A Guide to the Saville Assessment: Practice Tests & Tips

Feb 13, 2023

Preparation for the Saville assessment is vital. Here are our top tips:

Ask in advance which specific tests you will face
Do Saville practice tests in advance and spot your weaknesses
Improve the areas that you perform poorly on
Build your confidence more by working under timed conditions
Be physically prepared on the day (and mentally too)

A List of Saville Assessments Available for Practice in 2023

What Is the Saville Assessment?

Saville Assessments is a talent-acquisition and management consultancy that provides a range of psychometric tests.

Its award-winning blended assessments accurately predict workplace performance and are therefore valued during the recruitment process or for talent development for many companies.

The assessments are used internationally by many large-scale employers, including:

Dyson
British Airways
Johnson & Johnson
Virgin Media

The company (previously known as Saville Consulting) was founded by Professor Peter Saville (who was one of the co-founders of SHL) and is now owned by Willis Towers Watson.

The test was built as a recruitment tool for selecting the best candidates from a pool of possible recruits, from entry-level all the way to management and senior level (usually via a Swift executive aptitude test).

The Saville test comes in numerous different versions and lengths to suit the firm and level. The assessments can also be used for employee profiling as well as team, interpersonal and leadership development.

You might be asked to take the test online (via the Saville Swift version) or at an assessment centre if it is part of the recruitment process.

This article explains how the test can be designed to meet the requirements for each employer it’s used by – and how it is based on specific job descriptions. Various Saville assessment tips will also be given.

What Does the Saville Assessment Test?

The Saville assessment is designed to test your workplace competency and comes in two general formats:

Single Aptitude Tests – These are the longest versions of the Saville tests (lasting over 30 minutes) and can be delivered either online or in paper form.
Swift Aptitude Tests – These are shorter, more commonly used types of Saville test (lasting from 9.5 to 24 minutes) and are created to be taken online and unsupervised.

The Single Aptitude and Swift psychometrics cover the same topics but they include questions of varying difficulty.

The Swift is more of a fast pre-selection tool, while the Single Aptitude ones are more detailed and usually delivered proctored at assessment centres.

Whether you’re taking the Saville online psychometric assessment or in person at a centre, you need to be well-prepared, so take plenty of practice aptitude tests.

The topics covered by a Saville aptitude assessment are designed to be challenging and include:

Personality – The candidate is profiled for their suitability in a specific role or for a certain employer.
Numerical Aptitude – Numerical reasoning tests assess whether the candidate can draw fact-based conclusions from statistical/numerical information. Candidates are given a set of multiple-choice options and need to interpret data given in the form of various tables and graphs.
Verbal Aptitude – Testing how the candidate performs with verbal reasoning, comprehension and judgement. Word-definition problems are given, along with paragraphs of text wherein applicants are asked to answer ‘true’, ‘false’, or ‘cannot say’ for a series of statements based on the prompts.
Diagrammatic Aptitude – Candidates are provided with a series of operators. Once they are put into hypothetical action, they need to determine the outcome between the options given. They also need to find faults and compare flowchart sequences.
Mechanical Aptitude – This helps to determine how a candidate might perform in technical roles. It tests understanding of physical principles and mechanical concepts like force and direction. Questions will include illustrations involving gears, pulleys and levers.
Abstract Aptitude/Spatial Aptitude – Testing how a candidate thinks and how logical they are. They will need to identify rules and relationships within patterns and sequences to answer these questions.
Error Checking Aptitude – Testing whether a candidate is good at spotting and correcting errors in numerical, verbal and coding information that has been transposed.
Situational Judgement – This assesses how a candidate responds to certain workplace situations where sensitive choices have to be made. Questions here involve realistic workplace scenarios, with multiple possible responses – the effectiveness of these are ranked by candidates.
Workplace English – Used to test whether a candidate can perform well using the English language in general working situations. Candidates will be given sentences with a word missing, and will need to choose the correct word to form the complete sentence from multiple-choice options.
Saville Wave Personality – A complex rating system that assesses a candidate’s working style and tendencies. There are four different Saville Wave personality questionnaires: Wave Professional Styles, Wave Focus Styles, Match 6.5 and Wave Strengths.

Saville Assessment Practice Questions

It helps to know in advance which of the tests you are going to have to take and what is important to the recruiters skills-wise.

Getting as much information as possible on what the employer is looking for from you, will help you prepare even when you’re taking the Saville practice tests.

Looking at these examples of Saville assessment practice questions in the following section will be useful as you get ready for the test.

These Saville assessment examples are from some of the various categories you might experience during the battery of tests.

As you look through these, be sure to pay attention to the Saville aptitude test answers given and the explanations when provided.

After trying these, access more sample questions on TestHQ.

Error Checking Aptitude – Saville Assessment Practice Question

How many errors are in the exported list?

Original List:

BW34H
1256HL
ANK342
CMA21A
PWS3Y

Exported List:

BW34H
1246HL
ANK342
CMO21A
PWS3Y

a) 5
b) 6
c) 4
d) 2

The correct answer is: d).

While this test isn’t checking numerical aptitude as such, it’s still important to be comfortable working with different types of data and have strong attention to detail.

Workplace English – Saville Assessment Practice Question

Choose the most common word to fit in this sentence.

The sky is blue on occasion and _____ on others.

a) Orange
b) Yellow
c) White
d) Purple

The correct answer is: c). Whilst all the answers might be correct in different contexts, the answer ‘white’ would be considered the most common here. Verbal aptitude is also being tested in these kinds of Workplace English questions.

Situational Judgement – Saville Assessment Practice Question

You do not feel that daily work tasks are being distributed in a fair way by your team supervisor to all the members of your department.

How do you react? Pick one answer.

a) Make an appointment with your supervisor to discuss your concerns
b) Do nothing at work, but talk about it at home
c) Write a lengthy email to your whole department
d) Start a union

The correct answer is: a). Talking about things with your supervisor is the most appropriate option. Bear in mind, sometimes there will be more than one correct response, but it can be nuanced according to the job role you are interested in.

It’s worth looking into and rehearsing several different examples of questions if you are not familiar with these types of situational judgement scenarios.

Personality Test – Saville Assessment Practice Question

On a scale of 1 to 5 where would you place yourself with regards to this statement – where 1 is ‘not true of you’ and 5 is ‘extremely true of you’?

'I constantly come up with new ideas.'

You could pick any number between 1 and 5 in theory – but if you are applying for a creative role, you would be expected to answer highly.

In an administrative role, this might not be expected as much. The key to answering these questions is to understand the type of role you are applying for and to make sure you are a good fit for it.

Access Practice Material With TestHQ

How did you do with the example questions? If you were stronger at some sections over others, focus your practice on where you need it most.

For a huge range of practice material, take advantage of the TestHQ practice tests to access more than 800 questions and answers.

The package includes full solutions and explanations, so you can understand how to get to the correct answer and avoid those dreaded point deductions.

Which Employers Utilise the Saville Assessment?

The Saville assessment test is very popular and is used by:

Mercedes-Benz
Johnson & Johnson
Emirates
Unilever
Deloitte
Jaguar Land Rover
McKinsey
L'Oréal
PWC, amongst many others

It’s considered a world-class recruitment tool, so some familiarity with the Saville assessment will be beneficial for you.

It’s important to remember that each employer will customise the test for its own uses – and even within a company, different departments will use their own selection of tests.

For some roles, logical reasoning may be more important – while in others, personality type can be more significant.

Be sure to ask your prospective employer for a clear job description, so you can be prepared for the right range of tests.

How Is the Saville Assessment Scored?

Scoring depends entirely on the test type. As a general rule, you’ll receive a mark for every correct answer.

The marks for each section will be combined into your total score. Scores are also given for speed, caution and accuracy.

An aptitude profile is created from these, and you might receive score breakdowns for each section.

(Whether the employer shares these with you is up to them – you should always ask for feedback on how you performed, though.)

Your prospective manager will receive detailed and insightful reports based on your results. The aim is that they make fair and accurate decisions about your suitability for the role in question.

How Can You Prepare for the Saville Assessment?

Saville assessment tips can be divided into two sections:

Pre-test prep
What to do for the actual test day

Pre-Test Saville Assessment Practice

You want to research Saville assessment practice tests in advance as much as possible. Preparation depends on knowing what areas you’re being assessed on, so make sure you find that out from the employer.

Build your confidence by doing lots of Saville practice tests – especially working under a time limit to add time pressure.

Work out your strengths and weaknesses and then fill the gaps in your knowledge and learn from your mistakes.

For example, you might struggle with abstract reasoning if you’ve never had to use it much in the past – so getting used to doing those types of questions will be invaluable for you.

Saville aptitude test answers can be as valuable as the questions, so be sure to read the information given in the study guides that explains why a certain answer is better than the others.

Your physical state also matters. Exercising, doing stress relief activities and eating well – as well as hydrating – are all important.

Make sure you schedule your test for a time that works best for you. Knowing yourself is half the battle here – are you an early bird? In which case, go for an early slot.

Test Day Saville Assessment Tips

Make sure you feel rested on the actual test day. If you are taking the Saville assessment at home, make sure your working space is free of distractions and that your technology is all tested in advance, as well as your internet connection.

Read the instructions carefully, but don't spend too much time on a single question. Check your answers before submitting them and try to get a balance of accuracy and speed.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you start feeling anxious, try some breathing or visualisation exercises.

In general, working on your workplace confidence is a good idea, as you will feel more able to cope with different stressors.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I pass the Saville assessment?

Build your confidence by doing lots of Saville assessment practice tests on TestHQ – especially working under timed pressure.

Work out your strengths and weaknesses and then fill the gaps in your knowledge and learn from your mistakes.

For example, you might struggle with abstract reasoning if you’ve never had to use it much in the past – so getting used to doing those types of questions will be invaluable for you.

What is the Saville assessment?

This award-winning range of tests accurately predict workplace performance and are therefore valued during the recruitment process for many companies.

The assessments are used internationally by many large-scale employers, including Dyson, British Airways, Johnson & Johnson and Virgin Media.

Saville assessment examples are given in the above article.

What online tools can I use to prepare for a Saville assessment?

The more you practise sample questions in advance for the Saville assessment, the better you will score on the day.

Preparation is key, and you can find many study guides to help you get ahead of the competition, try the ones on TestHQ.

There are various other methods you can utilise – doing brain puzzle games and quizzes, for example, will keep you on your toes.

Is the Saville assessment hard to pass?

Saville assessments are a complicated battery of tests that are designed to challenge you, so you must prepare in advance.

Each employer will customise the tests to its own preferences, so be sure to ask what you should expect on the day.

The more you practise sample questions, the better you will score on the day. It’s important to impress recruiters when you are looking for a job or want to advance in your career.

What kind of questions are on the Saville assessment?

There are many types of Saville test questions. Some of the questions you face will fall under the following categories:

Verbal reasoning/verbal analysis
Numerical reasoning
Diagrammatic analysis
Abstract reasoning
Verbal comprehension
Numerical comprehension
Spatial reasoning
Diagrammatic reasoning
Personality assessment
SJT (situational judgement test)

Can you fail the Saville assessment?

It’s important to remember that each employer will customise the test for their own uses – and even within a company, different departments will use their own selection of tests.

While it’s unlikely you will ever be told you have failed the Saville assessment, it is possible that you don’t reach the threshold required for a certain job or role.

Whether the employer shares your scores with you is up to them – you should always ask for feedback on how you performed, though, so you can learn from the experience.

Where can I find more sample questions for the Saville assessment?

There are lots of resources you can find – like the ones on TestHQ – so that you can build your confidence.

The Saville assessments are a complicated battery of tests that are designed to challenge you, so you must prepare in advance.

Saville assessment answers are as important to pay attention to as the questions are. Look for helpful tips in the sample answers that will help you perform better.

Can you retake the Saville assessment?

As the Saville assessment is usually taken through a linear recruitment process, there are rarely opportunities to resit, except for extenuating circumstances.

Occasionally, companies will allow you to reapply after a year or 18 months if you were not successful the first time.

You might also find that while job-hunting, you apply for different companies that all actually use the same Saville tests – in which case you might end up taking them more than once.

Which jobs require passing the Saville assessment?

The Saville assessment is used all over the world by big companies. It is a series of award-winning tests that accurately predict workplace performance for all sorts of different types of jobs, from engineers and mechanics to doctors and airline staff.

They are therefore valued during the recruitment process for many companies such as British Airways, Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Deloitte, Unilever, easyJet, NHS and Dyson.

What is the best score for the Saville assessment?

Scoring depends entirely on the test type, so there is no typical ‘best score’.

As a general rule, you’ll receive a mark for every correct answer. The marks for each section will be combined into your total score.

Scores are also given for speed, caution and accuracy.

An aptitude profile is created from these, and you might receive score breakdowns for each section, although this is not guaranteed.

Your prospective manager will receive detailed and insightful reports based on your results, though. The aim is that they make fair and accurate decisions about your suitability for the role in question.

Is the Saville assessment timed?

All the tests are timed. Depending on which ones you take, you will have different timings.

Single Aptitude Tests are the longest versions of the Saville tests (lasting over 30 minutes), while Swift Aptitude Tests are the shorter, more commonly used types of Saville test (lasting from 9.5 to 24 minutes).

Where can I find a complete guide for the Saville assessment?

Preparation is key, and you can find many study guides to help you get ahead of the competition. You want to research in advance as much as possible.

Doing well depends on knowing which areas you’re being assessed on, so make sure you find that out from the employer. Use TestHQ to build your skills up.

Final Thoughts