Spatial Reasoning

Find the right talent with a spatial reasoning test. Assess the cognitive ability of your candidates to identify top performers.

What is a Spatial Reasoning test?

A Spatial Reasoning test is one of the nine tests available in the FinxS Reasoning Assessment Suite and predictive of an applicants ability to manage and comprehend information collected visually. The test analyses a candidate's current capability to comprehend, visualise and manipulate visual entities. Spatial Reasoning typically correlates with architectural tasks, chemistry, artistic tasks, engineering, process management, interior design, visual design, research and organisational restructuring.

We've been supporting New Zealand businesses for over 21 years to boost their hiring and selection processes. Our advanced aptitude testing platform, FinxS empowers recruitment managers to make more reliable hiring decisions, predict the performance of applicants and understand their working style.

Organisations with successful recruitment processes place emphasis on hiring employees with abilities and behavioural traits that correspond to job role requirements. These organisations understand that robust psychometric tests help select top talent, increase employee retention and avoid high turnover.

When administered correctly, reasoning tests can significantly enhance the probability of selecting the right candidate for a job.

    Common uses of spatial test

    Recruiters commonly use the spatial reasoning test during the pre-employment process to predict the job performance of candidates and quickly narrow down the talent pool. Managers also use the spatial reasoning test to assess an employee's current capability and identify development opportunities. The test typically correlates with job performance in professions such as architecture, engineering, artistry and design.

    Make Secure Hiring Decisions

    Robust reasoning tests help select top talent, increase employee retention and reduce turnover.

    Benefits of spatial reasoning test

    FinxS Spatial Reasoning test provides insight and understanding of candidates' working speed and accuracy within the comprehension of visual entities. The assessment focuses on a person's ability to understand comprehensive designs and structures. Use the reasoning test results to understand what a candidate's test score may mean concerning their job performance and dig deeper into the results to analyse the candidates' speed vs quality of answers. Furthermore, hiring mangers can create a benchmark and determine how the candidate scores in comparison to others within the organisation.

    Predict job performance with a spatial reasoning test

    Are you looking to hire someone with exceptional spatial reasoning skills? Candidate's with a strong affinity for spatial reasoning can think about objects in three dimensions and draw conclusions about those objects. Cognitive ability is one of the most valuable predictors of job performance across all professions, with a 0.51 correlation to success in the position. Cognitive ability is predictive of a wide variety of occupations as it predicts learning and problem solving, both of which are critical to success in the workplace.

    Create a benchmark to add a valuable comparison tool when hiring. Assess your top performers and quantify their attributes to create a baseline for future candidates to make hiring decisions confidently. Select from several different comparison groups to give you a clearer picture of how each candidate compares to others. Compare results at an organisational, country, and global level to provide additional meaning to the results.

    What does a spatial reasoning test measure?

    Spatial Reasoning measures an individual's ability to comprehend visual entities. Strong spatial thinkers can spot patterns or relationships between visual concepts and imagine shapes viewed from different angles or perspectives.

    Someone who demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of word associations might ask questions such as "What do I know about the space and features of the object?" or "If I break up the visual entities, what will it look like?"

    Spatial reasoning assessments provide reliable insights into a candidate's abilities, including:

    • Ability to understand how individual processes relate to each other
    • Ability to participate in multiple simultaneous processes
    • Ability to comprehend, visualise and manipulate visual entities

    These abilities are critical for careers in Engineering, Design, and some medical professions.

    What to expect during a spatial reasoning test?

    The Spatial Reasoning section of the assessment consists of 20 questions. Candidates will see a complex figure on the screen. Each one hides two simple shapes. Candidates need to identify the simple shapes within the complex figures as quickly as possible.

    Each test begins with a practice question so candidate's are familiar with the test format and understand what to expect.

    How to prepare for a spatial reasoning test?

    Architects, engineers and individuals in medical professions all need strong spatial reasoning skills. Candidates who are not confident in their spatial reasoning ability, can prepare by analysing visual objects. Candidates can observe objects and assemble and disassemble them to make another design. They can rotate them to view the objects from different angles and assess the kind of markings they have on their surfaces. Remember, tests are designed so that only a few people can complete them within the time frame. Working quickly, but without sacrificing accuracy is essential to obtain a high score.

    Predict job performance with a Spatial Reasoning Test

    Spatial reasoning test questions

    Candidates complete the spatial reasoning test under timed conditions. They have only 7 minutes to find simple objects within complex figures. Candidates should expect to spend approximately 20 seconds per object. Candidates who rush through the questions or linger on a specific question may receive a low score. Candidates can improve by double-checking their answers, especially on the more complicated questions. The questions become more difficult as the test progresses.

    Spatial reasoning test answers

    You will receive a report automatically from our cloud-based platform within minutes of the candidate completing the questionnaire. The report details the candidate's answers and provides an analysis of the implication of the score on the candidate's job performance. The report contains an overall rating, the number of all correct answers, the number of questions the candidate completed and the time spent answering. The breakdown of scores allows for analysis of the candidate's speed and accuracy. Recruiters can also compare the score to a benchmark population to examine the candidate's ability to others within the organisation.

    Next steps 

    Spatial Reasoning tests are a precise and reliable way to assess the aptitude and predict the performance of job applicants. 

    Interviews, resumes and reference checks are often ineffective predictors of job performance as recruiters judge candidates based on subjective, rather than job-related abilities. Reasoning tests help hiring managers to draw more objective conclusions about an applicants working style and current capability. A cognitive ability test will tell you whether a candidate will take their time to ensure accuracy or will work quickly to complete tasks under time pressure. The resulting report will also provide a current ability score and provide a description of the implication of this on the candidates working style. 

    When the results are used in a robust recruitment process, reasoning tests will ensure you hire the right candidate for the role.

     

    Discover our Range of Reasoning Assessments

    Abstract Logical
    Reasoning

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    Understanding Logical Processes

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    Mathematical Logical Reasoning

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    Understanding
    Social Context

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    Numerical
    Reasoning

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    Verbal
    Reasoning

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    Word
    Association

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    Visual
    Memory

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    Start assessing your candidates today