Saville Swift Analysis study guide
Learn the question types, practice the block clocks and review the reasoning behind your answers.
Choose a practice drillWhat you will practice
Swift Analysis Aptitude combines verbal, numerical and diagrammatic analysis. The publisher’s public practice instructions divide each area into two four-question blocks, with three minutes for each block. Our full simulation follows that structure.
| Area | Questions | Block clocks | Main task |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal | 8 | 2 × 3 minutes | Interpret passages and evaluate claims |
| Numerical | 8 | 2 × 3 minutes | Analyze tables, charts and quantities |
| Diagrammatic | 8 | 2 × 3 minutes | Interpret operators and logical processes |
Total: 24 questions and 18 minutes of timed work. Short drills use a single four-question group without a clock so you can concentrate on the method.
Publisher’s Swift Analysis overviewMethods and worked examples
These teaching examples introduce a method for each area. The scored practice uses separate original questions and more demanding combinations.
Verbal analysis
Read the question first, then locate the evidence. Keep qualifications such as “some”, “only” and “compared with last year” intact. Decide whether the text establishes a claim, contradicts it or leaves it unresolved.
Watch for: Adding an explanation from outside the passage, or turning a possible cause into a proven one.
Practice verbal analysisExample
A delivery company reports: “Late arrivals fell at both branches after a route change. The eastern branch also hired additional drivers. No staffing change was made at the western branch.” Which conclusion is supported?
Solution: Late arrivals fell at a branch with no staffing change. The text does not establish how much of either improvement was caused by the new route. It also does not tell us which branch had the lower final rate.
Numerical analysis
Identify the required quantity, its units and its denominator before calculating. Convert shares to amounts when totals differ. Estimate the result, calculate it, then check that your answer addresses the question asked.
Watch for: Averaging rates with unequal totals, confusing percentage points with percentage change, or rounding too early.
Practice numerical analysisExample
Depot A handles 600 parcels with a 4% return rate. Depot B handles 400 parcels with a 9% return rate. What percentage of the combined parcels are returned?
Solution: 6%. Depot A has 24 returns and Depot B has 36. The combined rate is (24 + 36) ÷ (600 + 400) × 100 = 6%. Averaging 4% and 9% would incorrectly give the two depots equal weight.
Diagrammatic analysis
Translate each operator into one precise action. Track order, shape, fill and orientation separately. Apply operations in the indicated direction; when finding a missing rule, test it against every example given.
Watch for: Applying operations in reverse order, changing a feature the rule leaves alone, or choosing a rule that explains only one example.
Practice diagrammatic analysisExample
A row contains a filled circle, an outline triangle and a filled square. Operation A moves the first shape to the end. Operation B swaps filled and outline. Apply A, then B.
Solution: Filled triangle, outline square, outline circle. A changes the order to triangle–square–circle. B then changes the fill of each shape; it does not change the order or shape.
Follow the process one step at a time
Diagrammatic analysis is about what a process does to its input. Write down the intermediate result instead of trying to hold every change in your head. When several rules fit, test each against all supplied examples.
What leaves the process?
Apply A, then B. Track order and fill separately.
AMove the first shape to the end.
BSwap filled and outline.
Input
Apply A, then B
Prepare for three-minute blocks
Four questions in three minutes averages 45 seconds per question. Shared reading and data make that an average, not a rigid limit: investing time in the source can make later questions faster.
- Begin with an untimed drill. Learn how to read the material and eliminate alternatives. Check every explanation after submitting the group.
- Identify the cause of each miss. Separate misunderstanding the question, choosing the wrong operation, calculation errors and running out of time. The remedy differs for each.
- Use the whole block sensibly. In our practice you can skip, flag and revisit questions within the active block. A later block cannot give you time back for an earlier one.
- Practice with fresh material. A remembered answer does not show that you can solve a new problem. Our selector prefers unseen groups while preserving the form’s mix; the bank is finite.
- Finish with a full simulation. Review correct answers out of all 24 questions, completion and your weakest area. Repeat the relevant drill before your next full sitting.
Our editorial goal is at least 22/24 correct, at least 7/8 in each area and all 12 Challenge questions correct, with every question attempted within its block clock. In a short drill, aim for 4/4. Build consistency on fresh questions; these demanding practice targets are not official Saville pass marks or a hiring prediction.
Our full simulation moves directly to the next timed block when you submit a block or its clock expires. Unused time does not transfer; finished blocks lock. Leaving or reloading does not stop the clock. These transition and recovery rules describe our practice interface. Your real assessment’s instructions take precedence.
Check the exact product in your invitation
“Saville” names a provider, not a single assessment. This practice and pass cover the 18-minute verbal, numerical and diagrammatic combination.
| Name in the invitation | How it differs |
|---|---|
| Swift Analysis Aptitude | Verbal, numerical and diagrammatic analysis; the product covered here. |
| Swift Analysis Verbal & Numerical | A separate two-area, 24-minute combination. |
| Swift Executive Aptitude | Uses abstract reasoning alongside verbal and numerical analysis. |
| Swift Global Aptitude | A different combination involving numerical, abstract and memory tasks. |
| Single-domain Analysis tests | Longer standalone verbal, numerical, diagrammatic or abstract tests. |
| Work Strengths, Wave or other personality questionnaires | Measure different characteristics; they are not this cognitive test. |
Set up before starting
Use a computer with enough room to read the passages and diagrams. Have pen and paper ready. The official numerical practice recommends a calculator; follow the specific tool rules in your invitation. Check your deadline, language and any approved adjustments before beginning an uninterrupted sitting.
Try the publisher’s own examples to see its controls. Their examples introduce the format; their difficulty is not a guarantee of the live test’s difficulty. Our practice scores and learning targets do not convert into official percentiles or a hiring prediction.
Open Saville’s official practice examplesChoose your next practice
Use a four-question drill to work on one area, or test your pace in the full 18-minute simulation. One Swift Analysis pass covers full practice and all three drill replays.
Original independent preparation. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Saville Assessment. Follow your employer’s instructions for the actual assessment.