Chances are that if you are looking at this page, you have been asked to take one or more cut-e psychometric aptitude tests and you are wondering how to prepare and practice. Preparing for online psychometric aptitude testing can be a daunting task, particularly if you have not heard of the test or tests you are being asked to take. This article will introduce you to the cut-e battery of tests and give some details about what to expect in addition to tips on how to prepare.
What Is the cut-e Aptitude Test?
To begin, it is important to know a little bit about cut-e psychometric aptitude exams. cut-e is a company that does online aptitude tests, questionnaires, and gamified assessments for attraction, selection, and talent management and development. The company was acquired by Aon in May 2017 and continues to operate under that umbrella. The company does over thirty million assessments a year in ninety different countries and forty different languages. They offer a large range of different tests, but all of them are intended to be short, meaningful, and user friendly without requiring special prior knowledge for those who need to take the tests. Of note is the fact that the cut-e psychometric exams do require Flash Player and a newer Internet browser version to operate, so it will be necessary to ensure that the computer used for testing purposes has these features.
What to Expect on the cut-e Psychometric Assessments?
As mentioned above, there are quite a few different options for psychometric aptitude testing with cut-e. The broad range may initially be confusing for graduates and job-seekers since they do not offer a single test that covers the main types of tests. Instead, they have several different tests or test sections that will test a different area underneath a broader category such as numerical or verbal aptitude testing. Expect that the tests will thorough but short. Pen and paper are allowed for these tests but are not required. You may wish to have some on hand while working through different types of tests just to keep track of information or calculations. cut-e tests require candidates to log in to the testing system through their testing portal mapTQ, and login information should be provided through the employer asking the applicant to take the test. The main categories of tests are listed below along with their average time requirements, and more detail on the types of exams offered under each will be given in the preparation section of this article.
->cut-e Abstract Logical Abilities (5-15 minutes)
->cut-e Scales Numerical Reasoning (5-12 minutes)
->cut-e Specific Cognitive Abilities
~1-3 for the simple tests
~2-10 for the more complex ones
->cut-e Verbal Abilities (8-12 minutes depending on complexity)
->cut-e Specific Knowledge (10-15 minutes)
How to Prepare for the cut-e Assessments
Now that the basics of the cut-e assessments have been explained, it is important to go over the various exams under each type header. Many assessment companies have only one exam for the main three ability tests—logical, verbal, and numerical. cut-e offers a variety of options for these basic tests in addition to some specialized tests that should be examined. Understanding what is tested in each will be crucial for preparation during the sections of the pre-employment screening and hiring process leading up to the exams. The tests are broken down by their main section and discussed in detail below.
cut-e Abstract Logical Abilities
->cut-e Scales clx
This abstract logical ability test assesses job-seekers’ and graduates’ ability to use inductive logical abilities. The test presents applicants with two tables. Applicants taking the exam must then determine what the rules and relationships are within a given pattern. Once they have found the rules and relationships, they will then use what they found to pick the correct matching tables from the four answer options provided.
->cut-e Scales ix
This online psychometric aptitude test examines candidates’ logical thinking ability. The test is presented in an “odd-one-out” format. Test-takers are presented with several objects that, with the exception of one object, follow a single rule. The job-seeker or graduate’s job is to identify the object that is the odd one out.
->cut-e Scales lst
This measures deductive logical skills in the test-taker. The test is presented in grids with several objects in the grid. The job of the applicant is to determine the object that should replace the question mark. The key to this test is that each object may appear only once per row and once per column.
->cut-e Scales sx
The Scales sx test measures deductive reasoning in candidates going through the online psychometric assessment centre. The format of the test is also object-oriented, though this time the three objects presented are interchanged with each other using a specific rule. Again, the goal of the applicant is to identify what rule and operator was used on the shape sequence in order to complete the pattern correctly.
cut-e Numerical Test
This is the one online psychometric aptitude assessment that cut-e does not split up. Instead, graduates and job-seekers will take on whole numerical reasoning ability test. The test requires applicants to answer questions based on the provided numerical data. The data is presented in tables, figures, and diagrams, and answering the questions requires the applicant to have a basic knowledge of ratios, cost and sales analysis, currency conversion, percentage increased or decreased, ratios, and trends.
cut-e Cognitive Specific Abilities
->Scales blo
This online psychometric aptitude exam tests the graduate or job-seeker’s short-term memory and the capacity of their sensory memory. Applicants are presented with an image and asked if it is the exact same as the second to last image in the sequence of three images they were shown previously. The applicant must then answer yes or no quickly according to what they saw. The system will always present applicants with a set of three images and then the image to compare until the test is complete.
->Scales cmo
Scales cmo assesses the graduate or job-seeker’s ability to identify information quickly. It does this by presenting the test-takers with a dark screen that contains a set number of white dots. The test is fairly straightforward compared to some of the other tests. Simply count the number of white dots present in the image and choose the corresponding answer. The test is in a multiple-choice format.
->Scales e3+
The cut-e Scales e3+ exam tests concentration. The test is another fairly simple one. It presents the applicants in the screening process with images and askes if the image was or was not the stated item. For instance, the system might display a picture of a dog and ask, “Was this a dog?”. The answers need to be made quickly and are simple yes or no responses.
->Scales nav
The cut-e Scales nav is an online psychometric test meant to assess a candidate’s sense of direction. The test asks applicants to determine the direction a vehicle is moving from the driver’s perspective after a series of driving manoeuvres is complete. Applicants are shown an arrow pointing in one direction and given four options for the driving manoeuvre from the driver’s perspective. The goal is to select the one that will have the driver going in the direction indicated by the arrow.
->Scales spr
Scales spr is the final cut-e Specific Cognitive Abilities psychometric exam. It measures spatial reasoning in test-takers. The test puts graduates and job-seekers through a series of questions intended to make them mentally rearrange, rotate, and manipulate shapes or objects. In the end, the applicants must find the correct 2D or 3D shape based on the rearrangement, rotation, or manipulation required.
cut-e Verbal Abilities
->Scales verbal
The Scales Verbal ability assessment is designed to test both reading comprehension with basic info and the ability to draw logical conclusions from the text. The exam provides test-takers with a passage of text and requires them to answer one or more statements with true, false, or cannot say. Answers should be based only on the given information in the test. Some of the questions may also be only true or false questions rather than including the “cannot say” option as well.
->Scales verbal SJT
The cut-e Scales verbal situational judgment test is designed to measure candidates’ ability to choose proper workplace responses to a variety of common workplace situations. Problems are presented that relate to the job position the applicant applied for, and applicants are required to rate possible actions from highly undesirable to highly desirable.
cut-e Specific Knowledge
->cut-e It-e
The It-e assessment tests the graduate or job-seeker’s ability to construct sentences with proper grammar, punctuation, and word usage. The test assesses fluency, spelling, and vocabulary in different sections of the same test. In some questions, sentences with missing words are presented to the test-taker, and the applicant must choose the correct words to fill in any gaps. The vocabulary questions measure the applicant’s vocabulary and grasp on word meanings by presenting a definition and asking applicants to choose the matching word. The final type of question revolves around spelling. These questions test knowledge of spelling and vocabulary by presenting two similar words and asking the test-taker to choose the one spelled correctly. An important thing to remember is that this test is adaptive and will become more difficult as questions are answered correctly.
->cut-e tmt
The cut-e tmt is an applied numeracy test. It assesses the candidate’s aptitude for performing calculations in different subject areas. This is done by presenting a short passage or text with information. Not all of the information will be relevant to the question or problem presented, so it is the job of the applicant to sort through the information to determine what pieces of the provided information is necessary to solve the problem.
cut-e Test Tips
->Take online practice tests that are similar to the ones you will be required to take.
->Have some scratch paper and a pen or pencil available during the tests in case you need to jot anything down.
->Most of these tests can be completed in under fifteen minutes.
->You cannot walk away from the test and come back, so make sure you have enough time on hand to take the test you want to start.
->Employers typically give a few days to do these tests, so you can split them up so long as you finish whichever test you are doing before taking a break. Just be sure to keep a close eye on the deadline given to you by the recruitment and hiring contact who emailed you the test information.
->Many of these tests are short, and some of them are even a max of a minute long. This means the time to impress the employer is much lower than with other companies. It is always easier for a company to say no to you than to say yes. Make the assessment count and make it harder for them to turn you down.
->Because the tests are often shorter than other similar tests, practice and preparation should be taken very seriously because it is very possible it will make the difference between a job offer and a rejection.
Companies That Use cut-e Assessments
These are some of the many companies that use cut-e tests:
Conclusion
cut-e online psychometric aptitude exams are diverse and require serious preparation. Because of the shortness of these pre-employment tests, graduates and job-seekers have a shorter amount of time to make an impression. This means that preparation and practice are essential to success. Without time spent preparing, the likelihood of doing well is not good. The best way to ensure you will perform in a way that makes you stand out is to familiarize yourself with the tests you may be asked to take and work through practice problems. If you do this and utilize the tips given above, you will increase your chances of performing well on these assessments. Best of luck to you as you get ready for this portion of your pre-employment screening and recruitment process.
