Compare sequences of numbers and letters quickly and accurately. Find the one option that matches the target exactly, in SHL’s published format, at SHL’s published pace.
View your results and progress4 short drills · 50 questions in 5 minutes · Six-second pace test · Worked answers
Example · Letters and numbers
Which option is identical to the sequence on the left?
Find this sequence
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SHL’s fact sheet says candidates “work with sequences of numbers, letters and combinations of numbers and letters.” Its example shows the sequence 97MWD1 with five options, one of them identical; the others swap two characters, change one, or use a look-alike letter. SHL Direct describes each question as a piece of data on the left to match against a list on the right “which contains similar – but not identical – samples.”
The Next Generation fact sheet lists an allowed time of 5 minutes, a maximum of 50 multiple-choice questions, and unproctored delivery. The Current Generation sheet lists up to 25 questions in 4 to 5 minutes and says the test uses item response theory. SHL’s store describes it as relevant to entry-level, administrative and clerical roles and apprenticeship schemes, for jobs that need “perceptual speed and high standards for maintaining quality.”
Untimed, with a worked answer after each question that highlights where every wrong option differs. Each drill has its own trial where your access includes one; an SHL Verbal pass covers every replay.
Digit strings and grouped reference numbers, with swapped and changed digits to catch.
Letter codes with transposed pairs and look-alike letters such as M and N or U and V.
Mixed codes like the one on SHL’s fact sheet, including 0 and O, 1 and I, 5 and S.
All three sequence types in one short set, getting longer and harder as you go.
SHL’s published length for the Next Generation Checking test: 50 questions on one 5-minute clock. All three sequence types, getting harder as you go. Review everything at the end.
Our own pacing format: 25 questions, each on its own six-second clock, the average SHL’s limit allows. Learn to decide inside the time.
No account needed. Choose an option, then see where every other option differs.
Example · Letters and numbers
Which option is identical to the sequence on the left?
Find this sequence
Read the target as two or three groups (97 · MW · D1) and test each option group by group. A changed group stands out faster than a character-by-character read.
The moment a group fails, move to the next option. Only the identical option needs every group checked.
0 and O, 1 and I, 5 and S, 8 and B, 2 and Z, M and N, U and V. When a sequence contains one, give that character a deliberate second look.
A swapped pair keeps the same characters in a different order. Within each group, confirm the sequence, not only which characters appear.
At SHL’s published pace you have about six seconds a question. Guessing fast on a near miss costs more than one careful comparison.
SHL’s Verify Checking test measures how quickly and accurately you compare information. Each question shows a sequence of numbers, letters or a combination of both, and you choose the option that is identical to it from a list of similar sequences. SHL describes the task as matching data on the left to the correct data in a list on the right, where the other entries are similar but not identical.
SHL’s fact sheet for the Next Generation Checking test gives an allowed time of 5 minutes and a maximum of 50 questions, all multiple choice. SHL’s Current Generation fact sheet lists a maximum of 25 questions in 4 to 5 minutes. SHL’s online store lists a completion time of 10 minutes, which includes the instructions. Our timed test uses 50 questions in 5 minutes.
SHL lists Administrative Support, Data Entry, and Sales Support and Purchasing as job titles that use it, and describes it as relevant to entry-level, administrative and clerical roles and apprenticeship schemes. It is designed for jobs where verifying data accuracy, locating data entry errors, monitoring visual displays and reviewing records are critical tasks.
SHL’s Current Generation fact sheet says the Checking assessment uses item response theory, which allows a shorter test in an unsupervised setting. Neither fact sheet calls the test adaptive, so this site does not either. Our timed test is a fixed 50-question set in which the sequences get longer and the near-miss options harder as you go.
SHL does not publish the scoring rule for the Checking test. Your practice result reports correct answers, unanswered questions, questions not reached and your time per question, so you can see whether accuracy or pace is costing you. It is not an SHL score or percentile.
The worked example on this page is free without an account. Each of the four short drills has its own trial where your access includes one. The 5-minute timed test and the six-second pace test need a practice pass. One SHL Verbal pass covers SHL Checking practice and SHL Verbal Ability practice. Saved answers and explanations stay free.
No. Every sequence is original and generated for practice, with a worked answer that shows exactly where each wrong option differs. The format follows SHL’s published example; the sequences, difficulty levels and scoring are our own. Game Assessment Prep is not affiliated with SHL.
SHL often pairs Checking with its Calculation test for clerical and data-entry roles. Check the test names in your invitation.
Independent preparation, not affiliated with or endorsed by SHL. Practice results are not SHL scores or employer pass predictions.