Learn by Novus · Open practice pack v1

Processing speed: full practice bank: open practice pack

100 untimed questions across 10 authored sections.

This is untimed educational practice for one cognitive skill. It is not a clinical, diagnostic, employment, or professionally recognized assessment, and it does not produce an IQ score or credential.

Learner worksheet

One hundred untimed self-check items in ten sections. In timed tests these tasks reward speed, but here accuracy comes first. Work briskly yet comfortably and let pace build with practice.

Choose one answer for each item. For a delayed-recall item, read its study text, cover it, and then answer without looking back.

Warm-up: quick counting and spotting

Ease in with quick counts, comparisons, and spot-the-difference checks.

1. processing-speed-q1

How many times does the digit '7' appear in this string: 7192747378179

  1. 3
  2. 4
  3. 5
  4. 6

Answer:

2. processing-speed-q2

Which number does not belong with the others: 12, 18, 24, 29, 36?

  1. 12
  2. 24
  3. 29
  4. 36

Answer:

3. processing-speed-q3

How many vowels (a, e, i, o, u) appear in this string of letters: 'tefaomulcezirp'?

  1. 4
  2. 5
  3. 6
  4. 7

Answer:

4. processing-speed-q4

In the sequence 3, 6, 9, 12, __, 18, what number is missing?

  1. 14
  2. 15
  3. 16
  4. 17

Answer:

5. processing-speed-q5

How many pairs of consecutive identical digits appear in this number: 1123455678?

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Answer:

6. processing-speed-q6

Which of these four number pairs sums to exactly 100: (37,64), (45,55), (52,49), (68,31)?

  1. (37, 64)
  2. (45, 55)
  3. (52, 49)
  4. (68, 31)

Answer:

7. processing-speed-s01-q07

How many words in this list start with the letter B: banana, berry, apple, bread, cherry, basket?

  1. 4
  2. 3
  3. 5
  4. 2

Answer:

8. processing-speed-s01-q08

Which of these numbers is the largest: 89, 98, 88, 99?

  1. 89
  2. 98
  3. 88
  4. 99

Answer:

9. processing-speed-s01-q09

How many times does the letter 'a' appear in the word 'banana'?

  1. 3
  2. 2
  3. 4
  4. 1

Answer:

10. processing-speed-s01-q10

Count the even numbers in this list: 3, 8, 5, 12, 7, 6, 9.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 4
  4. 3

Answer:

Symbol and letter scanning

Scan each string or row once and count or locate the target exactly.

11. processing-speed-s02-q01

How many times does the letter 'x' appear in this string: 'oxkxvexnxo'?

  1. 4
  2. 3
  3. 5
  4. 2

Answer:

12. processing-speed-s02-q02

In the row ■ ● ■ ▲ ● ■ ▲ ■ ●, how many ■ symbols appear?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 5

Answer:

13. processing-speed-s02-q03

How many capital letters appear in this string: 'aBcDeFgh'?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 5

Answer:

14. processing-speed-s02-q04

How many digits appear in this mixed string: 'a7k2p9x1c'?

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Answer:

15. processing-speed-s02-q05

How many vowels (a, e, i, o, u) appear in 'krotepzim'?

  1. 3
  2. 4
  3. 5
  4. 6

Answer:

16. processing-speed-s02-q06

Which letter appears exactly twice in the string 'p q r p s q p'?

  1. p
  2. r
  3. q
  4. s

Answer:

17. processing-speed-s02-q07

In the row ● ▲ ● ● ▲ ■ ● ▲, how many ▲ symbols appear?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 5

Answer:

18. processing-speed-s02-q08

How many lower-case letters appear in 'tRezpLms'?

  1. 3
  2. 4
  3. 5
  4. 6

Answer:

19. processing-speed-s02-q09

How many of these words contain the letter pair 'th': moth, mat, bath, tin, hop, cot?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 5

Answer:

20. processing-speed-s02-q10

In the string 'oodoooddo', how many 'o's appear?

  1. 4
  2. 5
  3. 6
  4. 7

Answer:

Rapid mental arithmetic

Solve each sum in your head: accuracy first, then pace.

21. processing-speed-s03-q01

What is 17 + 26?

  1. 42
  2. 43
  3. 44
  4. 45

Answer:

22. processing-speed-s03-q02

What is 62 − 27?

  1. 32
  2. 33
  3. 34
  4. 35

Answer:

23. processing-speed-s03-q03

What is 8 × 7?

  1. 56
  2. 54
  3. 58
  4. 64

Answer:

24. processing-speed-s03-q04

What is 45 + 38?

  1. 81
  2. 82
  3. 83
  4. 84

Answer:

25. processing-speed-s03-q05

What is 9 × 6?

  1. 52
  2. 54
  3. 56
  4. 58

Answer:

26. processing-speed-s03-q06

What is 74 − 38?

  1. 33
  2. 34
  3. 35
  4. 36

Answer:

27. processing-speed-s03-q07

What is 120 ÷ 8?

  1. 15
  2. 16
  3. 14
  4. 12

Answer:

28. processing-speed-s03-q08

What is 13 + 28 + 9?

  1. 48
  2. 49
  3. 50
  4. 51

Answer:

29. processing-speed-s03-q09

What is half of 76?

  1. 36
  2. 38
  3. 40
  4. 42

Answer:

30. processing-speed-s03-q10

What is 25 × 4?

  1. 75
  2. 90
  3. 95
  4. 100

Answer:

Exact matching and comparison

Compare codes and names character by character to find exact matches.

31. processing-speed-s04-q01

Which of these matches the reference code GHT-4402 exactly?

  1. GHT-4420
  2. GTH-4402
  3. GHT-4402
  4. GHT-4022

Answer:

32. processing-speed-s04-q02

Which of these four pairs is an exact match?

  1. A) MZ-7719 / MZ-7719
  2. B) MZ-7719 / MZ-7791
  3. C) ZM-7719 / MZ-7719
  4. D) MZ-7119 / MZ-7719

Answer:

33. processing-speed-s04-q03

Which of these codes is different from the other three?

  1. A) PLQ-880
  2. B) PLQ-880
  3. C) PLQ-880
  4. D) PLO-880

Answer:

34. processing-speed-s04-q04

Which of these matches 'Bramfield Lane 27' exactly?

  1. Bramfield Lane 72
  2. Bramfield Lane 27
  3. Brampfield Lane 27
  4. Bramfield Lane 21

Answer:

35. processing-speed-s04-q05

Which word appears twice in this list: harbour, harbor, harbour, arbour?

  1. harbor
  2. arbour
  3. harbour
  4. No word appears twice

Answer:

36. processing-speed-s04-q06

Which of these four pairs is NOT an exact match?

  1. A) TK-9906 / TK-9096
  2. B) TK-9906 / TK-9906
  3. C) RV-3321 / RV-3321
  4. D) LP-0785 / LP-0785

Answer:

37. processing-speed-s04-q07

The reference code is 60482-Q. Which option matches it exactly?

  1. 60428-Q
  2. 60482-O
  3. 64082-Q
  4. 60482-Q

Answer:

38. processing-speed-s04-q08

Which of these matches 'Whitfield & Grayson Ltd' exactly?

  1. Whitfield & Greyson Ltd
  2. Whitfield & Grayson Ltd
  3. Whitefield & Grayson Ltd
  4. Whitfield and Grayson Ltd

Answer:

39. processing-speed-s04-q09

How many of these four codes match the reference 2281-VD: 2281-VD, 2281-DV, 2281-VD, 2218-VD?

  1. 0
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3

Answer:

40. processing-speed-s04-q10

Which of these four-digit codes contains the same digit twice?

  1. 4535
  2. 4790
  3. 1263
  4. 9805

Answer:

Coding and substitution

Each item gives its own code key. Apply it swiftly and precisely.

41. processing-speed-s05-q01

Code key: ▲ = 1, ● = 2, ■ = 3. What number does ● ▲ ■ represent?

  1. 123
  2. 231
  3. 312
  4. 213

Answer:

42. processing-speed-s05-q02

A code swaps each letter with its mirror from the end of the alphabet: A becomes Z, B becomes Y, C becomes X. Following the same rule, what does D become?

  1. V
  2. W
  3. X
  4. U

Answer:

43. processing-speed-s05-q03

Code key: 1 = R, 2 = E, 3 = D, 4 = O. What word does 3-4-4-1 spell?

  1. DOOR
  2. ODOR
  3. RODE
  4. REDO

Answer:

44. processing-speed-s05-q04

Shift each letter forward by one place in the alphabet (A becomes B, B becomes C, and so on). What does 'CAT' become?

  1. DAU
  2. CBU
  3. DBU
  4. DBV

Answer:

45. processing-speed-s05-q05

Code key: ◆ = 4, ● = 7, ▲ = 2. What is the sum of ◆ ● ▲ ◆?

  1. 13
  2. 15
  3. 16
  4. 17

Answer:

46. processing-speed-s05-q06

Code key: 2 = N, 4 = E, 6 = S, 8 = T. What word does 2-4-6-8 spell?

  1. NETS
  2. NEST
  3. SENT
  4. TENS

Answer:

47. processing-speed-s05-q07

Shift each letter back by one place in the alphabet (B becomes A, C becomes B, and so on). What does 'DOG' become?

  1. CNF
  2. CNG
  3. DNF
  4. ENG

Answer:

48. processing-speed-s05-q08

Code key: P = ◆, Q = ●, R = ▲. Which symbol sequence encodes 'RPQ'?

  1. ◆ ● ▲
  2. ● ▲ ◆
  3. ▲ ◆ ●
  4. ▲ ● ◆

Answer:

49. processing-speed-s05-q09

Using the code 1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C and so on through the alphabet, what word does 6-1-3-5 spell?

  1. FADE
  2. FACE
  3. CAFE
  4. BEAD

Answer:

50. processing-speed-s05-q10

Using the code 1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C and so on, what is the sum of the position numbers of the letters in 'BEE'?

  1. 7
  2. 10
  3. 11
  4. 12

Answer:

Number comparison and ordering

Compare, order, and pick out numbers against the rule given.

51. processing-speed-s06-q01

Which of these is the smallest: 0.45, 0.54, 0.405, 0.5?

  1. 0.405
  2. 0.45
  3. 0.5
  4. 0.54

Answer:

52. processing-speed-s06-q02

Which number is closest to 500: 468, 529, 507, 490?

  1. 468
  2. 529
  3. 507
  4. 490

Answer:

53. processing-speed-s06-q03

If you sort 3/4, 2/3, and 4/5 from smallest to largest, which comes last?

  1. 2/3
  2. 3/4
  3. They are all equal
  4. 4/5

Answer:

54. processing-speed-s06-q04

Which is larger: 7 × 8 or 9 × 6?

  1. 9 × 6
  2. 7 × 8
  3. They are equal
  4. It cannot be determined

Answer:

55. processing-speed-s06-q05

Which of these numbers is even AND greater than 50: 48, 62, 57, 45?

  1. 62
  2. 48
  3. 57
  4. 45

Answer:

56. processing-speed-s06-q06

How many of these numbers are greater than 3.5: 3.09, 3.51, 3.499, 3.6, 3.55?

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Answer:

57. processing-speed-s06-q07

Which temperature is the coldest: −4°, 2°, −1°, −7°?

  1. −4°
  2. 2°
  3. −1°
  4. −7°

Answer:

58. processing-speed-s06-q08

Order these prices from lowest to highest: £9.09, £9.90, £9.19. Which sits in the middle?

  1. £9.09
  2. £9.19
  3. £9.90
  4. They cannot be ordered

Answer:

59. processing-speed-s06-q09

Which fraction equals 0.25: 2/5, 1/3, 1/4, 3/10?

  1. 2/5
  2. 1/3
  3. 1/4
  4. 3/10

Answer:

60. processing-speed-s06-q10

Which number is a multiple of both 4 and 6: 36, 30, 40, 27?

  1. 36
  2. 30
  3. 40
  4. 27

Answer:

Rapid sorting and classification

Apply each sorting rule quickly and decide where every entry belongs.

61. processing-speed-s07-q01

Which of these words is not a fruit: plum, kale, pear, mango?

  1. plum
  2. kale
  3. pear
  4. mango

Answer:

62. processing-speed-s07-q02

Sorting rule: codes starting with a vowel go in Tray 1, all others in Tray 2. Which of these goes in Tray 1: TR-4, BX-7, MN-2, EF-5?

  1. TR-4
  2. BX-7
  3. MN-2
  4. EF-5

Answer:

63. processing-speed-s07-q03

Which of these is a unit of time: litre, metre, minute, gram?

  1. litre
  2. metre
  3. minute
  4. gram

Answer:

64. processing-speed-s07-q04

Sorting rule: even numbers go to Box A, odd numbers to Box B. How many of these go to Box A: 12, 7, 30, 55, 8?

  1. 3
  2. 2
  3. 4
  4. 5

Answer:

65. processing-speed-s07-q05

Which word does not belong with the others: whisper, shout, murmur, mutter?

  1. whisper
  2. shout
  3. murmur
  4. mutter

Answer:

66. processing-speed-s07-q06

Sorting rule: invoices under £100 are filed as 'small', and £100 or more as 'large'. Which of these is 'large': £86.50, £99.99, £75.00, £102.40?

  1. £86.50
  2. £99.99
  3. £75.00
  4. £102.40

Answer:

67. processing-speed-s07-q07

Which of these animals is a reptile: otter, gecko, badger, hare?

  1. otter
  2. gecko
  3. badger
  4. hare

Answer:

68. processing-speed-s07-q08

How many of these words name colours: crimson, violin, teal, ladder, indigo?

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Answer:

69. processing-speed-s07-q09

Sorting rule: words containing a double letter go left, all others go right. Which goes left: hammer, hotel, cradle, spiral?

  1. hammer
  2. hotel
  3. cradle
  4. spiral

Answer:

70. processing-speed-s07-q10

Two rules: 'greater than 20' and 'even'. Which of these numbers fails BOTH rules: 24, 31, 18, 15?

  1. 24
  2. 31
  3. 18
  4. 15

Answer:

Pattern continuation at pace

Spot the rule behind each sequence and continue it.

71. processing-speed-s08-q01

What comes next in the sequence: 4, 8, 12, 16, __?

  1. 18
  2. 19
  3. 20
  4. 24

Answer:

72. processing-speed-s08-q02

What comes next in the sequence: 81, 72, 63, 54, __?

  1. 45
  2. 44
  3. 46
  4. 43

Answer:

73. processing-speed-s08-q03

What letter comes next: B, D, F, H, __?

  1. G
  2. I
  3. K
  4. J

Answer:

74. processing-speed-s08-q04

What number is missing: 5, 10, 20, 40, __, 160?

  1. 60
  2. 70
  3. 80
  4. 100

Answer:

75. processing-speed-s08-q05

What comes next in the sequence: 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, __?

  1. 16
  2. 17
  3. 18
  4. 19

Answer:

76. processing-speed-s08-q06

The pattern ● ▲ ▲ repeats. Given ● ▲ ▲ ● ▲ ▲ ●, which symbol comes next?

  1. ▲
  2. ●
  3. ■
  4. It cannot be determined

Answer:

77. processing-speed-s08-q07

What comes next in the sequence: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, __?

  1. 30
  2. 32
  3. 36
  4. 49

Answer:

78. processing-speed-s08-q08

What letter comes next: A, C, F, J, __?

  1. M
  2. N
  3. P
  4. O

Answer:

79. processing-speed-s08-q09

What comes next in the sequence: 64, 32, 16, 8, __?

  1. 2
  2. 4
  3. 6
  4. 0

Answer:

80. processing-speed-s08-q10

What comes next in the alternating sequence: 3, 10, 5, 10, 7, 10, __?

  1. 9
  2. 10
  3. 11
  4. 8

Answer:

Two-step operations

Chain two quick operations together without writing anything down.

81. processing-speed-s09-q01

Add 14 + 19, then subtract 6. What is the result?

  1. 24
  2. 25
  3. 26
  4. 27

Answer:

82. processing-speed-s09-q02

Double 17, then add 5. What is the result?

  1. 38
  2. 39
  3. 40
  4. 41

Answer:

83. processing-speed-s09-q03

Take the number of days in a week, multiply it by 6, then subtract 2.

  1. 40
  2. 44
  3. 38
  4. 42

Answer:

84. processing-speed-s09-q04

Count the vowels in 'operation', then multiply that count by 3.

  1. 9
  2. 12
  3. 15
  4. 18

Answer:

85. processing-speed-s09-q05

How many of these results are even: 3 + 5, 6 + 7, 8 + 2, 9 + 4?

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Answer:

86. processing-speed-s09-q06

Start at 50 and subtract 8 three times. Where do you land?

  1. 42
  2. 34
  3. 30
  4. 26

Answer:

87. processing-speed-s09-q07

Which is greater: 15% of 200, or 20% of 140?

  1. 15% of 200
  2. 20% of 140
  3. They are equal
  4. It cannot be determined

Answer:

88. processing-speed-s09-q08

Multiply 6 × 9, then reverse the digits of the answer. What do you get?

  1. 54
  2. 56
  3. 45
  4. 65

Answer:

89. processing-speed-s09-q09

What is the sum of the digits of 478?

  1. 18
  2. 19
  3. 20
  4. 21

Answer:

90. processing-speed-s09-q10

Count the letters in 'speed', square that number, then subtract 5.

  1. 10
  2. 15
  3. 18
  4. 20

Answer:

Complex scanning under load

Combine scanning, counting, and rules. The heaviest load in the bank.

91. processing-speed-s10-q01

How many numbers in this list are BOTH odd AND greater than 40: 37, 45, 52, 61, 44, 39, 73?

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Answer:

92. processing-speed-s10-q02

How many characters in the string '7a4B9c1D6e' are BOTH digits AND odd?

  1. 3
  2. 2
  3. 4
  4. 5

Answer:

93. processing-speed-s10-q03

Scan the string 'XOXXOOXOXX'. Which letter appears more often, and by how many?

  1. O, by 2
  2. X, by 1
  3. They appear equally often
  4. X, by 2

Answer:

94. processing-speed-s10-q04

How many of these codes have digits summing to exactly 10: 5-4-1, 3-3-3, 2-6-2, 7-2-2, 4-4-2?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 5

Answer:

95. processing-speed-s10-q05

In the sentence 'Six sleek swans swam south past the stone bridge', how many words begin with the letter s?

  1. 4
  2. 5
  3. 6
  4. 7

Answer:

96. processing-speed-s10-q06

Apply both rules to the list 18, 25, 32, 47, 56, 63. Rule 1: keep numbers over 30. Rule 2: of those, keep only the even ones. How many remain?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 5

Answer:

97. processing-speed-s10-q07

Two formatting rules: entries must start with two letters AND end with an even digit. Which entry breaks BOTH rules: AB12, 7Q34, 9K33, CD57?

  1. AB12
  2. 7Q34
  3. 9K33
  4. CD57

Answer:

98. processing-speed-s10-q08

In the string '3f82k91m4', add together only the digits that come immediately before a letter. What is the total?

  1. 3
  2. 4
  3. 5
  4. 6

Answer:

99. processing-speed-s10-q09

Three of these times share the same minutes past the hour. Which is the odd one out: 14:25, 09:52, 16:25, 11:25?

  1. 14:25
  2. 09:52
  3. 16:25
  4. 11:25

Answer:

100. processing-speed-s10-q10

Follow the chain: start with the number of letters in 'rapid', double it, add the number of vowels in 'audio', then subtract 4.

  1. 10
  2. 11
  3. 12
  4. 13

Answer:

Authored hints

This cognitive practice source does not publish authored hints. Every item is listed as missing a hint, and no hint text is generated or inferred.

100 worksheet items do not have an authored hint.

This source contains no authored hints. No hint text was generated.

Answer key

ItemChoiceAnswer
processing-speed-q1C5
processing-speed-q2C29
processing-speed-q3C6
processing-speed-q4B15
processing-speed-q5B2
processing-speed-q6B(45, 55)
processing-speed-s01-q07A4
processing-speed-s01-q08D99
processing-speed-s01-q09A3
processing-speed-s01-q10D3
processing-speed-s02-q01A4
processing-speed-s02-q02C4
processing-speed-s02-q03B3
processing-speed-s02-q04D4
processing-speed-s02-q05A3
processing-speed-s02-q06Cq
processing-speed-s02-q07B3
processing-speed-s02-q08D6
processing-speed-s02-q09A2
processing-speed-s02-q10C6
processing-speed-s03-q01B43
processing-speed-s03-q02D35
processing-speed-s03-q03A56
processing-speed-s03-q04C83
processing-speed-s03-q05B54
processing-speed-s03-q06D36
processing-speed-s03-q07A15
processing-speed-s03-q08C50
processing-speed-s03-q09B38
processing-speed-s03-q10D100
processing-speed-s04-q01CGHT-4402
processing-speed-s04-q02AA) MZ-7719 / MZ-7719
processing-speed-s04-q03DD) PLO-880
processing-speed-s04-q04BBramfield Lane 27
processing-speed-s04-q05Charbour
processing-speed-s04-q06AA) TK-9906 / TK-9096
processing-speed-s04-q07D60482-Q
processing-speed-s04-q08BWhitfield & Grayson Ltd
processing-speed-s04-q09C2
processing-speed-s04-q10A4535
processing-speed-s05-q01D213
processing-speed-s05-q02BW
processing-speed-s05-q03ADOOR
processing-speed-s05-q04CDBU
processing-speed-s05-q05D17
processing-speed-s05-q06BNEST
processing-speed-s05-q07ACNF
processing-speed-s05-q08C▲ ◆ ●
processing-speed-s05-q09BFACE
processing-speed-s05-q10D12
processing-speed-s06-q01A0.405
processing-speed-s06-q02C507
processing-speed-s06-q03D4/5
processing-speed-s06-q04B7 × 8
processing-speed-s06-q05A62
processing-speed-s06-q06C3
processing-speed-s06-q07D−7°
processing-speed-s06-q08B£9.19
processing-speed-s06-q09C1/4
processing-speed-s06-q10A36
processing-speed-s07-q01Bkale
processing-speed-s07-q02DEF-5
processing-speed-s07-q03Cminute
processing-speed-s07-q04A3
processing-speed-s07-q05Bshout
processing-speed-s07-q06D£102.40
processing-speed-s07-q07Bgecko
processing-speed-s07-q08C3
processing-speed-s07-q09Ahammer
processing-speed-s07-q10D15
processing-speed-s08-q01C20
processing-speed-s08-q02A45
processing-speed-s08-q03DJ
processing-speed-s08-q04C80
processing-speed-s08-q05B17
processing-speed-s08-q06A▲
processing-speed-s08-q07C36
processing-speed-s08-q08DO
processing-speed-s08-q09B4
processing-speed-s08-q10A9
processing-speed-s09-q01D27
processing-speed-s09-q02B39
processing-speed-s09-q03A40
processing-speed-s09-q04C15
processing-speed-s09-q05B2
processing-speed-s09-q06D26
processing-speed-s09-q07A15% of 200
processing-speed-s09-q08C45
processing-speed-s09-q09B19
processing-speed-s09-q10D20
processing-speed-s10-q01C3
processing-speed-s10-q02A3
processing-speed-s10-q03DX, by 2
processing-speed-s10-q04B3
processing-speed-s10-q05C6
processing-speed-s10-q06A2
processing-speed-s10-q07C9K33
processing-speed-s10-q08D6
processing-speed-s10-q09B09:52
processing-speed-s10-q10A10

Worked explanations

processing-speed-q1

The digit 7 appears 5 times: 7192747378179.

processing-speed-q2

12, 18, 24, and 36 are all multiples of 6; 29 is not.

processing-speed-q3

The vowels are e, a, o, u, e, i, six in total.

processing-speed-q4

The sequence increases by 3 each step, so the missing number is 15.

processing-speed-q5

The digits '1,1' and '5,5' are each adjacent and identical, 2 pairs total.

processing-speed-q6

45 + 55 = 100. The others sum to 101, 101, and 99 respectively.

processing-speed-s01-q07

Scanning only the first letter of each word, four begin with B: banana, berry, bread, and basket.

processing-speed-s01-q08

Compare the tens digit first: 98 and 99 beat the 80s, and 99 beats 98 on the units digit.

processing-speed-s01-q09

Ticking off each letter in turn (b, a, n, a, n, a) the letter 'a' appears three times.

processing-speed-s01-q10

A number is even when its last digit is 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8: here 8, 12, and 6 qualify, making three.

processing-speed-s02-q01

Move through the string one character at a time and tally each 'x': o-x-k-x-v-e-x-n-x-o gives four.

processing-speed-s02-q02

Counting only the squares while ignoring the other shapes gives four: positions 1, 3, 6, and 8.

processing-speed-s02-q03

Only B, D, and F are upper case, three capitals in total.

processing-speed-s02-q04

Filtering out the letters leaves the digits 7, 2, 9, and 1, four in total.

processing-speed-s02-q05

Scanning for vowels only, the string contains o, e, and i, three vowels.

processing-speed-s02-q06

Tally each letter as you scan: p appears three times, q twice, and r and s once each.

processing-speed-s02-q07

Fixing on triangles only, they sit at positions 2, 5, and 8, three in total.

processing-speed-s02-q08

Only R and L are capitals, so the remaining six characters (t, e, z, p, m, s) are lower case.

processing-speed-s02-q09

Check each word for a 't' followed directly by an 'h': only moth and bath contain the pair.

processing-speed-s02-q10

With only two similar characters to separate, tally the 'o's in one pass: six of the nine characters are 'o'.

processing-speed-s03-q01

Add the tens first: 17 + 20 = 37, then the units: 37 + 6 = 43.

processing-speed-s03-q02

Subtract in two easy steps: 62 − 20 = 42, then 42 − 7 = 35.

processing-speed-s03-q03

8 × 7 = 56; instant recall of the times tables is one of the biggest speed gains available.

processing-speed-s03-q04

Round 38 up to 40 for an easy sum, 45 + 40 = 85, then take the 2 back off: 83.

processing-speed-s03-q05

Use 10 × 6 = 60 and subtract one 6: 60 − 6 = 54.

processing-speed-s03-q06

Subtract 40 for a round number, 74 − 40 = 34, then add back the 2 you over-subtracted: 36.

processing-speed-s03-q07

Halve three times: 120 → 60 → 30 → 15, because dividing by 8 is halving thrice.

processing-speed-s03-q08

Pair numbers that make round totals: 13 + 28 = 41, and 41 + 9 lands neatly on 50.

processing-speed-s03-q09

Halve the parts separately: half of 70 is 35, half of 6 is 3, and 35 + 3 = 38.

processing-speed-s03-q10

Four 25s make 100: the same fact that makes four 25p coins a pound is worth keeping on instant recall.

processing-speed-s04-q01

Check letters first, then digits in order. The near-misses transpose the H and T, swap the final digits, or shuffle the 4s.

processing-speed-s04-q02

Only one pair repeats its string exactly; the others transpose the last digits (7791), swap the letters (ZM), or alter a middle digit (7119).

processing-speed-s04-q03

Three codes read PLQ-880, while the odd one out swaps the letter Q for the visually similar letter O to read PLO-880.

processing-speed-s04-q04

Read the street name letter by letter and the number digit by digit: the near-misses reverse 27, add a stray p, or change the 7 to a 1.

processing-speed-s04-q05

The spelling 'harbour' appears in the first and third positions; 'harbor' drops the u and 'arbour' drops the h, so neither is a repeat.

processing-speed-s04-q06

TK-9906 and TK-9096 differ in their middle digits, 90 versus 09, while every other pair repeats its string exactly.

processing-speed-s04-q07

Compare digit positions one at a time, then the letter: the near-misses transpose 82, swap Q for O, or move the 4.

processing-speed-s04-q08

Check each word in turn: the traps change Gray to Grey, add an extra e to Whitfield, or spell out the ampersand.

processing-speed-s04-q09

The first and third codes match exactly; 2281-DV reverses the letters and 2218-VD transposes the middle digits.

processing-speed-s04-q10

Scan each code for a repeat: 4535 contains the digit 5 twice, while the other codes use four different digits.

processing-speed-s05-q01

Substitute one symbol at a time in the order shown: ● is 2, ▲ is 1, ■ is 3, giving 213.

processing-speed-s05-q02

Each letter maps to the letter the same distance from the far end: D is 4th from the start, and 4th from the end is W.

processing-speed-s05-q03

Decode digit by digit in order: 3 is D, 4 is O, 4 is O again, 1 is R, spelling DOOR.

processing-speed-s05-q04

Apply the shift to every letter, not just some: C moves to D, A moves to B, and T moves to U.

processing-speed-s05-q05

Convert every symbol before adding, and note the repeated ◆: 4 + 7 + 2 + 4 = 17.

processing-speed-s05-q06

All four options use the same letters, so the order is everything: 2-4-6-8 decodes strictly as N, E, S, T.

processing-speed-s05-q07

Step every letter back once: D to C, O to N, and G to F.

processing-speed-s05-q08

Encode in the order the letters appear: R gives ▲, P gives ◆, Q gives ●. Watch for the option that swaps the last two.

processing-speed-s05-q09

Convert each number in sequence: 6 is F, 1 is A, 3 is C, 5 is E, FACE.

processing-speed-s05-q10

B is 2 and each E is 5, so the total is 2 + 5 + 5 = 12.

processing-speed-s06-q01

Line the decimals up place by place: 0.405 has 4 tenths like 0.45, but its hundredths digit is 0 against 5, so it is smaller.

processing-speed-s06-q02

Compare each gap from 500 rather than the numbers themselves: 32, 29, 7, and 10. The smallest gap is 7.

processing-speed-s06-q03

Convert to decimals for a quick comparison: 2/3 ≈ 0.67, 3/4 = 0.75, and 4/5 = 0.8, so 4/5 is largest.

processing-speed-s06-q04

Work both products before comparing: 7 × 8 = 56 beats 9 × 6 = 54.

processing-speed-s06-q05

Test both conditions on each number: 48 is even but too small, 57 is large enough but odd, and 45 fails both, only 62 passes both.

processing-speed-s06-q06

Compare digit by digit after the decimal point: 3.51, 3.6, and 3.55 exceed 3.5, while 3.499 falls just short.

processing-speed-s06-q07

With negative numbers the larger the digit, the colder the value: −7° sits furthest below zero.

processing-speed-s06-q08

The pounds match, so compare pence: 09 < 19 < 90 puts £9.19 in the middle.

processing-speed-s06-q09

0.25 is a quarter: 1 divided by 4. The others convert to 0.4, roughly 0.33, and 0.3.

processing-speed-s06-q10

Test each candidate against both divisors: 36 = 4 × 9 and 6 × 6, while 30 fails on 4, 40 fails on 6, and 27 fails on both.

processing-speed-s07-q01

Name the category of each word as you scan: plum, pear, and mango are fruits, while kale is a leafy vegetable.

processing-speed-s07-q02

Only the first character matters for this rule: E is a vowel, while T, B, and M are not.

processing-speed-s07-q03

Sort by what each unit measures: litres measure volume, metres length, grams mass, only minutes measure time.

processing-speed-s07-q04

Check only the last digit of each number: 12, 30, and 8 are even, so three numbers go to Box A.

processing-speed-s07-q05

Group by meaning before choosing: whisper, murmur, and mutter all describe quiet speech, while shouting is loud.

processing-speed-s07-q06

Compare each amount against the £100 threshold and watch the boundary case: £99.99 is still under it, but £102.40 is over.

processing-speed-s07-q07

Classify each animal as you read: otters, badgers, and hares are mammals, while the gecko is a lizard, a reptile.

processing-speed-s07-q08

Sort each word into colour or not-colour as you go: crimson, teal, and indigo are colours; violin and ladder are objects.

processing-speed-s07-q09

Scan each word for two identical letters side by side: only 'hammer' has one, the double m.

processing-speed-s07-q10

Test both rules on each number: 24 passes both, 31 is over 20 but odd, 18 is even but too small, only 15 is both too small and odd.

processing-speed-s08-q01

Each term adds 4 to the one before, so 16 + 4 = 20.

processing-speed-s08-q02

Check the gap between neighbours first: each step subtracts 9, so 54 − 9 = 45.

processing-speed-s08-q03

The sequence skips one letter each time (B, skip C, D, skip E…), so after H comes J.

processing-speed-s08-q04

Each term doubles the previous one, and 80 fits both neighbours: 40 × 2 = 80 and 80 × 2 = 160.

processing-speed-s08-q05

The gaps themselves grow by one each step (+1, +2, +3, +4), so the next gap is +5, giving 17.

processing-speed-s08-q06

The three-symbol block ● ▲ ▲ cycles, and the seventh symbol starts a new block, so the eighth is the block's second symbol, ▲.

processing-speed-s08-q07

These are the square numbers 1², 2², 3², 4², 5², the next is 6² = 36.

processing-speed-s08-q08

The jumps widen by one letter each time (+2, +3, +4), so the next jump of +5 lands on O.

processing-speed-s08-q09

Each term halves the previous one, so 8 ÷ 2 = 4.

processing-speed-s08-q10

Read the alternating positions as two strands: a constant 10 and the odd numbers 3, 5, 7, the odd strand continues with 9.

processing-speed-s09-q01

Hold the intermediate total before applying the second step: 14 + 19 = 33, then 33 − 6 = 27.

processing-speed-s09-q02

Doubling 17 gives 34, and 34 + 5 = 39.

processing-speed-s09-q03

Retrieve the fact first, then compute: 7 days × 6 = 42, and 42 − 2 = 40.

processing-speed-s09-q04

'Operation' contains the vowels o, e, a, i, o, five in total, and 5 × 3 = 15.

processing-speed-s09-q05

Work each sum, then classify it: 8 and 10 are even, while both 13s are odd, two even results.

processing-speed-s09-q06

Three subtractions of 8 remove 24 in total, so 50 − 24 = 26, stopping early at 42 or 34 is the common slip.

processing-speed-s09-q07

Compute both before comparing: 15% of 200 is 30, while 20% of 140 is 28.

processing-speed-s09-q08

6 × 9 = 54, and swapping its digits gives 45. The unreversed 54 is the trap to step past.

processing-speed-s09-q09

Treat each digit separately and add: 4 + 7 + 8 = 19.

processing-speed-s09-q10

'Speed' has 5 letters; 5 squared is 25, and 25 − 5 = 20.

processing-speed-s10-q01

Apply both tests to every number: 45, 61, and 73 pass, while 37 and 39 are odd but not large enough.

processing-speed-s10-q02

First isolate the digits (7, 4, 9, 1, 6), then keep only the odd ones: 7, 9, and 1.

processing-speed-s10-q03

Tally both letters in a single pass: X appears 6 times and O appears 4 times, a margin of 2.

processing-speed-s10-q04

Sum each code and compare with 10: the totals are 10, 9, 10, 11, and 10, so three codes qualify.

processing-speed-s10-q05

Check only the first letter of each word and ignore s sounds inside words: Six, sleek, swans, swam, south, and stone make six.

processing-speed-s10-q06

Filter in stages: over 30 leaves 32, 47, 56, 63; keeping the evens then leaves just 32 and 56.

processing-speed-s10-q07

Score each entry against both rules separately: 7Q34 and CD57 each break only one rule, while 9K33 starts with a digit and ends with an odd digit.

processing-speed-s10-q08

Walk the string and keep a digit only when the very next character is a letter: 3 before f, 2 before k, and 1 before m give 3 + 2 + 1 = 6.

processing-speed-s10-q09

Compare only the minutes and watch for transposed digits: three times end in :25, while 09:52 reverses those digits to :52.

processing-speed-s10-q10

Take the chain one link at a time: 'rapid' has 5 letters, doubled is 10; 'audio' has 4 vowels (a, u, i, o), giving 14; and 14 − 4 = 10.