David, Psychometric Assessment expert at JobTestPrep.

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What Are Deductive Reasoning Tests?

Deductive reasoning tests evaluate your ability to take general ideas that are considered true and reach a specific, logical conclusion.

Let’s see what deduction looks like in one of its simplest examples:

1. All dogs are mammals.
2. All mammals are warm-blooded.

Using deductive reasoning, you can conclude that all dogs are warm-blooded.

Deductive Reasoning VS Inductive Reasoning

While deductive reasoning uses general statements to reach specific conclusions, inductive reasoning uses specific observations to reach a general conclusion.

Now:

Many employers value employees with strong deductive and logical skills. That’s why they use assessment tests, such as SHL’s ones, to ensure they hire candidates with these abilities.

What Is the SHL Deductive Reasoning Test?

The SHL Deductive Reasoning test is a pre-employment assessment that measures logical thinking skills. Included are questions such as identifying the strengths and weaknesses of arguments, analyzing scenarios, and drawing conclusions from data. Additionally, SHL has devised three versions, including an interactive and two non-interactive multiple-choice format versions.

What to Expect on the SHL Deductive Test?

The version of the SHL deductive test you'll get will depend on the hiring company. Each version differs in its question types, time limits, and difficulty levels.

Below, we have provided an overview of each test version plus some sample questions, so you start to get a feel for the test.

SHL Verify G+ Deductive Reasoning Test (Interactive)

Number of questions: 12

Time limit: 18 minutes

Unique instructions: the instructions will specifically say “…an activity-based test that allows you to drag, drop, and interact…”

The SHL Interactive Deductive Reasoning test is a new assessment that's completely different from the classic multiple-choice version.

On this test, you’ll have questions such as scheduling an interactive calendar, deducing the ranking of people based on different criteria, arranging meeting rooms, and more.

That’s why this version is considered more difficult, and each question takes longer to answer.

(Nevertheless, you have only 1.5 minutes per question)

To get a better understanding of what makes this interactive version so unique, check out the following example of a question type you’ll likely see on the test:

SHL Interactive Deductive Reasoning Sample Question

Office Schedule

When there isn’t a scheduled activity, workers are at their desks. Phone calls are made in the conference room. Lunch is eaten in the dining area, and breaks are taken on the balcony.

Place each worker in the correct room at 2:30 p.m.

*Note: on the real test, you’ll need to drag the worker’s location pin and drop it in the correct place.

 

How to answer this question type

In this question, you are presented with information regarding four workers at your office. You can see their activities and the time they occur. Different activities take place in various parts of the office.

You are given a specific time and need to locate the position of each worker in that time. The picture of each worker appears on a location pin, and you need to drag it to the correct position on the office’s map.

In the sample question, you need to place the workers at 2:30 p.m., meaning you need to understand where each worker was at 2:30.

You can see that Amanda is on a break on 2.30 p.m. According to the given information, breaks are taken on the balcony meaning Amanda is on the balcony.

Josh is having a phone call at 10:30 to 11:00 am. There is no information regarding his location at 2.30 p.m. meaning he has no activity scheduled to this time. According to the given information when there isn’t a scheduled activity, workers are at their desks. Josh is at his desk at 2:30.

Steven is eating lunch at 2:00 to 3:00 pm. Lunch is eaten in the dining area, meaning at 2:30 p.m. steven is at the dining area.

Rachel has a meeting in 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Meaning she is in the meeting room at 2:30 p.m.

SHL Verify G+ Deductive Reasoning Test (Non-Interactive)

Number of questions: 18

Time limit: 20 minutes

Unique instructions: “After each question, there are four or five response options.” And “Click on the answer…” indicates it’s not an interactive assessment.

The non-interactive SHL Deductive reasoning test is a multiple-choice test with five responses to choose from and only one correct answer to each question.

You’ll have three types of questions on this test:

• Paragraph or statements followed by the question - “which statement must / cannot be true?”
• A paragraph with specific details followed by the question - “which assumption underlies the above argument?”
• Tables loaded with details and numbers followed by a detailed question about them.

The following is an example for the third question type:

SHL Non-interactive Deductive Reasoning Test Example

 

Note: codes are always listed first by the Calls pack, then Text messages pack, Multimedia messages pack, and Data pack.

Which of the following series of codes is incorrect?

A. G, A360

B. 5, A120

C. 25, 8-80

D. S, 8-50

E. 5, B, A120

Correct Answer

Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is (D).

S, 8-50

It is correct because S is a ‘Text message pack’ belonging to the ‘Silver member pack’ and 8-50 is a ‘Multimedia messages pack’ belonging to the ‘Platinum member pack’.

SHL CEB Deductive Reasoning Test

Number of questions: 18

Time limit: 20 minutes

The SHL Verify CEB Deductive test is easier to recognise as you’ll CEB’s logo on the top left corner of the test’s opening screen. As of 2023, only several companies use this version, as most other companies that use SHL’s assessments shifted to the newer interactive and non-interactive versions.

This version is pretty similar to the non-interactive one in terms of the deductive skills under examination, however, its format and graphics look more outdated.

Check out the following sample question that has one of the most common question formats:

How to Pass the SHL Deductive Reasoning Test?

Sitting the SHL Deductive Reasoning test without any prior preparation can be hard.

Even if you have solid deductive skills, getting used to the question types takes time. Especially if you’re taking the interactive version, which is the complete opposite of the classic multiple-choice tests you’re used to.

If you decide to start the test without prior prep, you won't have time to get comfortable with the unique question types. Except for a few warmup sample questions, you need to quickly dive into the cold water and start answering questions.

So, the safest way to ensure you pass the SHL Deductive test is by following a thorough practice plan beforehand (preferably tailored to your specific test version).

There are two options available for that right now:

1. SHL Direct’s practice test
2. JobTestPrep’s accurate SHL preparation pack

Why Practicing Just Using SHL Direct Might Not Be Enough?

Your SHL assessment invitation email usually includes a link to SHL Direct, SHL’s practice site containing several sample questions and free practice tests.

That said, there are a few problems with that:

• The invitation email doesn’t tell you which SHL version you should practice for (interactive or non-interactive - which differ greatly).
• The score report you get at the end (only for the non-interactive version) doesn’t say which questions you got right or wrong, so you can’t tell what areas to focus on. Also, you don’t get any solutions, feedback, or explanations, thus you’re unable to learn from your mistakes.
• SHL Direct’s practice tests include only a small fraction of the actual question types. Additionally, some of the questions’ difficulty level is easier than the real test. SHL even mentions that on their page, saying that the practice tests’ level may not reflect the real thing.

And this leads us to the next option...

JobTestPrep’s SHL Deductive Reasoning Practice Tests

JobTestPrep is currently the ONLY test prep company that offers complete practice for the Interactive version of the SHL Deductive Reasoning test.

When you get this practice, you also gain access to:

✔ Dozens of practice tests covering all three versions of the test (interactive/non-interactive/CEB).to familiarise yourself with the exam and what it requires.

✔ Step-by-step explanations for every practice question to ensure you know HOW to answer any SHL deductive question (we're not just giving out the correct answers).

✔ Realistic difficulty levels with time limits to prepare you for one of the most crucial aspects - the tight time frame.

Instant Access & Money-back Guarantee

SHL Deductive Reasoning Scores Explained

After you finish the SHL Deductive Reasoning Test, you’ll receive a score report named “Candidate Assessment Report.”

The scores you see on this report, as well as SHL’s general scoring, are comparative. This means the scores are compared to a large group of candidates who previously took the same test.

Your test results range from A to E, as you can see in the illustration below:

The higher your score is, the closer you’ll be to group “A”. And it’s safe to say that candidates who score in groups “A” and “B” are likely to pass the test.

So, even if the scoring system is comparative to other test-takers, you should still strive to score as high as possible.