Why Analytical Skills Are Important for Workplace Success (And How to Measure Them)

Here's the reality facing UK hiring teams today: 76% of employers report difficulty filling roles due to a lack of skilled talent (ManpowerGroup UK, 2025). Meanwhile, when it comes to analytical thinking specifically, only 54% of UK workers rate themselves as good at demonstrating an "analytical mindset" (UK Government Data Skills Report, 2021).

This isn't just about data scientists or financial analysts. From marketing managers interpreting campaign metrics to operations coordinators optimising workflows, analytical thinking has become essential across virtually every role. Yet 27% of all UK vacancies in 2024 were skill-shortage vacancies (UK Employer Skills Survey, 2024).

Most hiring teams are still relying on CV reviews and interviews to assess these critical skills. By the time you discover a candidate can't effectively interpret data or solve complex problems, you've already invested significant time and resources.

But what if you could identify analytical talent objectively and early in your hiring process? At Test Partnership, we've helped hundreds of UK organisations solve this exact challenge using scientifically validated assessments that predict analytical performance with remarkable accuracy.

Analytical skills are your employees' ability to collect, organise, examine, and interpret information to solve problems and make informed decisions. Think of them as the mental toolkit that transforms raw data into actionable insights.

Here's what this looks like in practice:

Notice the pattern? Each scenario involves the same fundamental process: gathering information, identifying patterns, drawing logical conclusions, and taking action. That's analytical thinking in action.

But here's what makes this skill so crucial: data is only as valuable as the person analysing it. Hand the same dataset to two different people, and you'll often get completely different insights and recommendations. The employee with stronger analytical skills will spot the meaningful patterns, ask the right questions, and provide recommendations that actually move the business forward.

UK organisations today are drowning in data but starving for insights. The UK's digital skills gap alone is estimated to cost the economy £63 billion per year (UK Government, 2023). But this competitive disadvantage doesn't come from having data; it comes from lacking people who can effectively analyse that data.

46% of UK businesses have struggled to recruit for roles requiring analytical and data skills (UK Government Data Skills Report, 2021). Meanwhile, those with strong analytical capabilities are pulling ahead of their competitors.

Conversely, employees who lack analytical skills become bottlenecks. They struggle to interpret reports, make decisions based on incomplete analysis, and often require significant support from colleagues or supervisors. In senior roles, this can be particularly costly as strategic decisions affect entire departments or the organisation as a whole.

Consider this: a marketing manager who can't properly analyse campaign performance wastes budget on ineffective channels. A finance professional who misinterprets financial statements might recommend strategies that harm cash flow. An operations coordinator who can't identify workflow inefficiencies allows productivity drains to persist unchecked.

Analytical skills aren't one monolithic ability. They're built on three foundational cognitive abilities that work together to enable effective data interpretation and problem-solving:

Numerical reasoning

The ability to work with quantitative information, identify mathematical relationships, and draw conclusions from numerical data. This underpins everything from financial analysis to interpreting performance metrics.

Verbal reasoning

The capacity to analyse written information, understand complex concepts, and evaluate arguments logically. Essential for interpreting reports, policy documents, and research findings.

Abstract reasoning

The skill to identify patterns, relationships, and underlying structures in complex or unfamiliar information. Critical for solving novel problems and adapting to new analytical challenges.

The key insight for hiring teams: When these cognitive abilities combine, they create what we measure as overall analytical thinking capacity. This is why the most predictive approach to assessing analytical skills uses multiple reasoning assessments together, providing a comprehensive view of a candidate's analytical potential.

Here's where most hiring teams go wrong: they try to assess analytical skills through interviews alone. While structured interviews can reveal some insights about problem-solving approach, they're limited by time constraints, interviewer bias, and the artificial nature of verbal problem-solving scenarios.

The most effective approach combines objective assessment with strategic interviewing. Here's how leading organisations do it:

Start with validated aptitude assessments

Psychometric assessments provide objective, standardised measures of the cognitive abilities that underpin analytical thinking. Instead of guessing whether someone can handle complex data analysis, you get concrete evidence of their reasoning capabilities.

Our approach at Test Partnership: We measure analytical thinking through a combination of numerical, verbal, and inductive reasoning assessments. When candidates complete these three core tests, their combined performance creates what we call the "Analytical Thinking" competency score in our reports. This comprehensive approach gives you a complete picture of someone's analytical capability across different types of information.

Use interviews to explore application

Once you know candidates have the cognitive foundation for analytical thinking, use interviews to understand how they apply these skills. Ask about specific situations where they've had to analyse complex information, what approach they took, and what insights they discovered.

This is precisely why assessment centres often use case study exercises for senior roles – they recognise that analytical skills require systematic measurement, not just conversational evaluation. But why wait until the final stage? Screen for analytical capability early, then use your valuable interview time with candidates who already demonstrate the cognitive foundation for success.

We've designed our assessment suite specifically to measure the cognitive abilities that drive analytical performance. Here are our most effective tools for identifying analytical talent:

Core analytical assessments

• Numerical Reasoning – Measures ability to work with financial data, statistics, and quantitative relationships
• Verbal Reasoning – Assesses capacity to analyse written information and evaluate logical arguments
• Inductive Reasoning – Tests pattern recognition and abstract problem-solving abilities

Specialised analytical tools

• Critical Thinking – Evaluates ability to analyse arguments, identify assumptions, and draw logical conclusions
• Data Analysis – Directly measures skills in interpreting charts, graphs, and datasets
• Dynamic Assessments – Adaptive tests that adjust difficulty based on performance, providing more precise measurement

Personality component: analytical thinking trait

Our TPAQ-45 personality assessment also includes an "Analytical Thinking" trait that measures someone's natural preference for systematic, logical problem-solving approaches. While cognitive ability tells you whether someone can think analytically, this personality trait reveals whether they naturally gravitate toward analytical approaches.

The result? A complete picture of analytical potential that combines cognitive capability with natural work style preferences.

You now understand why analytical skills matter, how they drive business results, and the most effective ways to measure them. The question is: what's your next step?

Most hiring teams know they need better ways to assess analytical thinking, but they get stuck on implementation. Here's how to start:

• Identify your analytical roles: Which positions in your organisation require strong data interpretation, problem-solving, or decision-making based on complex information?
• Choose your assessment approach: Start with our core numerical, verbal, and inductive reasoning assessments for comprehensive analytical measurement
• Integrate with your process: Add assessments early in your screening process, before interview stages
• Use results strategically: Focus interview time on candidates who demonstrate strong analytical foundation

Want to see how this works in practice? Our personality assessment also includes an Analytical Thinking trait that measures someone's natural preference for systematic, logical problem-solving approaches.

Ready to get started? Learn more about how to assess other critical soft skills alongside analytical ability, or explore our complete guide to aptitude testing for recruitment.

The analytical skills gap isn't going away. But with the right measurement tools, you can identify the analytical talent that will drive your organisation's success. Book a call with our team to discuss your specific needs and see how our assessments can transform your hiring accuracy.