SHL is one of the biggest names in psychometric assessment, and its reputation is well earned. Decades of research sit behind its reasoning tests, and for many large employers it's the default choice.
The question isn't whether SHL is credible, it's whether it fits the way you hire. Large enterprise providers can be less agile for mid-market organisations, and per-candidate pricing can make it harder to assess candidates at scale. And then there's the newest problem and the hardest to fix - average scores creeping up (driven by candidates using AI). Here's a breakdown of the alternatives worth considering, and how each one handles these.
Thomas International
Thomas International is a long-established UK psychometrics provider, and a good option if you want to move away from SHL's enterprise scale without losing a recognised name. Its reports are often praised in reviews, described as detailed, visually appealing and full of practical guidance. It's rated 4.7 out of 5 on Capterra.
It's also an improvement on AI vs SHL. Its aptitude test, the GIA, is built of quick-fire questions covering reasoning, perceptual speed, number speed and accuracy, word meaning and spatial visualisation, with well over 100 short questions in around 20 minutes of timed testing. That speed gives it some built-in resilience as there's very little time to consult an AI tool. It isn't AI-proof, and the pace can feel rushed for candidates, and its behavioural assessment uses the DISC model, which typically needs some training to interpret well.
Test Partnership
Test Partnership offers the same core building blocks as SHL, including numerical, verbal and inductive reasoning, critical thinking, situational judgement and personality. Pricing is built around your annual volume rather than charged test by test, so you can assess earlier and more consistently without watching the cost of every invitation. Setup is quick, users are unlimited, we integrate with Workday, Greenhouse and SmartRecruiters, and our business psychologists give hands-on guidance on cut-scores, adjustments and process design, rather than leaving you with a purely transactional platform. It's enterprise-grade assessment quality, with the flexibility mid-market and growing organisations need.
But where we really differ is on AI.
Our Signals series is for teams that want a traditional-style reasoning test, in a format candidates and hiring managers recognise, but with AI resilience designed in. Candidates review a passage, table or chart first, with time to understand it, then answer four short questions one at a time, each with its own short timer. That leaves very little time to copy a question into an AI tool and get an answer back. It's adaptive, mobile-first and available for numerical reasoning and critical thinking.
MindmetriQ is for teams that want the strongest AI resistance available. Rather than primarily limiting the time candidates have to use AI whilst keeping the question style fairly traditional, our gamified cognitive assessments present a question style that AI is ineffective at. They measure numerical, verbal and inductive reasoning through interactive, game-based tasks. Each test takes just 4 to 6 minutes, providing a complete cognitive profile in 12 to 15 minutes.
Test Partnership's tests give one of our best indicators to future performance. The gamified tests have only enhanced their effectiveness, testing candidates on multiple levels simultaneously. Add to that their ability to identify candidates' true potential rather than that of ChatGPT, we consider it an invaluable part of our skills assessment process.
Conclusion and next steps
If you're looking for an SHL alternative, the choice really comes down to what you're trying to fix.
If you want a recognised name with strong reports and some built-in resilience to AI, Thomas International's speed-based GIA is a decent option. If cost, agility and support are the issue, Test Partnership gives you the same core tests with quicker implementation, hands-on guidance from our psychologists and pricing that scales with your volume rather than every test you send. And if rising scores and AI-assisted candidates are the main concern, Signals and MindmetriQ are designed for exactly that: Signals if you want to keep a familiar test format, and MindmetriQ if you want the strongest protection available.
You can explore Signals Numerical Reasoning, demo MindmetriQ or browse our early careers assessments, or see what's included on our pricing page.
Sources: SHL, SHL on G2, SHL on Trustpilot, Thomas International, Thomas on Capterra, Thomas GIA example booklet.
Joshua Hancock
Digital Marketing Manager at Test Partnership. Over seven years' experience as a writer, content strategist, SEO and digital marketer.
