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Aptitude and psychometric tests
Math checked Last reviewed 28 September 2026 25 min

Numerical, verbal and logical tests: format and technique

Who uses what, how to prepare, and original practice questions with worked answers.

Firm processes and online tests change from year to year and differ by office. Use this to prepare, and confirm the exact current steps on the firm's own careers page.

Key takeaways

  • Every practice question here is original. The questions teach the question types; none is taken from any firm's or provider's real test.
  • Follow each firm's rules on AI: Bain's official assessment page says AI tools are strictly prohibited during its online test, including recording, screenshots, and any software that transcribes or gives feedback.
  • Find the provider name in your invitation, then look for that provider's official practice or sample questions.
  • Learn the rules of each question type before test day, so you spend your time on questions, not instructions.
  • Know your percentage shortcuts: 10 percent means moving the decimal point one place, 5 percent is half of that, and 15 percent is the two added together.
Last checked: 28 September 2026

Official facts come from the firms' own pages. Reported facts come from candidate accounts, university career centres and prep sites, and they vary by office and recruiting cycle. Your invitation always wins: follow what it says. We re-check this page at least every 90 days.

Many firms start with an aptitude test: timed questions on numbers, short written passages, and patterns, often with a personality or situational judgement section. Common providers include SHL, Korn Ferry (Talent Q), Cappfinity, Sova, TestGorilla and Aon. You need no business knowledge. You need speed, accuracy and calm, and all three improve with practice.

The main question types

  • Numerical reasoning: tables and charts, then percentages, ratios, growth, averages and unit conversions.
  • Verbal reasoning: a short passage, then decide whether a statement is true, false, or cannot be told from the passage.
  • Logical (abstract or inductive) reasoning: find the rule in a sequence of shapes or numbers.
  • Often added: situational judgement (choose the best action in a work scenario) and a personality questionnaire.

Official: what firms say

  • Bain: if a digital assessment is required, you get an email saying whether to complete Sova or TestGorilla. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes and reflects skills such as problem solving, communication and analytical skills. Bain says no preparation is needed for TestGorilla, which must be done in one sitting, and points Sova candidates to Sova's sample questions; Sova can be done in more than one sitting before the deadline. AI tools are strictly prohibited.
  • Bain, timing and materials: in some markets the link arrives within about one week of applying, the deadline is in the email, and you can expect to hear within 60 days of completing it. A pen, paper, and calculator are allowed in the assessment, but calculators are not allowed in later interviews.
  • KPMG United Kingdom (2026-27 intake): a skills assessment (untimed, about 20 minutes) and a cognitive assessment of numerical and logical reasoning (timed, 36 minutes), followed by a video interview of six pre-recorded questions asked by an AI avatar (about 40 minutes).
  • BCG United States: the Consulting Career Assessment takes about 30 to 35 minutes and must be completed within 48 hours of the invitation.
  • EY United Kingdom: the first stage includes a Realistic Job Preview, covering teamwork and learning capability, and a behavioural skills test. EY offers a preparation hub for practice.
  • PwC Central and Eastern Europe: a game-based assessment for students and graduates, played in a browser or the HireVue app. Each game takes about three minutes, so the set takes no more than about 15 minutes.
  • BCG in the Netherlands: an Online Reasoning Test, where you interpret graphs, draw quantitative conclusions and make calculations.

Reported: who uses what (varies by office; confirm with your invitation)

  • BCG: the US Consulting Career Assessment is reported to be built by SHL, with personality sections and a short numerical section. Some European offices are reported to use their own timed cognitive or numerical tests, and details differ between sources.
  • Bain: Sova is reported to be common in European and Middle Eastern offices; TestGorilla appears in others.
  • Oliver Wyman: a timed numerical reasoning test (SHL or Korn Ferry Talent Q, depending on office) plus a values or competency questionnaire; some roles add verbal reasoning.
  • Kearney: a recruitment test of about 40 multiple-choice questions in about 60 minutes, covering numbers, text and business logic; some offices use other formats.
  • Roland Berger: adaptive numerical, verbal and logical tests on Korn Ferry Talent Q.
  • Deloitte UK: an untimed Cappfinity "Immersive Online Assessment" that mixes situational judgement, numerical and verbal questions. Other countries differ.
  • EY: outside the US, EY is reported to use a Cappfinity-built assessment that prep sites call the "EY One Assessment"; EY in the US is reported to use an SHL assessment instead.
  • Accenture: Cappfinity-style assessments and a HireVue video interview in the UK and US; India campus drives are reported to use game-based cognitive, technical and communication rounds.
  • McKinsey: the old paper Problem Solving Test (PST) has been replaced by Solve for most candidates. Treat it as rare; sources disagree on where, if anywhere, it is still used.

Technique that works on any provider

  1. 1Find the provider name in your invitation, then look for that provider's official practice or sample questions.
  2. 2Learn the rules of each question type before test day, so you spend your time on questions, not instructions.
  3. 3Know your percentage shortcuts: 10 percent means moving the decimal point one place, 5 percent is half of that, and 15 percent is the two added together.
  4. 4Check the units and the base in every chart: thousands or millions, per month or per year, and which year a change is measured from.
  5. 5Estimate first, then calculate. If the answer options are far apart, a rough answer is enough.
  6. 6Watch the clock. If a question takes about twice your average time, choose your best guess and move on, unless the instructions say wrong answers lose marks.
  7. 7For verbal "cannot say" questions, use only the passage, never your own knowledge.
  8. 8For personality sections, answer honestly and consistently.

Practice questions (original, written for this platform)

Timed math drill

A company's revenue grew from 240 million to 276 million in one year. What was the growth rate, in percent?

Timed math drill

Region North sold 36,000 units out of a company total of 120,000 units. What share of units did North sell, in percent?

Timed math drill

Sales grow 10 percent in year one and 20 percent in year two. What is the total growth over the two years, in percent?

Timed math drill

Sixty percent of a firm's sales come from Product A at a 20 percent margin, and forty percent from Product B at a 35 percent margin. What is the overall margin, in percent?

Timed math drill

A shipment of 1,200 units costs 18,000 euros. What is the cost per unit, in euros?

Timed math drill

Logical reasoning: what number comes next in the sequence 3, 6, 12, 24, ...?

Check your understanding

Verbal reasoning. Passage: "A regional bus company added 12 electric buses in 2025. The company says running costs per kilometre fell after the change. It has not published passenger numbers." Statement: "Passenger numbers rose in 2025 because of the electric buses." Is the statement true, false, or cannot say?

Follow each firm's rules on AI

Bain's official assessment page says AI tools are strictly prohibited during its online test, including recording, screenshots, and any software that transcribes or gives feedback. Meanwhile, some firms now pilot interviews where you are asked to use an AI tool the firm provides. Read every invitation closely, and use outside AI help only when the firm clearly allows it.

The honest line

Every practice question here is original. The questions teach the question types; none is taken from any firm's or provider's real test. So What Club is not affiliated with or endorsed by any firm or test provider named here.

Sources, official first (checked 28 September 2026)

  • Bain careers, digital assessment (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/hiring-process/digital-assessment/
  • BCG careers, United States Associate opportunities (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/on-campus/united-states-associate-job-opportunities
  • KPMG UK, graduate application process (official): https://www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/graduate/applying-to-kpmg/application-process/
  • EY UK students, application process (official): https://www.ey.com/en_uk/careers/students/application-process
  • PwC Central and Eastern Europe, game-based assessment (official): https://jobs-cee.pwc.com/ce/en/game-based-assessment-for-students-graduates
  • MyConsultingCoach, BCG CCA guide: https://www.myconsultingcoach.com/bcg-cca
  • MyConsultingCoach, BCG online assessments 2026 (updated 11 July 2026): https://www.myconsultingcoach.com/bcg-online-assessment-2026
  • StrategyCase, Bain SOVA test: https://strategycase.com/bain-sova-test/
  • GraduatesFirst, Oliver Wyman numerical test: https://www.graduatesfirst.com/oliver-wyman-numerical-test
  • Hacking the Case Interview, Kearney recruitment test: https://www.hackingthecaseinterview.com/pages/kearney-recruitment-test
  • Hacking the Case Interview, Roland Berger online assessment: https://www.hackingthecaseinterview.com/pages/roland-berger-online-assessment
  • JobTestPrep UK, Deloitte immersive online assessment: https://www.jobtestprep.co.uk/deloitte-aptitude
  • Hacking the Case Interview, EY online assessment: https://www.hackingthecaseinterview.com/pages/ey-online-assessment
  • JobTestPrep UK, EY One Assessment: https://www.jobtestprep.co.uk/ey-one-assessment
  • BCG careers, application process at BCG in the Netherlands (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/the-netherlands
  • GraduatesFirst, Accenture recruitment process: https://www.graduatesfirst.com/accenture-assessment-tests
  • MConsultingPrep, McKinsey Solve 2026 overview: https://mconsultingprep.com/mckinsey-problem-solving-game-digital-assessment
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