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Taking the Test of Reasoning TOR 373? We can Help!

TOR

Overview

The public service commission in Canada administers several officer-level tests. Each test evaluates different skills. All applications for Canadian public service vacancies must be made through the public service commission website. A prospective employee has to sign up for an account and fill out the desired jobs applications. The public service commission has several assessment tests for federal jobs.

The test of reasoning 373 (TOR 373) is an administered test meant to evaluate the intellectual and problem-solving capacity of those who undertake it. The test aims to measure the cognitive skills for officer-level positions in the national public service. The test is vital in aiding managers in making hiring and placement decisions for employment and training programs.

Human resource managers use the test as the last step in the assessment process, after an unsupervised test. The TOR 373 can be taken as a paper and pencil test or an online test administered by the public service commission.

Eligibility/Registration

The applicants that qualify for the supervised TOR 373 must have passed the unsupervised internet test. Public service commission managers decide whether to conduct the supervised test after the unsupervised test or conduct further screening and leaving the supervise test for the final stage of the recruitment process. You will be directed to register by the PSC during the recruitment process.

Passing scores and calculators

The minimum score for the TOR 373 is 13/30 (10th percentile or better); this means your score must be above 90% of the people who have taken the test previously. The hiring manager may decide to set the minimum score at the 50th percentile, (your score above 50% of the normative sample (21/30)).  Of course, the higher your score, the better the chances of being recruited by the public service commission.

Calculators are permitted for this test; personal computers also have virtual n-screen calculators.

How the test is administered

The TOR 373 can be taken as paper-pencil examination or a computer-based exam. All questions are multiple choice.

Location of the test

The TOR 373 is given at multiple locations.   Your test location will be provided by the public service commission during the recruitment process.

Accommodations

If you require testing accommodations, make sure you tell the test administrators well ahead of time so that they can take the required procedures to determine the suitable accommodations.

Cheating on a supervised test

Suspected cheating could result in test results being invalidated and an investigation under the Public Service Employment Act. A conviction could result in a summary conviction or a referral to the RCMP.

Retest

If a candidate fails a test, you may retake after 180 days. Rewriting the test before the 180 days gives an invalid result, and a new retest period from the most recent test will be given. Candidates are advised to prepare well to avoid retaking the test as it will take time. To make the testing process fair for all, no special provision to this rule is allowed.

Test content

The test as 30 multiple-choice questions, to be completed in 90 minutes. There are four types of questions in TOR 373: Analytical reasoning, arithmetic reasoning, logical reasoning, and the number and letter series questions.  TOR Practice questions here

Arithmetic Reasoning

These questions are mathematical reasoning or word problems. You are asked to convert the language of the problem into equations, and then calculate unknown value based on the given values and scenario. The unknown value is calculated using number operations such as addition, division, multiplication, and subtraction. Word problems use critical thinking and logic skills to sort through given information likely to be useful and eliminate the information and is not.

Example Question:

 In a local election at polling station A, 945 voters cast their vote out of 1270 registered voters. At polling station B, 860 cast their vote out of 1050 registered voters and at station C, 1210 cast their vote out of 1440 registered voters. What is the total turnout from all three polling stations?

a. 70%
b. 74%
c. 76%
d. 80%

Solution:  D
To find the total turnout in all three polling stations, we need to proportion the number of voters to the number of all registered voters.
Number of total voters = 945 + 860 + 1210 = 3015
Number of total registered voters = 1270 + 1050 + 1440 = 3760
Percentage turnout over all three polling stations = 3015•100/3760 = 80.19%
Checking the answers, we round 80.19 to the nearest whole number: 80%

 

Word Problem Practice

How to Solve Word Problems Tutorial

Types of Word Problems with Solutions

Logical reasoning questions

These questions evaluate a candidate’s capacity to infer reasonable conclusions to the provided information. Given the information provided, you may be asked to choose which assertion can validly be concluded or which statement completes the logical process.

Example Question:

The silver fish can swim faster than the black fish. The gold fish can swim faster than the black fish. The gold fish can swim faster than the silver fish. If the first 2 statements are true, then the third statement is:

True False Uncertain

Solution: Uncertain

We don’t have enough information here to make a decision. Perhaps the gold fish can swim faster than the black fish AND the silver fish – we don’t know.

Logic and reasoning practice

Logic Tutorial with Practice Questions

Analytical reasoning questions

These questions give a series of relationships between different words and you are required to infer a new relationship. The words are invented and actual words and the relationships may be real or invented. You must either reverse the actual relations between the current nouns or ignore your knowledge of the true relations between the existing words to determine the right response to other questions.

Example Question:

A XIGT resembles a G5YR but is heavier.
A G5YR resembles a car but is heavier.
A NULO resembles a tricycle but is lighter.

Which of the following is correct?

a. A XIGT is heavier than a NULO.
b. A car is lighter than a NULO.
c. A tricycle is heavier than a G5YR.
d. A G5YR is heavier than a XIGT.

Solution: A
A XIGT is heavier than a G5YR, which is heavier than a car. We also know that a car is heavier than a tricycle, (common knowledge) and, from the third statement, we know that a NULO is lighter than a tricycle.
From heaviest to lightest, we therefore have:
XIGT, G5YR, car, tricycle, NULO. Choice A is correct.

Number or letter series

 This question presents a series with one or more items missing. This requires that you first determine the relationship of the items in the series and then calculate the missing values.

Example Question: 

Consider the following series: 5, 6, 11, 17. What number should come next?
a. 28
b. 34
c. 36
d. 27

Solution:  A
Each number is the sum of the previous two numbers.

Number Series Practice

Number Series Tutorial

TOJ 375 FAQ

The TOR can be taken as a traditional paper-pencil test or a computer-based exam. All questions are multiple choice. How to Answer Multiple Choice
There is no penalty for incorrect answers. However, candidates should strive to answer as many correct answers as possible to be on the safe side.
The minimum score for the TOR 373 is 13/30 (10th percentile or better); this means your score must be above 90% of the people who have taken the test previously. The hiring manager may decide to set the minimum score at the 50th percentile, (your score above 50% of the normative sample (21/30)).
If you fail the test, you must wait 180 days to take the test again. If you rewrite the test before the 180-day period, the results are not valid, and you will be granted a fresh retest period starting with the most recent test. There are no exceptions to this rule to ensure that the testing procedure is fair to all participants.
Yes. The public service commission uses the test as part of the hiring procedure. The public service commission uses different assessment tests for determining the abilities and competencies of candidates. The test of reasoning 373 (TOR 373) assesses individuals’ intellectual and problem-solving abilities.
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Date Published: Tuesday, October 26th, 2021
Date Modified: Wednesday, September 7th, 2022