Numerical reasoning is the ability to work with numbers in practical contexts: calculating percentages and ratios, reading data from tables and charts, handling money, and converting units. It is about applying maths quickly and accurately rather than recalling advanced formulas.

They are a standard stage of recruitment for graduate schemes, the Civil Service, banking, retail management and many apprenticeships, and similar maths appears in 11+ entrance exams and GCSE problem-solving questions.

Real employer tests vary — some allow calculators, some do not. This test is designed to be done with pen-and-paper working, and every question has tidy numbers, so a calculator should not be necessary.

Practise the core toolkit until it is automatic: finding 10% and building other percentages from it, sharing in a ratio, reading tables carefully, and converting units. Timed practice matters as much as accuracy — most candidates fail on speed, not maths.