Before you take a reasoning test: a calm, honest checklist
Most of the gap between a score that reflects you and one that doesn't comes from things you control. Eleven practical steps for before, during and after the test.
Most of the difference between a score that reflects you and a score that doesn't comes from things that have nothing to do with intelligence: a noisy room, a phone that buzzes, a question you spent five minutes on, a blank you meant to come back to. None of that is about being clever. All of it is under your control.
Here's the checklist we'd give a friend before they sat down to take a reasoning test, on BrainTally or anywhere else.
Before you start
1. Pick your moment
Choose a time when you're reasonably awake and not in a hurry. Straight after a long day, or with a meeting in twenty minutes, is a recipe for a rushed attempt. BrainTally's standard test takes most people about fifteen minutes; give yourself a quiet half hour.
2. Remove the interruptions
Phone face down in another room. Notifications off. Tell whoever you live with that you need fifteen minutes. A single interruption costs more than the seconds it takes: it breaks the chain of reasoning you'd built on the current question.
3. Use a bigger screen if you can
Some questions are diagrams and grids. They're easier to read on a computer or tablet than on a phone. It's a small thing, but squinting at a pattern is effort you could be spending on the pattern itself.
4. Read the start page
It tells you what the test covers, roughly how long it takes, and the time limit. Knowing the limit in advance means you can pace yourself instead of discovering it in the last minute.
During the test
5. Answer every question
This is the single most important point on the list. On BrainTally there's no negative marking: a wrong answer costs exactly the same as a blank, which is nothing. A guess, though, might be right. If you're unsure, narrow it down, choose, and move on.
6. Don't get stuck
Every test has a question or two that won't give way. Spending four minutes on one question to save one point, and then rushing the last five, is the most common way people lose points. Give a hard question a fair try, make your best choice, and keep going. On BrainTally you can change any answer until you hand in, so you can come back if you have time.
7. Use the progress bar
The bar at the top shows how many you've answered, and Jump to the next unanswered takes you straight to anything you skipped. Before you hand in, make sure nothing is left blank.
8. Read every option
On multiple-choice reasoning questions, the wrong options are often near misses designed to catch a quick read. Work out what you expect the answer to be, then check each option properly before you commit.
After the test
9. Read the working, not just the number
Your results page shows how the score was counted and, with full results, how you did in each category and question by question. The category breakdown is often more useful than the headline number: it tells you where to practise.
10. Compare like with like
If you take a test again, compare it with your earlier attempts at the same test. A retake gives you a different version where one exists, so your new score reflects your reasoning and not your memory of the questions. Don't compare a standard score with a visual one: they're on separate scales.
11. Keep it in proportion
One score on one day is a snapshot. Sleep, mood and focus all move it a little. It's interesting, and it's useful for spotting strengths, but it isn't a verdict on you.
A short version to remember
- Quiet room, phone away, bigger screen.
- Know the time limit before you start.
- Answer everything. A guess beats a blank.
- Don't let one question eat your time.
- Read the breakdown, then practise your weakest category.
Want a feel for the questions first? The free samples have five real questions from each category, with no sign-up and nothing saved.
