There is no single "SHL test." SHL sells many assessments and each employer picks which ones to send, and your invitation names them. The most common are the SHL Verify ability tests: numerical, verbal, deductive and inductive reasoning. The newer Verify Interactive versions are short, adaptive and drag-and-drop, for example 10 numerical questions in 18 minutes or 15 inductive questions in 18 minutes. Scores are percentiles against a comparison group, and results go to the employer.
Facts from SHL's own pages, checked November 3, 2026. Employers can change settings, so your invitation email wins if it says something different.
| Publisher | SHL (says 10,000+ businesses use it and 45 million assessments are taken a year) |
|---|---|
| Verify Interactive Numerical | Up to 10 questions, 18 minutes |
| Verify Interactive Deductive | Up to 12 questions, 18 minutes (2018 fact sheet) |
| Verify Interactive Inductive | Up to 15 questions, 18 minutes |
| Verify Interactive G+ (general ability) | Up to 24 questions, 36 minutes |
| Classic Verify G+ | 30 multiple-choice questions (10 numerical, 10 deductive, 10 inductive), 36 minutes |
| Verbal reasoning | A passage, then statements you mark true, false or cannot say. SHL lists no interactive verbal test. |
| Timer | One timer for the whole test; SHL describes no per-question timer |
| Adaptive | Yes, every Verify and Verify Interactive test SHL documents |
| Scoring | Percentile against a comparison group, shown as grades A to E on SHL's sample report |
| Phone | Verify Interactive works on phones; some other SHL tests ask for a desktop |
| Official practice | Free on SHL Direct (sign-up needed) |
Each SHL ability test measures one kind of reasoning. Verify Interactive asks you to build charts, fill tables or drag items into place; the standard tests are multiple choice.
Decisions from tables, charts and statistics. In Verify Interactive you may create a chart or fill in a spreadsheet instead of picking an option.
Tip: Read the column headers and units before the question. Most mistakes are reading the wrong row, not bad math.
A short passage followed by statements. You decide whether each one is true, false or cannot be said from the passage alone.
Tip: "Cannot say" means the passage does not settle it. Do not use what you know about the topic.
Draw the conclusion that must follow from a set of facts or rules, sometimes with incomplete information.
Tip: Only one option has to be true. Cross out anything that is merely likely.
Find the rule in a series of shapes or letters and numbers, then predict what comes next. In G+ these items use shapes only.
Tip: Track one feature at a time: position, then rotation, then count, then shading.
Quick arithmetic, order of operations and spotting errors in sums, used for entry-level roles: up to 12 questions in 10 minutes.
Tip: Estimate first so you can rule out options fast, then check the one that survives.
Often in the same invitation: the OPQ32r (104 statements, untimed, about 15-25 minutes) and situational judgment tests that ask you to rate actions at work.
Tip: These have no right answers to memorize. Answer consistently and as yourself.
SHL compares your result with a comparison group of people who took the same test before, and reports a percentile. Its sample candidate report shows that percentile with a grade from A to E. The employer chooses the comparison group, for example general population or graduates.
SHL publishes no pass mark. Each employer sets its own bar, and SHL says cognitive scores can be combined with personality and behavior results into an overall job score.
Only the person named as the results recipient at the company can see your results; SHL support cannot send them to you. How much feedback you get is up to the employer, and SHL's own advice is to ask for it. SHL's sample report says results stay valid for about 12 to 18 months.
Look for "Verify," "Verify Interactive," "G+," or the ability name. The question count and time only apply to that product, and interactive and standard versions feel very different.
SHL Direct has free practice tests for numerical, verbal, deductive, inductive and general ability, in both interactive and standard formats. SHL says they will not match the real difficulty exactly, so use them to learn the format.
Practice true, false or cannot say on short passages, and table reading under time. With 18 minutes for 10 to 15 questions, the interactive tests give you more time per item than most aptitude tests, but each item has more steps.
Use a recent Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge, turn off pop-up blockers, and run SHL's browser check. Ask the employer early if you need extra time: SHL says extensions need their approval.
Verify Interactive tests are built to be taken unsupervised, which is why they are adaptive: questions change with your answers, so two candidates rarely see the same test. Some classic Verify tests list a verification test as a second sitting, a short follow-up that checks the first score.
Employers can switch on remote proctoring that captures periodic audio and video snippets, and some SHL tests require a camera. SHL's support pages list logouts for leaving focus by switching browsers, misusing full screen, or pressing print screen too often, and an invigilator can end a test for breaking the rules.
In a 2023 post SHL said ChatGPT gave inconsistent and incorrect answers on some cognitive items, especially interactive and image-based ones, and that its platform uses proctoring signals to help spot AI tools.
Not for your test. SHL's Verify tests are adaptive, so questions change with your answers and two candidates rarely see the same test, and some add a verification test later. Answer lists online are practice items. OphyAI Aptitude Test reads the multiple-choice question on your screen and shows the answer and a one-line reason.
On the standard multiple-choice Verify tests and true, false or cannot say verbal questions, yes: that is what OphyAI Aptitude Test was built for. Verify Interactive asks you to drag values into charts and tables, which is not multiple choice. SHL said in 2023 that ChatGPT struggled most with its interactive and image-based items.
SHL uses adaptive tests and, for some tests, a verification test. Employers can turn on webcam and audio proctoring, and SHL tests can log you out for switching browsers or misusing full screen. SHL says its platform uses proctoring signals to help detect tools like ChatGPT. OphyAI's popup is hidden from screen sharing and recording, but not from a webcam, a person in the room, proctoring software that inspects your computer, or a supervised retest.
Compare every platform: Can online assessments detect AI?
Aptitude Test mode in the OphyAI desktop app reads each multiple-choice question on your screen and shows the answer, with a one-line reason, in a small popup only you can see.
Use OphyAI Aptitude Test on your real SHL test, not just for practice. Start a test in the desktop app, open the SHL test and turn on Auto: each question is answered as it loads, with the option to pick and a one-line reason, in a popup that macOS and Windows leave out of screen sharing and recording. Or press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A on any question.
It fits the standard multiple-choice Verify tests and true, false or cannot say verbal questions best; Verify Interactive's drag-and-drop formats are not what it was built for. SHL can add webcam proctoring and a verification test.
Which number comes next? 3, 6, 12, 24, ...
Which number comes next? 3, 6, 12, 24, ...
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Each term doubles the one before it.
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Hiding the popup from screen share does not hide it from a webcam, a person in the room, or proctoring and lockdown software that lists running apps or blocks screen capture.
It depends on the test the employer picked. SHL's fact sheets list Verify Interactive Numerical at up to 10 questions in 18 minutes, Deductive at up to 12 in 18 minutes, Inductive at up to 15 in 18 minutes, and Interactive G+ at up to 24 in 36 minutes. The classic multiple-choice Verify G+ is 30 questions in 36 minutes.
Yes. SHL's fact sheets give an allowed time for the whole test, and SHL does not describe a separate timer per question. Personality questionnaires such as the OPQ32r are untimed.
SHL does not publish one rule, and prep sites disagree. Check the instructions in your invitation and on the first screen of the test, and have one ready only if they allow it.
SHL publishes no pass mark. You get a percentile against a comparison group, and each employer decides what it needs. Any percentile target you see on a prep site is that site's guess, not SHL's.
Only if the employer shares them. Results go to the company's chosen recipient, and SHL support cannot give them to you. SHL sells a candidate report, but the employer decides whether you get one.
Verify Interactive tests can be taken on any device, including phones. Some other SHL assessments are blocked on phones and ask you to switch to a desktop or laptop.
Verify tests are text-based multiple choice. Verify Interactive tests are mobile-first and ask you to drag and drop, build charts or fill tables, usually with fewer questions. Both are adaptive.
Read on November 3, 2026. SHL Verify ability tests is a product of SHL; OphyAI is not affiliated with SHL.
Download OphyAI Desktop, start Aptitude Test before your SHL test begins, and see each answer and its reason in a popup only you can see.
