Revelian Cognify Test: Games, Scoring and Practice

You applied for a job, and instead of a page of multiple-choice questions you were sent to a set of mini-games: fitting blocks into a grid, popping bubbles, hunting for typos. That is Cognify, a game-based cognitive ability test originally built by the Australian company Revelian and now part of Criteria Corp.

Game-based tests feel informal. They are not. Cognify is a timed cognitive aptitude test that produces a percentile score your recruiter compares with other candidates. This guide explains where Cognify comes from, what each game measures according to Criteria, how scoring works, and how to prepare, with practice items that train the same skills on paper.

From Revelian to Criteria

Revelian was an Australian psychometrics company known for emotional intelligence and game-based recruitment assessments. In a press release dated March 2020, Criteria Corp, a US pre-employment testing company, announced it had acquired Revelian. Criteria launched Cognify for the North American market in January 2021, describing it as an award-winning game-based assessment created by Revelian. In January 2022 Revelian was rebranded as Criteria.

So if your invitation says "Criteria", a forum calls it "the Revelian games" and a recruiter calls it "Cognify", they all mean the same test. Revelian's other well-known product, the emotional intelligence assessment Emotify, also moved into the Criteria portfolio. Our Criteria assessment guide covers the rest of the family.

What Cognify Measures

Criteria describes Cognify as a measure of cognitive aptitude, often called general intelligence or "g": the ability to solve problems, take in and apply information, learn new skills and think critically. Its information brief maps the three default games to three broad abilities drawn from the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence:

CHC construct	Cognify ability	Game
Fluid reasoning	Problem solving	Grid Lock
Quantitative knowledge	Numerical reasoning	Numbubbles
Reading and writing	Verbal knowledge	Proof It

Criteria recommends Cognify for a wide range of roles, from graduate and intern hiring to digital and technical, clerical and administrative, customer service and call centre, production and logistics.

The Format: 3-Game and 6-Game Versions

Criteria's help centre describes two versions:

Three-game version (default): Grid Lock, Numbubbles and Proof It. About 10 minutes, excluding tutorials.
Six-game version (on request by the employer): Grid Lock, Resemble, Short Cuts, Numbubbles, Tally Up and Proof It. About 25 minutes, excluding tutorials.

Other points Criteria publishes:

Every game starts with a tutorial, which you can repeat as often as you need.
Games must be completed in the order presented.
Calculators are not allowed.
Cognify runs on any device, and Criteria advises an up-to-date browser and a reliable internet connection.
The games give real-time feedback as you play.

There is also UCognify, a language-independent version with two games (problem solving and numbers) that Criteria lists at about seven minutes plus tutorials. It leaves out the verbal game, which makes it suitable for candidates assessed in a language other than their own.

The Games One by One

Grid Lock (problem solving)

According to Criteria's information brief, you solve a series of puzzles by fitting all the pieces into a grid as quickly as you can. There are nine rounds of increasing difficulty within a three-minute time limit. Criteria says strong performers are likely to have good general and spatial reasoning.

What helps: start with the largest or most awkward piece, because it has the fewest places it can go. Look at corners and edges first. If a round is taking much longer than the others, a quick restart of your plan often works better than shuffling pieces.

Numbubbles (numerical reasoning)

You get a target number and must pop the bubbles containing a sum that equals it, as quickly and accurately as you can. Criteria describes ten rounds of increasing difficulty with a total time limit of just under three minutes.

What helps: fast, reliable mental arithmetic. Times tables, adding and subtracting two-digit numbers, and spotting quickly when a sum is clearly too high or too low. Accuracy matters as well as speed, so do not pop bubbles on a hunch.

Proof It (verbal knowledge)

You identify as many misspelled words and punctuation errors as possible in the time given. Criteria describes five rounds within a five-minute limit.

What helps: strong spelling and a clear sense of common punctuation rules (apostrophes, commas around clauses, capital letters). Read word by word rather than for meaning, because your brain corrects errors when you read for sense.

Resemble, Short Cuts and Tally Up (six-game version)

Criteria's help centre names these three additional games but does not describe how they work in the public documents we reviewed, so we will not guess at their mechanics. What we do know: the six-game version measures the same three abilities (problem solving, numerical reasoning and verbal knowledge), and every game starts with a tutorial you can repeat. If your invitation mentions six games or a test of around 25 minutes, budget the extra time and use each tutorial fully before you start.

How Cognify Is Scored

Criteria publishes a fairly complete picture of the scoring:

Each mini-game produces a score based on your performance across its tasks, including how quickly you respond and whether your responses are correct.
Game scores are compared with a normative group to produce percentiles.
The overall score is a weighted average of the game scores; the weights depend on whether you took the three- or six-game version.
The report shows an overall percentile plus sub scores for problem solving, numerical reasoning and verbal knowledge. Criteria says the overall percentile is the most important score because it best predicts job success.
In its score report guide, Criteria describes percentiles of 0 to 19 as below average, 20 to 79 as average and 80 to 100 as above average.

The employer can set a custom score range and sees whether you fall inside it. There is no universal pass mark.

Practice Items

You cannot recreate the games on paper, but you can train the underlying skills. These are our own items, built around what each Cognify game measures.

Practice question 1 (Numbubbles-style)

The target is 24. Which bubble equals the target?

A. 7 × 4
B. 6 + 19
C. 36 − 12
D. 48 ÷ 3

Answer: C. 36 − 12 = 24. The others give 28, 25 and 16. In the real game speed matters, so practise rejecting wrong options at a glance: 7 × 4 ends in 8, so it cannot be 24.

Practice question 2 (Numbubbles-style)

The target is 18. How many of these sums equal the target: 3 × 6, 27 − 9, 9 + 8, 54 ÷ 3, 2 × 10?

A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4

Answer: C. 3 × 6 = 18, 27 − 9 = 18 and 54 ÷ 3 = 18. 9 + 8 is 17 and 2 × 10 is 20. When several bubbles can be correct, check every one rather than stopping at the first match.

Practice question 3 (Proof It-style)

How many errors does this sentence contain? "The managers' decided to seperate the two teams, and asked everyone to recieve the new rota by email before friday."

A. 2
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5

Answer: C. "Managers'" should be "managers" (no possessive), "seperate" should be "separate", "recieve" should be "receive", and "friday" needs a capital F. Four errors. The comma is acceptable.

Practice question 4 (Proof It-style)

Which sentence is error-free?

A. Its important that every form is signed.
B. It's important that every form is signed.
C. It's important that every form are signed.
D. Its' important that every form is signed.

Answer: B. "It's" is short for "it is". "Its" is possessive and "Its'" does not exist. C has the wrong verb for the singular "every form".

Practice question 5 (Grid Lock-style)

A grid of 4 × 4 squares must be filled completely, with no overlaps. Which set of pieces can fill the grid exactly?

A. Two 2 × 2 squares and one 2 × 4 rectangle
B. Three 2 × 2 squares and one 1 × 4 strip
C. One 3 × 3 square and two 1 × 4 strips
D. Four 1 × 4 strips and one 2 × 2 square

Answer: A. The grid has 16 squares. A: 4 + 4 + 8 = 16, and it fits (the rectangle fills one half, the squares the other). B: 12 + 4 = 16, so the area is right, but no arrangement fits: whichever row or column the 1 × 4 strip fills, it leaves a band of odd height (3 rows, or 1 row next to 2) that 2 × 2 squares cannot fill. C: 9 + 8 = 17. D: 16 + 4 = 20. Checking area first quickly eliminates options; checking shape eliminates the rest.

Practice question 6 (Grid Lock-style reasoning)

You have one piece left: an L shape made of three squares. The empty space in the grid is an L of three squares in the bottom-left corner, with its long side running up the left edge. What should you do?

A. Place the piece as it is
B. Rotate or flip the piece until its corner matches the empty corner
C. Restart the round
D. Leave the space empty

Answer: B. When the shape of the gap matches the piece, the only issue is orientation. Rotating to match the corner of the empty space is the fastest route. In the game, spotting the matching corner first saves seconds on every round.

Practice question 7 (numerical speed)

Which is largest?

A. 15% of 200
B. 25% of 100
C. 40% of 80
D. 10% of 290

Answer: C. A is 30, B is 25, C is 32 and D is 29. Quick percentage conversions help in any number game and in the six-game version's arithmetic tasks.

Common Mistakes

Rushing the tutorials. They are your only official practice, and you can repeat them. Use them.
Treating it as a game rather than a test. Your score feeds a hiring decision. Take it in a quiet place, fully focused.
Guessing in Numbubbles. Accuracy counts, not just speed.
Reading Proof It for meaning. You will miss errors. Read word by word.
Poor technical set-up. An old browser, weak connection or tiny screen costs points in timed games.

A One- to Two-Week Preparation Plan

1. Days 1 to 3: mental arithmetic

Ten minutes a day of quick sums: times tables up to 12, two-digit addition and subtraction, simple division. Speed and accuracy together.

2. Days 4 to 6: spelling and punctuation

Work through lists of commonly misspelled words and revise apostrophes, capitals and comma use. Practise proofreading short texts against the clock.

3. Days 7 to 9: spatial puzzles

Tangram, block-fitting and grid-filling puzzles train the same planning used in Grid Lock. Our guide to game-based aptitude tests covers similar formats from another publisher.

4. Days 10 to 12: general reasoning

Mix in timed numerical and logical items. Our numerical reasoning practice questions and the CCAT test guide train the same underlying aptitude.

5. Days 13 to 14: final check

Make sure your device and browser are up to date, choose a quiet time slot, and rest.

For timed practice across numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning, try our free practice tests.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the Cognify test take?

Criteria describes the standard three-game version as about 10 minutes plus tutorials. A six-game version exists that employers can request, which Criteria's help centre puts at about 25 minutes, again excluding tutorials.

What games are in Cognify?

The default version has three games: Grid Lock (problem solving), Numbubbles (numerical reasoning) and Proof It (verbal knowledge). The six-game version adds Resemble, Short Cuts and Tally Up.

Is Revelian the same as Criteria?

Yes, now. Criteria acquired the Australian company Revelian in 2020 and rebranded Revelian as Criteria in 2022. Cognify was developed by Revelian and is sold by Criteria.

Can I use a calculator on Cognify?

No. Criteria states that calculators may not be used. The Numbubbles game is designed around quick mental arithmetic, so practise sums without a calculator.

Can I do Cognify on my phone?

Criteria says Cognify works on any device. In practice a laptop or tablet with a decent screen size makes the puzzle game easier, but the choice is yours. Make sure your browser is up to date and your connection is stable.

How is Cognify scored?

Each game is scored on accuracy and speed, compared with a norm group, and combined into a weighted overall percentile with sub scores for problem solving, numerical reasoning and verbal knowledge. The employer decides what score it needs.

About the author

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

References

Criteria Corp, Cognify (help centre): https://criteria.helpdocs.io/article/iksj5h2ms9-cognify Criteria Corp, Cognify Information Brief: https://www.criteriacorp.com/files/Criteria-InfoBrief-Cognify.pdf Criteria Corp, Cognify Score Report Guide: https://www.criteriacorp.com/files/Criteria-ScoreReportGuide-Cognify.pdf Criteria Corp, Assessment Portfolio: https://www.criteriacorp.com/files/Criteria-AssessmentPortfolio.pdf Criteria Corp, Criteria acquires Revelian (press release, 2020): https://www.criteriacorp.com/press-releases/2020/criteria-corp-backed-by-sumeru-equity-partners-acquires-revelian-the-leader Criteria Corp, Criteria launches Cognify and Workplace Safety Profile (press release, 2021): https://www.criteriacorp.com/press-releases/2021/criteria-enters-2021-launch-cognify-and-workplace-safety-profile-assessments Criteria Corp, Revelian enters 2022 with new brand identity as Criteria: https://www.criteriacorp.com/press-releases/2022/revelian-enters-2022-new-brand-identity-criteria

Revelian Cognify Test: Games, Scoring and Practice