Examples of cognitive tests used in recruitment include numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, logical and abstract reasoning, deductive reasoning, spatial reasoning, mechanical reasoning and attention to detail tests. A cognitive ability test often mixes several of these in one timed sitting. Each example below shows a typical question, the method and the answer, so you can see what each type is testing.
If you would rather learn by doing, try a free cognitive ability test, which mixes these question types and gives a worked solution for each one.
The main types of cognitive test
| Test type | What it measures | Typical question |
|---|---|---|
| Numerical reasoning | Working with figures and data | Calculate a percentage change from a table |
| Verbal reasoning | Understanding written information | Decide if a statement is true, false or cannot say |
| Logical reasoning | Finding rules in series | Find the next number or letter |
| Abstract reasoning | Finding rules in shapes | Find the next shape in a sequence |
| Deductive reasoning | Following rules to a conclusion | Decide if a conclusion must be true |
| Spatial reasoning | Picturing shapes in 3D | Count, rotate or fold shapes in your head |
| Mechanical reasoning | Everyday physical principles | Work out forces on a lever or gear |
| Attention to detail | Speed and accuracy | Spot the difference between two records |
“Cognitive testing” can also mean short memory and thinking checks used in healthcare. Those have a different purpose, and this guide covers the tests employers use. For the background, see what a cognitive ability test is.
Numerical reasoning example
A supplier raises the price of a part from £80 to £92. What is the percentage increase?
- Find the change: £92 − £80 = £12.
- Divide by the original price: £12 ÷ £80 = 0.15.
- Turn it into a percentage: 0.15 × 100 = 15%.
Answer: 15%. The common mistake is dividing by the new price, £92, which gives about 13%. Always divide by the starting value.
Verbal reasoning example
“All new starters complete health and safety training in their first week. Office-based staff also complete a short module on display screen equipment. Warehouse staff complete a manual handling course in place of that module.”
Statement: warehouse staff complete health and safety training in their first week.
Answer: true. The passage says all new starters complete it in their first week, and warehouse staff are new starters too. The manual handling course replaces only the display screen module, not the health and safety training. When a passage says one thing replaces another, check exactly what is being replaced before you answer.
Logical reasoning example
What letter comes next: B, E, H, K, ?
- Turn the letters into positions in the alphabet: B is 2, E is 5, H is 8, K is 11.
- Each step adds 3.
- 11 + 3 = 14, and the 14th letter is N.
Answer: N. When a letter series looks random, converting letters to numbers usually reveals the rule.
Abstract reasoning example
Four frames each show a row of circles. Frame 1 has one black circle. Frame 2 has two circles, one black and one white. Frame 3 has three circles, alternating black, white, black. Frame 4 has four circles, alternating black, white, black, white.
What does frame 5 show?
There are two rules. The number of circles goes up by one each frame, and the colours always alternate starting with black. Answer: five circles, coloured black, white, black, white, black. Track one rule at a time, then check your answer against both.
Deductive reasoning example
All engineers on the project have security clearance. Priya does not have security clearance.
Is Priya an engineer on the project?
Answer: no. If every engineer on the project has clearance, anyone without clearance cannot be one of them. Accept the statements as true and follow them. Whether they are realistic does not matter.
Spatial reasoning example
A large cube is painted on every face, then cut into 27 equal smaller cubes. How many small cubes have exactly two painted faces?
- Picture the 3 by 3 by 3 block. Cubes with two painted faces sit along the edges, but not at the corners.
- A cube has 12 edges, and each edge has 3 small cubes. The two end cubes are corners, which have three painted faces, so each edge has 1 cube with exactly two.
- 12 edges × 1 = 12.
Answer: 12. A quick check: 8 corner cubes, 12 edge cubes, 6 face-centre cubes and 1 hidden centre cube add up to 27.
Mechanical reasoning example
A 60 kg load sits 1 metre from the pivot of a lever. How much force, in kilograms, is needed 3 metres from the pivot on the other side to balance it?
- For balance, load × its distance = effort × its distance.
- 60 × 1 = effort × 3.
- Effort = 60 ÷ 3 = 20.
Answer: 20 kg. The further the effort is from the pivot, the less force you need.
Attention to detail example
Compare the two customer records.
| Field | Record A | Record B |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Joanna Whitfield | Joanna Whitfield |
| Postcode | LS6 3QR | LS6 3RQ |
| Account | 40821937 | 40821937 |
How many fields differ?
Answer: one. The postcode has the last two letters swapped. Compare in small chunks rather than reading each line as a whole, because your eye tends to see what it expects.
What these examples have in common
Every question gives you all the information you need. None of them test what you have studied; they test how you handle what is in front of you, using cognitive skills such as working memory, attention and pattern recognition. On their own, most are manageable. In a real test, the difficulty comes from the time limit and from switching between types.
That is why mixed, timed practice helps more than drilling one type in isolation. Our guide on how to pass a cognitive ability test covers how to handle the switching and the clock. Then put it into practice with a timed cognitive ability practice test.
