Alva Labs Logic Test 2026: Format and Scores

The Alva Labs logic test is an adaptive, non-verbal reasoning test: you solve 20 pattern puzzles, each with a 2-minute limit and six answer options, and most people finish in 15 to 20 minutes. Alva Labs is a Swedish hiring platform, and employers usually send the logic test together with Alva's Big Five personality test, which takes about 15 minutes. This guide explains both tests, how the 1–10 score works, and gives original practice puzzles with worked answers. It draws on Alva's help centre and candidate pages and on prep sources, not on a first-hand sitting.

Key facts

What the Alva assessment looks like

You get an activation e-mail, create an Alva account and agree to share your profile with the employer. On the test page you start the personality test, then the logic test. Alva says you can reuse your results with other employers that use Alva instead of retaking, and that you get the same report the recruiter sees as soon as you finish.

Logic test flow. Two practice tasks come first. Then the 20 scored tasks appear one at a time. Each has its own 2-minute countdown; a notice appears when 30 seconds remain, and the task closes when time runs out. You cannot skip a task and return to it. Alva's help centre says there is no extra time for accommodations.

Item format. Alva describes the test as measuring problem-solving and abstract reasoning through visual patterns that need no prior knowledge. Prep sites describe each item as a grid of shapes, typically 3 × 3, with one cell missing, and six candidate pieces underneath (iPrep). The rules are the familiar matrix rules covered in the abstract reasoning guide: progressions, rotations, one-of-each sets and overlays.

Pausing. Sources differ. Alva's candidate page says you can pause and continue at any time; the help-centre article on the logic test says the number of pauses is limited. Plan to do the test in one sitting.

How the Alva Labs logic test is scored

Your result is placed on a 1–10 standardised scale built to mirror a normal distribution, so 5 and 6 are the most common results and scores become rarer towards 1 and 10 (Alva help centre). Because the test is adaptive, the score reflects the difficulty of the items you solved, not just a count of correct answers. Alva also reports a percentage that flattens at the extremes.

On norms, Alva's help centre says the result is an estimate relative to the working population, while Alva's product page says the scale has "no norm groups". Both describe the same idea from different angles: one calibrated scale, interpreted against working adults.

Employers set a test profile for the role. In most profiles a higher logic score is better, but some cap the fit at a range, so a high score does not always raise your match further.

Question types with original examples

The three puzzles below follow the 3 × 3, six-option format. Describe each grid on paper as you read; that is how you should work in the real test too.

Practice 1: one of each, plus a count

Row 1: circle with 1 dot | square with 2 dots | triangle with 3 dots Row 2: square with 1 dot | triangle with 2 dots | circle with 3 dots Row 3: triangle with 1 dot | circle with 2 dots | ?

A) square, 3 dots B) square, 2 dots C) circle, 3 dots D) triangle, 3 dots E) square, 1 dot F) circle, 2 dots

Answer: A. Each row contains each shape once, so row 3 is missing a square. Each column has a fixed number of dots (1, 2, 3), so the last column needs 3 dots.

Practice 2: overlay (lines that appear once)

Each cell is a square frame with some lines drawn on it: top edge (T), bottom edge (B), left edge (L), right edge (R) and a diagonal (D).

Row 1: T + L | L + R | T + R Row 2: B + D | B + T | D + T Row 3: R + D | D + L + T | ?

A) L + R + T B) L + R + T + D C) L + R D) T + D E) B + L + R F) R + D + L

Answer: A. The third cell keeps only the lines that appear in exactly one of the first two cells; lines in both disappear. Row 1: L is in both, so T + R remain. Row 3: D is in both, so R, L and T remain. Option B is the trap if you simply combine everything.

Practice 3: rotation and quantity

Row 1: 1 arrow pointing N | 1 arrow pointing NE | 1 arrow pointing E Row 2: 2 arrows pointing E | 2 arrows pointing SE | 2 arrows pointing S Row 3: 3 arrows pointing S | 3 arrows pointing SW | ?

A) 3 arrows pointing W B) 3 arrows pointing NW C) 2 arrows pointing W D) 3 arrows pointing S E) 4 arrows pointing W F) 3 arrows pointing E

Answer: A. The arrows turn 45° clockwise per cell, and each row starts where the previous row ended. The number of arrows equals the row number.

Time check: these took you longer than 2 minutes each? That is normal at first. In the real test the adaptive engine moves you to items near your level, so some will feel too hard. Make your best choice before the timer closes the task.

The Alva Labs personality test

The personality test is built on the Five Factor Model and measures Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Emotional Stability in a work context (Alva help centre). You rate statements about your behaviour from 1 to 5. The test is adaptive: it picks the next statement based on your previous answers, and the number of statements depends on how consistent your response pattern is. It usually takes about 15 minutes. Alva's candidate page says it has no strict time limit.

You choose the language before you start and cannot change it in the interface afterwards. Pick the language you read most comfortably.

Personality test example (original, format only). "I prefer to finish one task before starting the next." 1 Strongly disagree · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 Strongly agree. There is no correct answer. Answer how you actually work. Because the test adapts to consistency, trying to present an idealised profile tends to produce a less clear result, not a better one. See the personality test guide for how work personality profiles are matched to roles.

Traps and how to avoid them

• Spending all 2 minutes on the first idea. If your first rule does not explain every row and column, switch to another rule type (count, rotation, overlay) rather than staring longer.
• Checking only rows. Many items are built on rows and columns. Verify the answer both ways before clicking.
• Picking the "combine everything" option. Overlay puzzles often include the union as a distractor.
• Leaving a task blank. Unanswered tasks count as wrong. When 30 seconds remain, eliminate what you can and choose.
• Testing on a small phone screen. Alva supports mobile, but six small options are easier to compare on a laptop.

How to prepare

1. Learn the rule families (one of each, progression, rotation, overlay, position) using the abstract reasoning guide. One evening is enough to recognise them.
2. Practise with a 2-minute timer per puzzle, 10 puzzles per session, for three or four sessions. Review every error by naming the rule you missed.
3. For the personality test, read the job advert and think about real examples of how you work, so your answers are consistent. No other preparation is needed.
4. On the day: laptop, quiet room, stable connection, 45 minutes blocked so pauses are not needed.

Sources

• Alva help centre, "How does Alva's logic test work?" (20 tasks, 2 minutes, six options, no skipping, practice tasks, pauses, norms)
• Alva help centre, "The candidate test experience" (order, 15–20 minutes, personality about 15 minutes, results)
• Alva help centre, "How does Alva's personality test work?" (Five Factor Model, 1–5 scale, adaptive, language)
• Alva help centre, "How do I interpret my logic test result?" (1–10 scale, 5 and 6 most common)
• Alva Labs, logic test product page ("no norm groups", about 15 minutes, IRT-based)
• Alva Labs, candidate page (pausing, reuse of results, devices, no strict personality time limit)
• iPrep, Alva Labs test practice (grid format of items)

Geschrieben von

Adrian, Spezialist

MSc Psychologie, 7 Jahre Testablegen.

Zuletzt aktualisiert: 01.10.2026