Arctic Shores Assessment Test [2024]

 

What Is the Arctic Shores Test?

The Arctic Shores Assessment Test consists of 10 gamified tests designed to evaluate cognitive and behavioral traits in an unbiased environment. The games, such as the Power Generator Game, the Team Sales Game, and the Tickets Game, might seem straightforward but are crafted to measure a range of complex characteristics.

To excel in these assessments, understanding what each game aims to measure and the behaviors that are expected is vital. This knowledge can significantly influence how you approach each game, ensuring that your responses align with the traits being assessed.

💡  Let's give a detailed overview of the 10 Arctic Shores games.

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The 10 Arctic Shores Games (With Examples)

Arctic Shores is used as a pre-employment psychometric test by employers across various fields including Capita, KPMG, PwC, and Deloitte (Big 4 Companies). The assessment test includes up to ten tasks, each designed as a game.

Here you can see the instructions for each task, which traits they evaluate, and examples.

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The game involves a board filled with tiles displaying various icons. As the game progresses, these icons light up in a specific sequence which you are required to memorize and replicate by clicking the tiles in the exact order. The game terminates if you make two consecutive errors.

The challenge of the game lies in its adaptive nature: each successful round results in a longer and more complex sequence, testing your memory and attention further. At a certain point, the game introduces a new type of icon meant to serve as a distraction. This icon should be ignored as you focus on the sequence.

Measured Traits:
- Memory: Tests your ability to recall sequences accurately.
- Balancing automatic and controlled behavior: Requires you to manage your instinctual reactions and deliberate actions.
- Response speed and efficiency: Evaluate how quickly and effectively you process and react to new information.

Preparation: Success in this game hinges on two key elements:
- Sharp short-term memory: Being able to quickly memorize and recall sequences.
- Pattern recognition: Understanding and anticipating the evolving patterns of the sequences.

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In this Arctic Shores game, you're tasked with operating a power generator, where your objective is to produce as much power as possible by clicking buttons. The game concludes after a set number of clicks.

The twist in this game is that each generator button has the potential to either increase your power output or unexpectedly drain it. Therefore, each click involves a risk that could either benefit or hinder your progress.

Measured Traits:
- Learning Ability: Your capability to adapt and learn from previous outcomes to improve future performance.
- Impulsivity: This game evaluates your tendency to act on impulse versus making calculated decisions based on the game's feedback.
- Risk Tolerance: It measures how well you handle the uncertainty and potential negative consequences of your actions.
- Pattern Recognition: Your success depends on recognizing any underlying patterns or rules that govern the generators' behavior.

Preparation: To maximize power output, effective preparation involves:
- Understanding Patterns: Learning to discern the rules and patterns each generator follows, which can guide when to click or refrain from clicking to optimize power production.

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The game – you will be presented with three rows of arrows. Your job is to determine if the middle arrow is facing right or left. The game has 80 rounds. This game is a common psychological task and exists, for instance, in the Pymetrics Games test.

The catch – the surrounding arrows can distract you by turning in the opposite direction and changing shapes. As the game progresses, the arrows will appear more quickly. Pressing too early or too late is considered an error. 

Measured Traits –

• Focus
• Attention
• Problem-solving

Preparation – this task is about focusing, paying attention, and blocking distractions in a stressful environment. The best way to prepare for this task is to practice these elements as much as possible. 

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The game – you will be presented with a scenario in which your team and another team have launched the same product. Your job is to set a high or low price for your team's product. The game has 12 rounds.

The catch – the outcome of your decision is dependent on the other team's pricing. 

Measured Traits  – 

• Decision making
• Risk-taking ability
• Learning ability
• Fairness
• Teamwork

Preparation – since both your and the other team's price will influence your reward, you must be familiar with the game's rules and teamwork factors to maximize your reward. 

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In this Arctic Shores task, you are presented with two boxes that display tickets with changing numbers. Your job is to organize these tickets in the correct order through 80 rounds.

The complexity arises as each box has its own set of rules for organizing the tickets. Initially, these rules are displayed, but as the game progresses, they gradually fade away, leaving you to remember and apply them under pressure. Additionally, timing is crucial, as pressing too early or too late will count as an error.

Measured Traits:
- Focus: Assessing your ability to concentrate on tasks over an extended period.
- Attention: Evaluating how well you maintain attention to details in a dynamic environment.
- Cognitive processing: Testing your ability to process information quickly and accurately.

Preparation: Effective preparation involves practicing in a simulated environment similar to the game. This helps you become comfortable with the game’s pressure and dynamics, allowing you to perform optimally with fewer mistakes.

 

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In this game, you are presented with a balloon that you can pump to increase the amount of money it holds. At any moment, you have the option to collect the accumulated money and move on to the next balloon. Your goal is to maximize your earnings across 45 rounds. This game is similar to the well-known Pymetrics Balloon Game.

The challenge arises because the balloon can burst with each pump. If it explodes, you lose all the money you haven't collected, and you must start with a new balloon.

Measured Traits:
- Pattern recognition: This trait is tested through your ability to notice any patterns in the timing of when balloons tend to burst.
- Risk-taking ability: Evaluates your willingness to risk losing money for the chance of gaining more.
- Motivation by reward: Assesses how reward influences your decision-making process.
- Drive: Looks at your persistence and determination to maximize gains despite potential setbacks.

Preparation: To excel at this game, understanding the non-random probabilities of balloon explosions is crucial. Mastering the task involves learning and recognizing these patterns during the game to make informed decisions about when to stop pumping and collect your money.

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In this Arctic Shores game, you are presented with images of faces displaying various expressions. Your task is to correctly identify the emotion being expressed from a list of seven options, across 50 rounds.

The challenge lies in the ambiguity of some facial expressions and the fact that the correct emotion may not always be among the listed options. This tests your ability to discern subtle emotional cues under constraints.

Measured Traits:
- Emotional intelligence: This trait is assessed by your ability to accurately read and interpret the emotions of others through facial expressions.
- Workplace intelligence: Evaluates your understanding of social cues and emotional responses, which are critical in a professional setting.

Preparation: Although it might seem straightforward, games measuring emotional intelligence can be quite complex. To perform well, it is essential to focus closely on each facial feature to accurately decode the emotions displayed. This attention to detail will help you achieve a higher score in the game.

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In this game, you'll encounter a code lock where your objective is to create the correct passcode by stopping a rotating area on a highlighted number. The game consists of 20 rounds, and you have the option to exit at any point and proceed to the next game.

The twist in this game is that the rotation speed varies with each round, making it increasingly challenging to stop accurately. Additionally, any error results in the lock being reset, requiring you to start the combination anew.

Measured Traits:
- Reaction time: This trait is tested by your ability to quickly and accurately stop the rotation at the right moment.
- Focus: Your ability to maintain attention and concentrate on the changing speeds and positions is crucial.

Preparation: Effective preparation for this task demands your undivided attention, swift reaction times, and the capability to quickly adapt to new patterns. Practicing in a simulated environment that mimics these dynamic changes can significantly enhance these skills, better preparing you for the actual game.

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In this game, you are presented with a series of squares, each containing shapes that vary in number, location, size, color, and the direction of their movement. These squares form a sequence, and your task is to determine the next pattern in this sequence. The game consists of 20 rounds, which must be completed within 17 minutes. Note that this particular game might not always be included in the Arctic Shores assessments.

The complexity of the game arises from the fact that any aspect of the shapes could change from one square to the next, serving as the basis for the pattern.

Measured Traits:
- Pattern recognition: This trait is assessed by your ability to discern and predict changes in the sequence.
- Information processing: Your capability to quickly absorb and analyze varying information is tested.
- Speed processing: Evaluates how fast you can process and respond to the information.
- Logical reasoning: Your logical thinking is tested through the need to apply rules to identify the sequence.
- Spatial reasoning: This involves understanding the spatial relationships between different shapes and their transformations.

Preparation: To prepare effectively for this task, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with the types of rules that are commonly used to govern the sequences. Practicing with similar puzzles that challenge you to identify changes in shape, color, or movement can help you become adept at quickly recognizing the governing patterns, despite the variation from one sequence to the next.

 

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In this particular task of the Arctic Shores assessment, unlike the other gamified tests, you'll engage with a traditional multiple-choice format centered on data analysis. You will be presented with various sets of data, including tables and charts, and your job is to answer questions based on the information provided. The task has a strict time constraint of 18 minutes, giving you approximately one minute per question. It's important to note that this test may not always be included in the Arctic Shores assessment.

The challenge here stems from the complexity of the data, which may require you to perform intricate calculations quickly.

Measured Traits:
- Information processing: This trait is tested by your ability to quickly absorb, interpret, and apply information from the data sets.
- Numerical reasoning: Evaluates your proficiency in using numbers and performing calculations to make logical decisions.

Preparation: Effective preparation for this task involves extensive practice with similar types of numerical questions under timed conditions. Regularly solving practice problems can improve your speed and accuracy in interpreting complex data and executing calculations, which is crucial for excelling in this test.

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The Skyrise City App

Arctic Shores has taken a unique approach to a psychometric assessment:

The Arctic Shores Test is accessed through an app called Skyrise City. Appropriately for a game-based assessment, the app design and interface are rather reminiscent of a mobile game, except that it can only be accessed with a username and a password which your employer will provide and will be valid for a limited time.

In the app, the Arctic Shores Games are all contained within an imaginary space called Skyrise City - hence the name. 

Specific high-profile customers will have their own Arctic Shores apps, named something other than Skyrise City. Several apps administer the test, including Skyrise City and Arcadis Challenge. In addition, customized versions of the test are administered by individual companies, such as KPMG, Metro Bank, and PwC.

The app can be downloaded on desktop (Windows and Mac), and all recent iOS and Android phones. This makes Arctic Shores one of the few psychometric assessments that can be taken on mobile. This is unusual with traditional aptitude tests and even other gamified assessments.

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Arctic Shores Assessment Profile Report

After completing the assessment, you will receive a profile report that encapsulates your unique psychological traits. The report is generated from thousands of data points measured during your assessment and given to employers.

The data points reflect your approach while taking each task. They are used to calculate your score across 34 personality and cognitive traits, such as resilience, creativity, learning agility, information processing, and emotional intelligence. The traits are organized into five sections – Personal Style, Cognition, Drive, Interpersonal Style, and Thinking Style.

Your characteristics are presented on a scale that reflects your tendencies against data collected from a large comparison group.

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Tips for Acing the Arctic Shores Assessments

To really ace your hiring process and show recruiters your true potential, here is a handful of helpful tips to achieve success on the Arctic Shores tests:

• Read the instructions:

Even though it looks like a game, the tasks are not games but rather gamified assessments of your natural traits. Do not presume you know what to do, even if you are an experienced gamer. Read the instructions carefully before starting the task.

• Be prepared:

Practice the games beforehand, and understand every game, what stands behind it, and what traits it measures.

• Maximize your setting:

Set up a quiet and comfortable area where you will not be distracted and disturbed. Ensure your keyboard is working properly and your Internet connection is stable. 

• Your Role Matters:

The eventual goal of the Arctic Shores game is to find out whether you are a good fit for a particular job. That will influence the way you behave in games. Remember that the level of emotional intelligence, risk-taking, drive, etc., expected from you will depend on your job, so there is no “one-size-fits-all” to pass the Arctic Shores test.