Purpose: This test is an excellent measure of basic numerical reasoning ability. The Numerical Reasoning Test measures the degree to which people can work comfortably with quantitative concepts.
When to use it: Use this test in situations where people need to think through math problems on the job: for example sales people who have to think through quotes in their head as they talk to a customer, or customer service people who need to quickly calculate the cost of a set of services that have been tailored to that individual request, or accountants / banking people who need to be very agile in computing large sets of numbers, as well as quick to spot errors, and sharp about looking for causes of imbalances.
High Scorers: People scoring high on the Numerical Reasoning Test handle their responsibilities for quantitative tasks quickly, easily and with a minimum of errors.
Low Scorers: People scoring low on the Numerical Reasoning Test have a harder time thinking through quantitative problems than do people with higher scores. They do not spot inaccuracies very quickly and they do not reason through the causes of problems in the dataset as quickly as others.
Target Group: We often recommend using this test for accounting personnel, finance clerks, estimators, buyers, bank tellers, loan officers, field sales people, managers and supervisors.
Number of items: 24
Time Limits: 6 minutes
Validity: In several empirical studies, this test was significantly correlated r=.28 with teamwork, r=.30 with task performance, and r=.29 with overall performance in a number of entry-level jobs. We were able to demonstrate that performing well on this test predicted success in managerial roles when scoring more than the 60th percentile produced a group that was 300% more likely to survive the first year on the job.
Sample Items: In this test, candidates are presented with a series of numbers. Each series of numbers is followed by a question mark, because the last number is missing. They have to figure out what sort of pattern exists in the series of numbers and what number would most logically appear next in the series. Rather than choose from a set of possible answers, the candidate has to write a number on the answer sheet.
Explanation for the Item:
1 3 6 8 11 ? Here, the pattern is +2, +3 repeated across the series. 1 + 2 = 3, then 3 + 3 = 6, then 6 + 2 = 8, then 8 + 3 = 11. So, the correct answer is 11 + 2 = 13.
21 18 15 12 ? Each number is three less than the previous one. In other words, the numbers go down by 3 every time. So, the correct answer is 12 - 3 = 9.
1 2 4 7 11 ? Here the pattern is to always increase by one more than you did the previous time. So, the pattern is +1 , +2, +3, +4. That would make the correct answer 11 + 5 = 16.
