Abstract Reasoning Test for successful talent assessment

The Mercer | Mettl Abstract Reasoning Test is an aptitude assessment that gauges a person's capacity to recognize patterns, work through issues, and reason rationally, utilizing forms and patterns without depending on past information. Freshers and candidates with a year of experience are eligible for the test. 

Why use an Abstract Reasoning Test in recruitment?

An abstract reasoning test is a nonverbal test that evaluates the abstract reasoning ability of the test takers working in a variety of individual contributors or managerial roles. This test is suitable for use in both recruitment and development settings. Recruiters can use this test across industries for various job roles, preferably for entry-level or experienced-level positions. This test helps hiring managers identify and onboard applicants who have the ability to think laterally, examine problems in unique and unusual ways, and make logical connections between a variety of concepts. 

How does our Abstract Reasoning Test work?

Mercer | Mettl's Abstract Reasoning Test has been developed in line with the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (EEOC,1978), the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology's Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures (SIOP, 2003), EFPA Test Review Model and the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing developed jointly by the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education (1999).  This test works by assisting employers in the areas of recruitment, learning and development, identification of high-potential, and successful planning. Employers can identify suitable hires for their organization by using this test. They can also understand the current proficiency level of an employee and manage training effectively. This test also works by creating a healthy pipeline of future leaders and fast-tracking high-potentials to retain them.  

What are the key skills measured in this Abstract Reasoning Assessment?

This Abstract Reasoning Test can help assess the candidate's ability to apply learnings to solve novel problems by connecting disparate information points to grasp the bigger picture, detecting patterns and relationships, and solving complex problems with innovative solutions. The key skills measured in this test include: 

• Pattern recognition: It evaluates how quickly a person identifies recurring elements in complex visual information. This skill shows how effectively they detect order within unfamiliar data. 
• Logical reasoning: It measures a person’s ability to draw valid conclusions from the presented information. It also assesses how consistently they apply rules to reach accurate outcomes. 
• Fluid intelligence: It captures how well a person learns new concepts without relying on prior knowledge. It reflects their capacity to understand novel situations with clarity. 
• Lateral thinking: It gauges how creatively a person approaches unfamiliar tasks. It highlights their readiness to generate unconventional solutions when standard methods fail. 
• Strategic thinking: It checks how deliberately a person evaluates options before making decisions. It shows their ability to plan steps that lead to meaningful outcomes. 
• Problem solving: It measures how efficiently a person analyses a challenge and works toward a solution. It also reveals how they adjust their approach when the first attempt does not work. 
• Information integration: It assesses how well a person connects separate pieces of data to form a coherent picture. It also shows their ability to combine details without losing sight of the overall context. 
• Adaptability: It reflects how quickly a person adjusts to new patterns or changing rules. It shows their comfort with shifting information and evolving problem structures.

What are the different formats of the Abstract Reasoning Assessment?

Abstract reasoning assessments use various formats such as: 

• Figure series: It assesses a person's ability to recognize visual patterns by observing how shapes change over time. 
• Odd one out: It assesses how fast a person recognizes the component that deviates from the pattern or rule that the other figures share. 
• Next in the sequence: It evaluates an individual's ability to predict the missing visual component by correctly interpreting relationships between rows and columns. 
• Matrices: It evaluates how accurately a person reads patterns that run across both rows and columns to determine the missing element in a structured visual grid. 
• Analogies: It assess a person's ability to comprehend the relationship between two figures and apply the same reasoning to a different pair. 
• Grouping: It evaluates how well a person uses common visual rules to group figures into meaningful sets. 
• Classification: It measures the degree to which an individual consistently applies a rule to determine which figures fall into a given category and which do not. 

These formats assess pattern recognition and logical problem-solving skills. For example, test takers are presented with a three-by-three (nine-cell) matrix that consists of eight cells containing geometric shapes and one empty/blank cell/cell with a question mark. They are asked to find the logical rule(s) that govern how the sequence progresses horizontally or vertically and identify the shape that should fill the blank space.  

How to prepare for the Abstract Reasoning Test?

Candidates should concentrate on honing their pattern recognition and logical problem-solving skills using sample test questions in order to get ready for an abstract reasoning exam. Solving puzzles with odd-one-out shapes, matrices, and sequences on a regular basis improves accuracy and speed. Additionally, analyzing the rules behind patterns and developing strategies to eliminate incorrect options improves performance in timed conditions. Building confidence and familiarity with various test formats is facilitated by regular practice with abstract reasoning-focused mock exams. 

Abstract reasoning test example questions

1. If, in a quality control matrix, defect rates are doubled after a process change, which of the following options would most appropriately predict defect rates, assuming linear growth, after three such changes? 

a) Defect rate × 8 

b) Defect rate × 4 

c) Defect rate × 11 

d) Defect rate × 15  

Answer- a) Defect rate × 8

2. A supply chain dashboard shows the following trend: the stock is falling by 10% every week, whereas during promotional periods, the fall rate slows to 5%. Which figure best represents the stock level in week 4 if week 1 started at 10,000 units?  

a) 6500 units  

b) 9,550 units  

c) 9,000 units  

d) 12000 units  

Answer- b) 9,550 units