Speed feels like the whole game in an online aptitude test. Our data says it often isn’t. Across 642,861 completed numerical reasoning sittings, the quickest quarter of candidates scored 27 points lower than the slowest quarter on the same tests.
But speed does not hurt everywhere. On some logic and mechanical tests, the quickest people scored higher.
Three findings
- Numerical tests punish rushing most. On numerical reasoning, the quickest quarter scored 27 points below the slowest. Police and manufacturing test packs showed the same 27 point gap, and accountancy 23 points.
- Rushing costs marks on most tests. On 44 of the 66 test packs we track, the quickest quarter scored lower than the slowest. On 13 packs the gap was 10 points or more.
- Some tests reward a quick pace. On 16 packs the quickest quarter scored higher. Mechanical reasoning (+25 points), inductive and deductive reasoning (+20 each) and the Watson Glaser critical thinking test (+11) led the way. On verbal reasoning there was no gap at all.
Where speed costs most, and where it doesn’t
Score gap = average score of the quickest quarter minus the slowest quarter, on the same test.
| Test pack | Type | Score gap (quickest vs slowest) | Average score | Sittings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numerical Reasoning | Test type | −27 pts | 61% | 642,861 |
| Police | Industry | −27 pts | 65% | 415,095 |
| Manufacturing | Industry | −27 pts | 63% | 404,272 |
| Hudson | Publisher | −24 pts | 63% | 387,866 |
| Accountancy | Industry | −23 pts | 63% | 457,826 |
| Correctional Officer | Industry | −22 pts | 64% | 459,703 |
| Financial Reasoning | Test type | −21 pts | 62% | 125,728 |
| Verbal Reasoning | Test type | 0 pts | 60% | 531,250 |
| Watson Glaser | Publisher | +11 pts | 69% | 66,033 |
| Deductive Reasoning | Test type | +20 pts | 67% | 38,008 |
| Inductive Reasoning | Test type | +20 pts | 68% | 38,500 |
| Mechanical Reasoning | Test type | +25 pts | 74% | 112,868 |
The full table for all 66 packs is in the Aptitude Test Score Report 2026.
What this means for candidates
- On numerical and financial tests, a careful pace pays. Check the units and the question before you calculate.
- On logic and mechanical tests, a quick pace did not cost marks in our data. Keep moving and don’t over-think a pattern.
- Practise the format first. On 61 of 66 packs, people scored higher on their fifth practice test than their first.
Method
Data from completed practice sittings on Practice Aptitude Tests, recorded since August 2020, figures as of 14 October 2026. Repeats count as separate sittings. Packs share some tests, so pack totals overlap. Score gap compares the quickest quarter of sittings with the slowest quarter on the same test. This shows how pace and score go together, not that pace causes the score. Free to reuse under a Creative Commons licence with credit to Practice Aptitude Tests and a link to this page.
