Acumen Logic®Short answer. In our research on 312 UK employers, SHL, Cappfinity and Aon (cut-e) are the test publishers named most often for online tests, and Arctic Shores runs game-based tests. But for 216 of the 289 employers with an online test, we found no reliable source that names the provider. There is a free practice test for SHL, Aon and Cappfinity below.
Many candidates prepare for “aptitude tests” in general. That is like revising for “an exam” without asking which subject. An SHL test and an Aon test differ in length and in whether a wrong answer loses marks. Time is often short, too: Nomura’s FAQ, for example, asks you to finish its tests within 5 days of the invitation. So the first job is to find out which test is yours.
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
At a glance
- Named most often for online tests
- SHL, Cappfinity, Aon
- Online tests with a named provider
- 73 of 289 employers
- SHL score
- 1 to 10, compared with other candidatesConfirmed
- Aon wrong answers
- Marks deductedConfirmed
- Published aptitude-test cut-off
- None foundNot published
- Free practice here
- SHL, Aon, Cappfinity
How do you find out which test you will sit?
Start with your invitation email. The sender and the test’s login page point to the provider.
Next, read the employer’s own careers pages. Some name their provider. Nomura’s applications FAQ says: “Our testing provider is AON”. In the table further down, 8 of the 16 employers name a provider in their own material.
Prep and guide sites come last. For many employers they are the only source, and they do not always agree. For KPMG, prep sites name three different providers. KPMG does not say which provider runs its tests; its careers pages link to SHL’s practice tests, which we do not count as proof.
Lists go out of date. Employers change providers between years, and providers can differ between programmes at one employer. Arctic Shores’ game was reported at PwC in 2025; PwC is now reported as SHL. Lloyds Banking Group is reported as SHL for its graduate schemes and Cappfinity for its summer internship (one source each).
Our method: how we check which test an employer uses.
How do the four publishers’ tests compare?
| Fact | SHL | Aon | Cappfinity | Arctic Shores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length the publisher states | Verify G+: up to 30 questions, 36 minutes allowedConfirmed | Numerical: 37 tasks in 12 minutesConfirmed | Not published | Not published |
| Wrong answers | No deductionReported | Marks deductedConfirmed | Not published | No deductionReported |
| Score you get | 1 to 10, compared with other candidatesConfirmed | Percentile against a comparison groupReported | Percentile within the applicant poolReported | Fit Score: percentile against a norm groupReported |
| Calculator | AllowedReported | You are told at the startConfirmed | Allowed for numericalReported | None on screenReported |
| Free practice here | Numerical, multiple choice | Scales verbal | Numerical, Form 2 | None |
SHL
SHL states the length of one test only: Verify G+. For its other Verify tests it publishes no question count or time limit. Prep sites report the multiple-choice numerical test at 16 to 18 questions in about 20 minutes. JobTestPrep and AssessmentDay report an interactive version at 10 questions in 18 minutes. Our free SHL test has 18 questions in 25 minutes; the 25 minutes is our setting, not a reported SHL figure. Full guide: SHL Tests in 2026.
Aon (cut-e)
Aon publishes its scales formats itself: the numerical test is 37 tasks in 12 minutes, and the verbal test is 49 tasks in 12 minutes. Aon says “points are usually added for each correct answer and deducted for every incorrect answer”.
So a blind guess can cost you. Aon does not publish the size of the deduction. Prep sites report that the answers sit across several tabs of data. Our replicas mark each answer right or wrong, with no deduction. Full guide: The Aon (cut-e) Scales Numerical Test.
Cappfinity
Cappfinity publishes no question counts or durations. Deloitte is reported as a Cappfinity user (one source). Deloitte’s own assessment page describes workplace scenarios with numerical and verbal reasoning questions, and says “the speed of your response will contribute to your score”. The same page says there is no overall time limit, but some questions are timed.
A candidate walkthrough of Deloitte’s test on AssessmentPass reports an on-screen instruction that your time is recorded. Full guide: the Cappfinity assessment guide.
Arctic Shores
Arctic Shores runs game-based tests. It publishes no overall duration. One prep guide, Hacking the Case Interview, suggests 75 to 85 minutes for the full suite, but it was written about PwC’s retired Career Unlocked game. We do not currently offer Arctic Shores practice. Full guide: Arctic Shores: what you can and can’t prepare for.
Practise the right format, free
One free practice test per publisher, each covering one subject: SHL numerical, Aon verbal and Cappfinity numerical. No card. You sign up at the end to see your score and every correct answer.
-
Free SHL test
Numerical reasoning, multiple choice
18 questions · 25 minutes
Physical calculator allowed; none on screen.
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Free Aon test
Verbal reasoning (Aon scales verbal)
49 questions · 12 minutes
No calculator needed for this form. Aon numerical practice is in Pro.
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Free Cappfinity test
Numerical reasoning
12 questions · time recorded, no time limit
A physical calculator is allowed for the numerical section.
Each test is free, needs no card and can be taken once. You start without an account and sign up at the end to see your score and every correct answer. These are our replicas in each publisher's format, not the publishers' own tests: the question counts and timings are our settings.
Our Cappfinity replica records your time with no limit. Deloitte’s real test times some questions.
Which test do well-known UK employers use in 2026/27?
To check any of the 312 employers we researched, programme by programme, use Find your test provider.
| Employer | Online test | Video interview | Last evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| EY | SHLConfirmed Other programmes: not published (1 of 8) | SHLConfirmed | ey.com4 Sep 2026 |
| PwC | SHLReported one source Other programmes: not published (10 of 14) | SHLReported one source Other programmes: not published (2 of 6) | pwc.co.uk12 Oct 2026 |
| Deloitte | CappfinityReported one source Other programmes: not published (1 of 8) | CappfinityReported one source | hub.preparationplus.comlive page, read 11 Oct 2026 |
| KPMG | Not published | Not published | kpmgcareers.co.uklive page, read 11 Oct 2026 |
| NatWest Group | SHLConfirmed Other programmes: not published (12 of 14) | SHLReported one source Other programmes: not published (1 of 3) | jobs.natwestgroup.com12 Oct 2026 |
| Barclays | SHLReported one source Other programmes: not published (3 of 5) | Not published | assessmentday.co.uk20 Sep 2026 |
| HSBC | CappfinityReported one source Other programmes: not published (5 of 12) | HireVueReported one source Other programmes: not published (1 of 7) | ophyai.com3 Oct 2026 |
| Lloyds Banking Group | SHLReported one source 1 of 5 programmes name another provider | Not published | lloydsbankinggrouptalent.comlive page, read 11 Oct 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | SHLReported one source Other programmes: not published (4 of 5) | HireVueReported Other programmes: not published (2 of 5) | blog.theinterviewguys.com19 Sep 2026 |
| J.P. Morgan | HireVueConfirmed 2 of 15 programmes name another provider | HireVueConfirmed | jpmc.fa.oraclecloud.com22 Sep 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Aon (cut-e)Reported one source Other programmes: not published (9 of 13) | Not published | graduatesfirst.com18 Aug 2026 |
| Nomura | AonConfirmed Other programmes: not published (2 of 7) | Not published | nomura.comlive page, read 11 Oct 2026 |
| Lazard | CriteriaConfirmed | CriteriaConfirmed | lazard.comlive page, read 11 Oct 2026 |
| Moelis & Company | SuitedConfirmed | None recorded | moelis.comlive page, read 11 Oct 2026 |
| PJT Partners | SuitedConfirmed | None recorded | pjtpartners.comlive page, read 11 Oct 2026 |
| Standard Chartered | SHLConfirmed Other programmes: not published (2 of 5) | Not published | sc.comlive page, read 11 Oct 2026 |
Eight employers here name their provider themselves. EY’s early careers privacy notice names SHL. NatWest Group’s support page and Standard Chartered’s FAQ name SHL. Nomura names Aon. Lazard names Criteria. Moelis & Company and PJT Partners name Suited. J.P. Morgan’s job listings name HireVue for a video interview and a maths test.
The rest rely on other sources. PwC and Barclays are reported as SHL, and HSBC and Deloitte as Cappfinity, each from one source. PwC’s careers page suggests trying SHL’s practice tests, but a practice link is not proof. For Goldman Sachs, sources conflict: a prep site names SHL, and another says business tracks have no separate online test. KPMG does not name its provider.
Investment banks have a named provider more often. Of the 42 investment banks with an online test, 19 have a provider named by at least one source; for 4 of them, sources conflict. That is the highest share of the 11 sectors we checked. Bank by bank: investment bank online tests 2026/27. Firm by firm for accountancy: Big Four online tests 2026/27.
What do these tests have in common?
You are compared with other people. Your result depends on how others did, not on a mark out of 100. SHL’s own reports use a sten score: a mark from 1 to 10 that compares you with other people who took the test (5 or 6 is about average). Aon, Cappfinity and Arctic Shores are reported to give a percentile against a comparison group. Who picks that group varies; for Aon, prep sources report that the employer chooses it. We found no employer among the 312 we checked that publishes the cut-off for its aptitude test. More in Aptitude test percentiles explained.
Speed under pressure is the hard part, in our view. We find the maths itself is rarely advanced. What is tested is speed and accuracy on unfamiliar data, with a clock running or your time recorded.
Practise the format you will sit. Habits from SHL, where prep sites report no deduction, can cost you on Aon, where a wrong answer loses marks.
The guides, one question each
- Big Four online tests 2026/27: which test EY, PwC, Deloitte and KPMG send, firm by firm.
- Investment bank online tests 2026/27: what each bank publishes, and what it does not.
- SHL Tests in 2026: the Verify range, interactive and multiple choice.
- The Aon (cut-e) scales numerical test: 37 tasks in 12 minutes, and why a guess can cost you.
- Cappfinity assessments: the format, how your time is recorded, and which employers are reported to use it.
- Arctic Shores: what preparation can and cannot change in a game-based test, in our view.
- Percentiles and norm groups: why your raw score is not your result.
- Are calculators allowed?: the answer for the four publishers on this page.
- When to start preparing: planning for 2026/27, including if you are starting late.
- How we check which test an employer uses: what C, R and NP mean, and where our sources come from.
What we build, and what we don’t
Acumen Logic makes replica practice tests for three of the four publishers above: SHL, Aon (cut-e) and Cappfinity. There is one free test for each, and full replica sets in Pro. We do not currently offer Arctic Shores practice; the Arctic Shores guide explains why. If you have no invitation yet, the free Benchmark covers numerical, verbal and logical reasoning in 20 questions and 17 minutes, and shows your weakest section.
Sources
- Aon: Prepare for your Online Assessment
- SHL: Verify G+ Test Fact Sheet (PDF)
- SHL: practice tests (SHL Direct)
- SHL: Verify Ability report template (PDF)
- Deloitte UK: early careers assessment
- Nomura: early careers applications FAQ
- AssessmentPass: Deloitte UK online assessment walkthrough
- Hacking the Case Interview: PwC assessment guide, about the retired Career Unlocked game (75 to 85 minutes)
Common questions
Which aptitude tests do UK finance and consulting employers use?
How are UK graduate aptitude tests scored?
How do you find out which aptitude test an employer uses?
Do employers change aptitude test providers between years?
Which test provider does PwC use?
Is there a free practice test for each publisher?
Related guides
Big Four
Big Four and Accountancy Firm Online Tests 2026/27, Firm by Firm
EY confirms SHL. PwC is reported as SHL and Deloitte as Cappfinity, one source each. KPMG does not name its provider. Plus the mid-tier firms that name theirs, and what each firm says about AI.
Investment banks
Investment Bank Online Tests 2026/27, Bank by Bank
The online test and video interview at 43 investment banks: 6 with a confirmed online-test provider, 12 reported from one source (4 where sources conflict), spring insight tests, and the matching free practice.
Cappfinity
Cappfinity Assessments in 2026/27: Format, Timing, and Which UK Employers Use Them
What a Cappfinity assessment looks like, how its timing works, which UK employers name or are reported to use it, and the free Cappfinity test.
Next step
Take the free test that matches your invitation.
What does your test invitation say?
- It mentions SHLFree SHL test (numerical)
- It mentions Aon or cut-e, verbalFree Aon test (verbal)
- It mentions Aon or cut-e, numericalAon numerical practice is in Pro
- It mentions CappfinityFree Cappfinity test (numerical)
- Not sure, or another publisherCompare the providers
- No invitation yetStart the Benchmark
Each free publisher test covers one subject. If your invitation names a different subject, the practice for it is in Pro.