Illustrative example
80 Before→100 After
What is the percentage increase?
Swift aptitude
Short aptitude combinations include numerical tasks; the exact mix depends on the Swift version.
View guidanceSaville Assessment
The Analysis and Comprehension levels, the Swift blended batteries, the numerical, verbal, diagrammatic, mechanical, abstract, spatial and error checking tests with their timings, the Wave Professional and Focus Styles questionnaires, and how the percentile is read against an international norm group.
- 13 practice tests in the Saville pack
- 214 questions, all solved
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What is a Saville assessment?
A Saville assessment is an online assessment from Saville Assessment, the UK publisher founded by Professor Peter Saville and independently owned since 2023, when Willis Towers Watson sold the business. Its aptitude range includes standalone tests and Swift combinations. Current Swift Analysis combinations take 18 to 24 minutes, while Swift Comprehension takes 9.5 to 16 minutes. The Wave questionnaires cover workplace personality and styles.
Which Saville test you sit depends on the employer and the role: an entry-level position will not be given the same assessment as a graduate or managerial one.
How a Saville test works
Four things to know before you sit one. Timings and difficulty vary with the level of the role.
- FormatStandalone tests or a Swift blend
- Each aptitude can be sat on its own or combined into a Swift assessment covering several skills in one timed session. Supervised versions are shorter and sat at a test centre or in the workplace; unsupervised ones are taken online.
- PaceTiming follows the Swift version
- Swift Analysis takes 18 to 24 minutes, Comprehension 9.5 to 16, Technical 10, Global 12 and Executive 18. Standalone aptitude tests have separate limits.
- DifficultyTwo depths, set to the role
- Analysis level is for graduate and professional roles, Comprehension level for entry level. The tests ask you to extract the right data point or judge a statement from the passage alone, not to perform complex arithmetic.
- ScoringA percentile against professionals
- Your raw score becomes a percentile against an international norm group of professionals, and the employer sets the bar. There is no universal pass percentile across employers.
Saville: assessment names, formats and timings
Match the name in your invitation to the assessment below. Timings marked “approx.” are completion estimates; other published durations are limits for the named version.
| Assessment | What it measures | Questions | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swift Analysis Aptitude | Verbal, numerical, diagrammatic or abstract reasoning | 2 to 3 aptitude areas | 18 to 24 min |
| Swift Comprehension Aptitude | Verbal, numerical and error checking | 2 to 3 aptitude areas | 9.5 to 16 min |
| Swift Technical Aptitude | Spatial, mechanical and diagrammatic reasoning | 3 aptitude areas | 10 min |
| Swift Global Aptitude | Number reasoning, abstract reasoning and memory | 3 aptitude areas | 12 min |
| Swift Executive Aptitude | Numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning | 3 aptitude areas | 18 min |
| Single aptitude tests | Standalone verbal, numerical, checking and technical tests | Depends on test | See invitation |
| Wave Professional Styles | Work preferences, motives and talents | 216 statements | Approx. 40 min |
| Wave Focus Styles | A shorter work-style questionnaire | 72 statements | Approx. 13 min |
Counts and timings vary by role level and by the version an employer licences. Check the instructions on the screen before you start. Facts checked 11 September 2026.
Swift combinations have different timings from the standalone aptitude tests. Wave durations below are approximate completion times, not countdown limits. Check the precise test name in your invitation.
Official sources for assessment names and timings
What Saville assessment formats look like
A visual guide to the skills and response formats covered on this page. Your invitation tells you which assessments to prepare for.
Illustrations by Practice Aptitude Tests · not official test screenshots
Illustrative example
Find the missing shape
Abstract reasoning
Visual patterns test your ability to recognise rules and relationships.
View guidance
Illustrative example
“I enjoy exploring new ideas.”
DisagreeAgree
A preference, not a right answer.
Wave styles
Rate work-related preferences; follow the questionnaire’s own response scale and ranking instructions.
View guidanceEmployers who set Saville tests
If you know which company invited you, start there: the employer guide tells you which Saville assessment sits at which stage of that firm's process.
- BPOnline aptitude tests provided by Saville
- Philip MorrisOnline psychometric tests after screening, typically Saville or SHL
Not listed? Browse all employer guides.
Understanding practice scores
These results come from our own practice test in a format covered on this page. They are not official Saville results, a benchmark for our entire Saville practice pack, or an employer pass mark.
How our test takers score
Results from our numerical reasoning test.
Average score64%
75th-percentile score90%
0%50%100%
Average75th percentile
Source: Practice Aptitude Tests
Based on 1280 completed practice sittings, all time. Checked 14 September 2026.
The 75th percentile marks the boundary of the top quarter of recorded scores; tied scores can share that boundary. These are our practice results, not employer pass marks.
How we calculate these figures
We use all-time completed, scored attempts at this practice test. Repeat attempts count separately, so the sample is sittings rather than unique people.
The average is the mean score across those sittings. The 75th percentile comes from their recorded score distribution. The “checked” date is when we retrieved the figures, not the period when the tests were taken.
Sharing these figures? Please credit Practice Aptitude Tests and link to this page.
Practise the real thing
One question tells you the style. A pack gives you the pace: timed and marked, with the working shown.
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- 13
- practice tests
- 214
- questions, all solved
Saville aptitude tests
Saville aptitude tests are taken standalone or blended into a Swift assessment covering several skills in one timed session. The table above gives each test’s length; this is what each one asks.
Numerical aptitude comes in two variants, Numerical Analysis (graduate and professional level) and Numerical Comprehension (entry level). Both test whether you can extract the correct data point from a table or chart, not whether you can perform complex arithmetic, which is what numerical reasoning practice builds.
Verbal aptitude has the same two variants, Verbal Analysis and Verbal Comprehension. You answer true, false or cannot say from the passage alone; real-world knowledge is irrelevant. Practise on our verbal reasoning tests.
Diagrammatic aptitude gives you operators, inputs, processes and outputs, shown in diagrams, and asks which operators produce the illustrated outcome, plus fault finding and flowchart comparison; check the limit for your version. A shorter, slightly easier version covers operators only. See our diagrammatic reasoning tests.
Mechanical aptitude covers force, direction, gears, pulleys and levers, is used for technical roles and often sits in a Swift assessment alongside diagrammatic and spatial aptitude. Practise on our mechanical reasoning tests.
Abstract aptitude asks you to identify the rules in pattern sequences and select the piece that completes each, scored on speed and accuracy together. See our abstract reasoning tests.
Spatial aptitude uses visual problems: four objects, some at different angles, and you identify the odd one out.
Error checking aptitude has different versions: you compare original and transposed data to find the errors, so speed and attention to detail both count. Practise on our error checking tests.
Workplace English is standalone only, never part of a Swift assessment: multiple-choice word completion in workplace scenarios, with the time limit shown in your instructions.
Saville situational judgement tests
Saville situational judgement tests present hypothetical workplace scenarios and ask you to rate how effective each response is; there is no single correct answer, and the exact format varies by employer.
Saville Wave personality questionnaire
The Wave questionnaires measure working styles, preferences and behavioural tendencies, and are widely treated as one of the strongest predictors of future performance and culture fit. Two are common in recruitment, differing only in length: Wave Professional Styles takes approximately 40 minutes and Wave Focus Styles approximately 13. In both you rate statements from very strongly disagree to very strongly agree, and the report describes your working personality across problem solving, relationships and communication.
Frequently asked questions
What candidates ask us most often
What is the pass mark for the Saville assessment?
Saville Assessment does not use a rigid percentage threshold like a school exam. Instead, your raw score is converted into a percentile rank by comparing you to an international norm group of professionals. The actual pass mark is entirely determined by the company you are applying to. For highly competitive corporate roles or graduate schemes with massive applicant pools, the practical pass threshold often floats between the 70th and 80th percentiles.
What is a Saville Swift assessment?
A blended battery. Instead of sitting the numerical, verbal and diagrammatic tests one at a time, Swift combines several short timed sections into one session whose duration depends on the Swift version, so the invitation may name Swift Analysis Aptitude rather than the individual tests. Practise each section under its own clock, then switch between them without a break.
Can you retake a Saville assessment?
This depends on the policy of the employer. Some might allow a retake, but it is not guaranteed. In many scenarios, you cannot retake a Saville assessment for the same application cycle. Once you click submit, your profile is sent to the hiring employer. If you encounter a technical glitch, contact the administrator.
How will I take my Saville tests?
Saville tests are administered as either supervised or unsupervised versions. Supervised tests are shorter in duration and taken at a designated test centre or within the workplace.
Unsupervised tests are taken online, so can be sat anywhere you feel comfortable.
Reviews
Rated 4.7 out of 5 across 76 reviews. A selection:
Great Practice Test
This was a good way to familiarize myself with the test and specifically with the timer going on, it gave me an idea of how i need to manage my time in the actual test.
Harder than expected and all maths!
It was good to get a sample of what to expect. The questions were not what I expected and I wasn't expecting all maths, but it was a good test overall.
Long questions
Some of the questions are quite long, but there are certain key words that are more important - so one must pay attention to extract the important information from the question.
Saville is a trademark of its respective owner. Practice Aptitude Tests is not affiliated with Saville and our practice tests are not endorsed by them.
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