Numerical Reasoning Practice Questions With Answers (Worked)
A numerical reasoning test checks whether you can pull the right numbers out of a business table and do the right calculation quickly. It is not a maths exam. You need percentages, ratios, currency conversion, averages and simple projections, applied to data under a tight timer.
Below are 16 practice questions built around four data sets, in the style used by SHL, Aon and Korn Ferry. All questions are our own; none are copied from a live test. Each data set has four questions.
How to use this page: cover the answers, give yourself about 60 seconds per question, write your choice down, then check the Answer and Why lines. The Why line shows the full calculation, and the wrong options are built from the mistakes candidates actually make. If you picked a wrong option, find out which mistake it represents. That tells you more than your score.
Data Set 1: Quarterly Sales by Region
Sales by region, in € thousands
| Region | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North | 420 | 462 | 504 | 546 |
| South | 380 | 342 | 399 | 418 |
| East | 250 | 275 | 300 | 330 |
| West | 300 | 315 | 288 | 360 |
Question 1
By what percentage did South's sales change from Q1 to Q2?
- A) −11.1%
- B) +10.0%
- C) −9.0%
- D) −10.0%
- E) Cannot say
Answer: D
Why: Change = 342 − 380 = −38. Percentage change uses the starting value as the base: −38 ÷ 380 = −0.10 = −10.0%. Option A (−11.1%) comes from dividing by the new value: 38 ÷ 342 = 0.111. That wrong-base mistake is the single most common error in numerical tests.
Question 2
What was the ratio of East's sales to North's sales in Q2?
- A) 42:25
- B) 5:8
- C) 25:46
- D) 11:21
- E) 25:42
Answer: E
Why: East Q2 = 275, North Q2 = 462. Both divide by 11: 275 ÷ 11 = 25 and 462 ÷ 11 = 42. Ratio = 25:42. Check: 25 × 11 = 275 and 42 × 11 = 462. Option A reverses the order; the question asks East to North, so East comes first.
Question 3
Which region had the highest percentage growth in sales from Q1 to Q4?
- A) North
- B) South
- C) East
- D) West
- E) Cannot say
Answer: C
Why: Work out each region's growth on its Q1 base:
- North: (546 − 420) ÷ 420 = 126 ÷ 420 = 30%
- South: (418 − 380) ÷ 380 = 38 ÷ 380 = 10%
- East: (330 − 250) ÷ 250 = 80 ÷ 250 = 32%
- West: (360 − 300) ÷ 300 = 60 ÷ 300 = 20%
East grew fastest at 32%. North had the largest absolute increase (126), which is why many candidates pick A. The question asks for percentage growth.
Question 4
If North's sales continue to rise by the same amount each quarter as during this year, what will North's sales be in Q2 of next year?
- A) €630,000
- B) €600,600
- C) €588,000
- D) €660,660
- E) Cannot say
Answer: A
Why: North rises by a fixed amount: 462 − 420 = 42, 504 − 462 = 42, 546 − 504 = 42. Q1 next year = 546 + 42 = 588. Q2 next year = 588 + 42 = 630, so €630 thousand = €630,000. Option C stops one quarter too early. Options B and D apply 10% growth instead (546 × 1.1 = 600.6 and 546 × 1.1² = 660.66), but the question says "same amount", not "same percentage". The assumption is given, so Cannot say is wrong.
Data Set 2: Departmental Budgets
Budget and actual spend by department, in £
| Department | Budget 2025 | Actual 2025 | Budget 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | 240,000 | 264,000 | 252,000 |
| IT | 450,000 | 427,500 | 495,000 |
| HR | 120,000 | 126,000 | 114,000 |
| Operations | 690,000 | 672,000 | 724,500 |
Question 5
By what percentage did Marketing overspend its 2025 budget?
- A) 9.1%
- B) 10.0%
- C) 11.0%
- D) 24.0%
- E) Cannot say
Answer: B
Why: Overspend = 264,000 − 240,000 = 24,000. As a percentage of the budget: 24,000 ÷ 240,000 = 0.10 = 10.0%. Option A divides by the actual spend instead (24,000 ÷ 264,000 = 9.1%).
Question 6
IT's 2026 budget is what percentage higher than IT's actual spend in 2025?
- A) 10.0%
- B) 13.6%
- C) 16.7%
- D) 15.8%
- E) Cannot say
Answer: D
Why: Difference = 495,000 − 427,500 = 67,500. Base is the 2025 actual spend: 67,500 ÷ 427,500 = 0.1579 ≈ 15.8%. Check: 427,500 × 1.158 ≈ 495,045, close to 495,000. Option A compares with the 2025 budget (45,000 ÷ 450,000 = 10%), which is the wrong column. Option B uses the wrong base (67,500 ÷ 495,000 = 13.6%).
Question 7
What percentage of the total 2025 budget was allocated to Operations?
- A) 44.0%
- B) 45.1%
- C) 46.0%
- D) 54.0%
- E) Cannot say
Answer: C
Why: Total 2025 budget = 240,000 + 450,000 + 120,000 + 690,000 = 1,500,000. Operations share = 690,000 ÷ 1,500,000 = 0.46 = 46.0%. Option B uses the actual figures (672,000 ÷ 1,489,500 = 45.1%), which answers a different question. Option D is the share of everything except Operations.
Question 8
Suppose HR overspends its 2026 budget by the same percentage as it overspent in 2025. How much will HR spend in 2026?
- A) £119,700
- B) £108,300
- C) £120,000
- D) £126,000
- E) Cannot say
Answer: A
Why: 2025 overspend = 126,000 − 120,000 = 6,000, and 6,000 ÷ 120,000 = 5%. Apply 5% to the 2026 budget: 114,000 × 1.05 = 119,700. Option C adds the same amount (114,000 + 6,000), option B subtracts 5% and option D simply repeats the 2025 figure.
Data Set 3: Exchange Rates
Units of foreign currency per 1 euro
| Currency | 1 March | 1 June |
|---|---|---|
| US dollar (USD) | 1.08 | 1.12 |
| British pound (GBP) | 0.85 | 0.84 |
| Japanese yen (JPY) | 160 | 168 |
| Swiss franc (CHF) | 0.96 | 0.94 |
Question 9
A supplier invoice of USD 27,000 was paid on 1 March. What did it cost in euros?
- A) €23,148
- B) €25,000
- C) €24,107
- D) €29,160
- E) Cannot say
Answer: B
Why: The table shows dollars per euro, so to go from dollars to euros you divide: 27,000 ÷ 1.08 = 25,000. Check: 25,000 × 1.08 = 27,000. Option D multiplies (27,000 × 1.08 = 29,160), the classic wrong-direction error. Option C uses the June rate (27,000 ÷ 1.12 = 24,107).
Question 10
How did the value of the euro against the Japanese yen change between 1 March and 1 June?
- A) The euro rose by 5.0%
- B) The euro fell by 5.0%
- C) The euro rose by 4.8%
- D) The euro fell by 4.8%
- E) Cannot say
Answer: A
Why: One euro bought 160 yen on 1 March and 168 yen on 1 June. The euro buys more yen, so it strengthened. Change = (168 − 160) ÷ 160 = 8 ÷ 160 = 0.05 = 5.0%. Options C and D divide by 168 (8 ÷ 168 = 4.8%), the wrong base. B and D get the direction wrong.
Question 11
Using the 1 June rates, how many US dollars is GBP 4,200 worth?
- A) $3,150
- B) $4,704
- C) $5,534
- D) $5,600
- E) Cannot say
Answer: D
Why: Go through the euro. GBP to EUR: 4,200 ÷ 0.84 = 5,000 euros. EUR to USD: 5,000 × 1.12 = 5,600 dollars. Option B skips the pound conversion (4,200 × 1.12). Option C mixes dates: 4,200 ÷ 0.85 × 1.12 = 5,534 uses the March pound rate. Option A converts in the wrong direction on both legs (4,200 × 0.84 ÷ 1.12 = 3,150).
Question 12
A Swiss client pays CHF 47,000. How many fewer euros would this amount have been worth on 1 March than on 1 June? Round to the nearest euro.
- A) €940
- B) €1,880
- C) €1,042
- D) €2,000
- E) Cannot say
Answer: C
Why: 1 June: 47,000 ÷ 0.94 = 50,000 euros. 1 March: 47,000 ÷ 0.96 = 48,958.33 euros (check: 48,958.33 × 0.96 = 47,000). Difference = 50,000 − 48,958.33 = 1,041.67, rounded to €1,042. Option A multiplies the CHF amount by the change in rate (47,000 × 0.02 = 940), which is not a conversion at all: you have to convert the full amount at each date and then subtract.
Data Set 4: Employee Survey
Engagement survey: percentage of respondents who said they were satisfied. Each office had the same number of respondents in both years.
| Office | Respondents | Satisfied 2025 | Satisfied 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 200 | 65% | 72% |
| London | 300 | 60% | 58% |
| Berlin | 500 | 70% | 75% |
Question 13
How many London respondents said they were satisfied in 2026?
- A) 168
- B) 186
- C) 180
- D) 174
- E) Cannot say
Answer: D
Why: 300 × 0.58 = 174. Option C is the 2025 figure (300 × 0.60 = 180). Same table, wrong column: read the header before you calculate.
Question 14
What percentage of all respondents across the three offices were satisfied in 2025?
- A) 65.0%
- B) 66.0%
- C) 66.7%
- D) 67.5%
- E) Cannot say
Answer: B
Why: The offices differ in size, so you need a weighted average, not the average of the three percentages.
- Amsterdam: 200 × 0.65 = 130
- London: 300 × 0.60 = 180
- Berlin: 500 × 0.70 = 350
Satisfied = 130 + 180 + 350 = 660. Respondents = 200 + 300 + 500 = 1,000. Share = 660 ÷ 1,000 = 66.0%. Option A is the simple average: (65 + 60 + 70) ÷ 3 = 65.0%. It ignores that Berlin, with the highest score, also has the most respondents.
Question 15
By what percentage did the number of satisfied Amsterdam respondents increase from 2025 to 2026?
- A) 10.8%
- B) 9.7%
- C) 7.0%
- D) 14.0%
- E) Cannot say
Answer: A
Why: 2025: 200 × 0.65 = 130. 2026: 200 × 0.72 = 144. Increase = 14. Percentage increase = 14 ÷ 130 = 0.1077 ≈ 10.8%. Option C is the change in percentage points (72 − 65 = 7), which is not the same as the percentage change. Option B uses the wrong base (14 ÷ 144 = 9.7%). Option D is the raw increase in people.
Question 16
What percentage of Berlin's female respondents were satisfied in 2026?
- A) 37.5%
- B) 70.0%
- C) 75.0%
- D) 80.0%
- E) Cannot say
Answer: E
Why: The table gives no breakdown by gender. The 75% applies to all Berlin respondents together; women could be above or below it. Option A halves the figure on the assumption that half the respondents are women, and option C assumes women match the average. Neither is supported by the data. This is when Cannot say is correct: the information is missing, not just hard to find.
Scoring Yourself
Count your correct answers out of 16, then look at the pattern in your wrong ones:
- Wrong base (options like −11.1%, 9.1%, 13.6%, 4.8%, 9.7%): always divide the change by the original value.
- Wrong column or wrong date: you calculated correctly on the wrong numbers. Slow down when extracting data.
- Currency direction: if a rate is "units per euro", divide to get euros, multiply to get the foreign currency.
- Simple average instead of weighted: when groups differ in size, convert percentages to counts first.
- Cannot say errors: choosing it when an assumption was given, or avoiding it when data really is missing.
13 or more correct in about 16 minutes is a strong result. Below 10, work through the mistake list above before you do more questions; more volume without fixing the error type just repeats it.
A Note on "Answers PDFs"
Search for numerical reasoning answers and you will find PDFs claiming to contain real test questions with answer keys. They do not help. SHL, Aon, Korn Ferry and Talogy draw questions from large item banks, randomise the order and vary the numbers between candidates. Many tests are adaptive, so the next question depends on your last answer. The chance of meeting an item from a leaked sheet is tiny, and memorising answers to unknown numbers is pointless.
What carries over is the method: read the header and units, pick the right base, convert currencies the right way round, weight your averages. That is why every question on this page shows the full working. The questions here are written by us for practice, not taken from any live test.
Strategies That Save Time
Read the table before the question. Spend 15 to 20 seconds on a new data set: what are the units (thousands, millions, percentages), what are the columns, what are the dates? Three or four questions share each table, so this time pays back quickly.
Look at the options before you calculate. If they are far apart (10%, 25%, 40%), a rough estimate is enough. If they are close (9.1%, 10.0%, 11.0%), the test is checking your base, so calculate exactly.
Write the formula, then the numbers. "Change ÷ old value" on your scrap paper before you type anything stops most wrong-base errors.
Keep decimals until the end. Round only at the final step, to match the answer options.
Skip and return. If a question takes more than 90 seconds, choose your best estimate or flag it and move on. Three quick correct answers are worth more than one slow one.
Test Providers: What Changes
The skills above apply everywhere, but the format differs per publisher.
| Provider | Format | Time per question | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHL | Tables and charts in business context, often several questions per data set | About 60 seconds | Allowed |
| Aon (cut-e) | Short adaptive subtests, many quick comparisons from one table | Very short, adaptive | On screen |
| Korn Ferry | Data-heavy screens, multiple charts per question | About 60 to 75 seconds | Allowed |
| Talogy (Cubiks) | Quick-fire mix of arithmetic and data items | About 45 seconds | Varies by version |
Check your invitation email for the provider name, then practise that format. For specifics, see our guides on the SHL numerical reasoning test, the Aon (cut-e) numerical test and numerical reasoning in Korn Ferry tests. Freshers applying to Indian IT services firms meet the same arithmetic in employer-run tests instead; our TCS NQT guide shows where numerical ability sits in the Foundation and Advanced sections.
A Two-Week Practice Plan
Days 1 to 4: accuracy. Untimed sets, 15 to 20 questions a day. Percentages, ratios, currency conversion. Log every mistake by type.
Days 5 to 9: data interpretation at speed. Full data sets with three or four questions each, 90 seconds per question, moving towards 60.
Days 10 to 14: simulation. Full-length timed tests in the format of your provider, in a quiet room, with the calculator you will use on the day. Review each test the same evening.
If you only have three days, skip to the simulation phase and spend the review time on your two most frequent mistake types.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these the real questions from SHL, Aon or Korn Ferry tests?
No. All 16 questions were written by us. They copy the format and difficulty of workplace numerical tests, not any live item. Real tests rotate questions from large item banks, so practising the question types is what transfers.
How long should each numerical reasoning question take?
Most tests give 45 to 75 seconds per question, often with several questions on one table. Redo this set at about 60 seconds per question. The first question on a data set takes longest; the next ones should go faster.
Can I use a calculator in a numerical reasoning test?
In most online tests, including SHL and Aon, yes. Practise with the calculator you will actually use. It will not protect you from a wrong base, a missed unit or a currency converted the wrong way round.
When is Cannot say the correct answer?
Only when the data genuinely does not contain what you need, such as the gender breakdown in Question 16. If the question gives an assumption, like Question 4 or 8, you are expected to calculate with it.
Is there a numerical reasoning answers PDF I can download?
Leaked answer sheets are of little use because providers randomise items from large banks. This page gives every answer with the working, which is what actually improves your score.
Next Step: Full Timed Tests
Sixteen questions show you where your errors are. Fixing them takes volume under realistic conditions: complete tests with a timer, in the format of the provider your employer uses, followed by a proper review.
Our numerical reasoning practice package gives you full-length timed tests in SHL, Aon, Korn Ferry and Talogy style, with worked solutions for every question. Start with one test to set your baseline, then work on the mistake types that cost you the most points.