Problem Solving Test

About the test:

The problem solving test evaluates a candidate's ability to understand instructions, analyze data and respond to complex problems or situations. The questions are designed to get insights into their problem solving, learning agility and coachability.

Covered skills:

Abstract Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
Pattern Matching
The Raven’s Progressive Matrices

Critical Thinking
Inductive Reasoning
Spatial Reasoning

See all covered skills

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9 reasons why

Adaface Problem Solving Test is the most accurate way to shortlist Fresherss

Reason #1

Tests for on-the-job skills

The Problem Solving test helps recruiters and hiring managers to identify qualified candidates from a pool of resumes, and helps in taking objective hiring decisions. It reduces the administrative overhead of interviewing too many candidates and saves expensive engineering time by filtering out unqualified candidates.

The Adaface Problem Solving test screens candidates for the typical skills recruiters look for in a potential talent:

Ability to identify and evaluate problems
Proactively looking for solutions or replacements for the identified problem
Evaluating all the possible solutions and scenarios to reach the best solution for the problem at hand
The ability to execute the best solution

The insights generated from this assessment can be used by recruiters and hiring managers to identify the best candidates for the role. Anti-cheating features enable you to be comfortable with conducting assessments online. The Problem Solving test is ideal for helping recruiters identify which candidates have the proper reasoning skills to do well on the job.

Reason #2

No trick questions

Traditional assessment tools use trick questions and puzzles for the screening, which creates a lot of frustration among candidates about having to go through irrelevant screening assessments.

The main reason we started Adaface is that traditional pre-employment assessment platforms are not a fair way for companies to evaluate candidates. At Adaface, our mission is to help companies find great candidates by assessing on-the-job skills required for a role.

Why we started Adaface ->

Reason #3

Non-googleable questions

We have a very high focus on the quality of questions that test for on-the-job skills. Every question is non-googleable and we have a very high bar for the level of subject matter experts we onboard to create these questions. We have crawlers to check if any of the questions are leaked online. If/ when a question gets leaked, we get an alert. We change the question for you & let you know.

These are just a small sample from our library of 10,000+ questions. The actual questions on this Problem Solving Test will be non-googleable.

🧐 Question
Medium Tennis Players	Solve
A tennis coach was trying to put together a team of 4 players for a tennis championship out of 7 players. R, S, T are the male players, and W, X, Y, Z are the female players. Note that all players have equal ability, and the team needs to have atleast 2 male players. While selecting the team we need to keep in mind that all 4 players should be able to play with each other. We also need to keep the following restrictions in mind: - R cannot play with Y - S cannot play with W - T cannot play with Z Which of the following are true: A: S and Z cannot be in the team together. B: T and Y cannot be in the team together. C: T and X cannot be in the team together.
Hard CID Agent Coding Decoding	Solve
A code ("EIG AUC REO RAI COG") was sent to the criminal office by a CID agent named Batra. However, four of the five words are fake, with only one containing the information. They also included a clue in the form of a sentence: "If I tell you any character of the code word, you will be able to tell how many vowels there are in the code word." Are you able to figure out what the code word is? A: RAI B: EIG C: AUC D: REO E: COG F: None
Medium Positive correlation	Solve
Myra is working on her thesis for which she created a scatter plot of the number of teachers and the number of college graduates for cities in Australia. She noticed a positive correlation. Which of these do you think is the probable explanation for this correlation? A: Teachers encourage people to go to college, so an increase in the number of teachers leads to an increase in the number of college graduates. B: Some college graduates choose teaching as a profession after graduating, so an increase in the number of college graduates also leads to an increase in the number of teachers. C: There are more college graduates and teachers in higher income cities, so income is a confounding variable here, make it difficult to prove causation between number of teachers and number of college graduates. D: Cities with a higher population have more teachers and more college graduates, so the correlation is due to a third variable (population of city). E: The provided data is insufficient, so it is extremely difficult to establish the reason for the correlation. F: Most college students choose non-teaching professions after graduating, which explains the correlation. G: In Australia, college students are encouraged by their teachers to choose teaching as a profession after graduating.
Medium Dividends Line Charts	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the money invested by a company in production each year and the sales made by the company each year. If the pie chart shows the shareholding pattern of the company and the company gives 10% of the profit as dividends to its share holders then what is the average dividend received by retail investors from 2000 to 2004?
Medium Laptop Brands Missing data	Solve
Given below is the list of laptop brands and their details in which some data is missing. If the cost price of Dell is 3/5 of the cost price of Lenovo, then what will be the %profit of Dell?
Hard Median Percentages median	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the sales of five different companies from 2000 to 2009. Which of the following companies has the maximum percentage increase in the median from 2000 to 2004 and 2005 to 2009.
Easy Assemble Triangle	Solve
Which of the following set of shapes can be assembled to create the shape displayed:
Easy Odd One Out	Solve
Shown below is a group of 4 objects, which might be rotated in different directions. One of the 4 objects is different from the other 3 in some way. Can you figure out which one?
Medium Four Blocks Direction	Solve
The city has been divided into 4 blocks. Block 1 in the north and Block 4 in the east of the city. A postman, who delivers the letter in the city is standing at the intersection of the two lines. The postman travels the city in the following order: 1. North-West 20 steps 2. South-West 30 steps 3. South-East 40 steps 4. North-East 50 steps 5. North-West 15 steps Now, find the location where the postman is standing? A: Block 3 B: Block 2 C: Block 4 D: Block 1 E: On the line intersecting Block 1 and Block 4 F: On the line intersecting Block 3 and Block 4
Medium Missing element	Solve
Which of the following figures do you think would complete the pattern shown below?
Easy Missing element	Solve
Which of the following figures do you think would complete the pattern shown below?
Medium Claims for a new drug Xylanex Critical Thinking Evaluating Arguments Identifying Assumptions	Solve
A pharmaceutical company claims that their new drug, Xylanex, is highly effective in treating a specific medical condition. They provide statistical data from a clinical trial to support their claim. However, a group of scientists has raised concerns about the validity of the study design and potential bias in the data collection process. They argue that the results may be inflated and not truly representative of the drug's effectiveness. Which of the following assumptions is necessary to support the pharmaceutical company's claim? A: The clinical trial participants were randomly selected and representative of the target population. B: The scientists raising concerns have a conflict of interest and are biased against the pharmaceutical company. C: The statistical analysis of the clinical trial data was conducted by independent experts. D: The medical condition being treated by Xylanex is widespread and affects a large number of individuals. E: The pharmaceutical company has a proven track record of developing effective drugs for similar medical conditions.
Medium Emma's cafe business	Solve
Emma's cafe has been operating successfully for the last 6 years. Profits have been growing every year, with this year (2020) being their best year so far. As a thank you, Emma treated her staff to a meal at a Michelin star restaurant. Below are 3 statements about Emma, her staff and her cafe. Can you help us decide whether the 3 statements are "True", "Probably True", "Insufficient Data to Say True or False", "Probably False", or "False". 1. Emma's staff members are happy. 2. Emma's cafe did well in 2016. 3. Emma is rich. A: True B: False C: Probably True D: Probably False E: Insufficient Data
Medium Ivory's new startup	Solve
Statement: Ivory started a new startup. We know for a fact that almost all startups fail within the first 2 years. Conclusion: Ivory's startup will fail. Does the conclusion follow from the statement?

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill
	Medium Tennis Players	3 mins Logical Reasoning	Solve
A tennis coach was trying to put together a team of 4 players for a tennis championship out of 7 players. R, S, T are the male players, and W, X, Y, Z are the female players. Note that all players have equal ability, and the team needs to have atleast 2 male players. While selecting the team we need to keep in mind that all 4 players should be able to play with each other. We also need to keep the following restrictions in mind: - R cannot play with Y - S cannot play with W - T cannot play with Z Which of the following are true: A: S and Z cannot be in the team together. B: T and Y cannot be in the team together. C: T and X cannot be in the team together.
	Hard CID Agent Coding Decoding	3 mins Logical Reasoning	Solve
A code ("EIG AUC REO RAI COG") was sent to the criminal office by a CID agent named Batra. However, four of the five words are fake, with only one containing the information. They also included a clue in the form of a sentence: "If I tell you any character of the code word, you will be able to tell how many vowels there are in the code word." Are you able to figure out what the code word is? A: RAI B: EIG C: AUC D: REO E: COG F: None
	Medium Positive correlation	2 mins Logical Reasoning	Solve
Myra is working on her thesis for which she created a scatter plot of the number of teachers and the number of college graduates for cities in Australia. She noticed a positive correlation. Which of these do you think is the probable explanation for this correlation? A: Teachers encourage people to go to college, so an increase in the number of teachers leads to an increase in the number of college graduates. B: Some college graduates choose teaching as a profession after graduating, so an increase in the number of college graduates also leads to an increase in the number of teachers. C: There are more college graduates and teachers in higher income cities, so income is a confounding variable here, make it difficult to prove causation between number of teachers and number of college graduates. D: Cities with a higher population have more teachers and more college graduates, so the correlation is due to a third variable (population of city). E: The provided data is insufficient, so it is extremely difficult to establish the reason for the correlation. F: Most college students choose non-teaching professions after graduating, which explains the correlation. G: In Australia, college students are encouraged by their teachers to choose teaching as a profession after graduating.
	Medium Dividends Line Charts	3 mins Data Interpretation	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the money invested by a company in production each year and the sales made by the company each year. If the pie chart shows the shareholding pattern of the company and the company gives 10% of the profit as dividends to its share holders then what is the average dividend received by retail investors from 2000 to 2004?
	Medium Laptop Brands Missing data	2 mins Data Interpretation	Solve
Given below is the list of laptop brands and their details in which some data is missing. If the cost price of Dell is 3/5 of the cost price of Lenovo, then what will be the %profit of Dell?
	Hard Median Percentages median	3 mins Data Interpretation	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the sales of five different companies from 2000 to 2009. Which of the following companies has the maximum percentage increase in the median from 2000 to 2004 and 2005 to 2009.
	Easy Assemble Triangle	2 mins Spatial Reasoning	Solve
Which of the following set of shapes can be assembled to create the shape displayed:
	Easy Odd One Out	2 mins Spatial Reasoning	Solve
Shown below is a group of 4 objects, which might be rotated in different directions. One of the 4 objects is different from the other 3 in some way. Can you figure out which one?
	Medium Four Blocks Direction	2 mins Spatial Reasoning	Solve
The city has been divided into 4 blocks. Block 1 in the north and Block 4 in the east of the city. A postman, who delivers the letter in the city is standing at the intersection of the two lines. The postman travels the city in the following order: 1. North-West 20 steps 2. South-West 30 steps 3. South-East 40 steps 4. North-East 50 steps 5. North-West 15 steps Now, find the location where the postman is standing? A: Block 3 B: Block 2 C: Block 4 D: Block 1 E: On the line intersecting Block 1 and Block 4 F: On the line intersecting Block 3 and Block 4
	Medium Missing element	2 mins Ravens Progressive Matrices	Solve
Which of the following figures do you think would complete the pattern shown below?
	Easy Missing element	2 mins Ravens Progressive Matrices	Solve
Which of the following figures do you think would complete the pattern shown below?
	Medium Claims for a new drug Xylanex Critical Thinking Evaluating Arguments Identifying Assumptions	2 mins Critical Thinking	Solve
A pharmaceutical company claims that their new drug, Xylanex, is highly effective in treating a specific medical condition. They provide statistical data from a clinical trial to support their claim. However, a group of scientists has raised concerns about the validity of the study design and potential bias in the data collection process. They argue that the results may be inflated and not truly representative of the drug's effectiveness. Which of the following assumptions is necessary to support the pharmaceutical company's claim? A: The clinical trial participants were randomly selected and representative of the target population. B: The scientists raising concerns have a conflict of interest and are biased against the pharmaceutical company. C: The statistical analysis of the clinical trial data was conducted by independent experts. D: The medical condition being treated by Xylanex is widespread and affects a large number of individuals. E: The pharmaceutical company has a proven track record of developing effective drugs for similar medical conditions.
	Medium Emma's cafe business	2 mins Critical Thinking	Solve
Emma's cafe has been operating successfully for the last 6 years. Profits have been growing every year, with this year (2020) being their best year so far. As a thank you, Emma treated her staff to a meal at a Michelin star restaurant. Below are 3 statements about Emma, her staff and her cafe. Can you help us decide whether the 3 statements are "True", "Probably True", "Insufficient Data to Say True or False", "Probably False", or "False". 1. Emma's staff members are happy. 2. Emma's cafe did well in 2016. 3. Emma is rich. A: True B: False C: Probably True D: Probably False E: Insufficient Data
	Medium Ivory's new startup	2 mins Critical Thinking	Solve
Statement: Ivory started a new startup. We know for a fact that almost all startups fail within the first 2 years. Conclusion: Ivory's startup will fail. Does the conclusion follow from the statement?

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill	💪 Difficulty	⌛ Time
	Tennis Players	Logical Reasoning	Medium	3 mins	Solve
A tennis coach was trying to put together a team of 4 players for a tennis championship out of 7 players. R, S, T are the male players, and W, X, Y, Z are the female players. Note that all players have equal ability, and the team needs to have atleast 2 male players. While selecting the team we need to keep in mind that all 4 players should be able to play with each other. We also need to keep the following restrictions in mind: - R cannot play with Y - S cannot play with W - T cannot play with Z Which of the following are true: A: S and Z cannot be in the team together. B: T and Y cannot be in the team together. C: T and X cannot be in the team together.
	CID Agent Coding Decoding	Logical Reasoning	Hard	3 mins	Solve
A code ("EIG AUC REO RAI COG") was sent to the criminal office by a CID agent named Batra. However, four of the five words are fake, with only one containing the information. They also included a clue in the form of a sentence: "If I tell you any character of the code word, you will be able to tell how many vowels there are in the code word." Are you able to figure out what the code word is? A: RAI B: EIG C: AUC D: REO E: COG F: None
	Positive correlation	Logical Reasoning	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Myra is working on her thesis for which she created a scatter plot of the number of teachers and the number of college graduates for cities in Australia. She noticed a positive correlation. Which of these do you think is the probable explanation for this correlation? A: Teachers encourage people to go to college, so an increase in the number of teachers leads to an increase in the number of college graduates. B: Some college graduates choose teaching as a profession after graduating, so an increase in the number of college graduates also leads to an increase in the number of teachers. C: There are more college graduates and teachers in higher income cities, so income is a confounding variable here, make it difficult to prove causation between number of teachers and number of college graduates. D: Cities with a higher population have more teachers and more college graduates, so the correlation is due to a third variable (population of city). E: The provided data is insufficient, so it is extremely difficult to establish the reason for the correlation. F: Most college students choose non-teaching professions after graduating, which explains the correlation. G: In Australia, college students are encouraged by their teachers to choose teaching as a profession after graduating.
	Dividends Line Charts	Data Interpretation	Medium	3 mins	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the money invested by a company in production each year and the sales made by the company each year. If the pie chart shows the shareholding pattern of the company and the company gives 10% of the profit as dividends to its share holders then what is the average dividend received by retail investors from 2000 to 2004?
	Laptop Brands Missing data	Data Interpretation	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Given below is the list of laptop brands and their details in which some data is missing. If the cost price of Dell is 3/5 of the cost price of Lenovo, then what will be the %profit of Dell?
	Median Percentages median	Data Interpretation	Hard	3 mins	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the sales of five different companies from 2000 to 2009. Which of the following companies has the maximum percentage increase in the median from 2000 to 2004 and 2005 to 2009.
	Assemble Triangle	Spatial Reasoning	Easy	2 mins	Solve
Which of the following set of shapes can be assembled to create the shape displayed:
	Odd One Out	Spatial Reasoning	Easy	2 mins	Solve
Shown below is a group of 4 objects, which might be rotated in different directions. One of the 4 objects is different from the other 3 in some way. Can you figure out which one?
	Four Blocks Direction	Spatial Reasoning	Medium	2 mins	Solve
The city has been divided into 4 blocks. Block 1 in the north and Block 4 in the east of the city. A postman, who delivers the letter in the city is standing at the intersection of the two lines. The postman travels the city in the following order: 1. North-West 20 steps 2. South-West 30 steps 3. South-East 40 steps 4. North-East 50 steps 5. North-West 15 steps Now, find the location where the postman is standing? A: Block 3 B: Block 2 C: Block 4 D: Block 1 E: On the line intersecting Block 1 and Block 4 F: On the line intersecting Block 3 and Block 4
	Missing element	Ravens Progressive Matrices	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Which of the following figures do you think would complete the pattern shown below?
	Missing element	Ravens Progressive Matrices	Easy	2 mins	Solve
Which of the following figures do you think would complete the pattern shown below?
	Claims for a new drug Xylanex Critical Thinking Evaluating Arguments Identifying Assumptions	Critical Thinking	Medium	2 mins	Solve
A pharmaceutical company claims that their new drug, Xylanex, is highly effective in treating a specific medical condition. They provide statistical data from a clinical trial to support their claim. However, a group of scientists has raised concerns about the validity of the study design and potential bias in the data collection process. They argue that the results may be inflated and not truly representative of the drug's effectiveness. Which of the following assumptions is necessary to support the pharmaceutical company's claim? A: The clinical trial participants were randomly selected and representative of the target population. B: The scientists raising concerns have a conflict of interest and are biased against the pharmaceutical company. C: The statistical analysis of the clinical trial data was conducted by independent experts. D: The medical condition being treated by Xylanex is widespread and affects a large number of individuals. E: The pharmaceutical company has a proven track record of developing effective drugs for similar medical conditions.
	Emma's cafe business	Critical Thinking	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Emma's cafe has been operating successfully for the last 6 years. Profits have been growing every year, with this year (2020) being their best year so far. As a thank you, Emma treated her staff to a meal at a Michelin star restaurant. Below are 3 statements about Emma, her staff and her cafe. Can you help us decide whether the 3 statements are "True", "Probably True", "Insufficient Data to Say True or False", "Probably False", or "False". 1. Emma's staff members are happy. 2. Emma's cafe did well in 2016. 3. Emma is rich. A: True B: False C: Probably True D: Probably False E: Insufficient Data
	Ivory's new startup	Critical Thinking	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Statement: Ivory started a new startup. We know for a fact that almost all startups fail within the first 2 years. Conclusion: Ivory's startup will fail. Does the conclusion follow from the statement?

Reason #4

1200+ customers in 75 countries

With Adaface, we were able to optimise our initial screening process by upwards of 75%, freeing up precious time for both hiring managers and our talent acquisition team alike!

Brandon Lee, Head of People, Love, Bonito

Reason #5

Designed for elimination, not selection

The most important thing while implementing the pre-employment Problem Solving Test in your hiring process is that it is an elimination tool, not a selection tool. In other words: you want to use the test to eliminate the candidates who do poorly on the test, not to select the candidates who come out at the top. While they are super valuable, pre-employment tests do not paint the entire picture of a candidate’s abilities, knowledge, and motivations. Multiple easy questions are more predictive of a candidate's ability than fewer hard questions. Harder questions are often "trick" based questions, which do not provide any meaningful signal about the candidate's skillset.

Reason #6

1 click candidate invites

Email invites: You can send candidates an email invite to the Problem Solving Test from your dashboard by entering their email address.

Public link: You can create a public link for each test that you can share with candidates.

API or integrations: You can invite candidates directly from your ATS by using our pre-built integrations with popular ATS systems or building a custom integration with your in-house ATS.

Reason #7

Detailed scorecards & benchmarks

Reason #8

High completion rate

Adaface tests are conversational, low-stress, and take just 25-40 mins to complete.

This is why Adaface has the highest test-completion rate (86%), which is more than 2x better than traditional assessments.

Reason #9

Advanced Proctoring

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Which Roles Can You Use This Problem Solving Test For

The Problem Solving Online test is designed to assess for entry-level roles as well as experienced roles.

Critical Thinking: The critical thinking questions are designed to evaluate the candidate’s ability to conceptualize and analyze problems by evaluating information in order to reach a meaningful conclusion.
Analytical Ability: The analytical ability questions are designed to assess the candidate’s ability to understand understand ambiguous or complex information from different perspectives to reach a conclusion.
Numerical Ability: The numerical ability questions are designed to test the candidate’s ability to perform basic arithmetic operations.

Importance of Problem Solving In The Workplace

Every employee in their professional life will encounter a demanding work environment that presents itself with simple and complex problems on a day-to-day basis. An employee's problem-solving skills not only impact their job performance but also the inter-personal relationships that they build in their professional career.

Jobs that require leadership skills such as that of a CEO and HR manager might require more problem-solving when compared to entry-level positions.

Some of the advantages of problem-solving skills include:

Employees with better problem solving skills tend to create a positive work culture and environment by analyzing the problem rather than blaming and complaining about their colleagues.
Problems in the task or job role can present as new learning oppurtunities that can open up a whole new world of possibilities for employees. Problems that can be fixed can become a rewarding experience for them as well as a source of supreme confidence.

What roles can I use the Problem Solving Test for?

Freshers
Graduates
Analysts
Developers
Entry level roles
Programmers

What topics are covered in the Problem Solving Test?

Analytical Thinking

Interpretation

Lateral Thinking

Vocabulary

Assertion & Reason

Guilford’s test of Divergent Thinking

Reading comprehension

Decision Making

Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

Drawing conclusions

Spatial Visualization

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The hiring managers felt that through the technical questions that they asked during the panel interviews, they were able to tell which candidates had better scores, and differentiated with those who did not score as well. They are highly satisfied with the quality of candidates shortlisted with the Adaface screening.

85%

reduction in screening time

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FAQs

Can I combine multiple skills into one custom assessment?

Yes, absolutely. Custom assessments are set up based on your job description, and will include questions on all must-have skills you specify.

Do you have any anti-cheating or proctoring features in place?

We have the following anti-cheating features in place:

Non-googleable questions
IP proctoring
Web proctoring
Webcam proctoring
Plagiarism detection
Secure browser

Read more about the proctoring features.

How do I interpret test scores?

The primary thing to keep in mind is that an assessment is an elimination tool, not a selection tool. A skills assessment is optimized to help you eliminate candidates who are not technically qualified for the role, it is not optimized to help you find the best candidate for the role. So the ideal way to use an assessment is to decide a threshold score (typically 55%, we help you benchmark) and invite all candidates who score above the threshold for the next rounds of interview.

What experience level can I use this test for?

Each Adaface assessment is customized to your job description/ ideal candidate persona (our subject matter experts will pick the right questions for your assessment from our library of 10000+ questions). This assessment can be customized for any experience level.

Does every candidate get the same questions?

Yes, it makes it much easier for you to compare candidates. Options for MCQ questions and the order of questions are randomized. We have anti-cheating/ proctoring features in place. In our enterprise plan, we also have the option to create multiple versions of the same assessment with questions of similar difficulty levels.