Are Calculators Allowed in Aptitude Tests? SHL, Aon, Cappfinity and Arctic Shores

Short answer. It depends on the publisher. Preparation sites report that SHL and Cappfinity numerical tests allow a calculator. Aon does not say in advance: its own page says you are told at the start of the test. Employers can set their own rule: Lazard’s own page says calculators are not permitted in its online test. One preparation site reports that the Arctic Shores games PwC used, now retired, had no on-screen calculator.

How sure we are: Confirmed by the employer or the test publisher Reported by other sources Not published anywhere we could find How we check

Calculators at a glance

Publishers covered here: SHL, Aon, Cappfinity, Arctic Shores, Criteria
Publisher states its own rule: Aon: told at the start of the testConfirmed
Aon scales numerical: 37 tasks in 12 minutesConfirmed
On your desk: Basic calculator, pen and paper

What C, R and NP mean

Which tests allow a calculator?

Calculator rules by publisher Checked 12 Oct 2026

Calculator rules by publisher
Publisher	Calculator	Source
SHL numerical	AllowedReported	Preparation sites
Aon numerical (scales)	You are told at the start of the testConfirmed	Aon candidate page
Cappfinity numerical	Allowed; pen and paper recommendedReported	Preparation sites
Criteria (Lazard’s test)	Not permittedConfirmed	Lazard careers page
Arctic Shores games (PwC, retired)	No on-screen calculatorReported one source	One preparation site

Our research also has calculator notes for a few other employers. Of the 312 employers in our research, 289 have an online test on record, and for 216 of them we found no current source naming the publisher.

What does each publisher say?

SHL. A calculator is allowed on SHL’s numerical tests, in both the interactive and the multiple-choice versions Reported. On our free SHL-style numerical test: physical calculator allowed; none on screen.
Aon (cut-e). Aon’s candidate page says materials are “generally not required”, that a calculator or pen and paper can help on some tests, and that you are told at the start of the test Confirmed. So have one to hand.
Aon scales numerical. You get 37 tasks in 12 minutes, about 19 seconds a task, and wrong answers lose marks Confirmed. Candidate reports describe the data as spread across about six tabs Reported. Our free Aon test is the scales verbal format (49 questions, 12 minutes) and needs no calculator. Pro adds 5 Aon numerical forms.
Cappfinity. A calculator is allowed, on screen or physical, and pen and paper are recommended Reported. Our free Cappfinity-style test is numerical Form 2. A physical calculator is allowed for the numerical section. At employer level, M&G’s own FAQ lists a calculator for its Cappfinity online test Confirmed. More on the format is in our Cappfinity guide.
Arctic Shores. The Arctic Shores games PwC used had no on-screen calculator Reported one source. We found no Arctic Shores calculator policy. In our research, BDO Confirmed, Hazlewoods Confirmed and Maven Securities Confirmed name Arctic Shores in their own material. The Arctic Shores guide has the rest.
Criteria. Lazard’s own careers page says calculators are not permitted in its online aptitude test Confirmed. That test runs on Criteria Confirmed. This is Lazard’s rule; we found no Criteria-wide one.

PwC applicants. Sources from 2026 report that PwC’s Career Unlocked games are retired at PwC UK Not published previously reported: Arctic Shores (2025). PwC’s online test is now reported to run on SHL Reported one source. We found no PwC calculator rule.

Why is the calculator rarely the hard part?

In our view, from writing practice questions, the calculator is the last and shortest step on a numerical question. The time goes on three things no device does for you:

Finding the right numbers. The chart or table usually holds more data than the question needs. Knowing what to ignore is the skill.
Choosing the operation. Percentage change, proportion, reverse percentage. Pick the wrong one and a perfect calculation still gives the wrong answer. A classic slip is working out a percentage change from the new value, when the base is the original.
Units and scale. Millions or thousands, rates or totals, a “£m” hiding in a column header. A wrong option can be a correct calculation of the wrong thing.

So in our view, these tests reward reading and quick decisions under time pressure, with arithmetic as the final step.

Should you practise with a calculator or without?

We suggest practising with one, the way you will sit the test. Keep the calculator on the desk, but estimate first and calculate second. If your estimate says “about 12 per cent”, an option near 50 per cent can be ruled out at once. On a format where wrong answers lose marks, such as the Aon scales tests, that habit helps you avoid a costly guess. Our Aon practice tests score each answer 1 or 0, and explain where a guess would have cost you on the real test.

Mental arithmetic practice is still useful, as a way to make the estimate step fast. In our view it is not a substitute for the calculator the test lets you use.

What should you have on the desk?

We suggest:

A basic calculator you already know how to use. Not a phone: it brings notifications, and a supervised sitting may not allow one.
A pen and paper for figures you need to keep. Holding a number in your head across several keystrokes is an easy way to type the wrong one.

Where to start

Find out which publisher you face. Our 2026/27 provider map shows what we found for each employer, and how sure we are.
Try that publisher’s free practice test. Each is one sitting of one test: the SHL-style numerical test (18 questions), the Aon-style scales verbal test (49 questions) or the Cappfinity-style numerical test (12 questions). The free aptitude test practice page lists the rest.
Or measure yourself across all three subjects. The free Acumen Logic Benchmark is 20 timed questions, numerical, verbal and logical, in 17 minutes. A calculator is allowed in the numerical section. After you create a free account, you see your score, an estimated percentile, a breakdown by section and the correct answer to every question. There is one completed Benchmark per user, so sit it like the real thing.

Sources

Common questions

Are calculators allowed in aptitude tests?

It depends on the publisher. Preparation sites report that SHL and Cappfinity numerical tests allow a calculator. Aon does not say in advance: its own page says you are told at the start of the test. Employers can set their own rule: Lazard's own page says calculators are not permitted in its online test. One preparation site reports that the Arctic Shores games PwC used, now retired, had no on-screen calculator.

Can you use a calculator on an SHL test?

Preparation sites report that a calculator is allowed on SHL numerical tests, in both the interactive and the multiple-choice versions. We found no rule published by SHL itself. Our free SHL-style numerical test allows a physical calculator, with none on screen.

Can you use a calculator on an Aon (cut-e) test?

Aon does not say in advance. Its candidate page says materials are generally not required, that a calculator or pen and paper can help on some tests, and that you are told at the start of the test. Have one to hand. Aon's scales numerical test gives you 37 tasks in 12 minutes, and wrong answers lose marks.

Is there a calculator in Arctic Shores game-based tests?

One preparation site, writing about the Arctic Shores games PwC used (Career Unlocked, now retired), reports that they had no on-screen calculator. We found no Arctic Shores calculator policy.

Should you practise aptitude tests with a calculator or without?

We suggest practising with one, the way you will sit a test that allows it. Estimate first and calculate second, so an option far from your estimate can be ruled out at once. On tests where wrong answers lose marks, such as Aon's, that habit helps you avoid a costly guess.

Are Calculators Allowed in Aptitude Tests? The Rules for SHL, Aon, Cappfinity and Arctic Shores