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Arctic Shores · Behaviour

Arctic Shores Balloon Game Practice: Pump, Collect and Learn the Colours

Practise the Arctic Shores Balloon game: pump balloons to add money, collect before they burst, and see how your play changed with each balloon colour.

Practice: 45 balloons, untimed (warm-up: 9)Also called “balloons game”Also called “balloon game”

How the practice task works

  1. 01Each pump adds 5p to the balloon. Collect to bank the money.
  2. 02If the balloon bursts, you lose the money in that balloon, but never what you have banked.
  3. 03Balloons come in three colours with different patterns, and each type tends to burst at a different size.
  4. 04There is no right answer and no timer. Play the way you naturally would.

Controls

  • Pump: P, Space or the Pump button
  • Collect: Q, Enter or the Collect button
  • Tap the buttons on a phone

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

Task
Pump a balloon for money and collect before it bursts
What it reportedly relates to
How you approach risk and learn from outcomes; Arctic Shores says there is no better or worse
Reported length
Untimed; about 5–8 minutes for a reported 45 balloons
Practice version
45 balloons in mixed order or in runs of five, or a 9-balloon warm-up
Controls
Pump with P or Space, collect with Q or Enter; tap on a phone

What the Balloon task tests

Balloon is Arctic Shores’ version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task, a well-known research task. Each pump adds a small amount of money to the balloon on screen. You can collect at any time to bank it, but if the balloon bursts you lose what was in it, although never what you have already banked. Candidates have described it since the Skyrise City app used by PwC, and prep sites report around 45 balloons in current versions.

Prep sites say balloons come in a few colours that tend to burst at different sizes, so part of the task is noticing how each type behaves. Arctic Shores does not publish what Balloon measures and says results describe behaviour with no better or worse end. In the research task it is modelled on, the usual figure is the average number of pumps on balloons that were collected, which describes how someone approaches risk rather than whether they are right.

How the Balloon practice works

  1. Choose the 9-balloon warm-up, the 45-balloon standard run, or 45 balloons in runs of five of the same colour.
  2. Press Pump to inflate the balloon. Each pump adds 5p to that balloon.
  3. Press Collect whenever you want to bank the balloon’s money and move on.
  4. If it bursts, that balloon’s money is lost and the next balloon appears.
  5. In the warm-up you see when each balloon would have burst; the other modes give no hints.
  6. Review your total, bursts, and how your pumping differed between colours and after bursts.

Balloon tips

  • There is no right answer. Use practice to get familiar with the controls and the rhythm, not to find a target number.
  • Notice whether the colours seem to behave differently, as prep sites report, and whether that changes how you play.
  • Avoid holding down a key. In this practice a held key counts once, and in the real task you would want each pump to be deliberate.
  • Keep your play natural. Arctic Shores compares behaviour with a norm group for the role, not against a fixed best score.
  • If a burst unsettles you, take a breath before the next balloon rather than changing your approach on impulse.

Common Balloon mistakes

  • Treating Balloon as a test with a correct number of pumps.
  • Trying to copy a strategy from a forum instead of playing naturally.
  • Rushing through balloons because the task is untimed and feels long.
  • Assuming every balloon of one colour bursts at exactly the same size.

A short Balloon practice routine

  1. Do the warm-up once to see the controls and how the colours behave.
  2. Do one standard run and look at your per-colour figures afterwards.
  3. If you are curious, try the runs-of-five mode and compare how you played.
  4. Before the real assessment, complete the official practice task in your invitation.

Balloon FAQ

Is there a best strategy for the Arctic Shores Balloon game?

Arctic Shores says its results describe behaviour on a spectrum with no better or worse end, and employers compare it with what suits the role. Candidate Falcon does not suggest a target number of pumps.

How many balloons are there?

Most prep sites report 45 balloons. Arctic Shores does not publish the number, and employers may configure tasks differently.

Do the balloon colours matter?

Prep sites report that different colours tend to burst at different sizes. Candidate Falcon’s practice uses three types whose ranges change every session, so you learn the format rather than memorise numbers.

Is Arctic Shores Balloon the same as the Pymetrics balloon game?

They are similar ideas from different companies. Both are based on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task, but they are separate assessments with their own designs.

Should you practise for Arctic Shores?

Arctic Shores says you do not need to practise and should respond naturally. Practice can make the controls familiar so they do not distract you. Candidate Falcon does not claim it changes your Arctic Shores results.

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.