The Importance of Numerical and Verbal Reasoning Tests

Numerical and verbal reasoning tests are two types of psychometric tests that are implemented by certain employers to find out the right candidate from several applicants for a particular job position. Here is a detailed look into the importance of numerical and verbal reasoning tests.  

Numerical Reasoning Tests

A numerical reasoning test will help provide recruiters with an understanding of your ability to analyze and interpret various questions usually given in the form of tables, graphs and data. Employers need to ensure that they can draw reasonable and logical results out of the provided data for a certain job role. A numerical reasoning test may give them an insight into the attention to details that you may give in any given situation. These tests may not help them assess your mathematical knowledge; however, these will help evaluate how logically you will reach a decision and how knowledgeable and well-versed you are.

You should know how numerical reasoning test scores help the recruiters decide on the most competent candidate from many, for a certain job role. In a professional work environment, crucial decisions are usually made based on the data, figures and trends of the previous years. These decisions may include monitoring the progress of a business strategy, analyzing results-driven from a business strategy, or elements that may have helped the business in achieving previous business goals. Thus, several interpretations and analyses will need to be effectively done as a part of the job role to make better and informed future business decisions. These test scores will give recruiters an idea about how the candidates will comprehend these critical aspects of the business and whether or not they may add any value to the company in achieving their business goals.

Thus, some employers may use your scores of the numerical reasoning test you have participated in to analyze the following factors:

• Your ability to identify issues related to business processes to make a critical analysis.
• Your ability to draw logical conclusions and present logical alternatives to the processes.
• Your ability to implement those presented solutions.
• Your ability to monitor business results and progress by going through data and figures, and analyzing the graphs.
• Your ability to further communicate and convey issues and their solutions with the help of graphs and tables.    
• Your ability to think critically.
• Your ability to perform and communicate estimates.
• Your speed of making correct analyses and evaluations.
• Your amount of concentration in assessment and problem-solving.

In a data-driven business environment, the existing and potential employees need to have strong numerical reasoning skills without which any kind of professional job may become challenging. Generally, the below kinds of questions are given to the candidates to test their numerical thinking and reasoning skills:

• Interpretation of tables
• Arithmetic
• Manipulation of data
• Interpretation of graphs
• Interpretation of patterns

However, the above ones usually consist of a high level of skill assessment questions that are beyond the basic level of addition, multiplications, subtractions, divisions and the likes. The key is to make predictions with the use of data while accurately comprehending each value regardless of how it may be presented.  

Verbal Reasoning Tests

According to the job role, verbal reasoning tests are used by some recruiters to find out the potential of a candidate and their learning capabilities from their past work experiences. These may be less complicated in some cases, but may also increase in difficulty depending on the management level of the job you have applied for. In a less complicated verbal reasoning test, you may be asked to complete various sentences and analogies that employees commonly use in a work environment.  

On the other hand, the complex ones may include reading and comprehending a piece of text or information provided, thinking about the information on logical grounds, drawing conclusions accurately, and finally conveying the results to others in an understandable yet professional manner. These are some common activities generally expected of the employees working in a business organization that need to be done effectively and professionally.

Below are some basic attributes that recruiters may evaluate in candidates through appointing a verbal reasoning test. Moreover, they may put as much significance on this one as they usually do in numerical reasoning tests.

• Your ability to pinpoint issues from business manuals and company reports, and logically come up with conclusions as to how these may be taken care of or eliminated.
• Your ability to work on business reports, collateral and documents that are easily understandable at all levels.
• Your ability to convey and articulate any problems in the organization or its processes to bring them to the concerned committee.
• Your ability to decide how positively an issue may be resolved or the possible solutions at hand.

Finally, both numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning tests may provide some useful insights into your professional competency to determine the likelihood of hiring you for the vacant job position you have applied for. Candidates who are not competent enough to take up a certain post may fail in these tests and lose their opportunity to appear for the interview, which is usually followed by these tests. To express yourself as the perfect candidate and to make the recruiter think that you are genuinely determined to get this job role, your test answers should show the amount of time you have spent preparing for it. A poor score may ruin this impression that you are trying to create on your prospective employer.

Many organizations include these tests as part of their recruitment process because, in today’s data-driven marketplace, the business strategies, products development, and future business directions are all determined by the correct analysis and assessment of the trends and patterns we see globally. An employee who has hands-on knowledge of this seems to be an asset to the organization. Thus, candidates who pass these exams and appear in the subsequent interviews are found to be more competitive, adaptable, and intellectual, and fit for the jobs they have applied for.