Are you sitting at home biting your nails because you are a little apprehensive about the prospect of taking an SHL test? You may be feeling somewhat overwhelmed about the whole idea of an SHL test or are just in search of some concrete tips to help you navigate your journey. Either way, these five tips to help you pass your SHL test will let you set sail.

About the SHL Test

Today, many companies are asking prospective employees to take an SHL test as part of the recruitment process. Saville and Holdsworth Ltd (SHL) is a pioneer of the psychometric test and a provider of behavioural, ability, and personality tests. SHL offers a range of psychometric tests including, for example, verbal reasoning, inductive reasoning, numerical reasoning, and mechanical reasoning.

SHL tests are popular as they provide organizations with insights into the skills and knowledge of a candidate. Organizations can use SHL tests to see who may be suitable for a specific job or leadership role. They are relevant across all industries and hierarchy levels, however, they are particularly relevant for graduate recruitment programs.

5 Tips To Help You Pass Your SHL Test 

You have every right to be feeling a little nervous, about sitting an SHL test, as these tests are notoriously tricky! But, rest assured these 5 tips will settle your nerves and help you set sail in the right direction.

Tip #1 Sharpen Your Basic Skills

While you can’t know for certain what questions you will be presented with, in your SHL test, you can come into the test sharp and confident by brushing up on relevant basic skills. For example, if you are about to sit a numerical reasoning test, you’ll want to make sure you are very familiar with fundamental techniques, such as solving ratios, converting decimals to fractions, and making sense of graphs and trends.

Tip #2 Practice, Practice, Practice

It can’t be emphasized enough. The more you practice the better prepared you will be, so take as many practice tests as you can! Basically, immerse yourself in practice tests, as the more you complete, the more you will get to know what to expect in terms of question types, format, and time constraints. Familiarity is the key here. The more familiar you are with the SHL test the more comfortable you will feel when you sit the real test.

Tip #3 Effectively Manage Your Time

SHL tests do have a fixed time limit. A reason behind this is to intentionally put candidates under pressure, so an organization can see what your real potential is. This fixed time limit can be demanding, but it doesn’t need to put undue pressure on you. You can manage this constraint by reading the instructions with a close eye at the start of the test so you can understand precisely how long you have to complete your test. If you need to sit more than one SHL test, pay attention to the time limit of each test, as it may change from test to test.

Once you know your time limit and have started your test make sure you don’t get bogged down on one question for too long. If a particular question is proving troublesome, leave it for the time being and move on. The majority of tests let you move forwards and backward through the test questions. This means you can skip certain questions and then go back to them, but make sure you take careful note of which questions you have skipped. (Note: not all tests will let you move backward and forwards so carefully check your specific test requirements, some tests end when you choose a wrong answer).

Tip #4 Make Yourself Comfortable

We all tend to have hours in the day when we function at our best. For example, if you are a morning person get up early and take your test in the morning hours. You may also want to prepare yourself a small conducive work corner that will help you focus and get in the zone. Make yourself something small to eat before you start your test. This will provide you with energy so you can sustain your focus throughout. Also, if you live with others make sure that they won’t be around or disturbing when you are taking the test.

Tip #5 Check Your Answers

Make sure that you have understood the test instructions and thoroughly examine each individual question. Although you have time restrictions rushing on before you are sure of an answer won’t do you any good. Check your answer choice and workings before you go on to the next question.

Summary

Equipped with these 5 tips you are now ready to start your SHL test journey. Best of luck!