Aptitude
Free Numerical Reasoning Test (Practice)
Numerical reasoning practice checks how well you work with everyday business numbers under a little time pressure: percentages, ratios, rates, and reading figures from a table. Every question here has a single correct answer, and each explanation shows the working step by step so you can see exactly how it is solved.
About 10 minutes
Take the practice test
This runs exactly like the SkillCort candidate experience — a clean, fair assessment with no instant feedback. Answer every question, submit, then get a proportional score and a transparent rationale for each one. Everything below is here to help you prepare.
Aptitude · about 10 minutes
You'll take it exactly as a candidate would — answer, submit, then see your results. There's no instant feedback along the way, just like a real assessment.
What it measures
- Percentages and percentage change: increases, decreases, and shares of a total.
- Ratios and proportions: splitting amounts and scaling quantities up or down.
- Rates: speed, output per hour, price per unit, and time taken.
- Reading data: pulling the right figures from a described table and comparing them.
- Careful working under mild time pressure without careless slips.
How to prepare
- Read exactly what is asked — the change, the total, or the difference — before calculating.
- Keep units consistent (e.g. convert everything to the same period or currency first).
- For percentage change, compare the change to the original value, not the new one.
- Estimate first: a rough answer helps you catch a slip in the exact calculation.
- Practise mental shortcuts (10%, 1%, halving) so you are less reliant on a calculator.
Sample questions
Worked examples with a full explanation — read these before, or after, the interactive quiz above.
A subscription costs £40 per month. The company raises the price by 15%. What is the new monthly price?
15% of £40 = 0.15 × 40 = £6. Add it to the original: £40 + £6 = £46. So the new monthly price is £46. (A quick check: 10% of £40 is £4, and 5% is £2, which also totals £6.)
A team resolved 240 support tickets in a week. Of those, 180 were resolved on the first contact. What percentage were resolved on first contact?
First-contact share = 180 ÷ 240 = 0.75, which is 75%. So 75% of tickets were resolved on first contact. (Sense check: 180 is three-quarters of 240, and three-quarters is 75%.)
Two agents share a bonus pool of £900 in the ratio 2:3. How much does the agent on the larger share receive?
The ratio 2:3 has 2 + 3 = 5 parts, so one part = £900 ÷ 5 = £180. The larger share is 3 parts: 3 × £180 = £540. So the larger share is £540. (Check: the other agent gets 2 × £180 = £360, and £540 + £360 = £900.)
Frequently asked questions
- Is this numerical reasoning test free?
- Yes. The practice questions, worked answers, and sample questions are all free, with no sign-up needed.
- Can I use a calculator?
- In real assessments the rules vary — some allow a calculator, some do not. For this practice, feel free to use one; the worked explanations also show the mental-maths shortcuts so you can build speed without it.
- What is a good score on a numerical reasoning test?
- There is no universal pass mark — employers set their own thresholds for the role. For practice, aim to understand every question you get wrong using the worked explanation; accuracy under mild time pressure matters more than a single number.
- How do I calculate percentage change correctly?
- Find the difference between the two values, then divide by the original (starting) value, not the new one, and multiply by 100. The most common mistake is dividing by the wrong figure.
- Do employers see my practice score?
- No. This is private practice. Your answers are not stored against your name and are not shared with any employer.
For hiring teams
From practice to a defensible decision
Numerical reasoning tells you whether someone can work confidently with the numbers a role actually involves — budgets, rates, and reporting. In SkillCort, hiring teams pair aptitude signals with a real work sample so a score is backed by evidence of how the person applies it, scored against a role rubric with a clear audit trail rather than a single test figure.