Cognify Test (2026): Grid Lock, Numbubbles & Proof It Explained
By the Game Assessment Prep research teamUpdated July 28, 2026How we research
Cognify is a game-based cognitive-aptitude test from Criteria (originally built by the Australian company Revelian, which Criteria acquired in 2020). If your invitation names Cognify, the essentials come straight from Criteria's own materials: the standard version is three mini-games in about 10 minutes plus tutorials — Grid Lock (problem solving), Numbubbles (numerical reasoning), and Proof It (verbal knowledge) — playable on any device including a phone. A six-game version exists and is available to employers on request.
Unlike behavioral batteries such as pymetrics, Cognify is a skill test with right answers: faster, more accurate play scores higher. That makes it honestly trainable — format familiarity and timed drills directly raise performance. Here is what each game involves, how scoring works, and what preparation actually moves the needle.
The games
Criteria officially names the three standard games and what they measure; the mechanics below are consistent candidate and prep-industry reports, reviewed July 2026.
| Game | Official measure | Reported mechanics | Reported timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grid Lock | Problem solving | Fit Tetris-like blocks into a grid — rotate, insert, extract; complete as many grids as possible | ~3 minutes |
| Numbubbles | Numerical reasoning | Pop the bubble whose equation matches a target number; difficulty ramps | ~10 rounds, ~20 seconds each |
| Proof It | Verbal knowledge | Mark typos, punctuation, grammar and missing-word errors in short texts against a countdown | ~5 rounds, ~1 minute each |
The six-game version adds (reported names and mechanics):
- Resemble — rebuild a target pattern from blocks, with later rounds requiring mental rotation (90°/180°/270°).
- Short Cuts — move a marble to a target in the fewest moves; path-efficiency puzzles with undo/skip options.
- Tally Up — rapid value comparisons between two token sets, with special tokens (voids, multipliers) that change the arithmetic; ~35 rounds of a few seconds each.
Your invitation and the in-test tutorials are the final word on which set you get. Every game has an untimed tutorial before it counts.
How Cognify is scored
Criteria's official score-report guide explains the output: an overall percentile against a global norming group, plus sub-percentiles for problem solving, numerical reasoning, and verbal knowledge. The guide is explicit that "the most important score is still the overall percentile." Reports band scores as Below Average (0–19th percentile), Average (20–79th), and Above Average (80–100th) — and employers can set their own acceptable score range per role, so there is no universal pass mark.
Two practical implications. First, because scoring is percentile-based, small real improvements in speed and accuracy can move you meaningfully up the distribution. Second, because the employer sets the range, nobody selling you a "guaranteed pass score" knows what they are promising.
One logistics fact worth knowing from Criteria's own guide: candidates get a Test Event ID at the start — if the test crashes or disconnects, you return to the assessment site, enter the ID, and continue where you left off rather than starting over.
Who uses Cognify?
Criteria positions Cognify for "mid- to high-level jobs that require problem solving and attention to detail," and claims validation studies supporting prediction of job performance. Reported users skew notably Australian — unsurprising given Cognify's Revelian origins: Australian public-sector and emergency-service recruitment (Australian Border Force and Department of Home Affairs candidate packs have officially named a three-game Cognify variant of Grid Lock, Numbubbles and Proof It; Fire and Rescue NSW and several police forces appear in candidate reports), plus corporate users like Ashurst. Employer lineups change year to year; your candidate pack or invitation is authoritative.
Honest preparation
Cognify rewards exactly the kind of preparation that works for any timed cognitive game: eliminate format surprise, then drill the underlying skill.
- Know the mechanics before the clock starts. Ten minutes is short — a single confused round in Numbubbles is 20 of your ~200 numerical-reasoning seconds gone. Read the tutorials properly; they are untimed.
- Drill timed mental arithmetic. Numbubbles is fast equation evaluation under pressure. Our free Numerosity simulator trains the identical skill — rapid arithmetic against a countdown — even though the interface differs.
- Practice spatial manipulation. Grid Lock and Resemble reward quick mental rotation and shape-fitting. Puzzle Picture and ShapeDance train visual-spatial speed and systematic comparison.
- Sharpen proofreading under time. For Proof It, read actively for error types — punctuation, agreement, missing words — rather than rereading for general sense. A counter tells you how many errors remain; use it to decide when to move on.
- Set up properly. Any device works officially, but a desktop gives finer control for block placement. One sitting, stable connection, notifications off — and note your Test Event ID in case of a crash.
Cognify vs other game-based assessments
Cognify sits firmly at the skill-test end of the spectrum: short, scored, right-answers-exist. HireVue games are the same species — timed cognitive mini-games — which is why practice transfers well between them. pymetrics and Arctic Shores are behavioral batteries where most tasks profile preferences rather than skills. Criteria also sells Emotify (emotion recognition) and other assessments, so check your invitation carefully — "a Criteria assessment" is not automatically Cognify. Our game-based assessments guide compares the major vendors.
FAQ
How long is the Cognify test?
The standard three-game version is about 10 minutes of play plus untimed tutorials, per Criteria. The six-game version reported by candidates runs roughly 20–30 minutes. Budget extra time so the tutorials never feel rushed.
Is there a pass mark for Cognify?
No universal one. You get an overall percentile against a global norm group, and each employer sets its own acceptable range per role. Criteria's own reporting bands 20th–79th percentile as "Average."
Can I practice Cognify before the real test?
Not the real games — access requires an employer invitation. But the skills are ordinary trainable cognition: timed arithmetic, spatial manipulation, proofreading. Free simulators of the same formats, including ours, plus the official tutorials, remove most of the first-attempt disadvantage.
What happens if the test crashes?
Criteria's score-report guide says candidates receive a Test Event ID at the start; re-entering it on the assessment site resumes the test where you left off. Note the ID down before you begin.
Is Cognify the same as the Criteria CCAT?
No. The CCAT is a conventional 50-question multiple-choice cognitive test; Cognify is the game-based assessment. They measure related abilities in very different formats — confirm which one your invitation names before preparing.