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Civil Service Numerical Test Practice: Tables and Charts from Public Services

Civil Service Numerical Test practice: 20 adaptive questions on tables and charts from public services, with a worked solution for every question.

Practice: 20 adaptive questions at three levels, 5 options each, untimedAlso called “Civil Service numerical reasoning test”Also called “Civil Service Numerical Test practice”

How the practice module works

  1. 01Have a calculator, rough paper and a pen ready, as GOV.UK suggests.
  2. 02Each question shows a table or chart from a public service and asks one question about it. Some of the data is not needed.
  3. 03The practice adapts like the real test: a right answer moves you up a level, a wrong one down. There is no going back.
  4. 04There is no timer. At the end you see how many you got right, the level you reached and a worked solution for every question.

Controls

  • Choose one of the options
  • Next moves on; there is no going back, because the next question depends on your answer

Included in 1 Game Platform Prep (when you choose the UK Civil Service tests), All Games Platforms Prep and Full Access. See plans

Format
A table, graph or other data, then a question with several possible answers
Adaptive
A right answer may bring a harder question, a wrong one an easier one
Length
Varies; usually shorter than a fixed test
Time
Untimed; most people take 15 to 45 minutes
Equipment
A calculator, rough paper and a pen
Result
A percentile that reflects how many and how hard

What the Civil Service Numerical Test looks at

GOV.UK says the Numerical Test shows graphs, tables or other numerical information, followed by a question with several possible answers.

The test adapts to you: a right answer may lead to a harder question and a wrong one to an easier one, so its length varies. Some questions are unscored trials.

Your score reflects the number of questions you answer correctly and how difficult they are, and is reported as a percentile against other applicants.

How the Civil Service Numerical Test practice works

  1. Read the table or chart and the short context, then the question. Some of the data is there to distract you.
  2. Choose one of the five options. The wrong options are the answers that common slips produce.
  3. You start at level 2 of 3: level 1 reads or adds figures, level 2 needs a percentage, share or rate, level 3 needs two connected steps. A right answer moves you up and a wrong one down, for 20 questions.
  4. At the end, see how many you got right, the highest level you answered correctly and a worked solution for every question.

Civil Service Numerical Test tips

  • Before you calculate, find the exact row, column and year the question asks about.
  • For a percentage change, divide by the starting figure, not the later one.
  • A change in a share is in percentage points; a change in a number is a percentage. The two are different.
  • An average across groups of different sizes must be weighted by their size.
  • Estimate the answer first: it rules out options that are clearly too big or too small.

Common Civil Service Numerical Test mistakes

  • Using the wrong quarter, year or column.
  • Dividing by the wrong total, such as last year’s instead of this year’s.
  • Adding the same amount again when the question asks for the same percentage.
  • Rounding too early in a two-step calculation.

A short Civil Service Numerical Test practice routine

  1. Run the free official Numerical Test practice once to see the real interface.
  2. Do a practice run here with a calculator and rough paper.
  3. Work through the solution of every question you got wrong, and note the slip that caught you.
  4. Repeat: each run has new figures, so you practise the method rather than the answers.

Civil Service Numerical Test FAQ

What is the Civil Service Numerical Test?

GOV.UK describes graphs, tables or other numerical information followed by a question with several possible answers. The test is untimed and adapts to your answers, so its length varies. Most people take 15 to 45 minutes.

Can I use a calculator?

Yes. GOV.UK suggests having a calculator, rough paper and a pen ready before you start.

How is the real test scored?

GOV.UK says the score reflects how many questions you answer correctly and how difficult they are, and is reported as a percentile against other applicants. This practice shows accuracy, the level you reached and difficulty points instead, because it cannot compare you with other applicants.

How does this practice adapt?

It has three levels and 12 question types, four per level, with new figures every time. You start at level 2; a right answer moves you up one level and a wrong one down one, for 20 questions. GOV.UK does not publish its own rule, so this is Candidate Falcon’s simple version.

How many options does each question have?

Five in this practice. GOV.UK says only that there are several possible answers.

Independent practice by Candidate Falcon, based on the format in GOV.UK’s guidance; the tables, charts, questions and adaptive rule are Candidate Falcon’s own. Not affiliated with the UK Civil Service, Civil Service Jobs or the Government People Group, and not their scoring. Practice results are not Civil Service scores. For scores, pass marks, banked results and GOV.UK's free official practice tests, read the free guide to the Civil Service online tests.