Thomas International GIA Test

The Thomas International General Intelligence Assessment (GIA) is an assessment of what is described as ‘fluid intelligence’. There are broadly two types of intelligence: fluid and crystallised.

• Crystallised intelligence means learned knowledge and experience; that is facts, figures, and other retained information and understanding from education, life and everyday knowledge.
• Fluid intelligence is the measure of your ability to process new information and how you use it to solve problems and identify patterns.

The GIA test assesses your fluid intelligence, mental capacity and problem-solving skills.

What Is the GIA Test?

The GIA test was originally developed to look at the intellect of Armed Forces recruits, and how easily they might be trained, as part of the recruitment process known as the British Army Recruitment Battery (BARB).

It was further developed into a psychometric test for Thomas International – used as a paper test since 1993 and in online testing since 2006.

Using the GIA, both employers and recruiters can make accurate predictions about your potential; whether you are applying within the same company (for a promotion or a move into a different department) or for a new opportunity.

It is also a great way for your employer to identify areas for development in a personal development programme, or to identify high-flyers and make sure that they are sufficiently challenged.

What to Expect From the Assessment

The GIA is split into five categories, each measuring a different cognitive skill.

The five categories are:

• Reasoning
• Perceptual speed
• Number speed and accuracy
• Word meaning
• Spatial visualization

As the GIA is entirely online, the test itself is very quick – only 20 minutes – with an additional 20 minutes or so of examples and instructions. You are not likely, or expected, to answer every question in the test.

Knowing what to expect from each section will allow you to perform at your best in the assessment, and practice questions will make you more confident about answering quickly. Try out some accurate, tailored GIA practice questions here.

Some more information about each section can be found below.

1. Reasoning

The reasoning section is testing your ability to retain information in your short-term memory and then use this knowledge to answer a question.

This part of the test involves a sentence that gives some information. It is then followed on the next page with a question and several possible answers. The information needs to be held in your memory, as the sentence will not be on the same page as the possible answers.

Tip: Make sure you don’t spend too long memorising the question word for word – simplify it if you can. This will save you time and help you be more accurate.

Example Question

1. Laura is smaller than Julia
2. Mark likes apples more than crisps
3. Paris is closer to London than New York

Question 1: Who is smaller?

a) Laura
b) Julia

Question 2: Which does Mark like better?

a) Crisps
b) Apples

Question 3: Which is closer to London?

a) Paris
b) New York

Remember, when this section of the test comes up, the sentence will be on a different page, so you must memorise the information to get the right answer.

2. Perceptual Speed

In this section, the GIA is looking at your ability to find errors and inaccuracies in the given information. Spotting errors requires you to ignore any irrelevant information and quickly recognise similarities, differences and patterns.

Letters will be shown in pairs, using both upper-case and lower-case. To answer the question correctly, you must identify the number of matching pairs in the group.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to count in your head or use your fingers. Time is of the essence and if you are not methodical in the way you look at the pairs, you will fall behind.

Example Question

Determine how many times the letters below appear in pairs:

a)

b)

c)

Answers:

a) 3
b) 2
c) 4

This can be trickier than it looks, especially when you know the test is timed. Be methodical in the way you look at the groupings, count as you go, and check twice to be sure. Look out for letters that look similar on first glance, such as ‘b’ and ‘D’ in this example.

3. Number Speed and Accuracy

This is a maths-based section, but you do not need much in the way of mathematical ability to answer it. During this section, you are being assessed on your ability to work with quantitative data comfortably.

This part of the GIA will present you with three numbers, and you are required to find out which one is furthest from the middle number.

Tip: The answer is provided; you just need to count. Don’t try and complicate things looking for the median.

Example Questions

1. For each of the three number sequences below, identify which number is furthest away from the middle number

a) 3, 17, 42
b) 10, 300, 560
c) 67, 58, 22

Answers:

a) 42
b) 10
c) 22

4. Word Meaning

In this section of the GIA, you are not only being tested on your knowledge and vocabulary, but also your comprehension of words.

You will be presented with three words and you need to identify the ‘odd one out’.

Tip: The words that are connected might be synonyms or antonyms, or they could have similar meanings or be part of the same thing but still have a differentiating factor.

Example Questions

1. Choose the word that doesn’t relate to the others:

Purple
Orange
Car

2. Choose the word that doesn’t relate to the others:

Circle
Oval
Square

3. Choose the word that doesn’t relate to the others:

Shoulder
Knee
Wrist

Answers:

1. Car. This one is straightforward; the answer is obvious.

2. Square. While they are all shapes, the first two are round.

3. Knee. These are all joints in the body, so we need to look at other differentiating factors. Here we can see that two are joints in the arm and, therefore, ‘knee’ doesn’t fit.

5. Spatial Visualisation

This part of the GIA is assessing your ability to use mental images to visualise an outcome.

You will be presented with two pairs of images in individual boxes. You need to answer whether the images are the same in either, both or none of the boxes.

TOP TIP: A mirror image is not seen as the same – but a rotated image is. Visualise the shapes moving in the box to see if they will fit exactly on top of each other.

Example Question

How many pairs are the same?

a) 1

b) 2
c) none

Answer: a) 1

The first pair are straightforward rotations of each other; they are therefore the same. The second pair has a rotated mirror image. Remember, mirror images are not considered the same.

How Is the Test Scored?

The GIA is scored based on not only accuracy but also speed. Spending too long answering a question, even if you get it correct, can bring down your overall score – as can rushing through and answering questions wrong.

Your score will be generated at the end, creating a report which your employer will receive.

The report shows your actual score as a percentile, as well as where you score in relation to a ‘norm’ group – a large swathe of previous test-takers. You will be able to see where your score lies in comparison to the general population and where your fluid intelligence is stronger (and weaker) than theirs.

This information is further distilled into bullet points that indicate where your individual strengths and weaknesses lie.

For example, if you score low in comparison to the ‘norm’ in perceptual speed, the test suggests that you might struggle to spot inaccuracies. If you score highly in word meaning, you are likely to have a wide vocabulary and be able to express yourself well.

How to Do Well on Your Test

Doing well on the GIA will improve your chances of getting a promotion or a new role, as well as identifying your potential to be a high-flyer or an exceptional candidate.

Here are our top tips for success on the Thomas GIA test:

• Practice – To know each section inside out, you need to practice. This will make you more confident when answering the questions, as well as honing your ability to spot errors, make connections and visualise answers. You can get started with these practice questions from JobTestPrep.

• Approach it logically – Don’t panic and answer too quickly; although this test is scored on speed, it is also scored on accuracy. Taking that extra couple of seconds to absorb and retain the questions and possible answers could be the difference between a right and a wrong answer.
• Find your rhythm – You have limited time to answer as many questions as you can, so finding a rhythm will help you. This will come from your practice. Applying the tip above in conjunction with finding your flow will make the process simpler and easier in all sections, and will avoid you spending too long on any particular question.
• Don’t be afraid to count – Counting pairs in your head or using your hands, or sounding out words in your head, or even tilting your head to see if your presented shapes match are all ways to work with the given information. Although you cannot use paper or pens in the test – it takes too long – you may well need to engage physical actions to help you retain information.
• Understand the question – While this might seem obvious, it can be confusing. The questions themselves are not overly challenging (they require no previous knowledge or crystallised intelligence) but you should read the question carefully to ensure you are spotting the right thing. You can achieve this through practice. Don’t forget that in the perceptual speed section you will be required to memorise some information that you have to later answer a question on, so simplify it – and the other questions – where you can.

Final Thoughts

The Thomas International GIA is part of a suite of psychometric tests that can help employers and recruiters evaluate employees and predict their suitability for a role.

The GIA is a quick online test that evaluates your fluid intelligence. It isn’t an IQ test, but rather an applied intelligence test which can give insight on how quickly you learn and adapt.

To do well on this test, you need to be able to perform well under pressure and make quick and accurate decisions in more than one area. This is not necessarily a learned skill, but practice questions and assessments will improve your confidence and ensure that you can settle into a rhythm in answering questions.

Remember, this test is not just about right answers – it is about speed too, so pondering too long over a single question could seriously impinge on your performance.