P&G Grid Challenge: Examples & Practice Tips to Ace the Test

P&G Grid Challenge - featured image

The P&G Grid Challenge is considered one of the most difficult interactive assessments on the P&G Assessment Test.

In fact, many candidates describe it as flustering, annoying, and extremely hard.

So, in this prep guide, you’ll find:

What Is the P&G Grid Challenge Assessment Test?

The Grid Challenge is one of AON’s interactive gamified assessments. It measures your short-term memory and spatial orientation skills using memorization, spatial awareness, and recall questions. Each level on the test varies in its difficulty and has a different number of tasks to complete.

This online assessment test is officially named Aon Working Memory Test, and some candidates call it the P&G Dot Test or P&G Memory Test. It takes a total of nine minutes to complete, and it’s comprised of nine tasks packed into three rounds. Also, you’ll have three warm-up practice tests before you start the actual assessment.

Not all candidates who take the P&G assessment tests receive this challenge, and it’s up to the hiring manager to decide.

Are you taking another interactive assessment or the PEAK Performance Assessment? Visit our dedicated guides to get an in-depth look at what to expect:

P&G Switch Challenge
P&G Digit Challenge
P&G PEAK Performance Assessment
Free P&G PEAK Performance Practice Test

Each round is comprised of the following interactive challenges:

  1. A memorization section
  2. A spatial orientation question
  3. A memorization section
  4. A spatial orientation question
  5. A recall memorization question about the items you memorized in sections 1 and 3.

Note that the number of memorization tasks may vary, though, from two to five.

Here’s how the interface of the real assessment looks:

Master the P&G Grid Challenge using these accurate practice simulations.

How Does the Grid Challenge Work?

We’ll explain each round and task in detail to better understand what you’re up against.

Memorization

Each round will start with a memorization task, in which you’ll be presented with a grid of dots. As the test progresses, one of the dots will become colored for a few seconds, and you’ll need to memorize its exact location on the grid:

P&G Grid Challenge Memorization Example

You’ll only be asked about the dot’s location later, after answering three spatial orientation questions and memorizing other dots’ locations (the dots’ task may repeat two to five times).

Spatial Awareness Tasks

Right after the dots’ grid disappears, you’ll see a spatial awareness question. This will be in the same order for each of the rounds. 

You’ll have a few seconds to determine if the two grids are symmetrical / rotated but identical/correct (varies across the three rounds).

Let’s go over each of the question types:

Symmetrical

In the first round, you’ll need to quickly decide if the right side of the grid is an exact mirror image of the left side.

This means that if you fold the image at the middle line, all the squares would be on top of each other.

P&G Grid Challenge Spatial Awareness Symmetrical Example

So, in this example, the correct answer is ‘no.’

Rotation

You’ll need to determine if the right and left grids are identical but rotated in the second round.

Meaning, if you rotate one of the grids 90, 180, or 270 degrees, it would be identical to the other grid.

P&G Grid Challenge Spatial Awareness Rotated Example

In the sample question above, the correct answer is ‘yes,’ as the right grid is identical but rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

Combination

In the third type, you’ll face a question with three grids, and you’ll need to either add up the top grids or reduce one of them. Then, you’ll need to look at the bottom grid and decide if it’s the “result” of the combination of the two top grids.

P&G Grid Challenge Spatial Awareness Combination Example

In the example above, the answer is ‘yes,’ as the bottom grid represents the top left and top right grids added together.

Recall

After completing two to five rounds of seeing dots and answering spatial orientation questions, you’ll be asked to recall the dots’ location and order of appearance.

This means you first need to click on the dot colored in the first round, then the second, and so on (depending on the number of rounds you had).

Take accurate Grid Challenge practice tests to improve your ability to solve these questions.

How Do You Ace the P&G Grid Challenge?

As you can see, the Grid Challenge is tough. You can easily forget the location of each dot, and you must complete the tasks under immense time pressure (4-5 seconds per task).

That’s why practicing beforehand can help improve your performance tremendously and increase your chances of acing the assessment.

P&G Grid Challenge Practice

Currently, the best available preparation option is JobTestPrep’s interactive practice simulation that closely matches the real assessment.

It has the same question types (dots and spatial awareness questions) and time limit, allowing you to practice questions and improve the abilities needed on the actual test.

Here’s how the practice simulations look inside:

The practice simulation has infinite questions, so no task will be the same. Plus, it’s coupled with a study guide that provides more advanced solving tactics and explanations.

Take unlimited P&G Grid Challenge practice simulations to help you pass the test.

Or, check our in-depth review of this practice to see how it resembles the actual assessment and what it includes inside.

P&G Grid Challenge Tips to Increase Your Score

#1 Use glass writing pens to mark the dots on your screen

Some writing pens or markers allow you to write on glass surfaces (like monitors) and then erase them with no sweat (here’s one example). This way, you’ll be able to mark the exact locations of the dots on your screen and ace the recall question easily.

Important: it’s not enough just to remember the dots’ location. You also need to place them in the correct order. So, using the technique above, add numbers next to the locations you marked on your screen, indicating the order of their appearance.

#2 Try to memorize the positions of the dots on a grid by saying them out loud

This can be helpful since both the spatial questions and the dots recall use your visual memory, while saying the location aloud uses your verbal memory.

So, it reduces the chances of forgetting the dots’ locations as you rely on both visual and verbal memory.

Just remember to repeat each of the previous locations loudly while you advance so you won’t get confused or forget some of them.

#3 The spatial awareness tasks are there for distraction, but it’s crucial to answer them correctly

While it’s essential to practice the memory tasks harder, as they are the main focus of the assessment, you don’t want to neglect the spatial questions.

If you don’t get enough of them right, it may hurt your final score and even cause you to fail the whole assessment.

#4 Take the Grid Challenge on a desktop computer or a laptop with a mouse.

Taking the actual assessment on your smartphone is way more complicated and can seriously harm your performance. Also, using your laptop touchpad instead of a mouse can cause you to lose precious seconds.

So, to ensure you perform at your best, use a laptop with a mouse or a desktop computer, and avoid taking it on your phone at all costs.

Conclusion

This was a detailed preparation guide for P&G’s Grid Challenge, one of the most brutal gamified assessments used in the Procter and Gamble assessment.

We’ve covered the assessment’s structure, explained what the grid challenge tests are, showed you several sample questions and tips, and recommended the most realistic practice simulations available right now.

Hopefully, you better understand what you’re up against and are equipped with more knowledge to help you ace this pre-employment assessment test and advance to the interview stage.

And if you’d like to read about the other P&G Online Assessment Tests, make sure you visit these pages on our site: