Arctic Shores Assessment Test – Guide and Practice [2024]

The Arctic Shores Assessment Test is a collection of 10 gamified tests, intended to assess your cognitive and behavioral abilities in a bias-free setting. Ganes include the Power Generator Game, the Team Sales Game, and the Tickets Game.

While the games themselves are rather simple, they actually measure a complex variety of traits. To succeed in the assessment, it is crucial to know what each game assesses and what your expected behavior is.

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

The assessment test includes up to ten tasks, each designed as a game.

Here you can see the instructions for each task, which traits are measured, and examples.

The game – You will be presented with a board of tiles; the icons on the tiles will light up in a sequence. Your job is to memorize the sequence and click on the tiles in the same order. The game will end after two errors in a row.

The catch – the game is adaptive, and with every round you succeed, the sequence gets longer and harder to repeat. At some point, a new type of icon is added to the game as a distraction, and you must ignore it. 

Measured Traits – 

• Memory
• Balancing automatic and controlled behavior
• Responses’ speed and efficiency to incoming information

Preparation – there are two elements to ace the task: a sharp short-term memory and knowing the patterns of the sequences.

The game – you will be presented with a power generator. Your job is to produce power by clicking the buttons. The game will end after a certain amount of clicking.

The catch – every generator can both increase and drain the amount of restored power, so with every click, there's a chance that you lose power instead of producing it. 

Measured Traits  –

• Learning ability
• Impulsivity
• Risk tolerance
• Pattern Recognition

Preparation – to produce maximum power, you need to learn how to recognize the rules and patterns of each generator. 

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. 

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. 

The game – you will be presented with two boxes that display tickets with changing numbers. Your job is to organize the tickets in the correct order. The game has 80 rounds. 

The catch – each box has different rules for organizing the tickets. At first, the rules are presented to you during the game, but over time they disappear. In addition, everything is done under time pressure, and pressing too early or too late is considered an error. 

Measured Traits – 

• Focus
• Attention
• Cognitive processing

Preparation – in this task, you must pay attention to multiple variables. A practice simulation of the game will allow you to feel at ease in the stressful environment and achieve the maximal result with minimum errors. 

The game – you will be presented with a balloon that needs to be pumped in exchange for money. At any point, you can choose to collect your money and move on to the next balloon. Your job is to earn as much money as possible. The game has 45 rounds. Many test takers are familiar with this game from the Pymetrics Balloon Game.

The catch – the balloon can burst in every pump. Once it explodes, you lose the money that you haven't exchanged, and you will move on to the next balloon. 

Measured Traits – 

• Pattern recognition
• Risk-taking ability
• Motivation by reward
• Drive

Preparation – the explosions of the balloons are not random, and there are several pattern probabilities for their timing. To master the task, you need to learn the patterns and how to recognize them during the game.

The game – you will be presented with pictures of faces with different expressions. Your job is to identify what the person in the picture is feeling out of 7 optional expressions. The game has 50 rounds.

The catch – some expressions are intentionally vague, and sometimes the accurate expression is not listed.

Measured Traits – 

• Emotional intelligence

Preparation – while it may seem that this is an easy and intuitive task, it can be pretty tricky. You must pay extra attention to every facial feature to get a high score on this task

The game – you will be presented with a code lock. Your job is to form the passcode of the lock by stopping the rotating area on the highlighted number. The game has at least 15 rounds; at any point, you can exit the game and continue to the next game.

The catch – the rotation speed changes in every round, and every mistake will reset the lock.

Measured Traits – 

• Reaction time
• Focus

Preparation – this task requires your full attention and quick reaction time, and the ability to adapt to a new pattern every few seconds. To be well prepared for this task, you must simulate and sharpen these three elements. 

The game – you will be presented with a series of squares, each containing shapes in various shapes. Together the squares create a sequence. Your job is to identify the following pattern in the sequence. The game has 20 rounds to complete in 17 minutes.  Note that this game will not always appear on the Arctic Shores assessment.

The catch – every change between one square to another can be the pattern – number of shapes, their location, size, colouring, the direction of their movement, etc.  

Measured traits – 

• Pattern recognition
• Information processing
• Speed processing

Preparation –  the rules governing the series vary from one question to the next, and figuring out one sequence doesn't make the next one any easier. Therefore, the best way to prepare for this task is to familiarize yourself with the game's most common type of rules.

The game - This is the only task not constructed as a game but as a traditional multiple-choice test. You will be presented with sets of data consisting of tables and charts. Your job is to answer the questions using the provided data. The game has a time limit of 18 minutes – one minute for every question. Note that this game will not always appear on the Arctic Shores assessment.

The catch - the data presented can be highly complicated and requires complex calculations in a very short time. 

Measured Traits – 

• Information processing 
• Numerical reasoning

Preparation – as with any numeric problem – practice makes perfect. Therefore, you should simulate the task by solving as many similar numeric questions in a limited time. 

To take the Arctic Shores assessment, you may be asked to install an app on your phone or Mac/PC.

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.

Take notice that you cannot use the app for training or fun, and you cannot use it without a username and password. The company you applied to will send you your login credentials, which will only be valid for a limited time.

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. 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.

• Read the instructions:

Even though it looks like a game, the tasks are not games but an assessment 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.

To learn more about gamified tests and their challenges go to our Game-Based Assessments page. 

Pymetrics Games

P&G Assessment