Barclays Online Assessment [Cognitive Ability] – Full Guide and Practice

The correct answer is C – quadrupled.

Let’s simplify the entire formula of the efficiency score by plugging in all components:

E = [P/F] = [I/T] / [D/I] = [I2/F x T]

Since “I” is squared in this formula, doubling it, and maintaining a constant number of defected items will quadruple the total efficiency score.

Legend:

• E = Efficiency Score
• P = Production Rate
• F = Fault Ratio
• I = Items Produced
• D = Defected Items
• T = Time

The correct answer is E – Nile.

Calculating the change is percentages is done by this simple formula:

{100 x [Closing – Opening]} / [Opening]

Calculating the percentages:

• Banana – 13%
• Frontnovel – 22%
• Nanohard – -4%
• Graham’s – -19%
• Nile – 29%

The correct answer is A – 18.

The main challenge in word problem questions is to convert sentences to equations. Let’s do just that, sentence by sentence:

• Andy has 12 marbles more than Bob → A = B + 12
• Bob has 6 marbles more than Chris → B = C + 6
• Andy has twice as many marbles as Chris has → A = 2C

Since we need Chris’s number of marbles, we’ll want to leave only the Cs, and express A and B with them. So, plugging equations 2+3 into 1:

2C = C + 6 +12 → C = 18.

Chris has 18 marbles.

The correct answer is 3.

With every step, two things happen:

• The arrow rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise (When the arrow is horizontal, it is hidden behind the rectangle).
• The black rectangle moves one step to the right.

The correct answer is 3.

The rule of the overall shape is that every shape (black star, white star, rectangle, circle, square) appears a total of 7 times. For instance, there is one triangle with 4 circles, one with 2 circles, and one with 1 circle – overall, 7 circles.

There are, however, only 6 rectangles, and therefore the missing shape shpuld contain one rectangle.

The correct answer is B.

• (Statement 2) Lauren and all her team members work part-time = No-one on Lauren’s team doesn’t work part-time.
• (Statement 4) Dan works full-time = Dan does not work part-time.

Therefore, Dan is not in Lauren’s team.

Let’s also briefly explain why all other conclusions are wrong:

Conclusion A – Dan is a student.

All those who work part-time are students (Statement 3), but we know nothing about the reverse relationship. Therefore, we cannot necessarily conclude whether Dan is a student or not.

Conclusion C – Some of the employees in James’s team do not work part-time.

James works in Lauren’s team (Statement 1), and all of Lauren’s team members work part-time. Therefore, no one on James’s (and Lauren’s) team works full time, and this conclusion is false.

Conclusion D – Dan and James work on the same team.

Since we already know that Lauren and Dan do not work on the same team, then, necessarily, Dan and James also do not work on the same team, and this conclusion is false.

Conclusion E – Lauren is not a student.

The answer here is similar to that in Conclusion A – we do not necessarily know whether Lauren, who works part-time, is a student or not.

The correct answer is D.

Let’s calculate the LEAST number of contracts Josh could have signed:

• Matthew – 16 contracts.
• Rosie – AT LEAST 17 contracts (more than Matthew).
• Alexandra – AT LEAST 16 + 17 + 4 = 37 contracts.
• Josh – AT LEAST 3 x 37 = 111.

Let’s also briefly explain why all other conclusions are wrong:

Conclusion A – Alexandra signed more than 40 contracts.

As we’ve seen, the least number of contracts that could have been signed by Alexandra is 37, so it is possible that she has signed less than 40 contracts.

Conclusion B – Josh signed at least seven times the number of contract Matthew signed.

The least number of contracts that could have been signed by Josh is 111, which is just a little less than 7 x 16 = 112.

It is very probable that Josh signed more than the least number of contracts (111), but it cannot be necessarily deduced, as it is possible that he has signed the minimum number of 111.

Conclusion C – Alexandra signed at least twice the number of contracts Rosie did.

The formula that dictates the number of contracts signed by Alexandra is:

A = M + R + 4

For Conclusion C to be correct:

A = M + R + 4 >= 2R (No. of contracts signed by Alexandra is equal to, or larger, than twice the number of contracts signed by Rosie).

That means:

R <= M + 4 (If Rosie signed 4 or more contracts more than Matthew, Conclusion C is correct.

Since it is possible that Rosie signed less than 4 contracts more than Matthew, that conclusion is not necessarily correct.

Conclusion E – Rosie signed more than 20 contracts.

As we have explained above, for Conclusion C, Rosie could sign any number of contracts that is greater than 16, so this conclusion is not necessarily correct.

The correct answer is D. The ranking is V, X, U, Y, W, Z.

At first, all we know is that Y is the fourth largest:

__  __  __  Y  __  __

Since W is larger than Z and smaller than Y, that means that Z is necessarily the smallest, and W is the fifth largest:

__  __  __  Y  W  Z

This leaves ranks 1,2, and 3 for U, V, and X.

Since X is larger than U and smaller than V, that necessarily means that V is the largest, X comes second, and U third.

V, X, U, Y, W, Z

The only statement that aligns with this ranking is statement D.

The correct answer is C.

According to the passage, limnic eruptions can happen “only in deep volcanic crater lakes near the equator.” The passage also states that “a very unique combination of circumstances is required” to produce such an eruption, which means that all conditions must exist simultaneously.

As we know that a limnic eruption is possible in Lake Kivu, it necessarily means that it is a deep volcanic crater lake near the equator.

Let’s briefly explain why other answers are incorrect:

Answer A – Around 900 people lost their lives in the eruption in Lake Monoun.

We know that around 1,800 people have lost their lives in both eruptions, but nothing is said about how many people have lost their lives in each eruption.

Answer B – It is technologically impossible to prevent a limnic eruption in lake Kivu.

While no solution was implemented, we cannot deduce that it was because such a solution is technologically impossible – it may have been too expensive to sustain, or that other factors prevent it.

Answer D – Limnic eruptions can happen only in Cameroon.

The text explicitly mentions that a limnic eruption is possible in Lake Kivu, which is not in Cameroon. In addition, while the only two documented limnic eruptions happened in Cameroon, it does not mean that such eruptions can happen only there.

Answer E – Lake Kivu is not located near the equator.

Going back to the explanation regarding the correct answer (C), lake Kivu must be located near the equator for a limnic eruption to be possible there. As such, this answer is wrong.