Arctic Shores · Attention

Arctic Shores Security Game Practice: Stop the Dial on the Target Digit

Practise the Arctic Shores Security game, also called the lock or safe game: stop the dial on the highlighted digit across four locks, then review your timing.

Practice: Untimed, up to 20 stops (warm-up: 10 stops)Also called “lock game”Also called “safe game”

How the practice task works

01A shaded sector sweeps round a ring of digits 0–9. The target digit is highlighted.
02Press Stop (or Space) while the shade covers the target to enter that digit.
03Five correct stops open a lock; four locks open the safe. Later locks are faster and change direction.
04In the realistic run a miss resets you to the first lock with the same codes. Exit whenever you choose.

Controls

Space bar or the Stop button to stop the dial
Tap the dial or Stop on a phone
Exit task to finish whenever you choose

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

Task: Stop a shaded sector sweeping round a ring of digits on the highlighted digit to build each lock code
What it reportedly measures: Processing speed and perseverance, according to an Arctic Shores psychologist
Reported length: Untimed: you stop when the safe opens or when you choose to exit
Practice version: Warm-up (2 locks, 10 stops) or a realistic run (4 locks, 20 stops)
Controls: Space bar or Stop button; tap the dial on a phone

What the Security task tests

Security is the timing task in the Arctic Shores assessment, often called the lock game or safe game. Candidates describe a fixed ring of digits 0 to 9 with a dark shaded area sweeping round it. The digit you need is highlighted, and you press the space bar or a Stop button while the shade covers it. Each correct stop enters one digit of a code, codes open locks, and the locks open a safe. Most recent reports describe four locks of five digits, 20 correct stops in total.

Arctic Shores does not publish how the task is scored. An Arctic Shores occupational psychologist has described it as a way of seeing processing speed and how someone perseveres, and Arctic Shores’ own material pairs it with bouncing back from setbacks. That fits what candidates report: the dial speeds up and changes direction on later locks, a miss reportedly sends you back to the start, and you decide when to stop. There is no published pass mark.

How the Security practice works

Choose a mode. Warm-up uses two slower locks, repeats the same digit after a miss and tells you how early or late you pressed. The realistic run uses four locks and gives no timing hints.
Watch the shaded area sweep round the ring and find the highlighted target digit, which also has a thick outline.
Press Space, the Stop button or the dial itself while the shade covers the target. A hit enters the digit and a new target appears.
Five hits open a lock and light a lamp. Each lock is faster and narrower: the second can turn either way, the third reverses direction and the fourth swings back and forth.
In the realistic run a miss resets you to the first lock with the same codes. Press Exit task whenever you want to stop.
Review your furthest progress, hit rate per lock, restarts and whether you tend to press early or late.

Security tips

Watch one full pass before pressing on a new digit. The shade’s speed and direction change between digits, and the first pass tells you which pattern you have.
Aim to press as the leading edge of the shade reaches the target, not when its centre does. Your reaction time means a press started at the centre lands late.
On reversing locks, wait for a clean pass after the turn rather than pressing during the turn itself.
Use a wired keyboard or the space bar on a laptop if you can. Touch screens and Bluetooth keyboards can add a little delay.
Decide in advance how long you will spend. Candidates report very different times on this task, and nothing official says you must open the safe.
After a reset, slow down for the first lock. The codes reportedly stay the same, so the early digits should be quick wins.

Common Security mistakes

Pressing as soon as the shade appears near the target, before you know which way and how fast it is moving.
Speeding up after a reset out of frustration, which usually causes another early miss on lock 1.
Holding the space bar down and expecting it to count again. In the practice version only a fresh press counts.
Treating Security as a memory task. The display shows the digit you need, so there is nothing to remember.
Assuming the dial behaves the same on every digit. The pattern is reportedly redrawn for each one.

A short Security practice routine

Do one warm-up run and note whether the summary says you press early or late.
Do a realistic run and stop when you reach the time you planned, whatever lock you are on.
Compare your hit rate on locks 3 and 4 across a few sessions rather than chasing a full opening.
Before the real assessment, complete the official practice task Arctic Shores provides with your invitation.

Security FAQ

Is the Arctic Shores lock game the same as Security?

Yes. Candidates and prep sites use lock game, safe game, security door game and Security for the same task: stopping a moving dial on a highlighted digit to open a series of locks.

Do you have to open the safe?

Arctic Shores does not say so, and many candidates report stopping before the last lock. The task is untimed and you can exit when you choose. Arctic Shores says its results describe behaviour on a spectrum with no better or worse end, so there is no published target to hit.

Does a miss really reset everything?

Most candidate reports say a miss sends you back to the first digit of the first lock, and one recent source says the codes stay the same. A few sources only say the current lock resets. Our realistic run uses the full reset.

Should you practise for Arctic Shores?

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

How are Security results reported?

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

Practise other Arctic Shores tasks

Sources

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.