The Arctic Shores assessment is a series of short, game-like tasks that measure a range of cognitive skills and traits. In the 2027 cycle, US internship candidates take it first, and the numerical test follows about a week later. In the 2026 cycle it came last, after the numerical tests. Graduate candidates in Chicago may skip it and start with the numerical test.
Although the Arctic Shores assessment might feel less formal than traditional tests like the numerical test, it’s important to treat it with the same level of seriousness as any other stage in the interview process. The connection between the games and trading roles might not always be immediately apparent, which can sometimes lead to frustration, particularly if a candidate is disqualified based on what seems like a trivial task. To give yourself the best chance of success, choose a time when you are at your cognitive peak and fully alert.
Before you start
Work in a quiet space, raise any adjustment requests before you begin, use the practice task, and take a break between tasks.
Feedback report
Soon after you finish, you receive a feedback report that scores each area out of 4.
Table of Contents
The Games
Arctic Shores lets each employer choose which tasks its candidates see, so the exact set can differ per programme. Maven candidates describe reaction-time and memory games. The tasks below are part of the Arctic Shores line-up, but not all of it: none of them is a memory game, and Arctic Shores’ own guide also lists a short numerical task and a prediction task. So you may see tasks that are not described here.
- Direction (Arrows) Game
- Balloon Game
- Face Game
- Security Door Game
- Order Game
Direction (Arrows) Game
The Arctic Shores “Direction (Arrows)” Game measures focus and attention under time pressure. You see a row of arrows and respond to the direction of the middle one, while the arrows around it point the same way or the opposite way. The surrounding arrows are there to distract you, so the skill is blocking them out and answering quickly without slipping. This kind of focus under stress matters in fast-paced environments such as trading.
Balloon Game
The Arctic Shores “Balloon Game” measures how you weigh risk against reward and learn from feedback. You pump up a balloon to earn money and can cash out and move to the next balloon at any time, but a balloon can burst, and then you lose the money you had not banked on it. Watch how the balloons behave as you go and adjust how far you push each one: steady, consistent decisions beat gambling on a single balloon.
Face Game
The Arctic Shores “Face Game” measures how well you read emotions. You see a face and pick the emotion it shows from a list. Some expressions are subtle or do not match any option perfectly, so look at the eyes, brows and mouth together before you choose rather than rushing. A methodical approach to interpreting emotions helps, and the same skill of reading subtle cues matters in workplace interactions. Our Expressions Game below trains this with seven emotions and faces that get subtler as the run goes on, and its results show which cue you missed on every face you misread.
Security Door Game
The Arctic Shores “Security Door Game” measures reaction time, focus and precision. A marker moves around a code lock and you stop it on the highlighted number to enter the code, while the speed changes from one code to the next. Stay patient and prioritise accuracy over speed: a mistimed stop costs you more than a slightly slower one.
Order Game
The Arctic Shores “Order Game” measures inductive reasoning: spotting the rules in a series of shapes and applying them. You see frames with shapes that change in colour, size, position or direction from one frame to the next, and you build the next frame yourself, so there is no multiple choice. Later questions have several rules running at once on different shapes.
Work shape by shape: name what changes from the first frame to the second, confirm it on the next frame, apply it once more, and copy every unchanged shape exactly. Practise placing and adjusting shapes in our Order Game below until it is automatic, so the interface does not cost you time.
