(+ Scores & answers - no email required)
JobTestPrep is a leading test prep company that offers accurate practice simulations and preparation guides since 1992, including for SHL assessments. JobTestPrep is not affiliated or in business with SHL™ in any way. If you have any additional questions about the assessments, feel free to send us an email, we usually reply within 24 hours.
David, Psychometric Assessment expert at JobTestPrep.
Have a question? Contact me at: askdavid@jobtestprep.com
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:
Using deductive reasoning, you can conclude that all dogs are warm-blooded.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
The following is an example for the third question type:
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?
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’.
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:
Which statement must be true?
The correct answer is (B) - All singers are slim.
The tricky part of this question is that it is phrased negatively. This means that identifying the nature of each group initially and establishing the relationship between the groups is required.
"There are no dancers that aren’t slim" means that all dancers are slim (dancer → slim).
Similarly, "no singers that aren’t dancers" means that all singers are dancers (singer → dancer).
Once the illustration is made, the relationship between the groups becomes clearer. combining both statements together leads to:
Singer → dancer → slim
Therefore:
Singer → slim.
The only true statement is that all singers are slim. All other statements are either false or undetermined.
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:
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:
And this leads us to the next option...
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
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.