Sova Assessment 2026: Format, Timing, Scoring and Practice

A Sova assessment is an online screening test built on the platform of Sova Assessment Ltd, a London-based assessment company. One invitation can combine several activities in a single journey: numerical, verbal and logical reasoning, a situational judgement test (SJT), a personality questionnaire and sometimes a one-way video interview. The employer chooses the mix, so one candidate gets a 15-minute screen and another a journey of 45 minutes or more. Graduate and early-careers programmes in many sectors use it, mainly in the UK. This guide covers each section, timing, scoring and original practice items.

Key facts

What a Sova assessment looks like

Sova sells a platform, not one fixed test: the employer selects the activities, and practice tasks come first. A typical early-careers journey, as described by Sova and prep sites:

1. Welcome and setup. You open the link in your invitation e-mail; Sova recommends the latest Chrome. If the connection drops, the same link brings you back to where you left off.
2. Questionnaires. A personality questionnaire (Sova's product page labels it "Image Personality Questionnaire") and, in some journeys, motivation or competency questionnaires.
3. Situational judgement. Work scenarios in text or, according to some prep sites, as images, animation or video. You choose the best and the worst response.
4. Ability sections. Numerical, verbal and logical reasoning, each with its own practice question. Some journeys add checking and accuracy or a "learnability" task.
5. Video questions (only if the employer adds them): pre-recorded questions with recorded answers.

Practice answers do not count towards your score. If the employer allows it, you see feedback on your behavioural preferences at the end; results and next steps come from the employer, not from Sova.

Timing: where the sources disagree

The employer sets the timing, and sources contradict each other:

The safe reading: assume speed counts even when no clock is shown. Several prep sites suggest a pace of no more than about 45 seconds per numerical or logical item and 30 seconds per verbal item. Treat those as targets, not limits.

How Sova scoring works

Sova does not publish its scoring model for candidates, but the pieces fit together:

• Ability sections are compared with a norm group. Prep sites agree that both correct answers and time taken count.
• SJT and personality are compared with a profile the employer cares about. Sova's early-careers package maps to seven skills: teamwork, influencing, analytical thinking, innovating, adaptability, drive and learning focus.
• No official pass mark is published by Sova. Ignore percentile targets quoted online; they are guesses.
• Video answers can be scored by Sova's AI or by people, at the employer's choice, according to Sova's video interview page.

Question types with original examples

All items below are original. They copy the format reported for Sova, not any real item.

Numerical reasoning

Sova's numerical items ask you to interpret charts and tables; accuracy and speed are measured.

Data: online orders of a homeware retailer (thousands)

Region   Q1 orders   Q2 orders   Return rate (both quarters)
North       120         135              6 %
South        80         100              9 %

Q1. How many orders were returned in total in Q2? A) 15.3k B) 16.2k C) 17.1k D) 18.0k

Answer: C. North 135 × 6 % = 8.1k; South 100 × 9 % = 9.0k; total 17.1k.

Q2. By what percentage did total orders grow from Q1 to Q2? A) 15.0 % B) 17.5 % C) 20.0 % D) 25.0 %

Answer: B. Q1 = 200k, Q2 = 235k. Growth = 35 ÷ 200 = 17.5 %. Trap: averaging the two regional growth rates (12.5 % and 25 %) gives 18.75 %, which is not an option here but often is.

Q3. In Q3 South takes 110k orders and its return rate falls to 7 %. How many fewer returns is that than at 9 %? A) 1.8k B) 2.2k C) 2.7k D) 9.9k

Answer: B. 110k × (9 % − 7 %) = 2.2k. D is the full returns at 9 %, a classic distractor.

Verbal reasoning

Prep sites report the familiar True / False / Cannot Say format: judge each statement using only the passage.

Passage: A city council launched a bike-sharing scheme in 2024 with 400 bikes at 50 docking stations. In its first year the scheme recorded 210,000 trips, about a third of which started at the five stations around the central railway station. The council says it will add stations only in districts where a survey shows that at least 30 % of residents would use the scheme monthly. Electric bikes make up a quarter of the fleet but account for more than half of weekday trips that start before 9 a.m.

1. The scheme started with 100 electric bikes.
2. Most first-year trips started near the central railway station.
3. Electric bikes are used more than ordinary bikes at weekends.
4. The council has committed to adding stations in districts where under 30 % of residents would use the scheme.

Answers: 1 True (a quarter of 400 is 100). 2 False (about a third, not most). 3 Cannot Say (the passage only covers weekday early trips). 4 False (the council says stations come only where the 30 % threshold is met). Trap: statement 3 sounds plausible from the weekday data, but nothing is said about weekends.

Logical reasoning

Sova's logical items use pattern recognition with shapes and sequences: find the rule, pick the missing frame.

Sequence (five frames described in words): - A black dot moves one corner clockwise each frame around a square: top-left, top-right, bottom-right, bottom-left, top-left. - A short line in the centre turns 45° clockwise each frame, starting vertical. - Small white triangles along the bottom edge alternate: 1, 2, 1, 2, 1.

What is frame 6? A) Dot top-right; line horizontal; 2 triangles B) Dot top-right; line diagonal (bottom-left to top-right); 2 triangles C) Dot bottom-right; line horizontal; 1 triangle D) Dot top-left; line vertical; 2 triangles

Answer: B. Dot: after top-left comes top-right. Line: vertical → 45° → horizontal → 135° → vertical → 45° (frame 6 is one clockwise step past vertical: the top end tips right, so the line runs bottom-left to top-right). Triangles: frame 6 is even, so 2. Work one element at a time and eliminate: the triangles rule kills C, the dot rule kills D, the line rule kills A.

Checking and accuracy

Sova lists checking and accuracy tests among its activities. These compare an original with a copy under time pressure.

How many of the five rows contain at least one difference?

Original                         Copy
1  K-4471 / Hartmann Str. 18     K-4471 / Hartmann Str. 18
2  P-0938 / Lindenweg 7a         P-0983 / Lindenweg 7a
3  T-2215 / Am Hafen 112         T-2215 / Am Hafen 121
4  R-7760 / Brookfield Road 3    R-7760 / Brookfeild Road 3
5  M-1102 / Oak Lane 45          M-1102 / Oak Lane 45

Answer: 3 (rows 2, 3 and 4). Row 2 swaps digits in the code (0938 vs 0983), row 3 swaps digits in the house number, row 4 swaps two letters (Brookfield vs Brookfeild). Check codes and numbers digit by digit, then words letter by letter; transpositions are the usual trap. More drills: error-checking tests.

Learnability

Sova says its learnability task measures how quickly you learn and apply new patterns and problem-solving rules. It does not publish the format, so this is a generic rule-learning item, not a reconstruction.

Rules: ▲ doubles a number. ● adds 3. ■ reverses the digits. Symbols apply left to right.

• Example: 12 ▲ ● = 27 (12 × 2 = 24, + 3 = 27).
• Example: 31 ■ ▲ = 26 (31 → 13, × 2 = 26).

Q. What is 16 ● ■ ▲?

Answer: 182. 16 + 3 = 19; reverse → 91; 91 × 2 = 182. The trap is order: applying the symbols in the wrong sequence (reverse first: 61 + 3 = 64, × 2 = 128) gives a plausible wrong option. Check each new rule against the worked examples before you use it.

Situational judgement

Sova's SJT asks for the best and the worst response. You do not rank all options.

Scenario: You are two weeks into a graduate role. Your manager asks you to finish a client summary by 4 p.m. At 2 p.m. a senior colleague from another team asks you to help urgently with a data pull that will take about two hours.

A) Agree to help the senior colleague, since seniority should come first, and tell your manager at 4 p.m. B) Explain your 4 p.m. deadline to the colleague, offer to help from 4 p.m., and ask whether part of the task can wait. C) Tell your manager about both requests, say what each needs, and ask which should take priority. D) Decline the colleague without explanation and carry on with the summary.

Answer: best C, worst A. - C puts the conflict in front of the person who owns your priorities, with the facts to decide. - B is good but settles a cross-team trade-off on your own; D protects the deadline but harms the relationship. - A breaks a commitment silently; the manager learns of it when it is too late to adjust.

Break ties with the employer's values. More: situational judgement tests.

Personality questionnaire

Prep sites describe statements rated on a five-point scale from "least like me" to "most like me", sometimes in groups of four. The exact format varies.

Example statement (original): "I prefer to finish one task completely before I start the next."

There is no right answer. Answer as you usually behave at work or university; questionnaires repeat a trait in different wordings, so an idealised profile tends to look inconsistent. Read the scale end points on every screen. See the personality test guide.

Video interview questions

Questions are played or shown as text and you record your answer. AssessmentDay reports one minute to prepare and up to three minutes to answer; the employer decides per question whether you may re-record (Sova). For answer technique, see the one-way video interview guide.

Traps and how to avoid them

• Treating "untimed" as slow. Even where no clock is shown, speed is reported to count. Keep a steady pace.
• Missing a "select several" item. Sova's FAQ says if you cannot move on, check the instructions: some questions need more than one answer.
• Skipping the calculator. Sova says you need pen, paper and a calculator for ability questions. Have them ready before you start.
• Network blocks. Campus or workplace networks can block the test or the video upload. Use a home connection.

How to prepare for a Sova assessment

Day 1 (60 minutes). Check your invitation for the activities and deadline. Take Sova's free practice test (SJT, a video question, three types of ability question) and note your slowest section.

Day 2 (60–90 minutes). Drill your slowest section with timed sets: 15 numerical items at about 45 seconds each, 15 verbal statements at about 30 seconds, 15 shape sequences at about 45 seconds. Use the numerical, verbal and inductive reasoning guides for more original items.

Day 3 (45 minutes). Read the employer's values and competencies and do 10 SJT scenarios against them. If video questions are included, record two practice answers. Then check your setup: latest Chrome, notifications off, calculator, paper.

On the day. Choose a quiet slot well before the deadline and finish each section in one go.

Sources

• Sova Assessment, home page
• Sova Assessment, Candidate Preparation Hub
• Sova Assessment, Early Careers assessment
• Sova Assessment, Video Interviews
• Sova help centre
• AssessmentDay, "Sova Assessments"
• Psychometric Success, "The Sova Assessment"
• CareerTestPrep, "Sova assessment"
• KSL Training, Sova psychometric tests
• FitGap, Sova listing

Rédigé par

Adrian, spécialiste

MSc Psychologie, 7 ans de tests passés.

Dernière mise à jour : Oct 1, 2026