Games and game-style tests
Aon-style ability games and scales practice
Symbol codes, grids, equations and sliding blocks, with levels that unlock.
What you will do
- The task
- Switch code, Grid memory, Missing digits and Slide to exit, one after another.
- How long
- The full set takes about 30 minutes. You can stop between games.
- What is measured
- Scoring for the real thing is not public, so we show levels reached and accuracy, with no claims about an employer's pass mark.
Practise this format
Choose a format
- Inductive grids (Aon-style)Two grids share a rule. Pick the two of four grids that follow it. 6 minutes: do as many as you can. A skipped grid counts as wrong.
- Numerical reasoning with six data sheets (Aon-style)True, false or cannot say, checked against six tabbed data sheets. 18 statements in 6 minutes. Right answers earn 1, wrong answers lose half a mark.
- Verbal reasoning with six data sheets (Aon-style)True, false or cannot say, checked against six tabbed text sheets. 18 statements in 6 minutes. Right answers earn 1, wrong answers lose half a mark.
- Aon-style set: all four gamesSwitch code, Grid memory, Missing digits and Slide to exit, one after another.
- Missing digits (Aon-style)The result is shown. Fill in the missing numbers and operators to make the sum true.
- Grid memory (Aon-style)Remember where each dot appeared, do a quick check between dots, then recall the positions in order.
- Slide to exit (Aon-style)Slide blocks so the ball reaches the exit. A counter shows the fewest moves possible.
- Switch code (Aon-style)Work out the 4-digit code that reorders a row of symbols. Solve a level to unlock the next.
Need extra time or a different format? Every timed practice has 1.25x and 1.5x options. See reasonable adjustments.
About this test
These tests come in two kinds. The scales are short timed tests with True/False/Cannot Say statements or pick-the-grids puzzles. The game format is a set of four short challenges: reordering symbols through a code, a symmetry-based memory task, filling gaps in an equation, and a block-sliding puzzle with a minimum-move counter. Timed tasks must be solved to unlock the next level.
Every level in our versions is generated procedurally, which mirrors the published statement that tests are generated per participant. Scoring for the real thing is not public, so we show levels reached and accuracy, with no claims about an employer's pass mark.
What we know about this format
Each point carries a badge showing where it comes from. Where only candidates have reported something, the badge says so.
What do the confidence badges mean?
- Vendor-published Stated in the test publisher's own document or practice site.
- Academic From peer-reviewed research.
- Official employer Stated on the employer's own page.
- Near-official Near-official: an employer-run practice portal, or a vendor or employer-quoted press release naming the employer.
- Candidate-reported Reported by candidates. Treat as likely but unconfirmed.
- Third-party From prep sites, press or forums. Not confirmed by the employer or publisher.
- Vendor-published
Four games of roughly 6 to 15 minutes each. Timed tasks must be solved to unlock the next level, worked examples come first, and tests are generated per participant.
Source · 2018 press release.
- Vendor-published
The publisher's flyer names the working-memory, operator-finding and equation-gap challenges.
Source · German-language flyer.
- Vendor-published
Scales format: in one client's candidate guide, 18 statements in 6 minutes marked +1 right, -0.5 wrong, 0 blank. A grid-rule puzzle runs 6 minutes, as many as possible, with skipped items counted wrong.
Source · One client's settings only.
- Third-party
Morgan Stanley is press-reported to source its tests from this publisher, since about 2018. The bank declined to comment.
Source · A six-month wait before retaking was also reported.
- Official employer
UBS names Aon practice assessments on its own early-careers pages for verbal, numerical and inductive-logical reasoning, plus a Culture Match scenario test. Retakes are not allowed, and the tests must be completed within seven days of the invitation.
Source · Also see https://www.ubs.com/global/en/careers/early-careers.html
- Candidate-reported
Nomura and BNP Paribas are reported by candidates to use the same publisher.
Source · Prep-site list, 2026.
- Third-party
Scoring outside the one client guide is not public. Prep sites contradict each other on adaptivity and negative marking.
Inductive grids (Aon-style)
- Vendor-published
6 minutes, as many as possible; two grids share a rule and you pick 2 of 4 grids that follow it
Source · One employer's set-up.
- Vendor-published
The rule is always about the number and position of objects, never NOT or OR
- Vendor-published
Skipped questions count as wrong
- Third-party
30 questions are queued so you are unlikely to run out in 6 minutes
Source · The real number of items is not published; the set is built to be longer than anyone can finish.
Numerical reasoning with six data sheets (Aon-style)
- Vendor-published
18 statements in 6 minutes in one employer's set-up
Source · Prep sites report the full version as 37 statements in 12 minutes, the same pace.
- Third-party
37 statements in 12 minutes for the full version
Source · Reported by a prep site. Kvanta runs the 18 statement set-up.
- Vendor-published
True / False / Cannot say, checked against 6 tabbed data sheets
- Vendor-published
Numbered boxes show the current statement and the ones you have answered; the test submits itself when time runs out
- Vendor-published
Marking: +1 for a right answer, -0.5 for a wrong answer, 0 for a blank
Source · Published for one employer's set-up only. Other employers may mark differently.
- Vendor-published
Calculator and paper needed; a scientific calculator is not required
- Third-party
Three statements per data sheet is Kvanta's even split of 18 statements over 6 sheets
Source · The provider does not publish how many statements relate to each sheet.
Aon-style set: all four games
- Vendor-published
Aon-style game tests are timed and level-based: timed levels must be solved to unlock the next, worked examples come first, and each test is generated for the individual candidate
Source · Press release from the provider, 2018. The provider's own product pages give no game detail.
- Vendor-published
A set of four short ability games, each 6 to 15 minutes including instructions
Source · Press release, 2018.
Missing digits (Aon-style)
- Candidate-reported
The result is shown and you fill in the missing numbers or operators; about 5 minutes; scored on correct answers per minute
Source · Candidate-reported.
- Third-party
Related numeracy format: fill the gaps in an equation with digits 1 to 9
Source · Prep site description of a related test.
Grid memory (Aon-style)
- Candidate-reported
Memorise a dot position, do a symmetry, rotation or changed-grid check, repeat for 3 to 5 dots, then recall the sequence; 9 rounds, about 9 minutes
Source · Candidate-reported. The checks used here are our own versions of those three types.
- Academic
The standard symmetry-span design: items to remember alternate with symmetry judgements, then recall in order
Source · Kane et al. 2004, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 133, 189-217.
- Academic
Partial-credit scoring (items placed correctly, even in a round that is not perfect) and accuracy on the in-between task
Source · Conway et al. 2005, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 12, 769-786. Researchers usually set results aside below 85% accuracy on the checks.
Slide to exit (Aon-style)
- Candidate-reported
Rush Hour-style block sliding where a ball must reach the exit; a counter shows the minimum moves; 6 minutes; skipped items cannot be revisited
Source · Candidate-reported.
- Vendor-published
Boards are generated per candidate, so there is no fixed answer to memorise
Source · Press release, 2018.
Switch code (Aon-style)
- Candidate-reported
Four symbols pass through a funnel and you pick the 4-digit code that reorders them; a third row appears at harder levels; keep going for as many levels as you can
Source · Also described by GraduatesFirst and Intervyo. Candidate-reported, not confirmed by the provider.
- Candidate-reported
About 6 minutes (some versions about 3)
Source · Versions differ between employers.
- Third-party
Top performers at one bank reportedly reach level 40 or higher
Source · Anecdotal press report. Not used to set any target here.
- Third-party
Morgan Stanley is reported to source its tests from this provider (since about 2018); UBS, Nomura and BNP Paribas are reported by candidates
Source · Press and candidate reports only. Check your own invitation email for the real provider.
Questions people ask
What do the games involve?
Four challenges are reported: reordering symbols through a funnel to find a 4-digit code, recalling positions in a grid while checking symmetry, filling missing digits and operators in an equation, and sliding blocks to free one piece with as few moves as possible.
How are they scored?
Not publicly. For the scales format one client's guide states +1, -0.5 and 0 marking. For the games, prep sites disagree, so we show levels reached and accuracy and make no claim about an employer's mark.
Is there negative marking?
Only documented for the scales format at one client. Our scales preset uses it. The game presets do not.
Does it get harder as I go?
Yes. Levels are timed and must be solved to unlock the next, and each participant gets a generated set. Ours are generated procedurally too.
Which firms use this publisher?
UBS names it on its own pages. Morgan Stanley is press-reported (2021), and its own pages name no vendor. Nomura and BNP Paribas are candidate-reported. See the firm pages for the evidence.
How long should I allow?
The publisher says each game takes about 6 to 15 minutes. Allow longer if you want to read the instructions and examples.
Can practice help?
These are ability tasks, so some practice effect is expected. Familiar controls and strategies for symbol and block puzzles help most.
Are these the real challenges?
No. They are our own implementations of generic task types, with original visuals and generated levels.
Where this appears in firm processes
- Schroders Official employer
See all firm pages. Check your own invitation, because processes change each cycle.
Independent practice. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Aon.
Practice builds familiarity. Trait games have no ideal score: there is no better or worse result to chase, and employers compare you with a profile they set for the role. Reaction-time measures barely change with practice.
Use Kvanta to practise and learn. In a live assessment, do not use AI tools, notes or another person unless the employer says you may. Read our approach to integrity.