Problem-solving and abstract reasoning (Cognify: Gridlock and Short Cuts)
Open-ended Gridlock; Short Cuts has 7 progressively harder rounds · Gridlock 3 minutes; Short Cuts 7 minutes
What it tests. Fluid intelligence (Gf), spatial visualisation, planning accuracy and cognitive flexibility, stripped of language and numerical proficiency.
Worked example. In Gridlock, slot the most irregular blocks into the corners and jagged edges first; the regular squares fill the rest. In Short Cuts, trace the path backwards from the starred destination.
Common traps. The trial-and-error loop in Gridlock (frantic dragging and resetting), and the perfectionism freeze in Short Cuts (chasing a perfect 3-star early round and running out of time for heavily weighted later rounds).
How to handle it. Prioritise the perimeter in Gridlock and work backwards in Short Cuts; accept a minor deduction and move on rather than chasing perfection.
Numerical reasoning (Cognify: Tally Up and Numbubbles)
Tally Up: 35 rounds · Tally Up: 5 seconds per round
What it tests. Quantitative agility, working-memory allocation and selective attention while tracking moving targets.
Worked example. If the target is 24, pop 12 x 2, 30 - 4 and 8 + 16, and ignore bubbles that resolve to anything else (for a target of 36, pre-load 6 x 6, 9 x 4, 12 x 3 and 18 x 2).
Common traps. Over-calculating in Tally Up (counting individual tokens in 5 seconds), and click-happy errors in Numbubbles where popping a near-miss like 25 for a target of 24 incurs an immediate penalty.
How to handle it. Use estimation and visual chunking in Tally Up, look for symmetrical cancellations, and pre-calculate a target's common factors the moment it appears.
Verbal reasoning and proofreading (Cognify: Proof It)
About five distinct texts · 1 minute per text
What it tests. Attention to detail, language proficiency and error-detection speed, mirroring proofreading a draft Share Purchase Agreement or advice note.
Worked example. Watch for confused professional words (principal vs principle, affect vs effect, ensure vs insure) and non-UK spelling variations used incorrectly.
Common traps. Passive reading for meaning rather than examining characters, and punctuation blindness where the brain auto-corrects missing apostrophes or mismatched quotation marks.
How to handle it. Run a multi-pass scan: guide your eyes word by word, looking for obvious typos first, then punctuation and noun-verb agreement on a second pass.
Emotion perception (Emotify: Matching Faces)
Dozens of faces in rapid succession · A very brief window per face
What it tests. Non-verbal acuity and facial-muscle decoding, based on Paul Ekman's micro-expression framework, plus perceptual speed.
Worked example. Distinguish a genuine smile (crinkling around the outer eyes, the orbicularis oculi) from a fake one, and read the eyebrows (corrugator supercilii) for anger or fear.
Common traps. Over-intellectualising whether a smirk is smugness or contempt, and focusing only on the mouth while ignoring the eyes and brows.
How to handle it. Isolate key facial zones, trust your immediate instinct (statistically more accurate than delayed analysis), and review the seven basic universal emotions beforehand.
Emotion understanding (Emotify: Emotional Ties)
Scenario-based · Untimed reading, but answer decisively
What it tests. Situational empathy and structural understanding of emotional cause and effect in professional settings.
Worked example. Context words like 'unexpectedly', 'publicly' or 'belatedly' shift the correct profile from simple frustration to deeper vulnerability or undermined confidence.
Common traps. Answering as the 'ideal corporate soldier' (purely motivated and happy to pivot), and confusing what the person does next with what they feel.
How to handle it. Acknowledge natural friction (frustration, disappointment) while keeping a professional baseline, and read the whole scenario before choosing.
Cultural alignment (Values Fit)
A series of ranking blocks · Untimed (about 10-15 minutes)
What it tests. Alignment of your values with Ashurst's competency model: collaboration, thinking differently, exceptional quality and agility.
Worked example. Rank items like 'collaborating across borders to deliver seamless output' and 'consistently delivering flawless technical accuracy' above passive attributes like 'maintaining predictable, routine operational structures'.
Common traps. Extreme contradiction (ranking what you think the firm wants in one block then the opposite in another), which the backend flags as low self-awareness, and prioritising safety, routine or predictability over growth and client delivery.
How to handle it. Anchor to Ashurst's pillars (collaboration, thinking differently, quality) but stay realistic and consistent across blocks; the test rewards clear, distinct profiles.