How to crack the online assessment and aptitude round
The online assessment is the first filter in most fresher hiring. Here is what it contains, how to practise each part, a daily routine, and what to do on test day.
Updated · Written for: Students and freshers preparing for campus and off-campus online tests.
What you will learn
1Most online tests combine aptitude, reasoning, English and a coding or SQL section, all against a clock.
2Time is the main enemy. Practise with a timer from the first week, not only at the end.
3Skip hard questions early and return to them. Wrong answers may cost marks in some tests, so read the rules.
4Check your laptop, internet and the test link the day before.
For many freshers, the online assessment is the biggest hurdle. Thousands of students take the same test, and a cut-off removes most of them before an interview. The good news is that the test is learnable. It repeats the same kinds of questions, and speed grows with practice.
1Aptitude
Percentages, ratios, time and work, averages.
↓
2Logical reasoning
Series, patterns, puzzles and seating.
↓
3English
Grammar, reading and sentence correction.
↓
4Coding or SQL
One to three problems with test cases.
↓
5Submit and wait
Results are shared by the company or the college.
Figure 1. A typical test has sections that run against a clock: aptitude, reasoning, English, then coding or SQL.
What is usually in the test
The sections depend on the company, so check the notice. The common ones are:
Quantitative aptitude: percentages, profit and loss, ratio, time and work, speed and distance, averages, simple interest.
Logical reasoning: number and letter series, coding and decoding, blood relations, arrangements.
Coding or technical: one to three problems on arrays, strings and basic logic, or SQL queries.
Some tests have negative marking and some have separate cut-offs for each section. Read the rules before you start.
How to practise each part
Part
How to practise
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---
Aptitude
Learn the formulas and shortcuts for each topic, then solve 20 timed problems per topic
Reasoning
Practise by type until you recognise patterns quickly
English
Read short articles daily, and learn common grammar rules
Coding
Solve easy and medium problems on arrays and strings, with a timer
SQL
Practise joins, GROUP BY and filtering on SQL practice
Keep a notebook for formulas and mistakes. Review the mistakes every week, because the same mistakes repeat.
A daily routine
Time
Activity
---
---
30 minutes
One aptitude topic with timed problems
20 minutes
Reasoning or English
40 minutes
One coding or SQL problem
10 minutes
Review of mistakes
Take a full mock test once a week from the second month, under real conditions: a fixed time, no phone and no breaks.
Time and accuracy
Divide the time. Decide how much time each section gets and keep to it.
Skip and return. If a question takes more than about two minutes, move on and come back.
Easy marks first. Do the questions you are sure about, then the rest.
Check the marking. With negative marking, guess only when you can remove some options.
Read carefully. Many mistakes come from missing a word like not or except.
Coding and SQL sections
Read the input and output format twice. Test your solution on the sample, then on an empty input, a single item and a very large input. In SQL, check your joins for duplicated rows, and remember that NULL does not equal NULL. If time is short, submit a correct simple solution rather than an unfinished clever one. See SQL null explained for the NULL rule.
Test day checklist
Check your laptop battery, charger, internet and browser the day before.
Keep your ID, a pen and rough paper ready if allowed.
Join early. Many tests lock the door at the start time.
Follow the rules strictly. Tests may record your screen or camera, and switching windows can end your test.
Stay calm if one section goes badly. The cut-off often depends on the total.
Where to start today
Take one timed test of 20 aptitude questions, score yourself, and write down the topic where you lost the most time.
