Schlumberger, known as SLB since its 2022 rebrand, is the world’s leading provider of technology for reservoir characterization, drilling, production, and processing to the energy industry
Free · No sign-up · Scored the moment you finish
You have 13 minutes to answer 10 questions. Each question describes a workplace situation and four possible responses. For every question, select the response you believe would be MOST effective and the response you believe would be LEAST effective. There are no trick questions; judge each response on how well it would work in the situation described.
About this test: this is one of a set of practice tests covering the areas Schlumberger’s assessment process typically includes. It is written by us: it is not Schlumberger’s own assessment and these are not Schlumberger’s questions.
Question 1 of 10
You are a finance assistant at a charity. Reconciling the restricted funds you notice that a grant given specifically for a youth project appears to have been spent on general running costs over several months. You are new and may be misreading the fund codes. The trustees meet in a fortnight and the grant’s annual report to the funder is due next month. Your finance manager is in the office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: A. Take your workings to the finance manager this week, explain what the codes appear to show and that you may have misread them, and ask her to check before the trustees meet.
Least effective: C. Leave it, since you are new, the fund codes are complicated and the finance manager and the auditors will have reviewed the restricted funds already.
B: Delays the decision: certainty is worth having and a fortnight of solo work takes you past the trustees' meeting, when the finance manager could confirm or dismiss it in an hour.
C: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: a restricted grant may have been misapplied with a report to the funder due next month, and the reason for silence is an assumption that others have checked, which is what your own reconciliation calls into question.
D: Escalates prematurely: you are new, you may have misread the fund codes, and going to the trustees first implies wrongdoing by the finance manager on the strength of a reading nobody has checked.
The most effective response is to take your workings to the finance manager this week, explain what the codes appear to show and that you may have misread them, and ask her to check before the trustees meet: you may be right or you may have misread, and she can establish which in an hour, well before the meeting and the funder’s report. Saying plainly that you may be wrong is honest and costs nothing. It beats spending the next fortnight tracing every transaction yourself, because reaching certainty that way takes you past the meeting where it would have mattered. It beats raising it directly with the trustees at their meeting, because going there first, as a new member of staff working from an unchecked reading, implies misconduct by your manager before anyone has confirmed there is even an error. The least effective response is leaving it because the fund codes are complicated and others will have reviewed them: it leaves a possible misuse of restricted funds unexamined with a report to the funder due next month. That is worse than the other two, which act too slowly or in the wrong order but do act. The principle: take an unconfirmed but serious finding to the person who can confirm it, promptly, and be honest that you may have it wrong.
Question 2 of 10
You are a junior consultant at an IT consultancy. You are three weeks into a six-week project for a client. It has become clear the work cannot be finished in six weeks because the client’s data is far messier than anyone expected. The client’s project sponsor believes it is on track. Your engagement manager is on another client site and reachable by phone. The client’s steering meeting is tomorrow morning. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Ring your engagement manager today with what you have found, agree how the slippage should be presented, and make sure the sponsor hears it before tomorrow's steering meeting.
Least effective: B. Say nothing for now and work longer hours to try to pull the project back on track, raising it only if it is still behind in a fortnight.
A: Saves bad news for the formal meeting: a serious slippage is first aired in a steering group, so the sponsor is surprised in front of his own people and your firm arrives with no agreed position.
B: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: it leaves a client sponsor planning around a date the project cannot meet, and gambles the recovery on unpaid overtime. By the time it surfaces, half the remaining project is gone.
C: Tells the wrong audience first: the sponsor learns of a significant slippage from a junior consultant by email, and the engagement manager finds out at the same moment as the client rather than in time to shape it.
The most effective response is to ring your engagement manager today, agree how the slippage should be presented, and make sure the sponsor hears it before tomorrow’s steering meeting: this is bad news the client must have in advance, and it is his relationship and commercial judgement. Telling him today lets the firm arrive with an agreed position and spares the sponsor a surprise in front of his own steering group. It beats emailing the client sponsor today and copying your engagement manager, because that means he learns of it simultaneously with the client and cannot shape the message. It beats raising it at tomorrow’s steering meeting so both hear it together, because a serious slippage delivered cold ambushes the sponsor and your own firm at once. The least effective response is saying nothing and working longer hours to pull the project back: it leaves the client planning around a date the project cannot meet and hopes overtime will close a gap caused by the data itself. That is worse than the other two, which pick the wrong sequence but do tell people. The principle: agree the position with whoever owns the relationship, then make sure the client hears it before a meeting rather than in one.
Question 3 of 10
You work in a student accommodation office. Deposits are returned after an inspection, with deductions for damage. A colleague asks you to record a broken door in a room as pre-existing wear, explaining that the student who caused it is a friend of hers and cannot afford the deduction. The inspection report you completed records the door as damaged. Your accommodation manager is in the building. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Tell your colleague you will not change the report, and suggest the student applies through the hardship or appeals route if she cannot afford the deduction.
Least effective: C. Record the door as pre-existing wear as she asks, since the student is struggling financially and one door will not be noticed among the year's inspections.
A: Escalates prematurely: the request is wrong and she has not yet been told plainly that you will not do it. Reporting first turns a bad request into a disciplinary matter without the conversation that would probably end it.
B: Delays the decision: holding back a completed inspection report to create room for a favour is a quieter version of the same request, and it puts the student's deposit process in limbo.
C: Falsifies an inspection record: the report is the evidence on which another person's money is withheld or returned, and changing it as a favour is dishonesty that every other student pays for through the deposit scheme.
The most effective response is to tell your colleague you will not change the report, and suggest the student applies through the hardship or appeals route: the report records what you found and will not be altered, and the student’s real problem, affording the deduction, has a legitimate route. Saying both settles the matter and offers a genuine answer. It beats refusing and reporting her to the accommodation manager for asking, because she has not yet been told plainly that you will not do it, and reporting first escalates something one sentence would resolve. It beats holding the finished report back so she has time to find another way to help, because sitting on it to make space for a favour is the same request in slower form. The least effective response is recording the door as pre- existing wear as she asks: it alters the evidence on which a deposit is decided, as a personal favour, and every other student funds the difference. That is worse than the other two, which handle it awkwardly but keep the record true. The principle: refuse to change the record, say so directly to the person who asked, and point at the legitimate route for the underlying problem.
Question 4 of 10
You work in a field sales team and process your colleagues’ expense claims. A colleague submits mileage for a client visit on a day you know he was at the regional office, because you saw him there. The amount is small. He is popular and has just had a difficult quarter. The expenses policy is clear that claims must reflect actual journeys. Your sales manager is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. Go back to the colleague, tell him the claimed journey does not match the day he was at the regional office, and ask him to correct or explain it before you process it.
Least effective: D. Process the claim as submitted, since the amount is small, he has had a hard quarter and querying it would be awkward and probably damage your working relationship.
A: Passes responsibility to others: it pays the claim first and raises a vague concern afterwards, so the money has gone and the manager is given a hint rather than a fact.
C: Escalates prematurely: a formal rejection recorded against a colleague is a serious step taken before he has been asked, when there may be a simple explanation such as a wrong date.
D: Breaches process to protect a colleague: it knowingly pays a claim for a journey that did not happen, because the sum is small and the conversation would be uncomfortable. That is dishonesty by omission, not discretion.
The most effective response is to go back to the colleague, tell him the claimed journey does not match the day he was at the regional office, and ask him to correct or explain it: the discrepancy is a fact, there may be an innocent explanation such as the wrong date entered, and the person who can settle it in a sentence is the one who made the claim. Asking him first is both fairer and faster than any other route. It beats rejecting the claim in the system with a note that the journey could not have taken place, because a formal rejection on his record is a heavy step before he has had the chance to explain a possible typing error. It beats processing it and mentioning to your sales manager that the mileage looked unusual, because that pays out first and passes her a suspicion instead of a question that could already have been answered. The least effective response is processing the claim as submitted because the amount is small and querying it would be awkward: it knowingly pays for a journey that did not take place, which is precisely the reasoning that makes small false claims routine. That is worse than the other two, which act clumsily but do not knowingly pay. The principle: put the discrepancy to the person who created it before either paying it or recording it against them.
Question 5 of 10
You are a lettings administrator at an estate agency. On Monday you emailed a tenant confirming that a contractor would attend on Thursday morning to fix her broken boiler, and she has booked the morning off work. On Wednesday afternoon the contractor tells you he cannot come until Monday. The tenant has no hot water. Your branch manager is out on viewings until tomorrow. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: A. Ring the tenant today, apologise, tell her the contractor cannot come before Monday, and ask whether she wants Monday booked or would rather you look into what else can be arranged.
Least effective: C. Leave the Thursday appointment in place and wait to see whether the contractor manages to fit her in after all, since telling her now would only worry her if he does turn up.
B: Delays the message: it reaches her in time but withholds the two facts she needs to act on, the four extra days without hot water and the Monday date you already have, so she cannot decide about her booked morning off.
C: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: she has taken a morning off for a visit you know is not happening. Staying silent for the chance of being proved right costs her a day's leave and every option to plan. That is concealment, not optimism.
D: Over-promises: you have no second contractor lined up and no authority from your manager to appoint one, so the call replaces a firm bad fact with a commitment you may not be able to keep.
The most effective response is to ring the tenant today, apologise, tell her the contractor cannot come before Monday, and ask what she wants to do: she has a morning of booked leave riding on Thursday, so the news has to reach her today, in full, with the Monday date and a choice about what happens next. It beats emailing that the appointment is being rearranged, because a vague rearrangement withholds the two things she needs, how long she will be without hot water and the date you already hold, and leaves her unable to decide about her leave. It beats offering to find a different contractor for Thursday, because promising a replacement you have not found, and cannot authorise, risks a second broken commitment on top of the first. The least effective response is leaving the Thursday appointment in place to see whether he turns up: it is the only response where she takes a morning off for an appointment you already know will not happen, and it trades her time for the chance that the problem solves itself. That is worse than the vague email, which at least tells her something in time, and worse than promising a replacement, whose fault is trying too hard on her behalf. The principle: when a commitment you made is going to break, tell the person it affects while they can still act on it, and tell them what you actually know.
Question 6 of 10
You are an instructor at an outdoor activity centre. Checking equipment before a climbing session for a school group you find a harness with a frayed stitch on a load-bearing strap. There are enough harnesses without it. The group arrives in fifteen minutes. Centre procedure requires damaged equipment to be quarantined and logged by the technical manager, who is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives.
Least effective: C. Use the harness for the session but give it to one of the lighter pupils, since the stitching is only frayed and there is no sign it is close to failing.
A: Acts on assumptions without checking: a damaged harness left on the rack can be picked up by anybody, and the placement relies on everyone knowing what you know.
B: Acts outside own authority: the procedure names the technical manager because he decides whether a fault is repairable or the batch needs checking, and a self-made log entry replaces that judgement with a record.
C: Uses equipment known to be damaged: a frayed load-bearing strap on a climbing harness is the failure the inspection exists to catch, and putting a child in it on a judgement about weight is a safety decision nobody is qualified to take that way.
The most effective response is to take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives: a frayed load-bearing strap makes it unusable, spares exist so nothing is lost by removing it, and he is on site and is the person the procedure names. Both steps fit inside fifteen minutes. It beats putting it back at the end of the rack and telling him after the session, because a damaged harness left on the rack can be picked up by anyone who does not know, so its position is not a control. It beats setting it aside and logging it in the equipment book yourself, because that substitutes a record for his judgement about whether other harnesses in the batch need checking. The least effective response is using it for one of the lighter pupils because the stitching is only frayed: it puts a child into a harness with a damaged load-bearing strap on a personal judgement about weight. That is worse than the other two, which handle the procedure imperfectly but take the harness out of use. The principle: remove damaged safety equipment from use immediately, then tell the person the procedure names, before the activity starts.
Question 7 of 10
You are a night manager at a hotel, alone on reception from 11pm. A burst pipe has flooded two rooms, the guests from them need moving, the hotel is nearly full and a coach party is arriving at midnight. You have been on shift since 3pm and are struggling to keep track. The duty manager is on call at home and the maintenance contractor has a 24-hour line. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Ring the duty manager now to say two rooms are flooded with a coach party due at midnight, call the contractor about the pipe, and move the two guests while you wait.
Least effective: A. Put the two guests in the residents' lounge for the night and say nothing to the duty manager, since waking her at midnight over a plumbing problem would not reflect well on your handling of the shift.
A: Hides the strain until failure: two paying guests spend the night in a lounge and the person on call, whose role exists for exactly this, is not called because of how it might look. That is concealment at the guests' expense.
B: Spends the last rooms without checking: it uses the last rooms before the coach party arrives without checking what they are booked for, and the person who could authorise alternatives is asleep and not asked.
C: Passes the wrong problem first: the pipe matters and the contractor cannot create rooms before midnight. The room shortage against a coach party is the decision that needs the duty manager, and it is the one not raised.
The most effective response is to ring the duty manager now to say two rooms are flooded with a coach party due at midnight, call the contractor about the pipe, and move the two guests while you wait: there are three separate problems and only she can authorise what happens if there are not enough rooms. She is on call for this, the contractor handles the pipe, and moving the guests is what you can do meanwhile. It beats ringing the maintenance contractor and managing the guest moves and the arrival yourself, because he cannot produce rooms before midnight, so calling only him leaves the actual decision unmade. It beats moving the guests into the last available rooms and calling her in the morning, because using those rooms without checking the coach party’s booking may create a worse shortage an hour later, with her still unaware. The least effective response is putting the two guests in the residents’ lounge for the night and saying nothing: it leaves paying guests in a lounge rather than call the person whose job is to be called, because of how the call might look. That is worse than the other two, which act partially but keep the guests in rooms. The principle: when several things fail at once, call the person who is on call for it, start what you can do yourself, and never let appearances decide whether to ask for help.
Question 8 of 10
You work in the control room of a taxi firm. Drivers are paid a bonus for completing more than forty jobs a week. You notice a driver has logged three jobs this week that were cancelled by the customer before pickup, which would take him over forty. He says the customers cancelled at the door, so he drove the distance and should be credited. The firm’s rules on cancelled jobs are written and you have not read them. The operations manager is on shift. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: A. Check the written rules on cancelled jobs, and if they do not cover doorstep cancellations put it to the operations manager before the bonus is calculated.
Least effective: C. Leave the three jobs on his total and let the bonus be paid, since he did drive to each address and nobody audits the weekly figures in any detail.
B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: the rules may well credit a driver who travelled to a doorstep cancellation, and striking the jobs out decides that without reading them.
C: Falsifies a payment record: it lets a bonus be paid on jobs recorded as completed that were not, without checking whether the rules allow it, and relies on the absence of an audit. That is dishonesty, not a judgement call.
D: Escalates prematurely: the written rules may entitle him to the credit, so a report of deliberate manipulation is made before the document that settles it has been read.
The most effective response is to check the written rules on cancelled jobs, and if they do not cover doorstep cancellations put it to the operations manager before the bonus is calculated: there is a rule that decides whether such a cancellation counts, reading it costs a minute, and he is on shift and can settle it in time. It answers the question without accusing anyone. It beats removing the three cancelled jobs from his total, because that decides the same question in the driver’s disfavour without reading the rule. It beats reporting him for logging cancelled jobs as completed work, because a serious accusation before checking risks condemning him over something the rules may allow. The least effective response is leaving the three on his total because nobody audits the weekly figures: it lets a bonus be paid on incomplete jobs without any check. That is worse than the other two, which act hastily but keep the payment honest. The principle: read the rule that governs it, and take the decision to whoever owns it rather than resolving it quietly either way.
Question 9 of 10
You work on reception at a caravan park. A family has booked a pitch with electric hook-up for the weekend, arriving tomorrow. This afternoon the electrician reports that the hook-up point on their pitch has failed and cannot be repaired until Monday. A pitch with a working hook-up is free but is further from the facilities. The family are contactable. The park manager is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: A. Ring the family today, explain the hook-up has failed, and offer either the pitch further from the facilities or their original pitch without electricity.
Least effective: D. Leave the booking as it is and explain the problem when they arrive tomorrow, since they may not use much electricity over a single weekend.
B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: they may have chosen that pitch for its distance from the facilities, so the trade between a working hook-up and the walk is theirs to make.
C: Delays the decision: you already know the hook-up is broken until Monday and that an alternative pitch is free, so withholding both leaves them unable to plan and shortens the notice they have.
D: Hides the problem: they booked and paid for a hook-up, and being told on arrival removes any chance to bring different equipment, change dates or go elsewhere. Deciding for them that they will not miss it is not yours to decide.
The most effective response is to ring the family today, explain the hook- up has failed, and offer either the pitch further from the facilities or their original pitch without electricity: they booked a pitch with power, the failure changes what they paid for, and only they can weigh a working hook-up against a longer walk. Ringing today leaves them a day to decide or re-pack. It beats moving the booking to the pitch with the working hook-up and emailing the new number, because that assumes the electricity matters more than the location, which may not be true for this family. It beats ringing to say there is a problem and that you will confirm once the park manager has decided, because you already hold everything they need to choose. The least effective response is leaving the booking and explaining when they arrive tomorrow: it lets them discover on arrival that the hook- up they booked does not work, with no time to adapt. That is worse than the other two, which decide for them or tell them partially, but do tell them in time. The principle: when a booked feature fails, tell the customer at once and give them the real choices.
Question 10 of 10
You are a project coordinator at a web design agency. A client’s new site is due to go live on Friday for a product launch. On Wednesday your developer tells you the payment integration will not be ready and the site can only go live taking enquiries rather than orders. The client’s marketing manager has booked advertising for Friday. She is contactable. Your account director is available today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: C. Ring the client's marketing manager today with your account director, explain that payments will not be ready and what going live without them means, and agree what happens to Friday.
Least effective: A. Go live on Friday with the enquiry form in place of the payment pages, and explain the change to the client after the launch when the position is clearer.
A: Hides the problem: she has bought advertising to drive people to a shop that will not take orders, and is told after the money has been spent. Launching a different site than the one agreed and explaining afterwards is concealment.
B: Delays the message: it reaches her on Wednesday and withholds the specific fact she needs, that the site cannot take orders, so she cannot decide about advertising she has already booked.
D: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: her advertising is booked for Friday, so whether to launch without payments or move the whole campaign is a commercial decision that belongs to her.
The most effective response is to ring the client’s marketing manager today with your account director, explain that payments will not be ready and what going live without them means, and agree what happens to Friday: she has paid for advertising pointing at a shop that cannot take orders, only she can decide whether to launch for enquiries or move the campaign, and Wednesday still leaves time to change either. Involving the account director means the options offered are ones the agency can stand behind. It beats postponing the launch to the following week and telling her the new date, because that decides the fate of her booked advertising without asking. It beats emailing that there is a technical issue and the agency will confirm the position, because a vague notice withholds the one fact she needs. The least effective response is going live on Friday with the enquiry form in place of the payment pages and explaining afterwards: it launches a site that cannot do what was agreed, against advertising she has already paid for. That is worse than the other two, which communicate or decide imperfectly but do not spend her money on a silent substitution. The principle: when a failure will cost the client money they have already committed, tell them at once and let them decide what happens.
Schlumberger uses a range of tests to assess candidates’ abilities in areas relevant to their roles. These may include aptitude tests such as numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and situational judgment tests that evaluate decision-making skills.
Schlumberger now recruits as SLB. Early career opportunities span operations, technology, geoscience and commercial teams.
Qualification matching before role-specific selection
SLB asks graduates to check the qualification criteria and submit their details. It reviews and retains those details until a matching role becomes available. Operations includes field and maintenance engineering; assessment instructions should come from the team recruiting for your role.
Process sources checked 11 September 2026 · Your invitation takes priority for role and location details.
The free test shows you the style. A pack gives you the hour: blended, marked, with the working shown.
Schlumberger has operated as SLB since its 2022 rebrand, so expect to see the SLB name across its careers site and application process. Your real-life job, with plenty of opportunity to take early responsibility, begins the day you’re hired. Whether you’re working in the field, the lab, or in the office, every day will be different, bringing its own interesting challenges.
The Schlumberger Numerical Reasoning tests are designed to measure your numerical abilities and relate to graphs, percentages and tables whereby you will be asked to analyse data and chose from a set of multiple choice answers. These will be timed so it is important to practice in advance.
The Schlumberger Diagrammatic and Logical Reasoning tests comprise of questions relating to sequences of shapes and patterns. In each question there will be a missing step and you will be provided with a number of answers to choose from. These are designed to test your logical reasoning as well analytical and problem-solving skills.
Schlumberger’s Mechanical Reasoning tests are similar to the standard numerical and verbal reasoning in that it is timed and consists of a number of questions with multiple choice answers. This test measures your ability to understand and apply mechanical concepts and principles to solve problems. As with all types of online tests it is advisable to practice beforehand in order to ascertain how much time to spend on each question. It is also vital to ensure full knowledge of mechanical principles.
You’ll be given information relating to the role that you are applying for, which you’ll be asked to prepare a presentation on, to be given in front of one of the assessors. This will be done ahead of the assessment centre. You will then be required to answer questions in order to demonstrate your knowledge of the company and how you would work under pressure. Your presentation and analytical skills will also be tested.
The group exercise demonstrates how you work and perform in a team. The group will be presented with information, including a number of issues and you will need to produce solutions. Ensure to find a balance between speaking up and making your point but without dominating the group. You must show the assessor that you can work well in any situation, especially within a team as that is something that will be expected of you at the company.
Schlumberger is a trademark of its respective owner. Practice Aptitude Tests is not affiliated with Schlumberger and our practice tests are not endorsed by them. Visit Schlumberger careers.
