What the Sova numerical reasoning test looks like
Start with what Sova itself says. Its candidate guidance tells you that "you will also need a pen, paper and calculator for the ability questions". It also says some ability questions "may require two or more answers", and the Next button only activates once you have given every answer the question needs. So read the instruction line before you click.
The rest comes from third-party prep sites, not from Sova. They describe data presented in tables and charts with multiple-choice answers; one reports four options per question. The topics they list are graphs, charts, fractions, currency conversions and basic algebra.
Sova does not publish how many numerical questions a sitting contains or the time base behind them. Any site that gives you an exact count is guessing or describing one employer's set-up.
Is the Sova numerical reasoning test timed?
Not with a fixed limit. Sova's help centre puts it this way: its numerical, logical and verbal reasoning assessments "do not have a fixed time limit within which a candidate must complete the test. However, the time a candidate takes to reach the correct answer is factored into their score — so speed of response does matter."
Two practical points follow. Slow and right still costs you something. Fast and wrong costs more.
Sova says candidates can leave and return through their link while they are within the deadline, but timed and recorded elements keep running once started, and it recommends one sitting where possible. The deadline is set by the employer and will be in your invitation. If you need extra time as a reasonable adjustment, ask the hiring organisation before you start; Sova says it must be applied before the candidate begins. More on how Sova timing works.
Will you get a numerical test at all?
Maybe not. Employers pick the activities in each Sova assessment. In Sova's own Early Careers Assessment, the image-based personality questionnaire and the situational judgement test are compulsory, while numerical reasoning is one of the optional modules. Your invitation names the sections you will sit. Treat it as the source of truth.
Three worked examples
These are our own questions, written from scratch in the reported format. They are not Sova items.
1. Percentage change. Harbour Books sales were £120k in Q1 and £150k in Q2. By what percentage did sales rise? (A) 20% (B) 25% (C) 30% (D) 125%.
Answer: B. The rise is £30k on a base of £120k, which is 25%. Option D is the trap: 150 is 125% of 120, not a 125% rise.
2. Select all that apply. Targets: North £50k, South £40k, East £60k. Actuals: North £52k, South £38k, East £61k. Select every region that beat its target.
Answer: North and East. One correct tick is not a complete answer here, which is exactly the kind of question Sova's "two or more answers" note warns about.
3. Currency conversion. A £2,400 invoice is paid in euros at £1 = €1.15. How many euros?
Answer: €2,760. Multiply, do not divide. Sense-check: the euro figure must be larger than the pound figure.
Want worked examples for the other modules? They are in our practice questions guide.
How the numerical test is scored
Sova says reasoning scores combine accuracy with response time. Beyond that, the employer decides: Sova's platform lets each client weight activities and set a pass score for each one. Sova does not publish the formula, and it publishes no pass mark. Nobody outside your employer's recruitment team knows the number you need.
How to practise
Accuracy first, pace second. Get the method right on percentage change, ratios and conversions, then bring the time down. Prep sites suggest a working pace of about 45 seconds per numerical question; that is a prep heuristic, not a Sova rule.
In our simulator, numerical practice is free and needs no card. You can use a calculator, as Sova says you can on the real thing. The countdown you see is a SovaGorilla practice setting, not a Sova or employer limit. For everything else in the assessment, read the full Sova assessment guide.