Korn Ferry Assessments: All Formats with Practice Questions

Korn Ferry assessments involve a range of psychometric tests that help pick the best candidates out of a giant talent pool. Korn Ferry aptitude tests aim to measure specific skills such as numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and logical reasoning. Each test has different requirements with different challenges. This article below will give you great insights into Korn Ferry assessments and provide you with some materials for practice.

What is a Korn Ferry assessment? 

Korn Ferry assessments are psychometric assessments measuring candidates’ abilities, competencies, personality, and motivation, which help employers assess their suitability for a position in an objective manner. Korn Ferry assessments are available in more than 40 languages and are used by companies such as Ford, Lloyds, RBS, Royal Mail, etc.

Korn Ferry assessments consist of various tests, including: 

• Aptitude/ Ability tests
• Personal questionnaires
• Situational judgment tests
• Motivation and values-based assessments
• Competency-based assessments 

Korn Ferry and Talent Q are the same. Talent Q tests were originally established in 2006 by a pioneer assessor – Roger Holdsworth. In 2014, Talent Q was obtained by the Hay Group, and since then the tests have been managed by Korn Ferry.

Korn Ferry aptitude test – Numerical test 

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Numerical Reasoning Tests

Korn Ferry numerical reasoning tests measure the ability to analyze and make accurate conclusions from numerical data (presented in tables). The test has 12 questions under a time limit of 16 minutes. There are 4 tables presenting numerical data (3 questions/ table): 90 seconds for the first question on each table/ series of tables and 75 seconds for subsequent ones.

Example 1:

Source: Korn Ferry (Talent Q)

Answer: 5,396

Explanation: The average monthly sale value of the Diamond package across the 7 regions is: (6,125 + 4,765 + 5,700 + 6,800 + 3,630 + 5,300 + 5,450) / 7 = £5,395.71 ~ £5,396

Example 2: 

Source: Korn Ferry (Talent Q)

Answer: 10 : 11

Explanation:

As we can see from the table, the entrance fee for an adult visiting Royal Park on 1st February is £9.

The adult visiting Theme Park on the previous day (which means 31 January) will receive a 10% discount on the full-price ticket.

Thus, he/she just has to pay: 11 x 90% = £9.9

Therefore, the ratio we need to find is: 9 : 9.9 = 10 : 11

Korn Ferry aptitude test – Verbal test 

Learn more: The Ultimate Guide to Verbal Reasoning Tests

Korn Ferry verbal reasoning tests measure the ability to interpret a passage of information and draw correct conclusions based on that. The test contains 15 questions under a time limit of 16 minutes. There are 5 passages (3 questions/passage): 75 seconds for the first question on each passage and 60 seconds for subsequent ones. 

Source: Korn Ferry (Talent Q)

Answer: Online collective buying

Explanation: The first sentence says, “Collective buying is a new phenomenon whereby a group of consumers purchases a product or service at a discounted price.” Therefore, “online collective buying” will be a trend described in the passage.

Source: Korn Ferry (Talent Q)

Statement: Which factor does the passage is overlooked by the APD Scheme?

Answer: Fuel economy

Explanation:

The passage mentions, “The scheme calculates taxes based on the distance flown, thus passengers pay higher rates for longer, more polluting flights, though the plane’s fuel economy is not taken into consideration.”

“Not taken into consideration” means being “overlooked”. So, the answer is fuel economy.

Within MConsultingPrep’s verbal practice package, we have hundreds of reading comprehension questions (easy to hard difficulty levels) for you to practice. Especially, you’ll access our comprehensive verbal study guide that shows every step to handle this question type.

Let’s try out some free verbal questions before pulling the trigger. (This free test covers both Reading Comprehension and Making Inferences questions)

Korn Ferry aptitude test – Logical test 

Learn more: What is the Logical Reasoning Test?

Korn Ferry logical tests measure the ability to analyze abstract information, identify the logical sequence of a series of symbols, and spot the missing symbols from a range of alternatives. The test contains 12 questions under a time limit of 23 minutes (75 seconds for one question).

Source: Korn Ferry (Talent Q)

Answer: >>

Explanation:

This is a 3×3 grid question. In the grid questions, all pieces can not repeat. Let’s look at the columns and rows of the grid to find out the rule of logical sequence.

When we look at both the columns and rows, we can see one common rule in each column and row, the rectangle with only two signs is extracted from the rectangle with four signs in which contains the pair of opposite signs (><). Also, if all pieces of the grid can not repeat, then the answer for the question mark is >>.

Source: Korn Ferry (Talent Q)

Answer: ∩ ∩

Explanation:

This is a 3×3 grid question. In the grid questions, all pieces can not repeat. Let’s look at the columns and rows of the grid to find out the rule of logical sequence.

When we look at both the columns and rows, we can see one common rule in each column and row, there must be exactly two rectangles of identical figures and one rectangle of three different figures.

Looking at the pattern of the rows, we can see that identical figures are the figures which lie on two sides of the rectangle of three different figures.

Then the answer for the question mark must be ∩ ∩.

Korn Ferry aptitude test – Checking test 

Korn Ferry check tests measure the ability to compare information in two tables and confirm whether the information on the left-hand table and right-hand table . The test contains 8 questions under a time limit of 8 minutes (the time limit for 1 question is 50-60 seconds).

is the same or not

Source: Korn Ferry (Talent Q)

Answer: Yes – Yes – No – Yes – No – No

Source: Korn Ferry (Talent Q)

Answer: Yes – No – Yes – No – No – Yes

Other Korn Ferry tests

Personality questionnaires 

Korn Ferry personality questionnaires evaluate a candidate’s workplace behavioral style and preferences. For example, these tests aim to assess the specific aspects of personality, predict work performance, task management, and workplace relationships, etc.

We think there are no right or wrong answers to these personality questionnaires. What you should remember is that it’s important to conduct thorough research on the position and company before you apply. Getting to know what your daily tasks are, who you may work with, what characteristics should be in that position, etc., also help you get ready for the personality test as well as the interview round. 

Situational judgment tests 

Korn Ferry situational judgment tests include various multiple-choice questions about real-life scenarios related to the job and company you’re applying for. The tests can have different forms, such as text, motion graphic animation, and video.

The best way to pass this test is to understand your dream job position and organization. Ideally, you can reach out to your friends or acquaintances who are doing the job you want to do. Ask them what their everyday tasks are, how their work environment is, what challenges they might face, etc. 

Motivation and values-based assessments 

Korn Ferry motivation and values-based assessments focus on the values and momentum of candidates in the workplace. That helps employers find factors to stimulate and energize their employees in their working lives. Korn Ferry believes having essential abilities, skills, and behaviors is not enough – it’s the employee’s engagement and motivation combined with capability that produces the best performance.

Competency-based assessments 

Korn Ferry competency-based assessments involve a list of statements about behavior at work – candidates need to rate each statement on a scale, from “completely untrue” to “very true”. These questions have no time limits, but you should give your responses immediately. The test often takes 8 minutes to complete.

Frequently asked questions

How are Korn Ferry assessments scored?

In Korn Ferry aptitude tests, scores are compared to other test takers and shown as a percentile. If your score is in the 75 percentile rank, your results are better than 75% of other candidates.

In other Korn Ferry tests, your results will be assessed against the main competencies, preferred behavior, culture fit, attitude and organizational values. 

Are calculators allowed in Korn Ferry assessments?

The answer is Yes. In addition to calculators, you should bring along a pen and paper for complicated calculations.

Which companies use Korn Ferry assessments? 

A lot of employers use Korn Ferry assessments in the recruitment process, especially for high-level positions like strategists, executives, and CEOs.

• Virgin Atlantic
• Ford
• Royal Mail
• AstraZeneca
• Coty
• Lloyds Bank
• Betfair
• RBS 

Practice with MConsultingPrep

Our aptitude test package includes over 1,400 questions covering numerical, verbal, and logical reasoning. Plus, we provide study guides for each question type, so you'll know exactly what to expect.

If you still feel hesitant to make a payment, try our free mock tests! You can experience numerical, verbal, and logical reasoning questions to see how they work.