ABOUT NBC GRADUATE JOB APTITUDE TEST

The NBC Job aptitude test measures your verbal reasoning ability, Logical reasoning and problem solving ability. In this post, we shall provide some guide and in-depth insight into how the test looked like in the past.

Usually the test format is cognitive based and includes Numerical Reasoning, Verbal reasoning and Abstract reasoning. However technical roles may include technical based questions in addition to the cognitive based test.

BREAKDOWN:

  • 20-NUMERICAL REASONING QUESTIONS
  • 20-VERBAL REASONING QUESTIONS
  • 10-16 ABSTRACT (INDUCTIVE) REASONING

QUESTIONS FORMAT:

The questions you get varies in the NBC aptitude test depends on the stage of the recruitment you are, and the role you applied to. Management Trainee candidates gets business maths in place of Numerical reasoning (Data interpretation). Management trainee candidates also get Logical reasoning instead of Abstract reasoning which is usually for Engineering/ Technician applicants.

TEST SCORING SYSTEM
The questions in this test all carry equal marks and no negative marking is applied. However, it is advisable that you double-check your answer choices.

USE OF CALCULATOR
Use of calculators are not allowed, but the test administrator is at liberty to decide
whether or not use of calculators will be permitted in the hall. So it is best you
factor in this reality, and try to practice without using calculator.

RECOMMENDATION:
For a well rounded preparation, it is advisable to practice past NBC test questions using the premium NBC study pack. Click here to get it now!

PREPARING FOR

The tips and tricks shown here are intended to assist you in taking the Numerical reasoning Test to be more efficient in coming to mathematical answers.

The tips and tricks presented here focus only on arithmetic and calculation short-cuts and should make you feel more comfortable whether you’re trying to come to an exact answer or estimation in your calculations

1. GO BACK TO BASICS

First things first – remember that you won’t have a calculator, so make sure that the simple calculations don’t take your time.

Review your times tables: It may have been a long time since you calculated 7 x 9, so make sure that it doesn’t take you more than a split second to come up with the answer of 63.

Review all your times tables up to 12 x 12. It’s also helpful to know that 15 x 15 = 225 and 25 x 25 = 625

Multiplying and Dividing by 10 and Powers of 10 (i.e., 100, 1000 etc.):
Multiplying a number by 10 is easy, all you need to do is add a zero to the end of the number (e.g., 67 x 10 = 670). Conversely, when dividing by 10, just move the decimal one place to the left (e.g., 67 / 10 = 6.7). The amount of zeros you add or decimal places you move increases by one as you multiply by 100 then 1000 (e.g., 67 x 1000 = 67,000 and 250.5 / 100 = 2.505).

2. BUILD ON THE BASICS

Convert fractions to percentages: Everyone knows that ½ is equal to 50%, but how many people know off the tip of their tongues what
percentage 1/7 is equal to? It is very helpful to memorize how some of the basic fractions convert to percentages and vice versa. For instance:

1/2 = 50%

1/3 = 33.3%

1/4 = 25%

1/5 = 20%

1/6 = 16.7%

1/7 = 14.3%


1/8 = 12.5%

1/9 = 11.1%
– Knowing these basic conversions will allow you to calculate more complex fractions more easily. For instance, now that you know 1/9 =
11.1%, you will know that 2/9 is simply 2 x 1/9 which equals 22.2%.

Calculate percentages quickly!: Do you struggle when someone asks you to quickly calculate 6% of 11? Don’t let the % throw you off!
Combined with the tips from the sections above, percentages become as easy as pie.
– Let’s relook at 6% of 11.

Let’s drop the % for a moment: 6 x 11 is much easier to handle and we know from our times tables that it equals 66.

Now let’s remember that “%” simply means “out of 100” (per cent) or rather “divided by 100”. So now we know to move the decimal 2
places to the left… and voila… we have our answer that 6% of 11 = 0.66! Now try 3% of 15 yourself.

– Another way to look at percentages is to convert them to fractions where appropriate. So if someone asks you what 25% of 36 is, your
thought process can be as follows: “Hmmm, I know that 25% equals ¼ and ¼ of 36 is simply 36 divided by 4 which equals 9!” But, as cool as
a cucumber, what you actually say out loud is: “Simple! The answer is 9!”

– Of course, some percentage calculations can be more complex, but the fundamental principles of how to calculate them remain the same.
Remember “%” simply means “divided by 100”!

3. GET TO KNOW SOME QUICK TIPS

Below are some quick tips that may help you during your test:

Simplifying tough multiplication: If you have some large numbers to multiply together, you may be able to simplify it by dividing one number and multiplying the other number by a common factor.

For example:
– 32 x 125 is the same as:
– 16 x 250, which is the same as:
– 8 x 500, which is the same as:
– 4 x 1000 which equals 4,000!

Squaring numbers ending in 5: When multiplying any number that ends in 5 by itself, you take the numbers before the last 5 and multiply it by itself + 1 and then place 25 at the end of the number to arrive at the answer.
E.g., 95 x 95 can be arrived at by taking 9 x (9+1) = 90 and then placing 25 at the end for a result of 9025.

Multiplying selected numbers:

– Multiply by 5: Multiply by 10 and divide by 2.
– Multiply by 6: Sometimes multiplying by 3 and then 2 is easy.
– Multiply by 9: Multiply by 10 and subtract the original number.
– Multiply by 12: Multiply by 10 and add twice the original number.
– Multiply by 13: Multiply by 3 and add 10 times original number.
– Multiply by 14: Multiply by 7 and then multiply by 2
– Multiply by 15: Multiply by 10 and add 5 times the original number
– Multiply by 19: Multiply by 20 and subtract the original number.
– Multiply by 24: Multiply by 8 and then multiply by 3.

4. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

The most important thing to do now is to practice! Candidates that do well  in numerical reasoning aren’t necessarily the smartest – they’re the ones that practice!

So next time you’re out buying that blue and white checkered shirt you’ve always wanted and it says “25% off ticketed price” – do the maths in your head! Next time you’re out with a bunch of friends at a restaurant, volunteer to take care of the bill: Calculate the % tip in your head;
divide the total bill by the number of people in your head; Add up everyone’s money in your head!
Remember, it’s not that complicated. So stick

5. START PREPARING EARLY

One key mistake is to wait till you are shortlisted for the test before you start preparing. The best time to actually start is immediately after you submit your application. You can read more here.