Numerical reasoning test practice with worked answers

What your practice score means

Your result shows how many of the 20 questions you answered correctly, split into tables, charts and calculations, and how long you took. Use the worked answers to check your method, not only your answer: many mistakes come from reading the wrong row or column rather than from the arithmetic. This is numerical reasoning practice, not a percentile or a prediction of your score on a real test.

What numerical reasoning tests check

Numerical reasoning tests check whether you can pull the right numbers from tables and charts and use them correctly. Typical numerical test questions ask you to:

• Read data accurately: find a value in a table or chart, using the right row, column and units.
• Calculate percentages and changes: percentage increase or decrease, share of a total and percentage of an amount.
• Work with ratios and rates: splitting an amount in a ratio, unit prices, speeds or outputs per hour.
• Compare and average: which value is largest, the average across periods and growth between years.

The maths itself is usually school level. The challenge is doing it accurately under time pressure with several pieces of data on screen.

Calculators and timing

Many numerical reasoning tests allow a calculator, and some provide one on screen, but not all do. Check the invitation or the instructions screen before you start, and have one ready if it is allowed. This practice test assumes a calculator is allowed.

Time is usually tight: around a minute per question is common for data interpretation items. Do not spend too long on one question. If a calculation is taking a while, mark it and move on, then come back if time allows. In this practice test you can flag questions and use the navigator to return.

Methods that save time

A few habits make data interpretation practice pay off quickly:

1. Read the question before the data. Know which numbers you need before you look at the table.
2. Check units and labels. Thousands, percentages and currencies are easy to mix up.
3. Estimate first. A rough answer lets you spot a calculator slip and rule out options quickly.
4. Use percentage shortcuts. 10% is one tenth; 5% is half of that; 25% is a quarter.
5. For percentage change, always divide by the starting value. From 80 to 92 is 12 / 80, not 12 / 92.
6. Watch for decreases. A negative change is a fall; the options may include the same number as an increase.

Common numerical reasoning mistakes

Most lost marks in numerical reasoning test examples come from a handful of slips: reading the 2024 column instead of 2025, dividing by the new value instead of the old one when finding percentage change, forgetting that a chart is in thousands, adding when the question asks for an average, and rounding too early in a multi-step calculation. Before you choose an answer, ask whether it is roughly the size you expected.

A worked example: a two-step table question

Take the question about which office grew by the largest percentage. It needs two steps for each office: find the change, then divide by the starting value.

London: 50 minus 40 is 10, and 10 / 40 = 25%. Leeds: 30 minus 25 is 5, and 5 / 25 = 20%. Bristol: 18 minus 20 is minus 2, and -2 / 20 = a 10% fall.

London has the largest percentage growth, even though it also had the largest number of staff. A common trap is to compare the raw changes (10, 5 and minus 2), which happens to give the same answer here but often does not. Always convert to percentages when the question asks for them.

How numerical reasoning tests are scored

Most numerical reasoning tests give one point per correct answer and do not penalise wrong answers, so a quick estimate is better than a blank. Employers often see your score compared with a reference group, as a percentile, alongside the raw number correct. Because tests are designed to be tight on time, not finishing is normal; accuracy on the questions you do answer matters most.

Numerical reasoning test practice with real data

The best numerical reasoning test practice uses real tables. Take a simple table from a news story, a sports league or your own bank statement and ask yourself questions: the percentage change between two figures, the share of a total, the average across a period. Time yourself to about a minute per question. Ten minutes a day for a week makes a noticeable difference to both speed and confidence. Check each answer with a calculator afterwards, and note which kind of question slowed you down so you can practise it again the next day.

Reading charts accurately

Charts look quick to read, but they cause many errors. Before answering, check four things: the title, which tells you what is being measured; the units, such as thousands or percentages; the scale on the axis, which may not start at zero; and the labels on each bar or line. Read values from the data labels where they are shown rather than estimating from bar heights.

When a question asks about change between two points, write both numbers down before calculating. When it asks which period fell or rose, compare each bar with the one before it, not with the first. These habits take a few seconds and prevent the most common chart mistakes in data interpretation practice.

For employers

HireValid's numerical reasoning test uses short tables, charts and word problems under a time limit, as part of our cognitive ability tests. For candidates, more free numerical aptitude practice and other formats are on our practice tests page, and the verbal reasoning examples cover the other common section.