Cubiks Assessment Tests

Updated April 2026 · 17 min read · Now operating as Talogy following 2021 merger with PSI Services

What is Cubiks?

Cubiks is a UK-founded psychometric assessment company best known for the Logiks aptitude test family, the PAPI personality questionnaire, and a suite of employer-specific situational judgement tests. Cubiks was founded in 2002 and grew rapidly through the 2010s as the assessment partner of choice for European graduate schemes, particularly in the UK, Netherlands, and Germany. In 2021 it merged with PSI Services and rebranded as Talogy, though the legacy "Cubiks" name is still used in most job descriptions, candidate invitations, and HR documentation. If your invitation email mentions "Logiks," "Cubiks," or "PAPI," or the test URL contains "cubiks.com" or "talogy.com," you are taking a Cubiks assessment.

Cubiks tests are widely used by Shell (for trading and commercial roles), Aon, Hays, ABN AMRO, ING, various UK government departments, and across European banking and consulting. The portfolio combines short, speed-pressured cognitive tests with personality and situational judgement assessments — typically delivered together in a single 60-90 minute battery.

Cubiks aptitude test types

The Cubiks aptitude test family ("Logiks") splits into two difficulty tiers. Which one you face depends entirely on the role's seniority:

• Logiks Intermediate (often called Logiks General) — the standard-level combined reasoning test for operational, entry-level, and graduate roles. Read the Logiks General guide.
• Logiks Advanced — a harder version split into separate longer tests, used for senior professional, manager, and trader-level roles. Read the Logiks Advanced Abstract guide and the Intermediate Abstract guide.

Cubiks does not publish the same test under different names — there is no separate "Cubiks numerical reasoning test" or "Cubiks verbal reasoning test" sold as standalone products. The numerical, verbal, and abstract questions all sit inside the Logiks framework. When a job description mentions "Cubiks numerical reasoning test," it means the numerical section of Logiks (General or Advanced).

Logiks General (Intermediate)

Logiks General is the standard-level Cubiks assessment, designed for operational and graduate roles. It is a combined reasoning test — unlike SHL or Kenexa (which typically administer separate numerical, verbal, and inductive tests), Logiks presents all three question types in a single timed test. This mixed format is distinctive and harder to prepare for without specific practice.

The critical feature: 50 questions in 12 minutes — approximately 14.4 seconds per question. This is significantly faster than SHL or Kenexa. There are no complex data tables or long passages. Questions are short, direct, and require rapid pattern recognition rather than deep calculation. The test is designed to be completed under speed pressure; most candidates do not finish all 50 questions. The score is calculated based on how many you answer correctly — unanswered questions do not penalise you, but they contribute nothing to your score. The optimal strategy is: answer quickly, skip if stuck, maintain accuracy on the questions you do attempt.

Logiks Advanced

Logiks Advanced is the harder version, used for senior professional and manager-level roles. Used by Shell for trading and commercial roles, by Aon for senior analyst hires, and by a number of European consulting firms. The format changes meaningfully: the three reasoning types are split into separate, longer tests with more complex questions. The numerical section requires genuine chart analysis (not just arithmetic); the verbal section includes longer passages (200-300 words rather than short paragraphs); the abstract section uses more complex matrix patterns with multiple simultaneous rules. Time pressure remains a key feature, but the questions themselves demand deeper processing — typically 30-45 seconds per question rather than the 14 seconds of Logiks General.

PAPI (Personality and Preference Inventory)

PAPI is Cubiks's flagship personality assessment, used either standalone or paired with Logiks in the same assessment session. The "PAPI personality questionnaire" measures workplace dispositions across 20 dimensions. The standard PAPI 3 consists of a series of paired statements — you choose which of the two more closely describes you. There is no "forced" ranking; you can indicate a preference for both or neither, though most employers configure it so that a clear choice is required. PAPI measures 20 dimensions across two broad categories:

PAPI 3 takes 20-25 minutes. Unlike many personality questionnaires, PAPI explicitly scores each dimension on a scale of 1-9 (sten scores) and compares you to a norm group. Employers set minimum thresholds on specific dimensions — typically: Decision Maker (6+), Achievement-Oriented (7+), and Organised Type (6+) for consulting and finance roles. There are no "right" answers in absolute terms, but responses must be internally consistent — the system flags implausible profiles (e.g. simultaneously claiming to be extremely extroverted and extremely private).

Cubiks situational judgement test

The Cubiks situational judgement test (SJT) is built on the same delivery platform as the Logiks assessments. It is employer-specific — Cubiks works with each client to customise scenarios around that company's competency framework — so the questions you see at Shell will differ from those at ING or a UK government department. Questions present realistic workplace scenarios in one of two formats: rate each of four possible responses as Most Effective / Least Effective, or rank all four responses from most to least effective. The Cubiks SJT typically runs 25-40 minutes and forms part of the standard Logiks + PAPI assessment battery. Scoring depends entirely on the employer's competency model, but most employers favour candidates who prioritise structured decision-making, stakeholder communication, and outcome ownership over speed.

How the Cubiks online test is administered

Cubiks tests are delivered through the Cubiks Online platform (now branded as Talogy Online). After a job application, you receive an email with a unique link and a deadline — usually 5-10 days to complete the assessment. The platform runs in a standard browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari). There is no app to download for the candidate side. Webcam proctoring is offered as an option but is not used by all employers — many Cubiks deployments are unproctored. A practice version of the test is available before the timed live attempt; we strongly recommend completing the practice section to familiarise yourself with the question format. Once you start the timed test, you cannot pause. Closing the browser window does not stop the clock.

Companies that use Cubiks

Cubiks is most heavily used in European graduate recruitment. Notable employers include Shell (Logiks Advanced for trading and commercial roles, Logiks General for operational), Aon (Logiks Advanced for senior analyst roles), Hays, ABN AMRO, ING, EY in selected European offices, and a range of UK government departments under the Cabinet Office assessment framework. PAPI is also used by several consulting firms as part of senior-hire personality screening. If you're applying to a European graduate scheme and the assessment provider isn't immediately obvious from the invitation email, Cubiks is one of the top three candidates (alongside SHL and Aon).

Cubiks practice test approach

Effective Cubiks practice depends on the test you're facing. The two require completely different preparation styles:

For Logiks General (speed-driven): do not practice by carefully working through questions one at a time. Practice in bursts of intense speed — set a 12-minute timer, do 50 questions, note your score. Repeat daily for 5-7 days. Your target is to answer 40+ questions with at least 80% accuracy. For the verbal section: memorise common word analogies (family relationships, functional relationships, part-to-whole, cause-and-effect). For the numerical section: practise number sequences (geometric, arithmetic, alternating, Fibonacci-style) until pattern recognition is instant. For abstract: practise matrix completion — spot the rule in 5 seconds, not 30.

For Logiks Advanced (depth-driven): the questions are harder and you have more time per question, so the practice approach flips. Work through full chart-based numerical problems carefully, focusing on percentage change, year-on-year growth, and ratio interpretation. For verbal, practise inference questions on 250-word business passages. For abstract, practise puzzles where two transformation rules apply simultaneously (e.g. shape rotates AND colour alternates).

For PAPI: there is no "practising" PAPI in the traditional sense — the test measures personality dispositions, not skills. The most useful preparation is to review the 20 PAPI dimensions in advance and reflect on which dispositions the role you're applying for most rewards. For consulting and finance: Decision Maker, Achievement-Oriented, Organised Type, Hard Worker. For collaborative roles: Helpful, Empathetic, Social Harmoniser, Collaborative. Answer honestly and consistently — the system flags implausible profiles.

Cubiks scoring

Cubiks reports candidate results to employers as a percentile score (typically against a graduate norm group) plus dimension-level personality scores for PAPI. Employers set a pass mark on the percentile — for Shell trading roles, this is typically 70th percentile or higher on Logiks Advanced numerical reasoning. For graduate schemes, the typical cut-off is 50th-60th percentile. The PAPI section is reviewed alongside the cognitive scores — strong cognitive performance with implausible or contradictory personality responses will often be flagged for review.

How TestSolve helps with Cubiks tests

TestSolve handles all three sections of Logiks General and Logiks Advanced. Use the keyboard hotkey on any question and the answer is delivered to your phone in under 6 seconds. For abstract pattern questions, the AI identifies the transformation rule and selects the correct missing shape. For numerical sequences, it identifies the pattern and calculates the answer. For verbal analogies, it applies semantic relationship analysis. The tool runs invisibly on your desktop — the answer arrives on your phone, not on the test screen, so the Cubiks Online platform sees only normal browser activity. Try free — first solve included, no signup required.

Frequently asked questions