The SHL test at Kearney and Deloitte: format, sample questions and practice
SHL is an aptitude test publisher that Kearney and Deloitte use to screen applications before interviews. You take it alone, online and against the clock, and it measures three things: how you read numbers, how you reason under constraints and how well you spot the rule behind a sequence. What sets it apart is that it is interactive: you do not tick a box, you build the answer on screen.
Try 6 questions from the test, no account needed
These questions come from the bank our members practise on. Answer, and the correction appears straight away with the reasoning.
Question 1 of 6, Interactive charts
- An investment fund has placed 10 million euros in 4 sectors.
- Tech: 35% of the total portfolio
- Healthcare: 2.5 million euros
- Energy: 1.5 million euros
- Real estate: The rest of the portfolio
What share of the portfolio, as a percentage, goes to each sector?
In the test you drag the slices of a pie chart. Here you type the percentages.
What does the SHL test consist of?
The SHL test strings together three timed sections, one numerical and two logical. In the first, you are given a few figures and must adjust a pie chart, stack bars or place dots so that the chart matches them. In the second, you solve a scheduling problem: find a date on a calendar or a shared slot on a timeline, taking every constraint into account. The third asks you to complete a sequence of symbols or connect items in the right order.
The table below describes the format we reproduce on FrameLab. The exact number of questions and the time your firm allows are stated in your invitation, which remains the reference.
| Section | What you are asked | Format | Time per question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive charts | Build a pie chart, stacked bars or a dot plot from written information | Interactive | 2 min |
| Deductive reasoning | Find a date or a slot that satisfies every constraint of a schedule | Interactive | 2 min 30 s |
| Inductive reasoning | Spot the rule behind a sequence and extend it | Interactive | 1 min 30 s |
On FrameLab, a full series has 15 questions per section, that is 45 questions in about 90 minutes. The bank holds 180 questions for this test, split into 4 series with no question in common.
Which firms use the SHL test?
According to the recruiting processes we have compiled from candidates, Kearney uses an SHL test and Deloitte a test of the same kind for its strategy consulting practice. Simon-Kucher also uses SHL, and Advancy a very similar online numerical and logical test. In every case the test comes early: it decides who gets an interview.
- KearneySHL test
- DeloitteSHL-style test
- Simon-KucherSHL test
- AdvancyOnline numerical and logical test, followed by an HR interview
What do the SHL test questions look like?
An SHL question fits on one screen: a short context, three or four pieces of information, and an object to manipulate. The difficulty does not come from the maths, which rarely goes beyond a rule of three, but from the fact that the information comes in different units and out of order. One share is given in percent, another in euros, a third follows from the first two. The six questions below come from our bank and cover the three sections.
Question 1, Interactive charts
- An investment fund has placed 10 million euros in 4 sectors.
- Tech: 35% of the total portfolio
- Healthcare: 2.5 million euros
- Energy: 1.5 million euros
- Real estate: The rest of the portfolio
What share of the portfolio, as a percentage, goes to each sector?
In the test you drag the slices of a pie chart. Here you type the percentages.
Answer to be typed in %
Show the answer and the worked solution
Answer: Tech: 35%, Healthcare: 25%, Energy: 15%, Real estate: 25%
Tech is given directly: 35%, or 3.5 million. Healthcare is 2.5 million out of 10, so 25%, and Energy is 1.5 million out of 10, so 15%. Real estate takes what is left: 100 - 35 - 25 - 15 = 25%. The trap is mixing the clues given in percent with those given in euros: convert everything to one unit before you touch the chart.
Question 2, Interactive charts
Monthly sales
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Sales 200 218 230 248 260 For each month from February onwards, give the cumulative growth rate compared with January.
In the test you place one dot per month on a chart. Here you type the values.
Answer to be typed in %
Show the answer and the worked solution
Answer: Feb: 9%, Mar: 15%, Apr: 24%, May: 30%
The base stays January (200) for every month. February: 18 / 200 = 9%. March: 30 / 200 = 15%. April: 48 / 200 = 24%. May: 60 / 200 = 30%. The classic mistake is to compute month-on-month growth (230 against 218) when the question asks for the cumulative figure since January.
Question 3, Deductive reasoning
- A hospital is scheduling night shifts for April. Each doctor works 4 consecutive shifts.
- Dr Martin: Starts on the 1st
- Dr Chen: Never works on Wednesdays
- Dr Dubois: Takes over after Dr Martin
- Dr Silva: Away from the 12th to the 14th
On which day of the month does Dr Dubois finish his shifts?
In the test you click the date on a calendar. Here you type the day.
Show the answer and the worked solution
Answer: 8
Dr Martin starts on the 1st and works 4 shifts in a row: the 1st to the 4th. Dr Dubois takes over on the 5th and also works 4 shifts: the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. He finishes on the 8th. The constraints on Dr Chen and Dr Silva are irrelevant to this question: in this subtest, knowing which rules to ignore saves as much time as the reasoning itself.
Question 4, Deductive reasoning
- Three interview rooms must be free at the same time for 1.5 hours for an assessment centre. The day runs from 7:00 to 18:00.
Slots already booked
Room Morning Afternoon Room 1 8:00 to 10:00 14:00 to 15:30 Room 2 7:00 to 9:00 12:00 to 13:30 Room 3 9:00 to 10:30 15:00 to 17:00 What is the first 1.5-hour slot when all three rooms are free?
In the test you select the slot on a timeline. Here you pick one of four slots.
- A.9:00 to 10:30
- B.10:00 to 11:30
- C.10:30 to 12:00
- D.13:30 to 15:00
Show the answer and the worked solution
Answer: 10:30 to 12:00
Look at when each room becomes free in the morning: room 1 at 10:00, room 2 at 9:00, room 3 at 10:30. All three are free from 10:30. Room 2 is booked again at 12:00, which leaves exactly 1.5 hours: 10:30 to 12:00. In the afternoon room 1 is taken from 14:00 to 15:30 and then room 3 until 17:00, so only one hour is left at the end of the day.
Question 5, Inductive reasoning
◆◇◇◇◆◇◇◇◆?Which item completes the sequence?
- A.◆◇◇
- B.◇◆◆
- C.◆◆◇
- D.◇◇◆
- E.◆◆◆
- F.◇◇◇
Show the answer and the worked solution
Answer: ◆◇◇
The solid diamond moves one position to the right at each step: first place, second, third. Once it reaches the end it wraps back to the start, which gives ◆◇◇. The options with two or three solid diamonds can be ruled out at once, since each item in the sequence holds only one.
Question 6, Inductive reasoning
- Six nodes are shown on screen: B3, D5, F7, H9, C4 and E2. Four of them form a logical sequence, the other two are decoys.
In which order should the nodes be connected to form the sequence?
In the test you connect the nodes with the mouse. Here you pick the order.
- A.B3, D5, F7, H9
- B.B3, C4, D5, E2
- C.E2, C4, D5, F7
- D.C4, D5, F7, H9
Show the answer and the worked solution
Answer: B3, D5, F7, H9
The letter moves forward two places each time (B, D, F, H) and the digit goes up by 2 (3, 5, 7, 9). C4 tempts you into a step of one (B3, C4, D5), but the sequence then breaks: you would need E6, and the node on offer is E2.
How do you prepare for the SHL test?
- 1
Get used to the interactive screens
The first hurdle is the handling: setting a pie chart to the nearest percent or selecting a slot on a timeline takes time the first time round. Take at least one full series before the real test so the gesture costs you nothing. - 2
Convert all the data to one unit
Before you touch the chart, write each piece of information in the same unit, usually as a percentage of the total. That is what stops you setting three slices right and a fourth that pushes the total past 100%. - 3
Place the firm constraints first
In a scheduling problem, start with what is certain ("starts on the 1st", "away from the 12th to the 14th") and deduce the rest step by step. Constraints that do not bear on the question can be set aside. - 4
Work on your mental maths
Percentages, shares of a total and cumulative growth come back in every series. A few minutes of mental maths a day is enough to free up time for the reasoning.
What are the most common mistakes?
Computing growth on the wrong base
When the question asks for the change "compared with January", the base stays January for every month. Going month on month gives plausible, wrong numbers.
Trying to use every constraint
Scheduling problems include information that is not needed for the question asked. Trying to fit it all in costs you a minute on a section that has few to spare.
Stopping at the first pattern that works
In a sequence, a step of one can hold for three items and break on the fourth. Check the rule all the way through before you answer.
Frequently asked questions
Which consulting firms use an SHL test?
According to the processes we have compiled, Kearney, Deloitte for its strategy consulting practice and Simon-Kucher use an SHL or SHL-style test. Advancy runs a similar numerical and logical test.
How long does the SHL test take?
The length depends on the version your firm has chosen and is stated in your invitation. On FrameLab, a full series has 15 questions per section, with 2 minutes per question for the charts, 2.5 minutes for deductive and 1.5 minutes for inductive, about 1.5 hours in total.
Is a calculator allowed?
Our data does not let us state it for each firm, and the rule can change from one recruiting cycle to the next: the invitation you receive is the reference. Practise without a calculator. If it turns out to be allowed on the day, you will simply be faster.
Is the SHL test hard?
The maths is simple; it is the format that catches people out. A candidate who discovers the interactive screens on test day loses time working out how to answer, even though the questions themselves are within reach. Having practised on the real format makes most of the difference.
How many SHL questions does FrameLab offer?
FrameLab's SHL suite holds 180 questions across the three sections, organised into four full series with no question in common. It is part of the platform's 660 online-test questions.