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    Sova Assessment Guide

    Is the Sova Assessment Timed?

    Usually untimed but speed-recorded — the employer decides.

    Last updated

    Short answer

    Usually not in the way people expect. Sova sittings are commonly untimed or soft-timed: there is no countdown forcing a submit, but the platform records how long you take and reports it alongside accuracy. Some employers do add their own limits. There is no published standard section length, so treat any specific figure — including ours — as a practice setting rather than a fact about your sitting.

    Untimed but speed-recorded is the common model

    Sova says its reasoning tests have no fixed time limit and that the time taken to reach the correct answer is factored into the score.

    When limits do appear

    Any time limit or deadline will be in your invitation. Sova publishes 5–25 minutes for off-the-shelf assessments, 15–30 minutes for its Early Careers Assessment and around 20–25 minutes for the full personality questionnaire, but does not publish reasoning item counts or standard time bases.

    NHS GMTS uses NHS England's assessment partner Amberjack, not Sova. Its Stage 1 is approximately 45 minutes and not time limited.

    How our timers work

    Every section here carries a configurable timing flag so you can rehearse against a countdown or with your pace merely recorded. The durations are SovaGorilla practice settings chosen to build pace — they are not published Sova limits, and your invitation email overrides them.

    Put it into practice

    The fastest way to internalise the format is practice in the same question formats.

    Practise under a real countdown

    Frequently asked questions

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