Game-based assessment guide · checked 25 October 2026
Arctic Shores assessment: how it works and how to practise
Arctic Shores is a task-based assessment used by UK graduate employers. There are no questions to get right. You play short tasks, and the way you play is turned into a profile. Here is what it measures, how it is scored, and which free games train each skill area.
What the assessment involves
It asks no questions. You complete short interactive tasks drawn from established psychology experiments, and the platform records how you behave.
Source: Arctic Shores: the science ↗There are up to nine tasks, each with a guided tutorial, and a practice task is available. Arctic Shores recommends one sitting in a distraction-free setting.
Source: Arctic Shores candidate guidance ↗Assessing all seven skill areas takes about 25 to 35 minutes; a short two-skill version takes about 10. It works on desktop, laptop and mobile.
Source: Arctic Shores Skill-enablers guide ↗Each behaviour is reported on a 1 to 10 scale against a norm group. Arctic Shores says there is no better or worse position on its scales.
Source: Arctic Shores candidate guidance ↗Your results are compared with a benchmark of behaviours set for the specific role, so the outcome is about fit for that role rather than a universal pass mark.
Source: Arctic Shores help centre ↗
The seven skill areas, and what to practise for each
Arctic Shores currently reports seven “Skill-enablers”. Its wider glossary describes 34 traits, including risk, resilience and processing speed, so the balloon game is useful practice too.
| Skill area | What it covers | Practise with |
|---|---|---|
| Focused attentionHolding back automatic responses and staying on target. | Holding back automatic responses and staying on target. | |
| Cognitive agilityShifting focus and switching between tasks or rules. | Shifting focus and switching between tasks or rules. | |
| Learning agilityPicking up new rules from feedback and adapting. | Picking up new rules from feedback and adapting. | |
| Persistent effortKeeping effort steady when a task gets repetitive or hard. | Keeping effort steady when a task gets repetitive or hard. | |
| Inductive reasoningSpotting the rule behind a pattern. | Spotting the rule behind a pattern. | |
| Quantitative reasoningWorking with numbers and estimates. | Working with numbers and estimates. | |
| Emotion perceptionReading emotions from faces and situations. | Reading emotions from faces and situations. | |
| Risk (wider trait set)How you balance reward against possible loss. | How you balance reward against possible loss. | Balloon Risk Game |
How to approach it on the day
- Do the practice task and read each tutorial fully. Misunderstanding the controls is the most avoidable way to get an unrepresentative result.
- Use one sitting in a quiet place, on a device you are comfortable with. Arctic Shores recommends exactly that.
- Play as you would work. The scales have no better or worse end, so trying to guess the “right” behaviour tends to make results inconsistent.
- Keep your effort steady to the end. Several tasks repeat, and staying engaged is part of what is observed.
- Warm up with two or three of the games here the day before, not straight before, so the task types feel familiar without tiring you.
Arctic Shores vs Codility
Arctic Shores
Behaviour-based tasks with no questions. Measures traits such as attention, agility and risk. Prepare by getting familiar with task types.
Codility
A coding test platform: programming tasks in a code editor, mostly for engineering roles. It does not use games. Codility ↗
Many technology graduate schemes use a coding test and a separate behavioural or strengths stage. Tesco, for example, says its Software Engineering scheme adds a Codility coding assessment. These guides cover both stages:
- TescoTechnology Engineering Graduate Assessment
- AccentureSoftware Engineering Graduate Assessment
- AvivaSoftware Development Graduate Assessment
- WTWSoftware Developer Graduate Assessment
- AmazonSoftware Development Engineer Graduate Assessment
- PA ConsultingSoftware & AI Systems Engineer Graduate Assessment
- UnileverFuture Leaders Programme Assessment
Employers that use Arctic Shores
Named publicly by the employer or in an Arctic Shores case study. Always check your own invitation, because providers change between cycles.
Frequently asked questions
Can you fail an Arctic Shores assessment?
There is no universal pass mark. Your behaviour is placed on 1 to 10 scales and compared with a benchmark the employer sets for the role, so the same result can fit one role and not another.
How long does the Arctic Shores assessment take?
Arctic Shores says assessing all seven skill areas takes about 25 to 35 minutes, and a short version about 10. One employer, Norton Rose Fulbright, tells candidates there is no overall time limit and to allow 35 to 60 minutes.
Can you practise for Arctic Shores?
You cannot learn answers, because the tasks have none. Practising similar task types still helps: you know what to expect, you settle into a steady pace sooner, and you are less likely to change your approach out of nerves.
Is Codility the same as Arctic Shores?
No. Codility is a coding assessment platform where you solve programming tasks. Arctic Shores is a behaviour-based task assessment with no questions. Some employers use both at different stages, so check each invitation.
Are these the real Arctic Shores games?
No. AceJobTest is independent and not affiliated with Arctic Shores. Our games are original implementations of published psychology tasks that train similar skill areas.
AceJobTest is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Arctic Shores or Codility. Facts on this page are taken from the linked public sources, last checked 25 October 2026.