Skip to main content
All Arctic Shores tasks
Arctic Shores · Reasoning

Arctic Shores Balance Game Practice: Solve the Scales in 60 Seconds

Practise the Arctic Shores Balance game: use balanced reference scales to work out shape weights, then fill the empty pan in 60 seconds per adaptive item.

Practice: Untimed example, then 10 items at 60 seconds eachAlso called “balance game”Also called “scales game”

How the practice task works

  1. 01The scales at the top are balanced. Use them to work out how the shapes compare in weight.
  2. 02Fill the empty pan of your scale with shapes so it balances the filled pan.
  3. 03Copying the filled pan does not count: use other shapes.
  4. 04Each item has 60 seconds. Correct answers bring harder items. An untimed example comes first.

Controls

  • Drag or click shapes onto the empty pan
  • Keys 1–4 add shapes, Backspace removes, Enter submits
  • Tap shapes on a phone; tap a placed shape to remove it

Included in the HireVue Games Prep and Full Access plans, with all 11 HireVue games. See plans

Task
Deduce shape weights from balanced scales, then balance a final scale
What it reportedly measures
Numerical and logical reasoning under time pressure (candidate-reported)
Reported length
About 10 items of about 60 seconds each
Practice version
An untimed example, then 10 adaptive items at 60 seconds
Controls
Drag, click or tap shapes; keys 1–4, Backspace and Enter

What the Balance task tests

Balance is one of the newer Arctic Shores tasks and, by candidates’ accounts, one of the hardest. Each item shows a few scales that already balance, holding simple shapes whose weights are hidden. You work out how the shapes compare, for example that one diamond weighs the same as two squares, and then drag shapes onto the empty pan of a final scale until it balances the filled pan. Candidates on The Student Room describe roughly ten items with about 60 seconds each.

Prep sites describe the task as adaptive: a correct answer brings a harder item and a wrong one an easier item. Later items add more shapes and scales, and you may need to combine two scales or cancel shapes that appear on both sides. Unlike behaviour-style tasks such as Balloon, Balance appears to have correct answers, but Arctic Shores does not publish how it is scored.

How the Balance practice works

  1. Start with the untimed example: one diamond balances two squares, so work out what balances two diamonds.
  2. In the timed run, read the balanced scales first and look for the simplest one.
  3. Drag or click shapes onto the empty pan of your scale. Click a placed shape to remove it.
  4. Press Submit when you think the scale balances. Copying the filled pan is not accepted.
  5. Each item has 60 seconds. A correct answer moves you up a level, a wrong answer or timeout moves you down.
  6. Review how many items you balanced, the highest level you reached and your time on correct items.

Balance tips

  • Start from the scale with the fewest shapes. One or two scales are often enough.
  • Cancel shapes that appear on both pans of a scale before you compare the rest.
  • Turn each scale into a short rule, such as “triangle = 2 squares”, and substitute it into the next.
  • Express everything in terms of the lightest shape; then the target pan is just a count.
  • If you are short of time, submit your best answer rather than letting the clock run out.
  • Candidates report that scrap paper may be allowed, but there is little time to use it. Practise doing the substitutions in your head.

Common Balance mistakes

  • Adding up shapes without checking that every scale you use actually balances the way you assume.
  • Copying the filled pan, which does not count as an answer.
  • Spending the full minute on one hard item instead of making a reasoned guess.
  • Ignoring shapes that appear on both sides of a scale instead of cancelling them.

A short Balance practice routine

  1. Do the untimed example and one timed run without worrying about the level you reach.
  2. In the next run, say each substitution out loud and check whether it speeds you up.
  3. Track your median time on correct items across sessions rather than the level alone.
  4. Before the real assessment, complete the official practice task in your invitation.

Balance FAQ

What is the Arctic Shores Balance game?

A numerical reasoning task in which balanced scales show how heavy shapes are relative to each other, and you fill an empty pan so a final scale balances. Candidates report about 10 items with about 60 seconds each.

Is there more than one correct answer?

Usually any combination of shapes with the same total weight works. Candidate Falcon’s practice accepts any balancing answer except a copy of the filled pan. Arctic Shores does not publish its exact rules.

Can shapes have negative weights?

One prep site reports this, but no candidate account confirms it. Candidate Falcon’s practice only uses a negative weight at its top level, so you can see how it would work.

Should you practise for Arctic Shores?

Arctic Shores says you do not need to practise and should respond naturally. Practice can make the format and the 60-second pace familiar. Candidate Falcon does not claim it changes your Arctic Shores results.

How are Balance results reported?

Arctic Shores does not publish task-level scoring. If your employer shares feedback, it shows behaviours on a 1 to 10 spectrum compared with a norm group. Candidate Falcon’s summary shows only your own practice figures.

Practise other Arctic Shores tasks

Arctic Shores does not publish its task list, so task names and mechanics on this page come from candidate reports. Candidate Falcon is not affiliated with Arctic Shores, and practice results are not Arctic Shores scores. For the official facts on results, devices and adjustments, read the Arctic Shores assessment guide.