Free numerical reasoning test with worked answers
Free numerical reasoning test online: 16 questions on four business tables (percentages, ratios, rates), timed or untimed, worked answers, shareable result.
FREE PRACTICE · NEW QUESTIONS EVERY ATTEMPT
Numerical reasoning test
Use the tables to work out percentages, ratios and rates. A calculator and rough paper are allowed. Choose one answer, using only the figures shown.
Each attempt draws 4 of 24 passages, and a retake avoids the ones you have just seen. One point per correct answer, no penalty for guessing. Skip and return to questions; answers and explanations appear after you finish. Your progress stays on this page until you reload or leave.
What a numerical reasoning test measures
A numerical reasoning test asks you to read a table or chart and answer questions that need one or two calculations: a percentage change, a ratio, a rate per hour, a total, a projection. They appear in hiring for finance, analyst, operations, sales and graduate roles, where the job involves exactly this: reading a report, finding the right figure and doing something correct with it.
The arithmetic is deliberately modest. What separates scores is reading accuracy (the right row, the right column, the right unit), choosing the right denominator for a percentage, and keeping pace. The classic mistakes are using the new value instead of the original one as the base of a percentage change, and answering about the wrong row.
How this free test works
- 16 questions on four tables, each table with four questions. The bank holds 24 tables from eight business scenarios: orders by quarter, unit sales and margins, team workload, data plans, survey results, fleet fuel, payroll with overtime, and website traffic. An attempt draws four tables from four different scenarios.
- 12 minutes in timed mode, or untimed while you learn. A calculator and paper are allowed and expected.
- Four skills, reported separately on your result: percentages, ratios, data interpretation and rates.
- Worked answers after you finish, showing the calculation line by line.
- An optional shareable result with a permanent link, preview image and an Add to LinkedIn profile button.
Sample numerical reasoning question
| Branch | Q1 orders | Q2 orders |
|---|---|---|
| North | 240 | 300 |
| South | 320 | 352 |
By what percentage did North orders increase from Q1 to Q2?
Increase: 300 − 240 = 60. Divide by the original figure: 60 ÷ 240 × 100 = 25%. Dividing by 300 instead gives 20%, which is the most common wrong answer and is always offered as an option.
Which branch had the smaller percentage increase? South: 32 ÷ 320 = 10%. So South, even though its Q2 total is higher.
How to improve your numerical reasoning score
- Write the units and the denominator before you calculate. “Percentage of what?” settles most percentage questions before any arithmetic.
- Read the caption and the column headers first. A column labelled “weekly hours each” means the total is staff × hours, not the number shown.
- Estimate before you compute. If the options are 20%, 25%, 60% and 80%, a rough look at 240 → 300 tells you the answer is a quarter, not two thirds.
- Keep intermediate figures unrounded until the final step, unless the question says otherwise.
- Use the skip button. Four questions share a table; if one is slow, do the other three and come back.
Reading your result
Your percentage is the share of the 16 questions you answered correctly. The result guide explains the calculation, the four score ranges and what to practise for each of the four skills. A skill count of 1 out of 4 is a hint about what to work on, not a measurement of general ability. This is unsupervised practice, not a certificate.
Related free tests
- Excel formula test: the same calculations, written as formulas on a worksheet.
- Attention to detail test: reconciling totals and checking records, the clerical cousin of this test.
- Logical reasoning test: deduction from stated rules rather than figures.