbal, plus 8 topic drills. Multiple choice, like this set; it does not copy the activity-based format of SHL's interactive test.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The Reasoning Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the Reasoning Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked
6
timed mocks
8
topic drills
1
score predictor

Can you use a calculator on an SHL numerical test?

SHL's calculator rule is not stated in anything we could read, so check the instructions for the product in your invitation. The UK Civil Service numerical test, which is a different, untimed test, does allow one.

Practise with a calculator anyway, because the figures are awkward, but estimate first: if your answer is ten times the estimate, a decimal point has slipped.

Is the Civil Service numerical test an SHL test?

It is a separate test with its own rules: untimed, adaptive, calculator allowed, and you cannot skip or go back. The question styles are close enough that the practice here helps.

The UK Civil Service tests, from its own guide for candidates
TimingNot timed: your score does not depend on how long you take. Most people take 15 to 45 minutes, and GOV.UK suggests setting aside an hourPublished by the ownerGOV.UK, "Preparing for the Civil Service Verbal and Numerical tests"
AdaptiveA correct answer brings a harder next question and a wrong one an easier one, so the number of questions variesPublished by the ownerUK Civil Service, "Verbal and numerical reasoning tests: a guide for candidates" (PDF)
CalculatorAllowed in the numerical testPublished by the ownerUK Civil Service, "Verbal and numerical reasoning tests: frequently asked questions" (PDF)
Skipping and going backYou must answer every question and cannot skip or returnPublished by the ownerGOV.UK, "Preparing for the Civil Service Verbal and Numerical tests"
Verbal formatA passage, then a statement to mark true, false or cannot say from the passage alonePublished by the ownerGOV.UK, "Preparing for the Civil Service Verbal and Numerical tests"
How you are scoredCompared with a norm group of people who took the same test, to give a percentile: a 44 means you did better than 44% of the groupPublished by the ownerUK Civil Service, "Verbal and numerical reasoning tests: a guide for candidates" (PDF)
Pass markNot fixed in advance: after the deadline the recruiter sees every applicant's score and sets it, weighing the places available at the next stage and the effect on protected groupsPublished by the ownerUK Civil Service, "Verbal and numerical reasoning tests: a guide for candidates" (PDF)
Retakes and bankingYou can retake in a later application; a pass at the minimum standard set in Civil Service Jobs is banked for six monthsPublished by the ownerUK Civil Service, "Verbal and numerical reasoning tests: a guide for candidates" (PDF)

How do I go from this set to the full test?

Take two or three of the free sets until the six types are automatic, then sit the full 50-question reasoning test, which adds 25 verbal passages on a 45-minute clock and gives an estimated percentile.

If your invitation has a verbal test too, practise the SHL verbal reasoning test. The SHL reasoning tests hub sets every product side by side.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the SHL numerical reasoning test?

SHL's fact sheets give at most 10 for Verify Interactive Numerical Reasoning (in 18 minutes) and at most 16 for Verify Numerical Ability (in 20). Older products had other limits, so check the name in your invitation.

Is the SHL numerical test hard?

The maths is school level: percentages, ratios, conversions and growth. The difficulty is the time and the reading: finding the right figures in a dense table, quickly, on an adaptive test that gets harder as you go.

How is the SHL numerical test scored?

As a percentile against a comparison group the employer chooses, with standardised scores such as a T-score. The employer sets the cut-off and rarely publishes it.

Are these real SHL questions?

No. Every question is generated by our code from invented data. The question types and the pace follow the published format.

Is this practice free?

Yes, with no sign-up, and every start draws new tables. The Reasoning Pass Pack adds full timed mocks and drills if you want more.

Practising for a specific employer?

LifeScore is not affiliated with SHL. SHL and Verify are trademarks of SHL. Every question here is generated by our own code from invented data; none is an SHL question, and our score is not an SHL score. Reviewed 12 November 2026 by the LifeScore Editorial Team.