SHL Practice Test
Matrix Reasoning Practice for the SHL Inductive Reasoning Test
Practise with a 10-question free matrix reasoning test in the same 3×3 grid format used by SHL Inductive Reasoning, with full explanations after every answer and pattern guides matched to the rule families SHL uses.
SHL-style practice
The real SHL Verify Interactive Inductive Reasoning
Our practice is independent and uses our own question bank. It is not an official SHL Verify test, it does not use real SHL Verify questions, and we are not affiliated with the publisher.
What we do not copy
- constructed response (shading a grid, dragging a line)
- adaptive item pool (ours is a fixed draw of the maximum length)
Sources
- Verify Interactive Inductive Reasoning is up to 15 items in 18 minutes, adaptive, with a constructed response rather than multiple choice.Publisher factsheet, read 14 September 2026.
- Verify Inductive Reasoning (2014) allows 24 minutes for up to 18 questions, multiple choice, computer adaptive.Publisher factsheet, read 29 September 2026.
SHL Inductive Reasoning uses the same 3×3 matrix format you practise here, so this is directly relevant practice — similar format, good preparation. We don't use real SHL questions. Build the skill with the free untimed test, then add time pressure with the Matrigma-style timed mock.
About the real SHL assessment
What the real SHL test looks like
The format details below describe the actual SHL assessment as published by SHL. Our practice test above is independent and uses our own question bank.
SHL is the most widely used aptitude-test publisher in graduate and senior-hire recruitment. Their matrix reasoning module is called Inductive Reasoning (sometimes marketed as Verify Interactive — Inductive Reasoning by employers). The test uses 3×3 visual matrix grids of the same format used on this site, with rotation, symmetry, and progression rules across cells.
Test name
SHL sells two current inductive tests: Verify Interactive Inductive Reasoning and Verify Inductive Reasoning (2014). Your invitation names the one you are taking.
Question style
Verify Interactive Inductive Reasoning is activity-based: SHL's factsheet shows shapes and sequences where you build the answer, for example by shading a grid or drawing a line, rather than picking it from a list. Verify Inductive Reasoning (2014) is multiple choice. Our practice is multiple choice throughout.
Timing
Verify Interactive Inductive Reasoning allows 18 minutes for up to 15 questions, so at least 72 seconds a question on average. Verify Inductive Reasoning (2014) allows 24 minutes for up to 18. Both are maximums rather than counts, because both tests are adaptive.
Adaptive scoring
Modern SHL versions are adaptive: answer the first questions correctly and the difficulty rises, raising your potential score ceiling. Early errors lower it.
Employer usage
Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC, Goldman Sachs, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and most Fortune 500 companies use SHL for graduate and senior-hire screening. McKinsey often uses SHL in parallel with Solve.
Skills being tested
What this practice trains
- Visual pattern recognition
- Abstract reasoning
- Inductive reasoning
- Logical sequencing
- Speed under time pressure
Common mistakes
The four most common ways candidates underperform
- 1
Spending too long on one question
SHL's clock runs over the whole test, 18 minutes for up to 15 questions, not question by question. Time spent stuck on one hard item comes straight out of the time left for the rest, so set a personal limit and move on when you reach it.
- 2
Looking for a single rule
SHL favours multi-rule questions where two transformations stack — rotation plus reflection, or scale plus position. Looking for a single rule and confirming with one extra cell loses time on the hardest questions.
- 3
Missing reset vs. continuous patterns
Whether the rule continues across row boundaries or resets per row is one of SHL's favourite misdirections. Always confirm the row-2 first cell before extrapolating from row 1 alone.
- 4
Ignoring practice fatigue
Accuracy slips when you practise tired. Train endurance, not just speed: practise three short sessions a day rather than one long one.
How to improve
The most efficient preparation path
The pattern families used by SHL (rotation, symmetry, shape progression, positional movement, and combined multi-rule transformations) are exactly the families covered on this site. Take the free practice test to set a baseline, study the patterns you missed using the pattern library, then retake to confirm improvement before the real test.
Full aptitude batteries usually include numerical and verbal reasoning sections alongside the abstract questions. If your assessment covers those too, you can practise free numerical reasoning and free verbal reasoning on our sister sites.
Frequently asked
SHL test FAQ
- What is the SHL matrix reasoning test?
- It is SHL's inductive reasoning test. The current version, Verify Interactive Inductive Reasoning, presents shapes and alphanumeric sequences and asks you to infer the rule and build the answer, for example by shading a grid or drawing a line; the earlier Verify Inductive Reasoning (2014) is multiple choice. It measures abstract pattern recognition independent of language and prior knowledge, which is why employers use it to predict job performance across roles.
- How many questions are on the SHL Inductive Reasoning test?
- SHL publishes a maximum, not a fixed count, because the test is adaptive. Verify Interactive Inductive Reasoning has up to 15 questions in 18 minutes; Verify Inductive Reasoning (2014) has up to 18 in 24 minutes. Always confirm the specific test with the invitation email from the employer.
- Is the SHL test timed?
- Yes. Verify Interactive Inductive Reasoning allows 18 minutes for the whole test and up to 15 questions, which leaves at least 72 seconds a question on average. The clock covers the whole test rather than each question, so the pacing is yours to manage.
- What is a good SHL Inductive Reasoning score?
- SHL reports scores as percentiles relative to a normed comparison group. What counts as a good score is set by each employer against its own comparison group, so there is no single published bar to aim for: ask the employer if they will tell you.
- Is the SHL test adaptive?
- The modern SHL Inductive Reasoning test is adaptive — the difficulty of each question adjusts based on whether you answered the previous one correctly. Confident, accurate answers in the first few questions raise your potential score ceiling significantly, while early errors lower it.
- Can you practise for SHL Inductive Reasoning?
- Yes. SHL describes the test as measuring the ability to infer rules, patterns or sequences and then use them to predict outcomes, and that is a skill practice builds: learn the common rule families, then practise spotting them quickly and under a clock.
- What companies use SHL aptitude tests?
- SHL is used by Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC, Goldman Sachs, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Mars, Mondelēz, Schlumberger, and most of the Fortune 500 for graduate and senior-hire screening. McKinsey often uses SHL alongside its own Solve assessment.
- How is SHL different from the McKinsey Solve test?
- SHL's Verify Interactive Inductive Reasoning is an adaptive test of up to 15 questions in 18 minutes. McKinsey Solve is a game-based assessment whose length McKinsey sets in each candidate's invitation rather than publishing one; Solve includes some pattern-style tasks but is not primarily a matrix reasoning test. Many McKinsey applicants face both: SHL at the graduate-screening stage and Solve at the McKinsey-specific stage.
Also preparing for
Related provider prep
McKinsey
McKinsey's Solve assessment isn't a traditional matrix reasoning test, but the pattern-recognition skill it scores is the same.
Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry's aptitude assessments include matrix-based Inductive Reasoning.
Aon
Practice for Aon's scales ix (cut-e) inductive reasoning test with free timed odd-one-out practice in the same format.
Matrigma
Practice for the Matrigma test (Hogan Assessments) with a free 12-question, 15-minute provider-style mock.
Get notified
Advanced timed practice is coming
Harder-pattern packs and adaptive timed practice are in production. For a timed run today, take the Matrigma-style mock. Email signup will open here when the advanced packs launch.
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Practise the skill, then add time pressure
Start with the free untimed test to learn at your own pace. Then take the Matrigma-style timed mock to practise the same matrix format under pressure.