Criteria-style drills
Criteria-style cognitive aptitude
Fifty mixed verbal, maths, logic and spatial questions in 15 minutes, forward only and with no calculator
Used by Lazard (Official)
The format
- Questions50, most with five options
- Time15 minutes, one countdown
- MixVerbal, maths, logic, spatial
- Moving onForward only
- Wrong answersNo penalty
Fewer than 1 in 100 people answer all 50, and the average is about 24 right
Have ready
- Pen and scratch paper, and no calculator
- 15 minutes without interruptions, as the clock can't be paused
How to approach it
- Aim for about 18 seconds a question and don't expect to finish, as almost nobody does
- Never leave a blank: a guess costs nothing, and a minute on one question is the point to guess and move on
More optionsExtra time, practice, shortcuts
- Two practice questions firstUntimed and not scored, before the clock starts
- Reminder after a minuteA quiet line when one question has taken a minute
- Keyboard shortcutsA to E pick an answer and Enter moves on
Single-key shortcuts can clash with some screen readers, so switch them off if they get in the way
The rest of the sitting
- Criteria-style personality profileAbout 10 minutes
- Criteria-style video interviewThe recorder with matched timings: 5 questions, 15s prep / 2 min answer
The employer runs all three in one go of about 35 to 40 minutes (Official)
Format notes
What this drill copies from the published format and how sure we are of each value, checked 22 September 2026
| Parameter | Value | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 50 | OfficialSource 1 for QuestionsSource 2 for Questions |
| Questions at the employerThe employer's page gives the rules but not the product, and they match this test exactly | 50 | ReportedSource 1 for Questions at the employerSource 2 for Questions at the employer |
| Total time | 15 minutes | OfficialSource 1 for Total timeSource 2 for Total time |
| Time per question15 minutes over 50 questions | About 18 seconds on average | OfficialSource for Time per question |
| Timer | One countdown for the whole test and no timer per question | ReportedSource 1 for TimerSource 2 for Timer |
| Finishing | Fewer than 1% answer all 50, and the average is about 24 right | OfficialSource 1 for FinishingSource 2 for Finishing |
| Question types | Verbal, maths and logic, and spatial reasoning, mixed in one section | OfficialSource 1 for Question typesSource 2 for Question types |
| Mix per 50One prep site's counts, which add up to 51, so we dropped one maths question | 18 verbal, 17 maths, 4 logic and 11 spatial | UnverifiedSource 1 for Mix per 50Source 2 for Mix per 50Source 3 for Mix per 50Source 4 for Mix per 50Source 5 for Mix per 50 |
| Types per 50The same prep site's rough counts; it gives 13 to 14 word problems, so the dropped maths question is a word problem | 12 word problems, 2 quick calculations, 1 series and 2 tables; 9 sentences, 4 analogies, 3 detail checks and 2 opposites; 3 true, false or uncertain and 1 ordering puzzle; 4 odd one out, 4 next in the series and 3 grids | UnverifiedSource 1 for Types per 50Source 2 for Types per 50Source 3 for Types per 50Source 4 for Types per 50Source 5 for Types per 50 |
| Verbal typesOpposites are in the provider's own sample; the rest come from prep sites | Opposites, analogies, sentence completion and matching pairs | ReportedSource 1 for Verbal typesSource 2 for Verbal typesSource 3 for Verbal typesSource 4 for Verbal types |
| Maths typesAverage and speed word problems are in the provider's samples; series and tables come from prep sites | Word problems (averages, speed, percentages and ratios), number and letter series, and tables | ReportedSource 1 for Maths typesSource 2 for Maths typesSource 3 for Maths typesSource 4 for Maths types |
| Quick calculationsOne prep site lists basic calculations; the comparison format is our choice | Short sums and which of five numbers is largest or smallest | UnverifiedSource for Quick calculations |
| Logic types | True, false or uncertain reasoning from short statements | ReportedSource 1 for Logic typesSource 2 for Logic typesSource 3 for Logic types |
| Ordering puzzlesFrom one prep site only | One per test, placing five teams from a few clues | UnverifiedSource for Ordering puzzles |
| Spatial typesOdd one out is in the provider's sample; the grids come from prep sites only | Odd one out, next in the series and 3 by 3 grids | ReportedSource 1 for Spatial typesSource 2 for Spatial typesSource 3 for Spatial types |
| Difficulty | Easier questions first, harder ones later | ReportedSource 1 for DifficultySource 2 for DifficultySource 3 for Difficulty |
| Order of typesOne prep site says types come in blocks and another says they're mixed | Mixed, with tables from question 30 on and the ordering puzzle in the last 6 | UnverifiedSource 1 for Order of typesSource 2 for Order of types |
| Options | 5, lettered A to E, one of them right | OfficialSource 1 for OptionsSource 2 for OptionsSource 3 for Options |
| True, false or uncertain questionsFrom one prep site | 3 options | UnverifiedSource for True, false or uncertain questions |
| Moving between questions | One per screen, forward only, with no going back or flagging | ReportedSource 1 for Moving between questionsSource 2 for Moving between questionsSource 3 for Moving between questionsSource 4 for Moving between questionsSource 5 for Moving between questions |
| Leaving a question blankSources disagree on whether you can move on without an answer, and either way a blank scores nothing | Allowed here, and a blank scores zero | UnverifiedSource 1 for Leaving a question blankSource 2 for Leaving a question blankSource 3 for Leaving a question blankSource 4 for Leaving a question blank |
| An answer picked as time runs outNo source covers this, so the drill takes the stricter reading | Counts only once Next is pressed | Unverified |
| Scoring | One mark per right answer and nothing off for a wrong one | OfficialSource 1 for ScoringSource 2 for Scoring |
| Calculator | Not allowed | OfficialSource 1 for CalculatorSource 2 for Calculator |
| Scratch paper | Allowed, so have a pen ready | ReportedSource 1 for Scratch paperSource 2 for Scratch paper |
| Stuck on a question | After about a minute, make your best guess and move on | OfficialSource 1 for Stuck on a questionSource 2 for Stuck on a question |
| Reminder after a minuteOur addition, based on the provider's advice, and the real test shows nothing like it | A quiet line under the options, which you can switch off | Unverified |
| Before the clockThe provider tells candidates to read the instruction screens before the timed test; whether untimed samples come first is unknown | Two untimed practice questions you can skip, then an instructions page just before the clock starts | UnverifiedSource 1 for Before the clockSource 2 for Before the clock |
| Question counterSeen in one prep site's simulation only | Shown, e.g. 34 of 50 | UnverifiedSource for Question counter |
| Norm group | Mean 24.2 and spread 8.58, from 985 working adults | OfficialSource for Norm group |
| Percentile on the resultsOur approximation, as the provider's table isn't public, and our questions aren't normed | A normal curve on the published norms, as a rough guide | UnverifiedSource 1 for Percentile on the resultsSource 2 for Percentile on the results |
| What the employer seesResults go to the employer, and candidates don't appear to see a score | Raw score, overall percentile and sub-percentiles for verbal, maths and logic, and spatial | OfficialSource 1 for What the employer seesSource 2 for What the employer sees |
| Suggested score rangesFrom the provider's sample report; the employer's own cut-off isn't published | 22 to 50 for analyst roles and 20 to 50 for financial services | OfficialSource for Suggested score ranges |
| Questions in each testEvery question here is our own | New ones for every set, as each real test is drawn from a large bank | OfficialSource for Questions in each test |
| InterruptionsThe provider says you can resume or submit after a drop-out; one prep site says the timer keeps running | No pause here, as the clock keeps running | UnverifiedSource 1 for InterruptionsSource 2 for Interruptions |
| DeviceOne prep site suggests a laptop, as the figures are small | Phone, tablet or computer | OfficialSource 1 for DeviceSource 2 for Device |
| Extra time | An agreed adjustment, asked for on the application form with evidence, before the online assessments | OfficialSource for Extra time |
| Extra time hereOur options, as the amount of any adjustment isn't published | Standard, +25% or +50% | Unverified |
| The employer's sitting | This test, a questionnaire and a recorded video, in one go of about 35 to 40 minutes | OfficialSource for The employer's sitting |
| Result carried over | An aptitude result from the last 12 months is reused | OfficialSource for Result carried over |
Independent practice in the style of Criteria's published format. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Criteria