What are Revelian tests?
Formerly known as Onetest, Revelian was founded in 1999 and is the most popular and widely-used psychometric test provider in Australia. Revelian tests are taken by over 200,000 people a year and help employers to assess prospective candidates on their strengths and weaknesses before hiring.
Designed to be challenging, psychometric tests are renowned for their tight time limits and questions that get progressively harder as candidates work through the test.
Once a candidate has completed a Revelian test, the employer will be given the data-driven insight that can help them to determine whether that person is the right fit for the role and team they're applying to work in.
The tests can assess cognitive ability through traditional aptitude tests including numerical and verbal reasoning. There are also Revelian tests that examine personality, competencies, traits and behaviours — a combination of these two types of Revelian tests can help an employer to make crucial hiring decisions based on more than just a CV and interview.
Revelian aptitude tests
Revelian tests aim to draw out four key strengths:
Accuracy and efficiency
Effective decision making
Problem solving
Approaching unknown concepts and situations
There are 14 different tests available. Each test is a combination of the characteristics listed above. As part of the recruitment process, you may be asked to complete any combination of the following:
1. Cognify: 30 minutes to complete six mini-games designed to assess your cognitive skills.
2. Emotify: designed to assess emotional intelligence, candidates will have just 20 minutes to complete two games.
3. The 16 personality factors questionnaire: 170 questions that aim to probe a candidate's personality, working style and key traits.
4. Abstract reasoning: identifying relationships between seemingly random patterns and objects.
5. Behaviour profile: 24 questions designed to draw out a candidate's workplace behaviour type.
6. Cognitive ability assessment: cognitive ability is really important for a number of jobs, particularly in the financial industry. This test aims to probe that in 51 questions.
7. Emotional intelligence: this 40-minute test looks at how well an individual is able to read and understand emotions.
8. Numerical reasoning: assesses your key numerical skills in a timed test with 25 questions.
9. Skills test: this is helpful for employers who want to know what skills a candidate may need support to develop in the role.
10. Values inventory: a look at whether a candidate shares the values of the company.
11. Verbal reasoning: a shortened version of the verbal reasoning test. Primarily designed to assess communication skills.
12. Work preferences profile: as the name suggests, this is about determining the work preferences of a candidate.
13. Work reliability scale: candidates will be asked whether they agree or disagree with a number of work-related statements.
14. Work safety assessment: assessing attitudes and understanding around safety at work.
With so many short and insightful tests to choose from, an employer can put together a really useful package of tests to help them assess everything they need or want to know about their candidates, as part of the hiring process.
As well as these shorter tests, employers may also set one or more of the following longer aptitude tests:
Revelian Cognitive Ability Test (RCAT)
The RCAT is a combination of different aptitude tests and is hugely popular with employers looking to get a general but detailed overview of the candidates before them.
Over the course of 20 minutes, candidates will need to answer 51 questions designed to test their cognitive ability. As the test progresses, the questions get harder and it becomes increasingly challenging to try and answer every question within the allotted time frame.
Primarily designed to assess critical thinking and problem solving, the test is a combination of numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning problems you'll need to answer through a combination of multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank answers.
Candidates are not allowed to use a calculator. It's recommended when you take the RCAT that you focus on questions you find easy and avoid getting stuck on something hard. Not everyone finishes the test as the timings are so tight, so it's important to answer as many questions as you can and go back to anything you found hard at the end of the test, if you have time.
Revelian Verbal Reasoning Test
Your communication skills and general understanding of words will be put under the microscope on the Revelian verbal reasoning test.
Using the information provided, candidates are asked to read what's in front of them in order to answer multiple-choice questions. In doing so, you show an employer that you have strong reading skills, are able to analyse critically, have the ability to focus on what's important and separate fact from fiction.
In just 10 minutes, you'll need to attempt to answer all 35 questions, which means finding a balance between speed and accuracy is really important. As with the RCAT, it's important not to get stuck on anything you find too challenging. Remember you can come back to any unanswered questions at the end of the test if there's time.
Revelian Numerical Reasoning Test
Assessing candidates' basic numerical skills through questions focused on graphs, charts and data is the order of the day on the Revelian numerical reasoning test.
Unlike most numerical reasoning tests, it's hard to revise for the Revelian test as it is specifically designed to assess general aptitude. However, brushing up on your general mathematical skills and knowledge of fractions, ratios, decimals etc. is always advisable and can make it a little easier to work through the various problems on the test.
As you might have guessed, you'll have a very limited amount of time to work through the questions — 12 minutes to answer 25 questions to be precise. Don't get frustrated if you can't answer every question. The test is designed to challenge even the most competent of candidates, and many won't finish as the time limit is simply too tight.
Revelian Abstract Reasoning Test
Abstract reasoning tests assess your ability to use limited information to find patterns and relationships between seemingly random shapes or objects. You'll be required to solve a problem or finish a sequence based on your workings. In the case of the Revelian abstract reasoning test, this means determining which shape, out of a choice, does not belong with the others.
You'll have just 10 minutes to answer 32 abstract reasoning questions. Again, a tight time limit has been imposed to make the test more challenging, but also to see how well you cope with prioritising questions you can answer and not getting stuck on anything you can't.
Practising Revelian abstract reasoning test questions is a really great way to ensure you're comfortable with the question style and format, it'll also help you to feel more confident on the day as you'll know what to expect.
Revelian Situational Judgement Tests
Revelian also produces a series of situational judgement tests that employers can use to help build up a better picture of a candidate's individual traits, personality, working style and characteristics.
The three situational judgement test are:
1. Behavioural profile: you'll have 10 minutes to answer 24 questions based on scenarios and challenges you're likely to encounter in the workplace. Typically, you have to select to agree or disagree with statements describing different attitudes and reactions. The idea is to answer honestly and without overthinking, in order to give the employer a good understanding as to what kind of employee you're likely to be.
2. Values inventory: this test gets you to rate different values on a scale of 'most important' to 'least important' in order to better understand what motivates and engages you. Employers can look at your results against the values of the company you're applying to work for in order to determine whether you're likely to be a good fit or not.
3. Work reliability scale: you'll be presented with a series of different workplace challenges or dilemmas and asked to respond accordingly. In doing so, you'll give the employer a better understating of your character and how well-aligned you are to the ethos and values of the company you're applying to work for. Integrity and honesty are key traits this test aims to assess.
Which Financial Employers use Revelian tests?
Revelian tests are used by a huge range of financial companies including Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Australian Tax Office and Westpac Group. The Revelian tests are popular as they give real, data-driven results that help employers probe candidates on subjects as diverse as their values and their numerical ability.
A lot of internal recruiters and managers at financial companies will use Revelian tests to gauge how strong a candidate's skills are in a variety of areas relevant to the role they're applying for, as well as their behaviours, characteristics and competencies.
Many employers will also use the Revelian tests as a way of monitoring an employee's progress, and for making internal promotion decisions.
How to Pass a Revelian Test
1. Do your homework
Reading up on the company you're applying for is really important if you want to understand their ethics, values and what they're looking for in future employees.
2. Practice
There really is no substitute for practice. Try out as many relevant Revelian tests as you can to get used to the question style and format you can expect on the day. Once you've finished a test, make sure you go back and analyse your answers. It's important to spend extra time working on your weak areas if you want to see improvement.
3. Think outside the box
Going over past tests again and again can get boring, So why not write down the things you need to brush up on, and find new and innovative ways in which to revise? You could ask a friend to quiz you on a passage of your favourite novel to work on your verbal reasoning skills, or you could play a computer game that probes your maths skills.
4. Timing is everything
When revising for the Revelian tests, it's really important that you time yourself so you can see how well you do against the clock. On the day, keeping to time is really important so you must remember to move on from any questions you're finding particularly challenging if they are slowing you down. Remember, you can always go back to anything you haven't finished if you have time at the end.
