Mettl Test Explained: Aptitude, Coding and Proctoring

If you are applying for a graduate trainee role, a campus placement or a tech job, particularly in India or with a multinational that hires there, there is a fair chance your online test runs on Mercer | Mettl. The invitation usually comes from the employer, with a link to tests.mettl.com, a time window and a note about webcam proctoring. What it rarely says is what the test actually contains.

This guide explains who Mettl is, the tests employers build on it, how proctoring works from the candidate's side, and eight practice questions in the style of the General Aptitude Test, each with a worked answer. We do not publish real Mettl answers; nobody legitimately can, and the reason why is useful to understand.

Who Is Mercer | Mettl?

Mettl started in India's National Capital Region (trade press gives 2009 or 2010 as the founding year), founded by Ketan Kapoor and Tonmoy Shingal and based in Gurgaon. In October 2018 Mercer, the consulting arm of Marsh McLennan, bought the company, which is why it now trades as Mercer | Mettl.

On its pre-employment assessment page, Mettl describes itself as serving more than 6,000 clients, delivering over 12 million assessments a year and covering more than 300 skills, with use across about 100 countries. Those are vendor figures, but they explain why the name keeps turning up: Mettl is both a test publisher and a testing platform. Some employers use Mettl's own off-the-shelf tests; others write their own questions and simply use Mettl to deliver and proctor them.

That second point matters. "The Mettl test" is not one fixed exam. Two candidates both told they have "a Mettl test" may sit completely different content.

Which Tests Run on Mettl?

Mettl's product pages list psychometric, personality, behavioural, aptitude, coding, domain and spoken English tests. The ones candidates most often meet:

General Aptitude Test

Mettl's own product page describes the General Aptitude Test as 48 questions in 60 minutes at moderate difficulty. The sections it lists are:

  • Numerical ability: profit and loss, averages, percentages, ratio and proportion, time and work, mixtures and alligation.
  • Data analysis: tables and graphs.
  • Abstract reasoning: pattern items in the style of Raven's matrices.
  • Analytical ability: coding-decoding, directions, blood relations, arrangements.
  • Critical thinking: drawing conclusions, evaluating arguments, recognising assumptions.
  • Verbal ability: para jumbles, sentence correction and completion, spot the error, fill in the blank, reading comprehension.

If you have prepared for Indian campus placement aptitude rounds, much of this will feel familiar. Employers can change the mix, the length and the timing, so treat these numbers as Mettl's standard version, not a guarantee.

Other cognitive tests

Mettl also lists separate tests for logical reasoning, numerical reasoning, critical thinking, spatial reasoning and cognitive speed (which it describes as covering processing speed and attention), plus a general mental ability test. An employer might send just one of these instead of the general test.

Mettl Personality Profiler

Mettl describes its Personality Profiler as inspired by the Big Five model of personality, broken down into 26 narrower scales. Its product page gives 86 items and 20 to 25 minutes, with a five-point semantic differential format: you place yourself between two opposing descriptions rather than simply agreeing or disagreeing. Mettl says this format reduces "faking good". There is no pass mark; your profile is compared with the competencies the role needs.

Coding tests

For developer roles, Mettl uses coding simulators. Its Codelysis back-end simulator supports more than 20 programming languages, according to Mettl. You write code in a browser IDE and are scored on default and hidden test cases, with correctness, difficulty and time and space complexity factored in. Two features are worth knowing in advance: Mettl says it runs plagiarism checks (including MOSS) and can play back your code keystroke by keystroke. Pasting in a solution from elsewhere is visible.

Spoken English and domain tests

Mettl offers an AI-scored spoken English test called SpeechX, and a large library of domain tests (accounting, Excel, specific programming frameworks and so on). These are usually set for specific roles.

How Proctoring Works on Mettl

Mettl advertises AI-assisted proctoring, human proctoring for high-stakes exams, browser lockdown and three-point candidate authentication. On the candidate side, Mettl's help centre describes a proctored test like this:

  1. Open the invitation via the email link, an assessment link, or an invitation key entered at tests.mettl.com.
  2. System check. A compatibility check runs in the background. Mettl asks for at least 512 kbps of uninterrupted bandwidth.
  3. Permissions. You allow webcam and microphone access and, if the test requires it, share your entire screen.
  4. Registration and identity. You fill in your details, capture a photo of your face and a photo of your ID.
  5. The test. The screen goes full-screen. A live video feed may be monitored by a proctor.

The rules that catch people out:

  • Do not switch windows, applications or tabs. Mettl says this may lead to a warning or disqualification.
  • Do not refresh the page. Mettl says this submits your responses immediately.
  • Turn off notifications. A pop-up that pulls focus away from the test window is an avoidable risk.
  • Use the device you checked. Institutional exam guides for Mettl tests commonly advise running the system check on the same computer you will use, and some state that proctored tests do not run on mobile devices or on certain browsers. Your invitation's instructions take priority.

Responses save automatically, so a power cut or a dropped connection does not normally wipe your work. Some employers require the Mettl Secure Browser or a second camera via a paired phone; if so, the invitation says so.

Practice Questions in the Mettl Aptitude Style

These eight questions are written by us in the style of the General Aptitude Test sections. They are not real Mettl items.

Practice question 1

A shopkeeper buys a phone for ₹12,000 and sells it for ₹13,800. What is the profit percentage?

A. 12% B. 13.8% C. 15% D. 18%

Answer: C. Profit is 13,800 − 12,000 = ₹1,800. Profit percentage is calculated on cost price: 1,800 / 12,000 = 0.15, so 15%. Option B is the trap of reading the selling price as the percentage.

Practice question 2

Riya can finish a task in 10 days and Aman can finish it in 15 days. Working together, how many days do they need?

A. 5 B. 6 C. 12.5 D. 25

Answer: B. Riya does 1/10 of the task per day, Aman 1/15. Together: 1/10 + 1/15 = 3/30 + 2/30 = 5/30 = 1/6 of the task per day, so 6 days. A quick sanity check: together they must be faster than the faster person alone (10 days), which rules out C and D.

Practice question 3

The average of five numbers is 24. When a sixth number is added, the average becomes 25. What is the sixth number?

A. 25 B. 26 C. 30 D. 31

Answer: C. The five numbers total 5 × 24 = 120. Six numbers averaging 25 total 150. The sixth number is 150 − 120 = 30.

Practice question 4

A and B start a business with ₹40,000 and ₹60,000 respectively, for the same period. The year's profit is ₹25,000. What is B's share?

A. ₹10,000 B. ₹12,500 C. ₹15,000 D. ₹16,000

Answer: C. With equal time periods, profit is shared in the ratio of capital: 40,000 : 60,000 = 2 : 3. B's share is 3/5 of 25,000 = ₹15,000.

Practice question 5

In a certain code, PLANT is written as QMBOU. How is GREEN written in that code?

A. HSFFO B. HSFEO C. FQDDM D. HTFFO

Answer: A. Each letter moves one place forward in the alphabet (P→Q, L→M, A→B, N→O, T→U). Applying the same rule: G→H, R→S, E→F, E→F, N→O, giving HSFFO. In coding-decoding items, always check the rule on every letter before applying it; option B fails on the fourth letter.

Practice question 6

Pointing to a man, Meera says, "He is the son of my grandfather's only son." How is the man related to Meera?

A. Cousin B. Brother C. Uncle D. Nephew

Answer: B. Her grandfather's only son must be Meera's father (there is no other son). The son of her father is her brother. Blood-relation items are fastest if you draw a small family tree rather than holding it in your head.

Practice question 7

Arjun walks 6 km north, turns right and walks 8 km, then turns right again and walks 6 km. How far is he from his starting point, and in which direction?

A. 8 km east B. 8 km west C. 10 km north-east D. 20 km east

Answer: A. North 6 km, then a right turn faces east for 8 km, then another right turn faces south for 6 km, which cancels the first leg. He ends 8 km due east of the start. Sketch the route; direction questions punish mental shortcuts.

Practice question 8

Choose the grammatically correct sentence.

A. Neither the manager nor the team members was informed. B. Neither the manager nor the team members were informed. C. Neither the manager or the team members were informed. D. Neither the manager nor the team members has been informed.

Answer: B. With "neither... nor", the verb agrees with the nearer subject. "Team members" is plural, so "were". C uses "or" instead of "nor", and A and D use singular verbs.

For more of each type, see our numerical reasoning practice questions, logical reasoning practice questions and verbal reasoning practice questions.

Strategy for the Aptitude Test

Check the marking scheme first. Tests on Mettl are configured by the employer, so whether a wrong answer costs marks varies. Read the instructions screen before you start. Without negative marking, never leave a question blank; with it, guess only when you can eliminate options.

Watch the section structure. Many tests are split into sections, each with its own timer or with navigation locked once you move on. Know before you start whether you can come back to a question.

Move on from slow items. At roughly a minute per question in the standard version, a five-minute struggle with one arrangement puzzle costs you four easier questions. Mark it, guess if needed, and keep going.

Use paper. Directions, blood relations and seating arrangements are far faster drawn than imagined. For proctored tests, check the instructions on whether rough paper is allowed before you start.

Know your formulas cold. Percentage change, profit and loss on cost price, the work-rate method, weighted averages and ratio sharing cover a large share of the numerical items. If those feel slow, our numerical reasoning test practice is a good place to drill them.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating the system check as optional. A failed webcam permission ten minutes before the deadline is a common, avoidable problem. Run the check a day ahead.
  • Taking the test on a work laptop. Corporate firewalls and security software can block the proctoring connection, and exam guides for Mettl tests mention blocked network ports as a known problem.
  • Looking away repeatedly. Candidates commonly report proctoring flags for frequent glances off-screen or another voice in the room. Sit alone, face the camera, keep your phone out of reach unless the instructions ask for it as a second camera.
  • Copy-pasting code. With keystroke playback and plagiarism checks, a pasted solution is easy to spot.
  • Overthinking the personality profiler. Answering to look "ideal" produces an inconsistent profile. Answer as you are at work.

A One-Week Preparation Plan

Day 1: Read the invitation for test names, duration, sections and proctoring requirements. Run the system check.

Days 2–3: Untimed practice of each question type: percentages, work-rate, averages, ratios, coding-decoding, blood relations, directions, arrangements, grammar and para jumbles. Understand every error.

Days 4–5: Timed sets at about a minute per question. Practise skipping and returning.

Day 6: One full timed mock in a quiet room, on the same device, with notifications off. Our all-tests package has full-length numerical, verbal and logical tests for this.

Day 7: Light review, then take the real test early in the window.

How Mettl Compares With Other Publishers

Mettl's General Aptitude Test sits closer to Indian placement-style aptitude rounds than to the business-data style of SHL, Saville or Talogy. If you also face a fast general ability test, the CCAT and the Wonderlic are useful comparisons. Some employers pair a Mettl test with a recorded video interview; our HireVue guide explains how those are typically scored, and for UK graduate schemes you may instead meet Cappfinity or Arctic Shores.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Mettl test?

An online assessment delivered on the Mercer | Mettl platform. Mettl was founded in Gurgaon, India, and bought by Mercer in 2018. Employers use it for aptitude, personality, coding, domain and English tests, often with remote proctoring.

How many questions are in the Mettl General Aptitude Test?

Mettl's own product page describes 48 questions in 60 minutes at moderate difficulty, covering numerical, data analysis, abstract, analytical, critical thinking and verbal items. Employers can customise tests, so your version may differ.

What happens if I switch tabs in a proctored Mettl test?

Mettl's candidate help pages warn that switching windows, applications or tabs may lead to a warning or disqualification, and that refreshing the page submits your responses immediately. Close everything else before you start.

Can I find Mettl test answers online?

Lists of so-called Mettl answers do not match your test, because employers build their own tests from large question libraries. Practising the question types under time pressure is what improves your score.

Is the Mettl personality test pass or fail?

No. The Mettl Personality Profiler, which Mettl says is inspired by the Big Five model, compares your profile with what the role needs. Answer honestly and consistently rather than trying to guess an ideal profile.

About the author

Ingmar van Maurik is a specialist in test and interview preparation who helps candidates perform better in recruitment processes.

References