What Is Siena Reasoning Test (SRT) & How to Prepare for It?

If you are looking to apply for a job at a reputable company in the United States, then you will most likely be asked to take the Siena Reasoning Test (SRT) by your potential employers. The SRT is a pre-employment exam created by Siena Consulting to evaluate prospective employees’ abilities and potential.

In this blog post, we break down the Siena Reasoning Test to help you understand what is expected of you, and we share some preparation tips so you can ace the exam.

About Siena Consulting

Siena Consulting is a company based in Princeton, New Jersey. The firm offers human resources services to companies to help them identify and hire the best candidates for the job.

Siena develops innovative methods of measuring intelligence and personality capabilities that increase performance in the workplace.

Siena Consulting also creates and analyses assessment systems to assist companies in identifying and developing the potential for leadership in their employees. Apart from pre-employment assessments, Siena Consulting also offers internal employee promotion tests.

What Is The Siena Reasoning Test?

The SRT is an award-winning logical aptitude test employers give potential employees to assess their cognitive abilities. Cognitive abilities refer to an individual’s capability to draw logical conclusions from the information provided, make decisions, and process information.

These abilities are critical to most jobs, especially those that require employees to read a lot of material and make inferences.

The test provides an optimal way to evaluate the multi-dimensional intelligence aspects used in a work environment.

The SRT can be adapted to suit the elements of intelligence that are situationally relevant across a range of jobs and organizations. Depending on the hiring company’s needs, the SRT may be comprised of a verbal and a non-verbal assessment to determine whether the potential employee is a good fit for the job at hand.

Most companies test candidates’ cognitive skills to determine whether their thinking aligns with the company’s values and mission. The Siena Reasoning Test aims to evaluate a potential employee’s logical capabilities and determine whether they are suitable for the job.

The SRT is a vital test for employers, as it helps companies save time and money by training employees who do not have the skills and knowledge required for the job.

The Siena Reasoning Test does not assess a candidate’s learned abilities or language skills but rather assesses your basic intelligence and reasoning.

Different versions of the SRT are used by Fortune 500 companies and a variety of government agencies.

What To Expect In The Siena Reasoning Test

Siena Consulting can customize the SRT to match the needs of a specific employer. As a result, the number of questions on the test can significantly vary. Generally, candidates are given one minute of time per question. So if the test has 45 questions, you will have a time limit of 45 minutes.

The fascinating aspect of the Siena Reasoning Test is that the test may look completely different from one employer to another. However, the general aim of the test remains the same.

As the SRT does not focus on the level of education an employee holds or their linguistic abilities, it creates an equal opportunity for candidates of all races, genders, education levels, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

This form of pre-employment evaluation minimizes bias in the hiring process and gives every applicant an equal chance to succeed.

Different Types Of Questions Asked In The Siena Reasoning Test

The SRT is different from other reasoning tests because no previous knowledge is needed. The aim of the test is to measure a candidate’s intelligence and reasoning skills regardless of general knowledge and linguistic skills. This is achieved by asking questions based only on the information and figures presented to you in the test.

The SRT is divided into two sections: verbal and non-verbal.

Verbal Section

The verbal section of the SRT consists of three different tests. In each test, the candidate is required to read a short passage.

The first test requires candidates to draw conclusions from the information they have just read. They will be presented with different options but will need to select the right one.

In the second test, candidates will need to determine whether statements about the passage in the test are either true, false, or inconclusive.

The third test presents candidates with a small group of choices and requires them to select the correct conclusion about the passage they have read.

Non-verbal Section

The non-verbal section of the SRT is a numerical and abstract reasoning test. Candidates will need to draw conclusions using abstract thought and numbers instead of words.

In the numerical reasoning part, candidates may be presented with charts, diagrams, or tables. They will need to use the information provided in these illustrations to answer the questions that follow.

In the abstract reasoning part, potential employees will be presented with a series of sequences that they will be required to complete based on the pattern they have been given.

Siena Reasoning Test Preparation Tips

It may be a little daunting if you have just discovered that you are required to take the Siena Reasoning Test. The good news is that you can prepare for online assessment tests.

Preparing for cognitive assessments requires different preparation than psychometric tests such as situational judgment tests.

Below are ten tips to help you prepare for the SRT

1. Know What You Are Taking

Prior to practicing it, it is important to find out the types of questions that will be asked in the SRT. If you can’t find these details, get in touch with the hiring manager to find out more information on the SRT.

2. Take Practice Tests

The most important preparation tip for the SRT is to practice sample questions. You can prepare for cognitive reasoning tests like SRT by practicing your verbal and non-verbal reasoning skills. This can be achieved by doing logic puzzles, playing crosswords, and finding ways to apply abstract reasoning.

Taking practice tests will help familiarize you with the format and style of questions on the actual test. This will improve your skills, boost your confidence, and keep you calm before taking the test.

The structure of the SRT makes practice tests and study guides very useful. Make sure you use high-quality study materials to prepare for the SRT. JobTestPrep provides over 1,000 SRT-type questions with in-depth explanations and solutions to enhance your logical reasoning skills.

3. Check Your Answers

Simply taking practice tests will not help improve your score. You need to learn from your mistakes and work on your weaknesses to get a higher score.

After completing the practice test, review your answers with the solutions and explanations. This will help you focus on weaker areas when preparing so that you are strong across all areas when it comes to the real test.

4. Don’t Be Narrow-Minded

Practicing for the SRT should not be limited to answering sample questions and taking practice tests. Make your preparation interesting by completing puzzles like crosswords and sudoku.

This will help improve your problem-solving and logical thinking skills, which will enable you to answer questions in the SRT easily.

5. Have a Strategy

While practicing, you will probably identify your most effective methods. For example, you may use a certain method to identify relationships or have a specific way of answering your questions.

Once you discover your strategy, you will be able to work through the SRT test questions more efficiently.

6. Work Under Timed Conditions

Like most logical reasoning tests, the SRT is taken under timed conditions. Therefore, you must take as many practice tests as you can under timed conditions similar to the real test.

This will make you more comfortable working under tight time constraints and help prepare you for the pace at which you need to work through the questions.

Try and take practice tests with the same questions as the actual test.

7. Practice Like it’s The Actual Test

Often, when you are practicing a test, it can be easy not to take it very seriously, and this can really affect your preparation. When you take a practice test, you must take it under similar conditions to the actual test.

This means finding a quiet spot that is free of distractions to take the test, completing the test in one sitting under timed conditions, and answering the questions without any external help.

8. Create a Study Plan

Study plans are not only for formal education; they are extremely effective for all studying types. Creating a study plan will help you stay organized and above board in terms of your preparation.

Study plans are great time management tools that will help you divide your time to cover all areas of the test. They also help reduce stress when preparing for a test.

9. Get Enough Rest

Having adequate rest before taking an aptitude test is often overlooked. However, it would help if you were well rested to maintain the consistent concentration level required when taking an SRT.

To ensure that you operate at peak performance during the test, make sure you get at least seven hours of sleep. Avoid drinking caffeine or alcohol the night before your test, as this may affect your sleep quality.

10. Incorporate Past Test Feedback Into Your Preparation

If you have taken logical reasoning tests before, make sure you use this experience in your preparation for the SRT. This will help you identify and improve weak areas and maintain your strengths.

How Long Is The Siena Reasoning Test?

As mentioned above, the Siena Reasoning Test can greatly differ from one company to another. Some tests may consist of 25 questions, while others may have 40 questions. Your time limit depends on the number of questions in the test.

Siena Reasoning Tests can be taken on a variety of devices, including tablets, laptops, computers, and cell phones. Usually, the test results are immediately available to the hiring company.

How Are Cognitive Abilities Tested?

Assessing general intelligence is usually done by asking questions that require verbal, numerical, and abstract reasoning. These questions are generally presented as basic illustrations or patterns.

Other questions are story-style and push the candidate to demonstrate their understanding of nuance and their situational awareness.

Final Thoughts

The Siena Reasoning Test requires using logic that is most often not used on a daily basis. This could make some of the questions in the test appear to be challenging. But if you practice enough sample questions and understand the reasoning skills needed, you will be able to work through the questions with lots of time to spare.

JobTestPrep offers a practice pack to help increase your confidence and make sure you ace the SRT test.