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SHL inductive test

Hello, 

 

I have to take a SHL inductive reasoning online test.

I took the official practice test from SHL and there is no solution. I struggled on this question: what would be the answer and why?

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Top answer
Pedro
Coach
on Dec 23, 2021
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Private Equity | Market Estimates | Fit Interview

Honestly, there's no clear answer, but the best option seems to be B. Here are the patterns:

  • The split line as a pattern of horizontal-vertical, so it should be vertical.
  • The number of dots goes odd-even, so it should be even now.
  • No reason to believe why it should be zero, so I guess B is the best option.
  • Triangle-Square-Circle-Trapezium, so it should be a triangle now.

However, there are other patterns:

  • Symetrical-assymetrical on the dots position (so it should be symetrical now)
  • 4-1-4-3 (i.e. 4 and then not 4), so it should be 4 now.

Honestly, I don't like these kind of exercises when one can find multiple perfectly valid options. This is not good testing.

Hagen
Coach
on Dec 22, 2021
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | most experience in consulting, interviewing, and coaching

Hi there,

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

  • First of all, I would advise you to have a second look at the SHL test set since normally, there always is the solution displayed.
  • Secondly, from my perspective, there might be three possibly correct options:
    • Option B: The dividing line changes from vertical to horizontal and back. Moreover, B is the only form that includes dots.
    • Option C: Counting the number of dots, it goes 4-1-4-3-?, so the next one in line should be a form with 4 dots.
    • Option E: [Rationale similar to B yet you would ignore the dots]

In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare abstract reasoning tests, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen

Ian
Coach
edited on Dec 23, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Are you sure there are no answers?

I believe the answer is B. The sequence is repeating (triangle, square, circle, pentagon), so it's the triangle's turn next. Additionally, the “split” line is alternating from vertical to horizontal back to vertical. The next in the sequence is horizontal.

Anonymous B
on Dec 21, 2021
I think you mean B, which has the correctly-aligned line. We can't verify that the sequence is repeating from the information given about shapes. However, the sides of the shapes do consistently alternate from odd to even, which justifies your choice of triangle. The dots also alternate from odd to even and back again.
Ian
Coach
on Dec 23, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate
Op, I did. Thank you! Have just updated my answer.
Anonymous C
on Aug 03, 2022

The correct answer is B.

The most logical patern to recognize is the following:

- The line in the middle of the figures switches back and forward between vertical and horizontal positions

- The number of dots in a figure corresponds with the number of sides of the following figure

 

This leaves B as the only possible answer.

5
on Feb 24, 2022

I noted a relationship  between number of sides and the number of dots, in which case for every shape with a odd number of sides has a set of even number of dots. So following that pattern the answer is B.

4
Clara
Coach
on Dec 21, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

This is a hard one! I would say B, since the line alternates vertical-horizontal and the other option lacks points. However, also struggling here 

Cheers, 

Clara

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