Game-Based Assessments 2026–27: Arctic Shores, Pymetrics & McKinsey Solve

Game-based assessments are psychometric tools disguised as mini-games. Instead of answering multiple-choice questions about shapes or charts, you play a series of short interactive tasks — catching falling items, tapping balloons, sorting objects under time pressure — while the platform records hundreds of behavioral data points: reaction time, decision patterns, risk tolerance, attention shifts, and error recovery behavior.

These behavioral traces are processed by machine learning models trained on data from high-performing employees at the hiring organization. The output is a profile of cognitive and personality traits — not a single score, but a multi-dimensional match against what the employer's data says predicts success in that specific role.

Arctic Shores is a UK-based game-based assessment provider founded in 2013. Employer lists change often and are mostly candidate-reported (PwC, AstraZeneca and Deloitte programs are commonly mentioned), so confirm with your invitation. Game counts and timing vary by employer configuration; candidates commonly report roughly 25–35 minutes. The mini-games below are representative, and names may differ in your version.

Arctic Shores Mini-Games and What They Measure

Arctic Shores maps game behavior to a trait framework typically covering: Cognitive Processing (speed, accuracy, working memory), Learning Agility (rule acquisition, flexibility), Emotional Resilience (error recovery, frustration tolerance), and Social Orientation (empathy, collaboration markers). The specific trait model varies by employer configuration.

Pymetrics is a US-based game-based assessment platform that Harver acquired in 2022. It is commonly described as 12 short games taking around 25 minutes. Employers have included large consumer, tech and financial firms, but employer use changes, so check the current job posting. Many employers use it in place of a traditional personality questionnaire.

The 12 Pymetrics Games

The psychometric constructs measured by game-based assessments map onto three well-established frameworks from cognitive and personality psychology. Understanding these frameworks helps you understand both what the assessment is doing and why preparation in the traditional sense is limited.

Game-based assessments are specifically designed to be resistant to conventional preparation — you cannot revise the "right answers" in the way you can for SHL Numerical. However, there are meaningful things you can do to ensure your natural cognitive profile is accurately captured rather than distorted by situational factors.

• Use a desktop or laptop, not a mobile device. Game-based assessments are optimized for mouse/trackpad interaction. Reaction time, tap accuracy, and navigation precision are all measured — and all perform worse on a touchscreen. Using a larger screen also reduces cognitive load from the interface, letting your actual ability come through.
• Ensure a distraction-free environment. The tasks measure sustained attention and cognitive performance. Background noise, interruptions, or multitasking between games creates variability in your data that the platform interprets as trait noise — it may lower the confidence of your trait estimates or produce a profile that doesn't reflect your natural performance.
• Play each game fully engaged, at your natural pace. Don't try to game the scoring. The most authentic representation of your cognitive style is the most stable signal. Artificial behavior (pumping the balloon exactly the same number of times every round, clicking at an unnaturally uniform pace) is detectable and interpretable as low authenticity.
• Familiarize yourself with the game interfaces beforehand. Most platforms offer practice rounds or publicly available demo versions. Spending 10–15 minutes with the interface before your real assessment removes the cognitive load of "what do I click?" from your actual performance. This is meaningful, legitimate preparation.
• Get adequate sleep and sit the assessment when cognitively fresh. Processing speed and working memory — two of the most heavily measured dimensions — are acutely sensitive to sleep deprivation. Sitting a game-based assessment at 11pm after a long day will produce measurably different results from sitting it at 10am after adequate sleep. This is not a minor effect.
• Focus your preparation energy on the aptitude tests that bookend it. For almost every employer using game-based assessments, the SHL or Talent Q aptitude tests are the primary quantitative filter. The game assessment is supplementary, trait-based, and harder to influence. Your preparation ROI is significantly higher on the aptitude tests — especially when applying to PwC, Deloitte, or Unilever where game assessments supplement rather than replace SHL/Talent Q.