Numerical Reasoning Tests: What to Expect, Example Questions and How to Practice
By Judy M. Wallis, Founder and Interview CoachLast updated
Judy M. Wallis is a former senior recruiter, an interview coach and the founder of Interview Practice Lab.
Share on LinkedInA numerical reasoning test is often one of the first hurdles after you apply. You open the link, a timer starts, and you're looking at a table of figures you've never seen before with about a minute to find the answer.
Most people who struggle with these tests aren't bad at maths. They're out of practice with a small set of calculations, and they haven't done enough questions under time pressure to feel steady. Both of those are fixable.
What a numerical reasoning test measures
A numerical reasoning test measures how quickly and accurately you can pull the right figures from a table, chart or short text and use basic maths (percentages, ratios, averages and rates) to answer a question.
These tests check whether you can pull the right numbers out of a table, chart or short piece of text, choose the right calculation and get to an answer quickly and accurately. Employers use them for roles where you'll work with budgets, reports, targets or data — which covers far more jobs than finance and analytics.
The maths itself rarely goes beyond what you learned in Year 10: percentages, percentage change, ratios, averages, and converting between units or currencies. The difficulty comes from the time limit and from the extra information in each question that you don't need.
What the test usually looks like
- Short data sets. Each question gives you a table, graph or a few lines of figures, often with more data than the question needs.
- Multiple choice. Usually four or five options, and the wrong ones are built around common mistakes.
- A strict time limit. Many tests allow somewhere around a minute to a minute and a half per question. Some time the whole test, others time each question.
- A calculator. Online tests usually let you use one, but check your invitation — some provide an on-screen calculator and a few don't allow one at all.
- Comparative scoring. Your result is generally compared with a benchmark group rather than a fixed pass mark. We cover this in more detail in Psychometric Testing in Job Interviews: What It's Actually Measuring.
Eight practice questions (with worked answers)
Try each one before you read the explanation. Give yourself about 75 seconds per question.
Question 1: percentage change
North region sales were $420,000 in Q1 and $483,000 in Q2. What was the percentage increase?
Answer: B, 15%. Percentage change is always the difference divided by the starting value. The increase is 483 − 420 = 63, and 63 ÷ 420 = 0.15, or 15%.
The tempting wrong answer is A. If you divide 63 by 483 — the new figure — you get about 13%. Test writers include that option because it's the most common slip on percentage-change questions. D is the raw increase in thousands of dollars, not a percentage.
Question 2: ratios
A team of 45 staff is split between part-time and full-time employees in the ratio 2:3. How many staff are full-time?
Answer: C, 27. Add the ratio parts first: 2 + 3 = 5. Each part is worth 45 ÷ 5 = 9 staff, so full-time staff are 3 × 9 = 27.
The trap is B, 18, which is the number of part-time staff. It's easy to solve the problem correctly and then answer a different question, so read the question again before you choose.
Question 3: two-step calculation
A project has a budget of $240,000. Contractors take 35% of the budget, and 40% of the remainder is spent on software. How much is spent on software?
Answer: A, $62,400. After contractors take 35%, 65% of the budget remains: $240,000 × 0.65 = $156,000. Software takes 40% of that remainder: $156,000 × 0.40 = $62,400.
The tempting wrong answer is C, $96,000, which is 40% of the full budget. Whenever a question says "of the remainder" or "of the rest", the number you're working from has changed. B is the contractor spend and D is the remainder — both are steps along the way, not the answer.
Question 4: reading a table
| Region | Staff | Training spend |
|---|---|---|
| North | 120 | $54,000 |
| South | 80 | $40,000 |
| East | 150 | $60,000 |
Which region spent the most on training per staff member?
B, South. Divide spend by staff: North $450, South $500, East $400 per person. The trap is C. East has the biggest total, but the question asks per person. Totals and rates are different questions, and test writers love to put the biggest total next to the wrong answer.
Question 5: reverse percentage
After a 20% price increase, a software licence costs $360. What did it cost before the increase?
B, $300. The new price is 120% of the old one, so divide: $360 ÷ 1.2 = $300. The trap is A. Taking 20% off $360 gives $288, because 20% of the new price is a bigger amount than 20% of the old one. D adds another 20% instead of undoing it.
Question 6: averages
A call centre team averaged 64 calls a day over 5 days. How many calls do they need on day 6 to lift the 6-day average to 66?
C, 76. Work in totals. 5 days × 64 = 320 calls so far. 6 days × 66 = 396 needed. 396 − 320 = 76. The trap is B: adding the 2-call gap to 66 feels right, but every one of the five earlier days also needs lifting by 2.
Question 7: units and margins
A report shows Q3 revenue of 2,450 and costs of 1,960, both in $000. What is the profit margin?
A, 20%. Profit is 2,450 − 1,960 = 490 (that's $490,000). Margin is profit ÷ revenue: 490 ÷ 2,450 = 20%. The trap is B, which divides by costs instead of revenue. D is the profit, not the margin, and it also drops the $000.
Question 8: rates
Four staff process 360 applications in 6 hours. At the same rate, how long would six staff take to process 540 applications?
B, 6 hours. Find the rate for one person: 360 ÷ (4 × 6) = 15 applications per person per hour. Six staff do 90 an hour, so 540 ÷ 90 = 6 hours. The trap is C, which scales up the workload but forgets the extra two staff.
Want a fresh set? Practice timed numerical reasoning in the Practice Lab
The mistakes that cost the most marks
- Dividing by the wrong number. For percentage change, always divide by the original figure.
- Answering the wrong part of the question. Ratio and multi-step questions often ask for the second number you calculate, not the first.
- Missing the units. Check whether the table is in thousands, millions or percentages before you start.
- Getting stuck on one question. If a question isn't working after your time allowance, make your best choice and move on. One hard question isn't worth the three easier ones behind it.
- Working everything out in full. Look at the options first. If they're far apart, a quick estimate is often enough to choose.
- Leaving answers blank. Check the instructions. Many tests don't deduct marks for wrong answers, so a blank is usually worth less than a best guess.
How to practice so it actually helps
Doing lots of questions is only half of it. What improves your score is understanding why you got one wrong, so you don't make the same slip on the next set. This order works well:
Start untimed. Work through questions one at a time and read the explanation after each one, including the ones you got right. You're learning the patterns — percentage change, ratios, two-step calculations — until you recognise them on sight.
Then add the clock. Once you're getting most questions right without a timer, move to timed sets. Now you're building speed on calculations you already understand.
Review every set. Go back through what you missed and what took you longest. The slow questions are usually the next ones you’ll get wrong under pressure.
Keep the questions fresh. If you repeat the same practice test, you start remembering answers instead of improving your reasoning. New questions each time give you a truer read on where you're at.
FAQ
How long is a numerical reasoning test?
Usually 15 to 30 minutes and roughly 15 to 30 questions, but it varies by publisher. Your invitation will say.
Can I use a calculator?
Usually yes for online tests. Check the invitation, and practice with the same kind of calculator you'll use on the day.
What's a pass mark?
Most tests don't have one. You're compared with a benchmark group, and the employer sets its own cut-off. For more on how scoring works, see Verbal reasoning: true, false, cannot say and our psychometric test practice page.
Why would a non-finance job use one?
Any role that reads reports, budgets or targets can use one, including many public sector roles.
Practice numerical reasoning in the Practice Lab
Three of the four mistakes above happen before you calculate anything. So on your next Learning mode set in the Practice Lab, write down which figures the question needs, what units the table is in and which number you're being asked for, then work it out. For percentage change, check you're dividing by the original figure.
When you're getting most right, switch to a Timed mock and review every question at the end, starting with the ones that took you longest. Psychometric practice is included in All Access and also covers verbal and abstract reasoning and situational judgement. Try psychometric practice.
Once a month I share what job seekers are struggling with and what recruiters want to hear instead: The Practice Lab Edit.