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Arctic Shores · Perception

Arctic Shores Expressions Game Practice: Read the Emotion on Each Face

Practise the Arctic Shores Expressions game, also called the emotions or face game: label 50 illustrated faces with one of seven emotions as they get subtler.

Practice: 50 faces in 3 minutes (study mode: untimed)Also called “emotions game”Also called “face game”

How the practice task works

  1. 01Each face shows one emotion. Choose it from Anger, Contempt, Disgust, Enjoyment, Fear, Sadness and Surprise.
  2. 02Later faces are subtler and some mix two emotions: pick the one that shows most strongly.
  3. 03Your answer moves straight to the next face. There is no going back.
  4. 04Candidate Falcon uses original illustrated faces, not images from the real task.

Controls

  • Click or tap one of the seven emotion buttons
  • Keys 1–7 choose the emotions in on-screen order
  • Study mode: Enter for the next face

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

Task
Label the emotion on each face from a fixed list of seven
What it reportedly measures
Emotion perception: observing and telling apart emotions (candidate-reported link)
Reported length
About 50 faces; one source gives a 3-minute limit, another says untimed
Practice version
50 illustrated faces in 3 minutes, or an untimed study mode with cues
Controls
Click or tap an emotion; keys 1–7

What the Expressions task tests

Expressions, also called the emotions game or face game, is the Arctic Shores task about reading faces. Candidates describe one face at a time and a fixed menu of seven emotions. Two sources name them as anger, contempt, disgust, enjoyment, fear, sadness and surprise, the seven basic emotions in Paul Ekman’s research. Prep sites report about 50 faces, getting less obvious as you go, and some faces that fit no label perfectly.

Arctic Shores’ 2025 Skill-enabler guide lists emotion perception, the ability to observe, identify and distinguish between emotions, as one of the qualities its assessment can measure. It does not say which task measures it, and it does not publish how Expressions is scored. Reports also differ on whether the real faces are cartoon-style, photographic or AI-generated, so Candidate Falcon uses its own illustrated faces.

How the Expressions practice works

  1. Choose the timed run (50 faces, 3-minute clock, no feedback) or study mode (untimed, with the answer and a cue after each face).
  2. Look at the face and pick the emotion that shows most strongly, using a button or keys 1 to 7.
  3. Your answer moves straight to the next face; there is no going back.
  4. Faces start clear and get subtler. From face 21 some mix two emotions that are easily confused, such as fear and surprise.
  5. Review your accuracy by level, the emotions you found hardest and your most common mix-ups.

Expressions tips

  • Read the face from top to bottom: brows, then eyes, then mouth. Each emotion has a signature in each area.
  • Fear and surprise both raise the brows and widen the eyes. Fear pulls the brows together and stretches the lips sideways; surprise arches the brows and drops the jaw.
  • Contempt is one-sided: one lip corner tightens and lifts. A smile that reaches both sides and raises the cheeks is enjoyment.
  • Disgust lives around the nose: a wrinkled nose and a raised upper lip. Anger lives around the eyes and brows: lowered, knitted brows and a hard stare.
  • Sadness raises the inner corners of the brows while the lip corners turn down.
  • Do not overthink subtle faces. Your first reading of the strongest feature is usually the best one.

Common Expressions mistakes

  • Calling every open mouth surprise without checking the brows.
  • Mixing up contempt and enjoyment because both involve the lip corners.
  • Spending too long on one face when the clock is running.
  • Looking only at the mouth and ignoring the eyes and brows.

A short Expressions practice routine

  1. Do one study-mode run and read the cue notes for every face you miss.
  2. Do a timed run and note your two hardest emotions in the summary.
  3. Do another study run focusing on those two, then a final timed run.
  4. Before the real assessment, complete the official practice task in your invitation.

Expressions FAQ

Which emotions are in the Arctic Shores Expressions game?

Two sources list anger, contempt, disgust, enjoyment, fear, sadness and surprise, Ekman’s seven basic emotions. Arctic Shores has not published the list, and the exact wording on the buttons is unverified.

Does the real task use photographs?

Reports differ: some describe cartoon faces, some photographs and one AI-generated images. Candidate Falcon uses original illustrations, so the practice is about recognising the features of each emotion rather than specific images.

Is Expressions timed?

One prep site reports a 3-minute limit for 50 faces; a summary of a candidate walkthrough says it is untimed. Candidate Falcon offers both a timed run and an untimed study mode.

Is this the same as HireVue’s E-Motions game?

No. E-Motions is a HireVue game with its own design. Expressions is a separate Arctic Shores task, although both involve recognising emotions.

Should you practise for Arctic Shores?

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

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.