As a recruiter operating in South Africa’s competitive hiring landscape, understanding and practising numerical, verbal and logical reasoning tests is essential — whether you’re shortlisting graduates for a bank graduate programme, designing assessment-centre batteries, or interpreting candidate psychometric feedback. This guide gives practical, free strategies, sample practice plans and recruiter-focused insights to improve test selection, administration and candidate evaluation.
Why recruiters must master these tests
- Design better shortlists: Knowing item difficulty and time pressure helps predict candidate performance and reduce false negatives.
- Interpret results accurately: Contextual interpretation prevents overreliance on raw scores — see our guide on Interpreting Psychometric Feedback in South Africa: What Scores Mean to Employers.
- Run effective assessment centres: Align psychometric tasks with in-centre exercises; cross-reference with the Assessment Centre Day Playbook.
Quick overview: Test types, what they measure and how employers use them
| Test Type | What it measures | Typical item style | Time pressure | Common SA usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numerical Reasoning | Data interpretation, basic maths, business numeracy | Tables, charts, word problems | High — 60–120s per item | Banks, finance roles, graduate programmes |
| Verbal Reasoning | Comprehension, critical reasoning, written communication | Short passages + true/false/infer/choose best conclusion | Medium — 60–90s per item | Legal, HR, client-facing roles |
| Logical (Diagrammatic) Reasoning | Pattern recognition, abstract problem solving | Sequences, matrices, shape analogies | High — 30–90s per item | Consulting, analytics, technical selection |
(Use these mappings when you decide which tests to include in a selection battery.)
Free practice strategies recruiters can use (and recommend to candidates)
- Start with diagnostic testing
- Take or send a free timed mini-test (10–15 items) to establish baseline levels. This identifies candidate groups who need further selection steps (e.g., interviews or assessment centres).
- Simulate exact timing
- Replicate real test timings and interface. Many candidates fail because they haven’t practised under time pressure — see our Time Management Tips for Psychometric Tests Commonly Used in SA Recruitment.
- Teach common shortcut techniques
- Back-solving, estimating, elimination, and spotting distractors in verbal items.
- Use paired practise sessions
- Mix one numerical + one verbal + one logical set daily to build transfer skills.
- Review errors deeply
- For each wrong item note whether the problem was content, speed, careless error or misinterpretation.
- Offer role-specific practice
- For finance roles include currency conversions and percentages under business contexts; for consulting include case-style logical problems — refer to Case Interview Examples and Frameworks Used by South African Consultancies and Corporates.
Free online resources and local providers
- SHL and Thomas are common global providers used in SA — read how they fit into local practice: SHL, Thomas and Local Providers: How South African Psychometric Tests Work and How to Prepare.
- Local universities and government career centres often host free practice materials; collect sample items and standardise them for internal training.
- Use timed PDFs, free mobile apps and browser-based quizzes to familiarise recruiters and candidates with interfaces.
Practical test administration tips for SA recruiters
- Standardise instructions: Give identical instructions to all candidates to avoid bias.
- Pilot with a representative sample: Run a pilot for new tests and calibrate cut-off scores against known hires.
- Combine methods: Use psychometrics + an in-centre exercise to validate capability — see the Assessment Centre Day Playbook.
- Be transparent: Tell candidates what skills are assessed and provide feedback routes; consult Interpreting Psychometric Feedback in South Africa.
- Account for language: If English is not first language, consider comprehension allowances or pre-screen language ability.
2-week recruiter practice plan (free, low-prep)
| Day | Focus | Activity (30–60 mins) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diagnostic | 10 numerical, 10 verbal, 10 logical (timed) |
| 2 | Numerical shortcuts | Practice percentages, ratios, chart reading (timed) |
| 3 | Verbal inference | 10 passage questions + explain answers |
| 4 | Logical patterns | 20 diagrammatic problems |
| 5 | Review | Error log + mock shortlist decision |
| 6 | Time strategy | Timed mixed set; practice skipping & returning |
| 7 | Reflection | Adjust cut-offs & scoring rubric |
| 8–14 | Repeat with increasing difficulty | Swap in provider samples (SHL/Thomas/local) and include 1 mock assessment centre task daily; see Mock Assessment Centre Exercises and Scoring Guide for South African Graduate Programmes. |
Scoring, cut-offs and fairness — a recruiter primer
- Use norm-referenced cut-offs where possible (percentile ranks) rather than raw scores.
- For entry-level roles consider multi-stage filtering: low-stakes psychometric -> in-centre simulation -> competency interview.
- Adjust for adverse impact: monitor group differentials (language, educational background) and apply reasonable accommodations.
- Document decision rules and behavioural markers used in assessment centres: see What Top Employers Look for in Assessment Centres.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Pitfall: Overreliance on one test. Fix: combine numerical/verbal/logical with practical tasks.
- Pitfall: Ignoring time management effects. Fix: simulate exact timings and interfaces during practice.
- Pitfall: Misinterpreting score meaning. Fix: consult psychometric reports and Interpreting Psychometric Feedback.
Final checklist for implementing free practice programs
- Provide standardised, timed practice sets for all candidates.
- Train hiring managers on shortcut strategies and question types.
- Record and analyse pilot data before rolling out cut-offs.
- Link psychometric outcomes to on-the-job criteria and in-centre exercises (see Technical Tests in SA IT and Engineering Interviews for technical role alignment).
If you want, I can:
- Create a 30-item, timed practice pack (numerical/verbal/logical) tailored for South African graduate roles; or
- Produce a scoring rubric you can drop into an assessment-centre evaluation sheet.
Which would you prefer?