How to Solve 50 Questions in 12 minutes? All the Answers in One Short Guide

Are you facing a pre-employment cognitive ability test as part of your job application process? Is it a 50 questions in 12 minutes test? Grab 4 winning tips to improve your performance.

Which Tests Include 50 Questions in 12 Minutes?

1. Wonderlic test
2. PI cognitive assessment (formerly known as PLI test)
3. Logiks General (Intermediate)
4. Matrigma test

Tip #1

Unless you are a genius, you are NOT supposed to solve 50 questions in 12 minutes. Notice the nuance here – solving and answering is not the same thing:

1. You should only solve the questions that are in line with your strengths and/or seem like a fair challenge after a quick glance. You shouldn’t dedicate more than 45 seconds per question, and even that can be too much time, depending on the question type.
2. You should mark an answer to ALL 50 questions, and make educated guesses on the ones you decide to skip. There is no negative scoring in the abovementioned tests and you may even be able to return to some of them later.
3. You do not want to run out of time at question 14/50 and discover that you haven‎’t had a chance to look at 36 other questions on the test. Many candidates fall into this trap and by that, they simply ignore the main factor in this test – speed and prioritization.

Tip #2

This will sound like a cliché, but you must prepare for your test in advance and this preparation window must include practicing with full-length mock tests. Ideally, these 50 question 12-minute tests should follow the same style of your specific assessment. For example, if you were asked to take the PLI test, then practicing with Wonderlic tests will result in less effective results. It’s still better than nothing, but just be aware that you’re not using the best option.

Preparing for your cognitive ability test maximizes your score potential. Do not skip this stage, no matter how strict your deadline is.

Tip #3

Make a list in descending order of the question types with which you feel most comfortable. You want to make sure that you come across these questions at the expense of other questions.

The cognitive ability tests that adhere to the format of 50 questions in 12 minutes and were mentioned above, focus on numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, abstract reasoning, and in the case of the Wonderlic test, there are also questions that measure attention to detail, accuracy and precision, and basic general knowledge (!).

In total, there may be over 9 unique question styles within one 12 minute 50-question test. This is why you need to know exactly which questions are your must-solve and which are those you’re willing to give up on more easily and simply guess the answer.

Example

John Doe was invited to take the Predictive Index test (formerly known as PLI test). Using my prep course, he reviewed the different question styles and took a short mock test, to assess his strengths and weaknesses. He then used my help to come up with this priority list (in descending order):

Last Tip: Acing Your Cognitive Ability Test Starts Here!

If you wish to know how to solve 50 questions in 12 minutes, I highly recommend that you take my 100% free introduction course to pre-employment cognitive ability tests.

Join over 120,000 candidates who’ve completed my course within hours to receive a concise overview of the aforementioned tests, including sample questions, solving strategies, and a pre-employment cognitive ability mock test.

This is the first and only course that covers all the important aspects of pre-employment cognitive ability tests and paves the way to an effective preparation journey. One completed, you could also continue maximizing your score potential with a paid course that focuses on the tests mentioned here. 

Gideon, Founder at 12 Minutes

Nice to meet you, I am the founder @12minprep, a website that specializes in pre-employment cognitive ability test prep. My courses have been taken by over 130,000 candidates and I am listed as a recommended practice resource at top universities and employers worldwide. Make sure to check out my courses.