Even more relevant today than when it was first written, 05 Sep 2008
This book was first published in 1992, but don't let that put you off - the topics are more relevant today than ever before, particularly given the way we appear to be sliding head-first into another age of unreason. One example would be the chapter on stereotypes: very appropriate in this post 9/11 world, showing the development of prejudice towards out-groups and detailing 9 reasons why they occur (and shouldn't). If only people would read this instead of the latest anti-minority rant in their daily newspaper, we'd have a far more enlightened and tolerant public.

There are stacks of case studies in the book - well over a hundred, described in great detail (sometimes so much detail that you need to re-read the rules of the experiment to remember them) and you will soon get used to reading the phrase "In one experiment..." along with references to subjects and stooges.

This is a comprehensive eye-opening read but also a somewhat infuriating one, though not through any fault of the author. Quite simply, you start to wonder why on earth more children aren't taught basic statistical concepts and probability at school, as it is ignorance of these areas that plays such a large part in human irrational thinking, in people from ALL walks of life.

Other common causes of ignorance and mistakes - the availability error, the primacy error, the halo effect, the anchoring effect, and plenty more are all discussed at great length.

If you see a correlation between A and B and conclude that A must have 'caused' B, if you're prone to seeing strange coincidences and suspect that last night's dream managed to predict an event from today, if you think it's unlikely that in a room of 23 strangers, the probability of at least two of them having a birthday on the same day of the year is over a half... then this book is for you. In fact, it's for all of us, because no matter how rational you think you are, I guarantee you will be surprised at some of the errors you unwittingly make!

The Vulcan bible and the big decision-maker's best friend, 27 Jul 2008
We all act on impulse and make quick decisions every day. That may be irrational but if we had to think long and hard about every decision we made then our lives would never get anywhere.

Fortunately, most of our decisions have very limited consequences if they turn out to be wrong, but sometimes a bad decision can cost a lot of money, even human lives. Then it is best to be sure that the decision was the best possible based on all the facts. Even when buying a new home or a new car, one could well save oneself some grief and perhaps a lot of money if the deal was approached in a rational manner.

As this book points out, many lives and lots of money have been lost and many projects have failed because of bad decisions due to pride, prejudice, by misinterpreting facts in ones own favor, by fear of non-conformity and many other irrational reasons.

This book is an excellent tour through a lot of topics, all of which are aspects of irrational behavior. Through many (painfully :-/ ) clear examples the author illustrates the various types of irrational behavior and how they can lead to bad or wrong decisions. For example, the "availability error" where too much emphasis is put on whatever comes first to mind, or the "halo effect" where too much emphasis is put on first impressions. These traps catch us every day and are among the advertisers' best weapons.

If you want to improve you own decision making - in you personal life as well as you professional life - or you just want to know why other people often make such bad decisions this book can give you a lot of insight into how easily people can make flawed decisions and thus what to be wary of the next time you face an important decision.

English is not my first language but I use English a lot. With this background I found the book fairly easy to read, although it is my impression that you do need to be quite proficient in the English language to get the full benefit of the book.

For those seeking more information about the topics and examples presented by the author, the book has a comprehensive list of the background material, with reference to the page where it is used, as well as a list of supplemental literature for the curious reader.

I warmly recommend this book to any Vulcan wannabe as well as to any person with the responsibility to make decisions that can affect other people's lives, jobs, careers, health etc.


A Quirky, Fun and Idiosyncratic Book, 27 Jul 2008
The actuarial method has proved successful in predicting happiness in marriage, if you subtract the average number of times a couple makes love a week from the number of rows they have a week. This is just one of dozens of quirky insights from Stuart Sutherland, who will turn lots of your thinking on its head.

This is not a systematic book, it's just a stroll through some fascinating subjects, with the odd valuable lesson thrown in. Sutherland is not afraid to be prejudiced. He writes off psychoanalysis in a few paragraphs, he demolishes any pride you might have in your intuition, or any secret belief you may have in the paranormal.

I have a business, and I remember when I started applying for loans. The bank manager told me they did it all by computer now. I was horrified. Sutherland explains why they do it. It put me off applying for one - but actually, in retrospect, if they examined my credit record, it was immaculate. I just assumed a computer would be bureaucratic. Which might not be the case at all.

Also, I have had many very disappointing experiences in interviews. Sutherland describes exactly why interviews often don't result in the best candidate being selected.

I've often felt marginalised and disdained for not being a malleable member of committees and groups, so Sutherland's work is really comforting. I'd like to use some of his stories and examples in the speeches I write for CEOs, though I fear they may be just a bit too subversive.

Irrationality- A virus to be treated, 06 Jul 2008
Stuart Sutherland has prepared a psychology book that's accessible to anybody, from the professor to the layman. He cites so many examples of irrationality through research and experiments conducted in the past few decades. The book is packed full of references to experiments and situations where humans behave in foolish ways sub-consciously. The only criticism I have is, like most books, he tends to digress too much towards irrationality in medicine which can become rather dull during the middle of the book. The text explains very well to the reader how the use of rewards, incentives and punishments are dangerous in many instances, and leads you to think about how our education system can be fully improved by eradicating the incentives we have for children today. He also proves how those with strong beliefs are acting irrationally, as they only search for evidence that fully confirms their belief, therefore encouraging extremism. The rational thing to do if one is so confident in a belief, he adds, is to seek evidence contradicting those beliefs. Sutherland also provides guidance to avoid irrationality after each chapter.

Overall, the book is incredibly thought provoking, yet his tendency to digress on many subjects leads to self-indulgence which can become tiresome towards the middle. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone.


Really Thought Provoking, 28 Jun 2008
This is my first and I hope many more reviews to come, as I find them very useful in choosing whether to buy a book or not.

Anyway, I have had this book for 3 months now and found it completely enthralling. The book is about why we all at times make irrational choices such as when we are in groups, committees and depending on our emotional state. It all seems to "click" and when you see real life examples at work you feel as if you know why! For me it does make me aware of how I am making my decision.

I recommend this for anyone interested in how the human mind comes to decisions, why politicians make awful policies and cannot go back and why military generals should not believe in their own abilities.

Even more relevant today than when it was first written, 05 Sep 2008
This book was first published in 1992, but don't let that put you off - the topics are more relevant today than ever before, particularly given the way we appear to be sliding head-first into another age of unreason. One example would be the chapter on stereotypes: very appropriate in this post 9/11 world, showing the development of prejudice towards out-groups and detailing 9 reasons why they occur (and shouldn't). If only people would read this instead of the latest anti-minority rant in their daily newspaper, we'd have a far more enlightened and tolerant public.

There are stacks of case studies in the book - well over a hundred, described in great detail (sometimes so much detail that you need to re-read the rules of the experiment to remember them) and you will soon get used to reading the phrase "In one experiment..." along with references to subjects and stooges.

This is a comprehensive eye-opening read but also a somewhat infuriating one, though not through any fault of the author. Quite simply, you start to wonder why on earth more children aren't taught basic statistical concepts and probability at school, as it is ignorance of these areas that plays such a large part in human irrational thinking, in people from ALL walks of life.

Other common causes of ignorance and mistakes - the availability error, the primacy error, the halo effect, the anchoring effect, and plenty more are all discussed at great length.

If you see a correlation between A and B and conclude that A must have 'caused' B, if you're prone to seeing strange coincidences and suspect that last night's dream managed to predict an event from today, if you think it's unlikely that in a room of 23 strangers, the probability of at least two of them having a birthday on the same day of the year is over a half... then this book is for you. In fact, it's for all of us, because no matter how rational you think you are, I guarantee you will be surprised at some of the errors you unwittingly make!

The Vulcan bible and the big decision-maker's best friend, 27 Jul 2008
We all act on impulse and make quick decisions every day. That may be irrational but if we had to think long and hard about every decision we made then our lives would never get anywhere.

Fortunately, most of our decisions have very limited consequences if they turn out to be wrong, but sometimes a bad decision can cost a lot of money, even human lives. Then it is best to be sure that the decision was the best possible based on all the facts. Even when buying a new home or a new car, one could well save oneself some grief and perhaps a lot of money if the deal was approached in a rational manner.

As this book points out, many lives and lots of money have been lost and many projects have failed because of bad decisions due to pride, prejudice, by misinterpreting facts in ones own favor, by fear of non-conformity and many other irrational reasons.

This book is an excellent tour through a lot of topics, all of which are aspects of irrational behavior. Through many (painfully :-/ ) clear examples the author illustrates the various types of irrational behavior and how they can lead to bad or wrong decisions. For example, the "availability error" where too much emphasis is put on whatever comes first to mind, or the "halo effect" where too much emphasis is put on first impressions. These traps catch us every day and are among the advertisers' best weapons.

If you want to improve you own decision making - in you personal life as well as you professional life - or you just want to know why other people often make such bad decisions this book can give you a lot of insight into how easily people can make flawed decisions and thus what to be wary of the next time you face an important decision.

English is not my first language but I use English a lot. With this background I found the book fairly easy to read, although it is my impression that you do need to be quite proficient in the English language to get the full benefit of the book.

For those seeking more information about the topics and examples presented by the author, the book has a comprehensive list of the background material, with reference to the page where it is used, as well as a list of supplemental literature for the curious reader.

I warmly recommend this book to any Vulcan wannabe as well as to any person with the responsibility to make decisions that can affect other people's lives, jobs, careers, health etc.


A Quirky, Fun and Idiosyncratic Book, 27 Jul 2008
The actuarial method has proved successful in predicting happiness in marriage, if you subtract the average number of times a couple makes love a week from the number of rows they have a week. This is just one of dozens of quirky insights from Stuart Sutherland, who will turn lots of your thinking on its head.

This is not a systematic book, it's just a stroll through some fascinating subjects, with the odd valuable lesson thrown in. Sutherland is not afraid to be prejudiced. He writes off psychoanalysis in a few paragraphs, he demolishes any pride you might have in your intuition, or any secret belief you may have in the paranormal.

I have a business, and I remember when I started applying for loans. The bank manager told me they did it all by computer now. I was horrified. Sutherland explains why they do it. It put me off applying for one - but actually, in retrospect, if they examined my credit record, it was immaculate. I just assumed a computer would be bureaucratic. Which might not be the case at all.

Also, I have had many very disappointing experiences in interviews. Sutherland describes exactly why interviews often don't result in the best candidate being selected.

I've often felt marginalised and disdained for not being a malleable member of committees and groups, so Sutherland's work is really comforting. I'd like to use some of his stories and examples in the speeches I write for CEOs, though I fear they may be just a bit too subversive.

Irrationality- A virus to be treated, 06 Jul 2008
Stuart Sutherland has prepared a psychology book that's accessible to anybody, from the professor to the layman. He cites so many examples of irrationality through research and experiments conducted in the past few decades. The book is packed full of references to experiments and situations where humans behave in foolish ways sub-consciously. The only criticism I have is, like most books, he tends to digress too much towards irrationality in medicine which can become rather dull during the middle of the book. The text explains very well to the reader how the use of rewards, incentives and punishments are dangerous in many instances, and leads you to think about how our education system can be fully improved by eradicating the incentives we have for children today. He also proves how those with strong beliefs are acting irrationally, as they only search for evidence that fully confirms their belief, therefore encouraging extremism. The rational thing to do if one is so confident in a belief, he adds, is to seek evidence contradicting those beliefs. Sutherland also provides guidance to avoid irrationality after each chapter.

Overall, the book is incredibly thought provoking, yet his tendency to digress on many subjects leads to self-indulgence which can become tiresome towards the middle. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone.


Really Thought Provoking, 28 Jun 2008
This is my first and I hope many more reviews to come, as I find them very useful in choosing whether to buy a book or not.

Anyway, I have had this book for 3 months now and found it completely enthralling. The book is about why we all at times make irrational choices such as when we are in groups, committees and depending on our emotional state. It all seems to "click" and when you see real life examples at work you feel as if you know why! For me it does make me aware of how I am making my decision.

I recommend this for anyone interested in how the human mind comes to decisions, why politicians make awful policies and cannot go back and why military generals should not believe in their own abilities.

Good Introduction.., 20 Sep 2008
It is a good book to get you started. Covers alot of the models in NLP and is set out so its easy to read and understand. But as i said a very basic book.

If you want some good advice as a rule of thumb on getting books on NLP avoid the new stuff. Stick to the earlier books by Bandler preferably the first ones for e.g 'From Frogs to Princes ( is a must if your serious about this subject ) not only are they humerous but are like the bible of the subject and come from the pioneers, the fountain of knowledge. Derren Brown will even give you this advise also.

Fantastic layout, imple, yet effective, 17 Aug 2008
At first I thought NLP was some hocus-pocus magic stuff, that didn't really work, but boy did it! I am now able to easiloy create rapport, and I find I communicate a hell of a lot more easily... You have inspired me...!!!!!

Better than I thought it would be, 05 Aug 2008
I started this book with a very cynical view thinking it wouldnt be that good. I was pleasantly surprised though to find it is in fact quite interesting and has many helpful ideas.

The page on looking at a persons eyes to see if they are thinking about the past, present, remembering etc is very accurate. I tried it myself and it seems to work.

Definately a useful book to read and find out more about NLP.

Excellent introduction , 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent introduction to NLP and presents all the core concepts in an accurate way. NLP is a very wide-ranging theory but this author has managed to introduce the core framework very cogently. Perhaps there could have been more diagrams and illustrations, and perhaps a little less jargon too - but as NLP has so much of its own terminology it's difficult to see how this could be avoided. I would have liked to read a little more about time perception too, after reading Steve Taylor's excellent book Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which looks at why time seems to speed up and slow down (and even completely disappear) in different situations.





Too much detail and not enough 'how to practicality'., 12 May 2008
If u enjoy reading science textbooks or biology books or pages and pages of jargon and talking, then this is for u.if like me ur intrigued by NLP and want a few 'how to' tips then find something more practical. A waste of money.Minimum info on reading body language. A BIG disappointment.

Even more relevant today than when it was first written, 05 Sep 2008
This book was first published in 1992, but don't let that put you off - the topics are more relevant today than ever before, particularly given the way we appear to be sliding head-first into another age of unreason. One example would be the chapter on stereotypes: very appropriate in this post 9/11 world, showing the development of prejudice towards out-groups and detailing 9 reasons why they occur (and shouldn't). If only people would read this instead of the latest anti-minority rant in their daily newspaper, we'd have a far more enlightened and tolerant public.

There are stacks of case studies in the book - well over a hundred, described in great detail (sometimes so much detail that you need to re-read the rules of the experiment to remember them) and you will soon get used to reading the phrase "In one experiment..." along with references to subjects and stooges.

This is a comprehensive eye-opening read but also a somewhat infuriating one, though not through any fault of the author. Quite simply, you start to wonder why on earth more children aren't taught basic statistical concepts and probability at school, as it is ignorance of these areas that plays such a large part in human irrational thinking, in people from ALL walks of life.

Other common causes of ignorance and mistakes - the availability error, the primacy error, the halo effect, the anchoring effect, and plenty more are all discussed at great length.

If you see a correlation between A and B and conclude that A must have 'caused' B, if you're prone to seeing strange coincidences and suspect that last night's dream managed to predict an event from today, if you think it's unlikely that in a room of 23 strangers, the probability of at least two of them having a birthday on the same day of the year is over a half... then this book is for you. In fact, it's for all of us, because no matter how rational you think you are, I guarantee you will be surprised at some of the errors you unwittingly make!

The Vulcan bible and the big decision-maker's best friend, 27 Jul 2008
We all act on impulse and make quick decisions every day. That may be irrational but if we had to think long and hard about every decision we made then our lives would never get anywhere.

Fortunately, most of our decisions have very limited consequences if they turn out to be wrong, but sometimes a bad decision can cost a lot of money, even human lives. Then it is best to be sure that the decision was the best possible based on all the facts. Even when buying a new home or a new car, one could well save oneself some grief and perhaps a lot of money if the deal was approached in a rational manner.

As this book points out, many lives and lots of money have been lost and many projects have failed because of bad decisions due to pride, prejudice, by misinterpreting facts in ones own favor, by fear of non-conformity and many other irrational reasons.

This book is an excellent tour through a lot of topics, all of which are aspects of irrational behavior. Through many (painfully :-/ ) clear examples the author illustrates the various types of irrational behavior and how they can lead to bad or wrong decisions. For example, the "availability error" where too much emphasis is put on whatever comes first to mind, or the "halo effect" where too much emphasis is put on first impressions. These traps catch us every day and are among the advertisers' best weapons.

If you want to improve you own decision making - in you personal life as well as you professional life - or you just want to know why other people often make such bad decisions this book can give you a lot of insight into how easily people can make flawed decisions and thus what to be wary of the next time you face an important decision.

English is not my first language but I use English a lot. With this background I found the book fairly easy to read, although it is my impression that you do need to be quite proficient in the English language to get the full benefit of the book.

For those seeking more information about the topics and examples presented by the author, the book has a comprehensive list of the background material, with reference to the page where it is used, as well as a list of supplemental literature for the curious reader.

I warmly recommend this book to any Vulcan wannabe as well as to any person with the responsibility to make decisions that can affect other people's lives, jobs, careers, health etc.


A Quirky, Fun and Idiosyncratic Book, 27 Jul 2008
The actuarial method has proved successful in predicting happiness in marriage, if you subtract the average number of times a couple makes love a week from the number of rows they have a week. This is just one of dozens of quirky insights from Stuart Sutherland, who will turn lots of your thinking on its head.

This is not a systematic book, it's just a stroll through some fascinating subjects, with the odd valuable lesson thrown in. Sutherland is not afraid to be prejudiced. He writes off psychoanalysis in a few paragraphs, he demolishes any pride you might have in your intuition, or any secret belief you may have in the paranormal.

I have a business, and I remember when I started applying for loans. The bank manager told me they did it all by computer now. I was horrified. Sutherland explains why they do it. It put me off applying for one - but actually, in retrospect, if they examined my credit record, it was immaculate. I just assumed a computer would be bureaucratic. Which might not be the case at all.

Also, I have had many very disappointing experiences in interviews. Sutherland describes exactly why interviews often don't result in the best candidate being selected.

I've often felt marginalised and disdained for not being a malleable member of committees and groups, so Sutherland's work is really comforting. I'd like to use some of his stories and examples in the speeches I write for CEOs, though I fear they may be just a bit too subversive.

Irrationality- A virus to be treated, 06 Jul 2008
Stuart Sutherland has prepared a psychology book that's accessible to anybody, from the professor to the layman. He cites so many examples of irrationality through research and experiments conducted in the past few decades. The book is packed full of references to experiments and situations where humans behave in foolish ways sub-consciously. The only criticism I have is, like most books, he tends to digress too much towards irrationality in medicine which can become rather dull during the middle of the book. The text explains very well to the reader how the use of rewards, incentives and punishments are dangerous in many instances, and leads you to think about how our education system can be fully improved by eradicating the incentives we have for children today. He also proves how those with strong beliefs are acting irrationally, as they only search for evidence that fully confirms their belief, therefore encouraging extremism. The rational thing to do if one is so confident in a belief, he adds, is to seek evidence contradicting those beliefs. Sutherland also provides guidance to avoid irrationality after each chapter.

Overall, the book is incredibly thought provoking, yet his tendency to digress on many subjects leads to self-indulgence which can become tiresome towards the middle. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone.


Really Thought Provoking, 28 Jun 2008
This is my first and I hope many more reviews to come, as I find them very useful in choosing whether to buy a book or not.

Anyway, I have had this book for 3 months now and found it completely enthralling. The book is about why we all at times make irrational choices such as when we are in groups, committees and depending on our emotional state. It all seems to "click" and when you see real life examples at work you feel as if you know why! For me it does make me aware of how I am making my decision.

I recommend this for anyone interested in how the human mind comes to decisions, why politicians make awful policies and cannot go back and why military generals should not believe in their own abilities.

Good Introduction.., 20 Sep 2008
It is a good book to get you started. Covers alot of the models in NLP and is set out so its easy to read and understand. But as i said a very basic book.

If you want some good advice as a rule of thumb on getting books on NLP avoid the new stuff. Stick to the earlier books by Bandler preferably the first ones for e.g 'From Frogs to Princes ( is a must if your serious about this subject ) not only are they humerous but are like the bible of the subject and come from the pioneers, the fountain of knowledge. Derren Brown will even give you this advise also.

Fantastic layout, imple, yet effective, 17 Aug 2008
At first I thought NLP was some hocus-pocus magic stuff, that didn't really work, but boy did it! I am now able to easiloy create rapport, and I find I communicate a hell of a lot more easily... You have inspired me...!!!!!

Better than I thought it would be, 05 Aug 2008
I started this book with a very cynical view thinking it wouldnt be that good. I was pleasantly surprised though to find it is in fact quite interesting and has many helpful ideas.

The page on looking at a persons eyes to see if they are thinking about the past, present, remembering etc is very accurate. I tried it myself and it seems to work.

Definately a useful book to read and find out more about NLP.

Excellent introduction , 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent introduction to NLP and presents all the core concepts in an accurate way. NLP is a very wide-ranging theory but this author has managed to introduce the core framework very cogently. Perhaps there could have been more diagrams and illustrations, and perhaps a little less jargon too - but as NLP has so much of its own terminology it's difficult to see how this could be avoided. I would have liked to read a little more about time perception too, after reading Steve Taylor's excellent book Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which looks at why time seems to speed up and slow down (and even completely disappear) in different situations.





Too much detail and not enough 'how to practicality'., 12 May 2008
If u enjoy reading science textbooks or biology books or pages and pages of jargon and talking, then this is for u.if like me ur intrigued by NLP and want a few 'how to' tips then find something more practical. A waste of money.Minimum info on reading body language. A BIG disappointment.

Confidence Is Key, 22 May 2008
This book was excellent in preparing me and helping me pass the PIRT.
It gave me the cofidence I needed on the day and I would reccommend it to anyone thinking about applying for the police force.
Go for it!


Lacks any real depth, 09 Jul 2007
Firstly, the book is good for the practice maths and verbal reasoning tests and helping you with your application form.

However, the book seems to lack any real help where you need it most. It seems to describe the process in detail but offer little help in the way of preparing you for the tests. For most people, the role plays and interview stages are the real worry of the Assesment Centre, there seemed to be little information of value on these stages.

As pointed out already, it is out of date. The book will teach you about writing a letter for the Assesment Centre which is no longer a requirement. In this sense, your on your own for the writen section of the Assesment Centre.

At the end of the day, the price of this book isn't going to put much of a dent in your wallet, and it does help to some extent.... but to me it didn't offer the kind of help other reviewers found it to be.

The most important information in this book is given to you, for free, prior to the Assesment Centre (should you pass the application form).

I'd advise others to buy it, but don't expect too much from it.

Worth every penny, 28 Dec 2006
I have just been accepted into Cheshire Police and this book played a large part in my application. I do believe that this book is the reason I passed my assessment centre. After reading the book I felt quietly confident going into my assessment centre and would have been a nervous wreck otherwise. I would advise anyone thinking of joining the police or already in the process of applying to buy this book as it is a great help.

so helpful, 14 Jul 2006
Just completed my a/c day for hants- this book is a bible when it comes to gathering knowledge of what to expext and practice questions

Absolutely invaluable, 06 Dec 2005
This book became absolutely invaluable to me as I was going through the recruitment process to join the Police. It gives you pointers on what to/what not to include on your application, practice questions for the pyschometric tests and good advice on what to do through the assessment centre. It helped me to get through the stages and I would recommend it to any potential new recruit.

Even more relevant today than when it was first written, 05 Sep 2008
This book was first published in 1992, but don't let that put you off - the topics are more relevant today than ever before, particularly given the way we appear to be sliding head-first into another age of unreason. One example would be the chapter on stereotypes: very appropriate in this post 9/11 world, showing the development of prejudice towards out-groups and detailing 9 reasons why they occur (and shouldn't). If only people would read this instead of the latest anti-minority rant in their daily newspaper, we'd have a far more enlightened and tolerant public.

There are stacks of case studies in the book - well over a hundred, described in great detail (sometimes so much detail that you need to re-read the rules of the experiment to remember them) and you will soon get used to reading the phrase "In one experiment..." along with references to subjects and stooges.

This is a comprehensive eye-opening read but also a somewhat infuriating one, though not through any fault of the author. Quite simply, you start to wonder why on earth more children aren't taught basic statistical concepts and probability at school, as it is ignorance of these areas that plays such a large part in human irrational thinking, in people from ALL walks of life.

Other common causes of ignorance and mistakes - the availability error, the primacy error, the halo effect, the anchoring effect, and plenty more are all discussed at great length.

If you see a correlation between A and B and conclude that A must have 'caused' B, if you're prone to seeing strange coincidences and suspect that last night's dream managed to predict an event from today, if you think it's unlikely that in a room of 23 strangers, the probability of at least two of them having a birthday on the same day of the year is over a half... then this book is for you. In fact, it's for all of us, because no matter how rational you think you are, I guarantee you will be surprised at some of the errors you unwittingly make!

The Vulcan bible and the big decision-maker's best friend, 27 Jul 2008
We all act on impulse and make quick decisions every day. That may be irrational but if we had to think long and hard about every decision we made then our lives would never get anywhere.

Fortunately, most of our decisions have very limited consequences if they turn out to be wrong, but sometimes a bad decision can cost a lot of money, even human lives. Then it is best to be sure that the decision was the best possible based on all the facts. Even when buying a new home or a new car, one could well save oneself some grief and perhaps a lot of money if the deal was approached in a rational manner.

As this book points out, many lives and lots of money have been lost and many projects have failed because of bad decisions due to pride, prejudice, by misinterpreting facts in ones own favor, by fear of non-conformity and many other irrational reasons.

This book is an excellent tour through a lot of topics, all of which are aspects of irrational behavior. Through many (painfully :-/ ) clear examples the author illustrates the various types of irrational behavior and how they can lead to bad or wrong decisions. For example, the "availability error" where too much emphasis is put on whatever comes first to mind, or the "halo effect" where too much emphasis is put on first impressions. These traps catch us every day and are among the advertisers' best weapons.

If you want to improve you own decision making - in you personal life as well as you professional life - or you just want to know why other people often make such bad decisions this book can give you a lot of insight into how easily people can make flawed decisions and thus what to be wary of the next time you face an important decision.

English is not my first language but I use English a lot. With this background I found the book fairly easy to read, although it is my impression that you do need to be quite proficient in the English language to get the full benefit of the book.

For those seeking more information about the topics and examples presented by the author, the book has a comprehensive list of the background material, with reference to the page where it is used, as well as a list of supplemental literature for the curious reader.

I warmly recommend this book to any Vulcan wannabe as well as to any person with the responsibility to make decisions that can affect other people's lives, jobs, careers, health etc.


A Quirky, Fun and Idiosyncratic Book, 27 Jul 2008
The actuarial method has proved successful in predicting happiness in marriage, if you subtract the average number of times a couple makes love a week from the number of rows they have a week. This is just one of dozens of quirky insights from Stuart Sutherland, who will turn lots of your thinking on its head.

This is not a systematic book, it's just a stroll through some fascinating subjects, with the odd valuable lesson thrown in. Sutherland is not afraid to be prejudiced. He writes off psychoanalysis in a few paragraphs, he demolishes any pride you might have in your intuition, or any secret belief you may have in the paranormal.

I have a business, and I remember when I started applying for loans. The bank manager told me they did it all by computer now. I was horrified. Sutherland explains why they do it. It put me off applying for one - but actually, in retrospect, if they examined my credit record, it was immaculate. I just assumed a computer would be bureaucratic. Which might not be the case at all.

Also, I have had many very disappointing experiences in interviews. Sutherland describes exactly why interviews often don't result in the best candidate being selected.

I've often felt marginalised and disdained for not being a malleable member of committees and groups, so Sutherland's work is really comforting. I'd like to use some of his stories and examples in the speeches I write for CEOs, though I fear they may be just a bit too subversive.

Irrationality- A virus to be treated, 06 Jul 2008
Stuart Sutherland has prepared a psychology book that's accessible to anybody, from the professor to the layman. He cites so many examples of irrationality through research and experiments conducted in the past few decades. The book is packed full of references to experiments and situations where humans behave in foolish ways sub-consciously. The only criticism I have is, like most books, he tends to digress too much towards irrationality in medicine which can become rather dull during the middle of the book. The text explains very well to the reader how the use of rewards, incentives and punishments are dangerous in many instances, and leads you to think about how our education system can be fully improved by eradicating the incentives we have for children today. He also proves how those with strong beliefs are acting irrationally, as they only search for evidence that fully confirms their belief, therefore encouraging extremism. The rational thing to do if one is so confident in a belief, he adds, is to seek evidence contradicting those beliefs. Sutherland also provides guidance to avoid irrationality after each chapter.

Overall, the book is incredibly thought provoking, yet his tendency to digress on many subjects leads to self-indulgence which can become tiresome towards the middle. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone.


Really Thought Provoking, 28 Jun 2008
This is my first and I hope many more reviews to come, as I find them very useful in choosing whether to buy a book or not.

Anyway, I have had this book for 3 months now and found it completely enthralling. The book is about why we all at times make irrational choices such as when we are in groups, committees and depending on our emotional state. It all seems to "click" and when you see real life examples at work you feel as if you know why! For me it does make me aware of how I am making my decision.

I recommend this for anyone interested in how the human mind comes to decisions, why politicians make awful policies and cannot go back and why military generals should not believe in their own abilities.

Good Introduction.., 20 Sep 2008
It is a good book to get you started. Covers alot of the models in NLP and is set out so its easy to read and understand. But as i said a very basic book.

If you want some good advice as a rule of thumb on getting books on NLP avoid the new stuff. Stick to the earlier books by Bandler preferably the first ones for e.g 'From Frogs to Princes ( is a must if your serious about this subject ) not only are they humerous but are like the bible of the subject and come from the pioneers, the fountain of knowledge. Derren Brown will even give you this advise also.

Fantastic layout, imple, yet effective, 17 Aug 2008
At first I thought NLP was some hocus-pocus magic stuff, that didn't really work, but boy did it! I am now able to easiloy create rapport, and I find I communicate a hell of a lot more easily... You have inspired me...!!!!!

Better than I thought it would be, 05 Aug 2008
I started this book with a very cynical view thinking it wouldnt be that good. I was pleasantly surprised though to find it is in fact quite interesting and has many helpful ideas.

The page on looking at a persons eyes to see if they are thinking about the past, present, remembering etc is very accurate. I tried it myself and it seems to work.

Definately a useful book to read and find out more about NLP.

Excellent introduction , 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent introduction to NLP and presents all the core concepts in an accurate way. NLP is a very wide-ranging theory but this author has managed to introduce the core framework very cogently. Perhaps there could have been more diagrams and illustrations, and perhaps a little less jargon too - but as NLP has so much of its own terminology it's difficult to see how this could be avoided. I would have liked to read a little more about time perception too, after reading Steve Taylor's excellent book Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which looks at why time seems to speed up and slow down (and even completely disappear) in different situations.





Too much detail and not enough 'how to practicality'., 12 May 2008
If u enjoy reading science textbooks or biology books or pages and pages of jargon and talking, then this is for u.if like me ur intrigued by NLP and want a few 'how to' tips then find something more practical. A waste of money.Minimum info on reading body language. A BIG disappointment.

Confidence Is Key, 22 May 2008
This book was excellent in preparing me and helping me pass the PIRT.
It gave me the cofidence I needed on the day and I would reccommend it to anyone thinking about applying for the police force.
Go for it!


Lacks any real depth, 09 Jul 2007
Firstly, the book is good for the practice maths and verbal reasoning tests and helping you with your application form.

However, the book seems to lack any real help where you need it most. It seems to describe the process in detail but offer little help in the way of preparing you for the tests. For most people, the role plays and interview stages are the real worry of the Assesment Centre, there seemed to be little information of value on these stages.

As pointed out already, it is out of date. The book will teach you about writing a letter for the Assesment Centre which is no longer a requirement. In this sense, your on your own for the writen section of the Assesment Centre.

At the end of the day, the price of this book isn't going to put much of a dent in your wallet, and it does help to some extent.... but to me it didn't offer the kind of help other reviewers found it to be.

The most important information in this book is given to you, for free, prior to the Assesment Centre (should you pass the application form).

I'd advise others to buy it, but don't expect too much from it.

Worth every penny, 28 Dec 2006
I have just been accepted into Cheshire Police and this book played a large part in my application. I do believe that this book is the reason I passed my assessment centre. After reading the book I felt quietly confident going into my assessment centre and would have been a nervous wreck otherwise. I would advise anyone thinking of joining the police or already in the process of applying to buy this book as it is a great help.

so helpful, 14 Jul 2006
Just completed my a/c day for hants- this book is a bible when it comes to gathering knowledge of what to expext and practice questions

Absolutely invaluable, 06 Dec 2005
This book became absolutely invaluable to me as I was going through the recruitment process to join the Police. It gives you pointers on what to/what not to include on your application, practice questions for the pyschometric tests and good advice on what to do through the assessment centre. It helped me to get through the stages and I would recommend it to any potential new recruit.

One of the best books on Psychometric tests, 02 Dec 2008
I have gone through a few titles on psychometric tests. I am convinced that this is one of the best books on this subject. It is very comprehensive yet, just manageable to read through. In just one book, it includes all types of psychometric tests including numerical & verbal reasoning, critical reasoning, situational reasoning and personality questions. The book is better written with just one or two minor errors, but gives very useful tips and plenty of practice tests. One small criticism is that it covers only 4 scenario based practice tests, which I think is insufficient. I still think this is just perfect for someone who is looking for a MBA level management job.

Worth a look, though not hugely insightful & contains some errors, 10 Nov 2008
This book is helpfully reassuring if you're a bit nervous about taking such tests.
The general comments do give answers to niggling questions about how to cope with the tests.
The example tests are useful, though they're only indicative - for a fuller practice, try the online practice tests on SHL's website. I would say that many of the example questions in the book are more straightforward than you might want to expect in the "real thing".
What really worries me, though, is that the answers given in the book are sometimes wrong. It's not clear whether this is just an editing issue or whether the database they're taken from is wrong. In either case, it should be cleared up. If the database is wrong, then that is shocking, because peoples' job applications may depend on this. The book states "psychologists are only human" by way of apologising for errors that do crop up. However, as someone who has set professional exam questions, I view this as unacceptable.

Waste of Time, 12 Apr 2008
People should learn from their mistakes. Although the answers to the numerical tests are listed within the book, there are no EXPLANATIONS as to how to solve the problems! Therefore, how can someone improve if they get an answer wrong and do not understand the steps that must be taken to produce the correct answer? This has led to frustration.

Excellent book for Assessment Centre practice, 26 Oct 2007
An excellent book for assessment centre practice, full of useful advice and ideas including a wide variety of potential tests. Would recommend.

So, you want this job?, 24 Feb 2006
If you have been asked to go through an aptitude test, rest assured that you will find similar example questions in this book. It covers a wide variety of tests designed for graduate, senior and managerial positions in a wide range of industries. Furthermore, there are 35 tests designed by SHL, regularly used in the recruitment process of large-size organisations. The book is very well structured and the reader can easily spot and isolate the tests of interest. However, they are highly addictive, so you may end up spending hours or days, trying to solve all of them… There are also chapters dedicated to the preparation stage, the interview and the assessment process. The author does not try to cover all possible cases and questions you might encounter; she focuses on the key-elements that make a candidate successful. And she manages to emphasize the important information while using a plain and humorous language. I strongly recommend this book!

Even more relevant today than when it was first written, 05 Sep 2008
This book was first published in 1992, but don't let that put you off - the topics are more relevant today than ever before, particularly given the way we appear to be sliding head-first into another age of unreason. One example would be the chapter on stereotypes: very appropriate in this post 9/11 world, showing the development of prejudice towards out-groups and detailing 9 reasons why they occur (and shouldn't). If only people would read this instead of the latest anti-minority rant in their daily newspaper, we'd have a far more enlightened and tolerant public.

There are stacks of case studies in the book - well over a hundred, described in great detail (sometimes so much detail that you need to re-read the rules of the experiment to remember them) and you will soon get used to reading the phrase "In one experiment..." along with references to subjects and stooges.

This is a comprehensive eye-opening read but also a somewhat infuriating one, though not through any fault of the author. Quite simply, you start to wonder why on earth more children aren't taught basic statistical concepts and probability at school, as it is ignorance of these areas that plays such a large part in human irrational thinking, in people from ALL walks of life.

Other common causes of ignorance and mistakes - the availability error, the primacy error, the halo effect, the anchoring effect, and plenty more are all discussed at great length.

If you see a correlation between A and B and conclude that A must have 'caused' B, if you're prone to seeing strange coincidences and suspect that last night's dream managed to predict an event from today, if you think it's unlikely that in a room of 23 strangers, the probability of at least two of them having a birthday on the same day of the year is over a half... then this book is for you. In fact, it's for all of us, because no matter how rational you think you are, I guarantee you will be surprised at some of the errors you unwittingly make!

The Vulcan bible and the big decision-maker's best friend, 27 Jul 2008
We all act on impulse and make quick decisions every day. That may be irrational but if we had to think long and hard about every decision we made then our lives would never get anywhere.

Fortunately, most of our decisions have very limited consequences if they turn out to be wrong, but sometimes a bad decision can cost a lot of money, even human lives. Then it is best to be sure that the decision was the best possible based on all the facts. Even when buying a new home or a new car, one could well save oneself some grief and perhaps a lot of money if the deal was approached in a rational manner.

As this book points out, many lives and lots of money have been lost and many projects have failed because of bad decisions due to pride, prejudice, by misinterpreting facts in ones own favor, by fear of non-conformity and many other irrational reasons.

This book is an excellent tour through a lot of topics, all of which are aspects of irrational behavior. Through many (painfully :-/ ) clear examples the author illustrates the various types of irrational behavior and how they can lead to bad or wrong decisions. For example, the "availability error" where too much emphasis is put on whatever comes first to mind, or the "halo effect" where too much emphasis is put on first impressions. These traps catch us every day and are among the advertisers' best weapons.

If you want to improve you own decision making - in you personal life as well as you professional life - or you just want to know why other people often make such bad decisions this book can give you a lot of insight into how easily people can make flawed decisions and thus what to be wary of the next time you face an important decision.

English is not my first language but I use English a lot. With this background I found the book fairly easy to read, although it is my impression that you do need to be quite proficient in the English language to get the full benefit of the book.

For those seeking more information about the topics and examples presented by the author, the book has a comprehensive list of the background material, with reference to the page where it is used, as well as a list of supplemental literature for the curious reader.

I warmly recommend this book to any Vulcan wannabe as well as to any person with the responsibility to make decisions that can affect other people's lives, jobs, careers, health etc.


A Quirky, Fun and Idiosyncratic Book, 27 Jul 2008
The actuarial method has proved successful in predicting happiness in marriage, if you subtract the average number of times a couple makes love a week from the number of rows they have a week. This is just one of dozens of quirky insights from Stuart Sutherland, who will turn lots of your thinking on its head.

This is not a systematic book, it's just a stroll through some fascinating subjects, with the odd valuable lesson thrown in. Sutherland is not afraid to be prejudiced. He writes off psychoanalysis in a few paragraphs, he demolishes any pride you might have in your intuition, or any secret belief you may have in the paranormal.

I have a business, and I remember when I started applying for loans. The bank manager told me they did it all by computer now. I was horrified. Sutherland explains why they do it. It put me off applying for one - but actually, in retrospect, if they examined my credit record, it was immaculate. I just assumed a computer would be bureaucratic. Which might not be the case at all.

Also, I have had many very disappointing experiences in interviews. Sutherland describes exactly why interviews often don't result in the best candidate being selected.

I've often felt marginalised and disdained for not being a malleable member of committees and groups, so Sutherland's work is really comforting. I'd like to use some of his stories and examples in the speeches I write for CEOs, though I fear they may be just a bit too subversive.

Irrationality- A virus to be treated, 06 Jul 2008
Stuart Sutherland has prepared a psychology book that's accessible to anybody, from the professor to the layman. He cites so many examples of irrationality through research and experiments conducted in the past few decades. The book is packed full of references to experiments and situations where humans behave in foolish ways sub-consciously. The only criticism I have is, like most books, he tends to digress too much towards irrationality in medicine which can become rather dull during the middle of the book. The text explains very well to the reader how the use of rewards, incentives and punishments are dangerous in many instances, and leads you to think about how our education system can be fully improved by eradicating the incentives we have for children today. He also proves how those with strong beliefs are acting irrationally, as they only search for evidence that fully confirms their belief, therefore encouraging extremism. The rational thing to do if one is so confident in a belief, he adds, is to seek evidence contradicting those beliefs. Sutherland also provides guidance to avoid irrationality after each chapter.

Overall, the book is incredibly thought provoking, yet his tendency to digress on many subjects leads to self-indulgence which can become tiresome towards the middle. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone.


Really Thought Provoking, 28 Jun 2008
This is my first and I hope many more reviews to come, as I find them very useful in choosing whether to buy a book or not.

Anyway, I have had this book for 3 months now and found it completely enthralling. The book is about why we all at times make irrational choices such as when we are in groups, committees and depending on our emotional state. It all seems to "click" and when you see real life examples at work you feel as if you know why! For me it does make me aware of how I am making my decision.

I recommend this for anyone interested in how the human mind comes to decisions, why politicians make awful policies and cannot go back and why military generals should not believe in their own abilities.

Good Introduction.., 20 Sep 2008
It is a good book to get you started. Covers alot of the models in NLP and is set out so its easy to read and understand. But as i said a very basic book.

If you want some good advice as a rule of thumb on getting books on NLP avoid the new stuff. Stick to the earlier books by Bandler preferably the first ones for e.g 'From Frogs to Princes ( is a must if your serious about this subject ) not only are they humerous but are like the bible of the subject and come from the pioneers, the fountain of knowledge. Derren Brown will even give you this advise also.

Fantastic layout, imple, yet effective, 17 Aug 2008
At first I thought NLP was some hocus-pocus magic stuff, that didn't really work, but boy did it! I am now able to easiloy create rapport, and I find I communicate a hell of a lot more easily... You have inspired me...!!!!!

Better than I thought it would be, 05 Aug 2008
I started this book with a very cynical view thinking it wouldnt be that good. I was pleasantly surprised though to find it is in fact quite interesting and has many helpful ideas.

The page on looking at a persons eyes to see if they are thinking about the past, present, remembering etc is very accurate. I tried it myself and it seems to work.

Definately a useful book to read and find out more about NLP.

Excellent introduction , 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent introduction to NLP and presents all the core concepts in an accurate way. NLP is a very wide-ranging theory but this author has managed to introduce the core framework very cogently. Perhaps there could have been more diagrams and illustrations, and perhaps a little less jargon too - but as NLP has so much of its own terminology it's difficult to see how this could be avoided. I would have liked to read a little more about time perception too, after reading Steve Taylor's excellent book Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which looks at why time seems to speed up and slow down (and even completely disappear) in different situations.





Too much detail and not enough 'how to practicality'., 12 May 2008
If u enjoy reading science textbooks or biology books or pages and pages of jargon and talking, then this is for u.if like me ur intrigued by NLP and want a few 'how to' tips then find something more practical. A waste of money.Minimum info on reading body language. A BIG disappointment.

Confidence Is Key, 22 May 2008
This book was excellent in preparing me and helping me pass the PIRT.
It gave me the cofidence I needed on the day and I would reccommend it to anyone thinking about applying for the police force.
Go for it!


Lacks any real depth, 09 Jul 2007
Firstly, the book is good for the practice maths and verbal reasoning tests and helping you with your application form.

However, the book seems to lack any real help where you need it most. It seems to describe the process in detail but offer little help in the way of preparing you for the tests. For most people, the role plays and interview stages are the real worry of the Assesment Centre, there seemed to be little information of value on these stages.

As pointed out already, it is out of date. The book will teach you about writing a letter for the Assesment Centre which is no longer a requirement. In this sense, your on your own for the writen section of the Assesment Centre.

At the end of the day, the price of this book isn't going to put much of a dent in your wallet, and it does help to some extent.... but to me it didn't offer the kind of help other reviewers found it to be.

The most important information in this book is given to you, for free, prior to the Assesment Centre (should you pass the application form).

I'd advise others to buy it, but don't expect too much from it.

Worth every penny, 28 Dec 2006
I have just been accepted into Cheshire Police and this book played a large part in my application. I do believe that this book is the reason I passed my assessment centre. After reading the book I felt quietly confident going into my assessment centre and would have been a nervous wreck otherwise. I would advise anyone thinking of joining the police or already in the process of applying to buy this book as it is a great help.

so helpful, 14 Jul 2006
Just completed my a/c day for hants- this book is a bible when it comes to gathering knowledge of what to expext and practice questions

Absolutely invaluable, 06 Dec 2005
This book became absolutely invaluable to me as I was going through the recruitment process to join the Police. It gives you pointers on what to/what not to include on your application, practice questions for the pyschometric tests and good advice on what to do through the assessment centre. It helped me to get through the stages and I would recommend it to any potential new recruit.

One of the best books on Psychometric tests, 02 Dec 2008
I have gone through a few titles on psychometric tests. I am convinced that this is one of the best books on this subject. It is very comprehensive yet, just manageable to read through. In just one book, it includes all types of psychometric tests including numerical & verbal reasoning, critical reasoning, situational reasoning and personality questions. The book is better written with just one or two minor errors, but gives very useful tips and plenty of practice tests. One small criticism is that it covers only 4 scenario based practice tests, which I think is insufficient. I still think this is just perfect for someone who is looking for a MBA level management job.

Worth a look, though not hugely insightful & contains some errors, 10 Nov 2008
This book is helpfully reassuring if you're a bit nervous about taking such tests.
The general comments do give answers to niggling questions about how to cope with the tests.
The example tests are useful, though they're only indicative - for a fuller practice, try the online practice tests on SHL's website. I would say that many of the example questions in the book are more straightforward than you might want to expect in the "real thing".
What really worries me, though, is that the answers given in the book are sometimes wrong. It's not clear whether this is just an editing issue or whether the database they're taken from is wrong. In either case, it should be cleared up. If the database is wrong, then that is shocking, because peoples' job applications may depend on this. The book states "psychologists are only human" by way of apologising for errors that do crop up. However, as someone who has set professional exam questions, I view this as unacceptable.

Waste of Time, 12 Apr 2008
People should learn from their mistakes. Although the answers to the numerical tests are listed within the book, there are no EXPLANATIONS as to how to solve the problems! Therefore, how can someone improve if they get an answer wrong and do not understand the steps that must be taken to produce the correct answer? This has led to frustration.

Excellent book for Assessment Centre practice, 26 Oct 2007
An excellent book for assessment centre practice, full of useful advice and ideas including a wide variety of potential tests. Would recommend.

So, you want this job?, 24 Feb 2006
If you have been asked to go through an aptitude test, rest assured that you will find similar example questions in this book. It covers a wide variety of tests designed for graduate, senior and managerial positions in a wide range of industries. Furthermore, there are 35 tests designed by SHL, regularly used in the recruitment process of large-size organisations. The book is very well structured and the reader can easily spot and isolate the tests of interest. However, they are highly addictive, so you may end up spending hours or days, trying to solve all of them… There are also chapters dedicated to the preparation stage, the interview and the assessment process. The author does not try to cover all possible cases and questions you might encounter; she focuses on the key-elements that make a candidate successful. And she manages to emphasize the important information while using a plain and humorous language. I strongly recommend this book!

Good, but need other reading too for a successful job hunt., 29 Feb 2008
Good book overall. But it is flawed and there are errors. Certainly to be regarded as a book to be used in conjunction with others such as the 'Brilliant' books eg Brilliant CVs, Brilliant Interviews, Brilliant Answers to Tough Interview Questions etc. Another extremely useful book for job hunters is "How to Handle Your Recruitment Consultant". When all these books are used you really can get one step ahead of the competition in the fight for great jobs.

Too many errors., 13 Jul 2006
I'm not sure how this book made it through the editing stage. The questions are interesting, and a good example of what you might expect, however too many of the answers are wrong.

For example, in the estimation section, division by a fraction is done incorrectly, and the answers given for the assembly test are dire.

Avoid, unless you just want to see what questions might be asked.

Exceedingly useful, 26 Sep 2005
I graduated this year from Brunel University with a degree in computing and applied for several graduate schemes for big organisations including HSBC and EDS, Barclays Bank, etc. I was dead surprised that most of the psychometric tests in our assessment day were similar to the tests in this book, especially the ones in chapter 1, the Diagrammatic Test, chapter 2 the Number Series tests and chapter 3, Compiler Checking and assembly tests. I would like to say thanks for this lovely book which helped me to practise and pass and get my first graduate job with HSBC. I would say it is exceedingly useful if you want to win a graduate job in a big organisation.

Superb, 28 Oct 2004
I gradated from Brunel University after completing a BSc in Computing. I was invited for the EDS graduate recruitment day in September this year. I could definitely say that chapter one for the diagrammatic reasoning tests and chapter three psychometric tests for IT, were very helpful in my assessment day, to pass and receive a job offer.
However what I really liked about the book is the accuracy of all the tests as I couldn't find a single mistake, whereas in other series by Kogan Page I find many, My challenge is, can anyone find any mistakes in any of the tests and email me? Thumbs up. The book deserves 5 stars. Good luck to the author as I heard the book has been translated into 4 languages.

Brilliant, 19 Oct 2004
After graduating last July with a degree in Finance I went to the USA for my summer holiday and heard by chance about the book when reading an article about psychometric tests in one of the USA journals. I bought the second edition of the book on my return to the UK and attended two assessment days for Barclays and HSBC banks. I was surprised that most of the psychometric tests given to us by both banks were very similar to the ones provided in the book, especially the diagrammatic reasoning tests. I passed both assessment days and I was offered two graduate positions. However I chose the HSBC because is nearer to my home. Therefore I wholeheartedly believe the book deserves 5 stars. It is comprehensive, easy to ready and contains lots of expert tips to help you to do better in your assessment day.

Even more relevant today than when it was first written, 05 Sep 2008
This book was first published in 1992, but don't let that put you off - the topics are more relevant today than ever before, particularly given the way we appear to be sliding head-first into another age of unreason. One example would be the chapter on stereotypes: very appropriate in this post 9/11 world, showing the development of prejudice towards out-groups and detailing 9 reasons why they occur (and shouldn't). If only people would read this instead of the latest anti-minority rant in their daily newspaper, we'd have a far more enlightened and tolerant public.

There are stacks of case studies in the book - well over a hundred, described in great detail (sometimes so much detail that you need to re-read the rules of the experiment to remember them) and you will soon get used to reading the phrase "In one experiment..." along with references to subjects and stooges.

This is a comprehensive eye-opening read but also a somewhat infuriating one, though not through any fault of the author. Quite simply, you start to wonder why on earth more children aren't taught basic statistical concepts and probability at school, as it is ignorance of these areas that plays such a large part in human irrational thinking, in people from ALL walks of life.

Other common causes of ignorance and mistakes - the availability error, the primacy error, the halo effect, the anchoring effect, and plenty more are all discussed at great length.

If you see a correlation between A and B and conclude that A must have 'caused' B, if you're prone to seeing strange coincidences and suspect that last night's dream managed to predict an event from today, if you think it's unlikely that in a room of 23 strangers, the probability of at least two of them having a birthday on the same day of the year is over a half... then this book is for you. In fact, it's for all of us, because no matter how rational you think you are, I guarantee you will be surprised at some of the errors you unwittingly make!

The Vulcan bible and the big decision-maker's best friend, 27 Jul 2008
We all act on impulse and make quick decisions every day. That may be irrational but if we had to think long and hard about every decision we made then our lives would never get anywhere.

Fortunately, most of our decisions have very limited consequences if they turn out to be wrong, but sometimes a bad decision can cost a lot of money, even human lives. Then it is best to be sure that the decision was the best possible based on all the facts. Even when buying a new home or a new car, one could well save oneself some grief and perhaps a lot of money if the deal was approached in a rational manner.

As this book points out, many lives and lots of money have been lost and many projects have failed because of bad decisions due to pride, prejudice, by misinterpreting facts in ones own favor, by fear of non-conformity and many other irrational reasons.

This book is an excellent tour through a lot of topics, all of which are aspects of irrational behavior. Through many (painfully :-/ ) clear examples the author illustrates the various types of irrational behavior and how they can lead to bad or wrong decisions. For example, the "availability error" where too much emphasis is put on whatever comes first to mind, or the "halo effect" where too much emphasis is put on first impressions. These traps catch us every day and are among the advertisers' best weapons.

If you want to improve you own decision making - in you personal life as well as you professional life - or you just want to know why other people often make such bad decisions this book can give you a lot of insight into how easily people can make flawed decisions and thus what to be wary of the next time you face an important decision.

English is not my first language but I use English a lot. With this background I found the book fairly easy to read, although it is my impression that you do need to be quite proficient in the English language to get the full benefit of the book.

For those seeking more information about the topics and examples presented by the author, the book has a comprehensive list of the background material, with reference to the page where it is used, as well as a list of supplemental literature for the curious reader.

I warmly recommend this book to any Vulcan wannabe as well as to any person with the responsibility to make decisions that can affect other people's lives, jobs, careers, health etc.


A Quirky, Fun and Idiosyncratic Book, 27 Jul 2008
The actuarial method has proved successful in predicting happiness in marriage, if you subtract the average number of times a couple makes love a week from the number of rows they have a week. This is just one of dozens of quirky insights from Stuart Sutherland, who will turn lots of your thinking on its head.

This is not a systematic book, it's just a stroll through some fascinating subjects, with the odd valuable lesson thrown in. Sutherland is not afraid to be prejudiced. He writes off psychoanalysis in a few paragraphs, he demolishes any pride you might have in your intuition, or any secret belief you may have in the paranormal.

I have a business, and I remember when I started applying for loans. The bank manager told me they did it all by computer now. I was horrified. Sutherland explains why they do it. It put me off applying for one - but actually, in retrospect, if they examined my credit record, it was immaculate. I just assumed a computer would be bureaucratic. Which might not be the case at all.

Also, I have had many very disappointing experiences in interviews. Sutherland describes exactly why interviews often don't result in the best candidate being selected.

I've often felt marginalised and disdained for not being a malleable member of committees and groups, so Sutherland's work is really comforting. I'd like to use some of his stories and examples in the speeches I write for CEOs, though I fear they may be just a bit too subversive.

Irrationality- A virus to be treated, 06 Jul 2008
Stuart Sutherland has prepared a psychology book that's accessible to anybody, from the professor to the layman. He cites so many examples of irrationality through research and experiments conducted in the past few decades. The book is packed full of references to experiments and situations where humans behave in foolish ways sub-consciously. The only criticism I have is, like most books, he tends to digress too much towards irrationality in medicine which can become rather dull during the middle of the book. The text explains very well to the reader how the use of rewards, incentives and punishments are dangerous in many instances, and leads you to think about how our education system can be fully improved by eradicating the incentives we have for children today. He also proves how those with strong beliefs are acting irrationally, as they only search for evidence that fully confirms their belief, therefore encouraging extremism. The rational thing to do if one is so confident in a belief, he adds, is to seek evidence contradicting those beliefs. Sutherland also provides guidance to avoid irrationality after each chapter.

Overall, the book is incredibly thought provoking, yet his tendency to digress on many subjects leads to self-indulgence which can become tiresome towards the middle. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone.


Really Thought Provoking, 28 Jun 2008
This is my first and I hope many more reviews to come, as I find them very useful in choosing whether to buy a book or not.

Anyway, I have had this book for 3 months now and found it completely enthralling. The book is about why we all at times make irrational choices such as when we are in groups, committees and depending on our emotional state. It all seems to "click" and when you see real life examples at work you feel as if you know why! For me it does make me aware of how I am making my decision.

I recommend this for anyone interested in how the human mind comes to decisions, why politicians make awful policies and cannot go back and why military generals should not believe in their own abilities.

Good Introduction.., 20 Sep 2008
It is a good book to get you started. Covers alot of the models in NLP and is set out so its easy to read and understand. But as i said a very basic book.

If you want some good advice as a rule of thumb on getting books on NLP avoid the new stuff. Stick to the earlier books by Bandler preferably the first ones for e.g 'From Frogs to Princes ( is a must if your serious about this subject ) not only are they humerous but are like the bible of the subject and come from the pioneers, the fountain of knowledge. Derren Brown will even give you this advise also.

Fantastic layout, imple, yet effective, 17 Aug 2008
At first I thought NLP was some hocus-pocus magic stuff, that didn't really work, but boy did it! I am now able to easiloy create rapport, and I find I communicate a hell of a lot more easily... You have inspired me...!!!!!

Better than I thought it would be, 05 Aug 2008
I started this book with a very cynical view thinking it wouldnt be that good. I was pleasantly surprised though to find it is in fact quite interesting and has many helpful ideas.

The page on looking at a persons eyes to see if they are thinking about the past, present, remembering etc is very accurate. I tried it myself and it seems to work.

Definately a useful book to read and find out more about NLP.

Excellent introduction , 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent introduction to NLP and presents all the core concepts in an accurate way. NLP is a very wide-ranging theory but this author has managed to introduce the core framework very cogently. Perhaps there could have been more diagrams and illustrations, and perhaps a little less jargon too - but as NLP has so much of its own terminology it's difficult to see how this could be avoided. I would have liked to read a little more about time perception too, after reading Steve Taylor's excellent book Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which looks at why time seems to speed up and slow down (and even completely disappear) in different situations.





Too much detail and not enough 'how to practicality'., 12 May 2008
If u enjoy reading science textbooks or biology books or pages and pages of jargon and talking, then this is for u.if like me ur intrigued by NLP and want a few 'how to' tips then find something more practical. A waste of money.Minimum info on reading body language. A BIG disappointment.

Confidence Is Key, 22 May 2008
This book was excellent in preparing me and helping me pass the PIRT.
It gave me the cofidence I needed on the day and I would reccommend it to anyone thinking about applying for the police force.
Go for it!


Lacks any real depth, 09 Jul 2007
Firstly, the book is good for the practice maths and verbal reasoning tests and helping you with your application form.

However, the book seems to lack any real help where you need it most. It seems to describe the process in detail but offer little help in the way of preparing you for the tests. For most people, the role plays and interview stages are the real worry of the Assesment Centre, there seemed to be little information of value on these stages.

As pointed out already, it is out of date. The book will teach you about writing a letter for the Assesment Centre which is no longer a requirement. In this sense, your on your own for the writen section of the Assesment Centre.

At the end of the day, the price of this book isn't going to put much of a dent in your wallet, and it does help to some extent.... but to me it didn't offer the kind of help other reviewers found it to be.

The most important information in this book is given to you, for free, prior to the Assesment Centre (should you pass the application form).

I'd advise others to buy it, but don't expect too much from it.

Worth every penny, 28 Dec 2006
I have just been accepted into Cheshire Police and this book played a large part in my application. I do believe that this book is the reason I passed my assessment centre. After reading the book I felt quietly confident going into my assessment centre and would have been a nervous wreck otherwise. I would advise anyone thinking of joining the police or already in the process of applying to buy this book as it is a great help.

so helpful, 14 Jul 2006
Just completed my a/c day for hants- this book is a bible when it comes to gathering knowledge of what to expext and practice questions

Absolutely invaluable, 06 Dec 2005
This book became absolutely invaluable to me as I was going through the recruitment process to join the Police. It gives you pointers on what to/what not to include on your application, practice questions for the pyschometric tests and good advice on what to do through the assessment centre. It helped me to get through the stages and I would recommend it to any potential new recruit.

One of the best books on Psychometric tests, 02 Dec 2008
I have gone through a few titles on psychometric tests. I am convinced that this is one of the best books on this subject. It is very comprehensive yet, just manageable to read through. In just one book, it includes all types of psychometric tests including numerical & verbal reasoning, critical reasoning, situational reasoning and personality questions. The book is better written with just one or two minor errors, but gives very useful tips and plenty of practice tests. One small criticism is that it covers only 4 scenario based practice tests, which I think is insufficient. I still think this is just perfect for someone who is looking for a MBA level management job.

Worth a look, though not hugely insightful & contains some errors, 10 Nov 2008
This book is helpfully reassuring if you're a bit nervous about taking such tests.
The general comments do give answers to niggling questions about how to cope with the tests.
The example tests are useful, though they're only indicative - for a fuller practice, try the online practice tests on SHL's website. I would say that many of the example questions in the book are more straightforward than you might want to expect in the "real thing".
What really worries me, though, is that the answers given in the book are sometimes wrong. It's not clear whether this is just an editing issue or whether the database they're taken from is wrong. In either case, it should be cleared up. If the database is wrong, then that is shocking, because peoples' job applications may depend on this. The book states "psychologists are only human" by way of apologising for errors that do crop up. However, as someone who has set professional exam questions, I view this as unacceptable.

Waste of Time, 12 Apr 2008
People should learn from their mistakes. Although the answers to the numerical tests are listed within the book, there are no EXPLANATIONS as to how to solve the problems! Therefore, how can someone improve if they get an answer wrong and do not understand the steps that must be taken to produce the correct answer? This has led to frustration.

Excellent book for Assessment Centre practice, 26 Oct 2007
An excellent book for assessment centre practice, full of useful advice and ideas including a wide variety of potential tests. Would recommend.

So, you want this job?, 24 Feb 2006
If you have been asked to go through an aptitude test, rest assured that you will find similar example questions in this book. It covers a wide variety of tests designed for graduate, senior and managerial positions in a wide range of industries. Furthermore, there are 35 tests designed by SHL, regularly used in the recruitment process of large-size organisations. The book is very well structured and the reader can easily spot and isolate the tests of interest. However, they are highly addictive, so you may end up spending hours or days, trying to solve all of them… There are also chapters dedicated to the preparation stage, the interview and the assessment process. The author does not try to cover all possible cases and questions you might encounter; she focuses on the key-elements that make a candidate successful. And she manages to emphasize the important information while using a plain and humorous language. I strongly recommend this book!

Good, but need other reading too for a successful job hunt., 29 Feb 2008
Good book overall. But it is flawed and there are errors. Certainly to be regarded as a book to be used in conjunction with others such as the 'Brilliant' books eg Brilliant CVs, Brilliant Interviews, Brilliant Answers to Tough Interview Questions etc. Another extremely useful book for job hunters is "How to Handle Your Recruitment Consultant". When all these books are used you really can get one step ahead of the competition in the fight for great jobs.

Too many errors., 13 Jul 2006
I'm not sure how this book made it through the editing stage. The questions are interesting, and a good example of what you might expect, however too many of the answers are wrong.

For example, in the estimation section, division by a fraction is done incorrectly, and the answers given for the assembly test are dire.

Avoid, unless you just want to see what questions might be asked.

Exceedingly useful, 26 Sep 2005
I graduated this year from Brunel University with a degree in computing and applied for several graduate schemes for big organisations including HSBC and EDS, Barclays Bank, etc. I was dead surprised that most of the psychometric tests in our assessment day were similar to the tests in this book, especially the ones in chapter 1, the Diagrammatic Test, chapter 2 the Number Series tests and chapter 3, Compiler Checking and assembly tests. I would like to say thanks for this lovely book which helped me to practise and pass and get my first graduate job with HSBC. I would say it is exceedingly useful if you want to win a graduate job in a big organisation.

Superb, 28 Oct 2004
I gradated from Brunel University after completing a BSc in Computing. I was invited for the EDS graduate recruitment day in September this year. I could definitely say that chapter one for the diagrammatic reasoning tests and chapter three psychometric tests for IT, were very helpful in my assessment day, to pass and receive a job offer.
However what I really liked about the book is the accuracy of all the tests as I couldn't find a single mistake, whereas in other series by Kogan Page I find many, My challenge is, can anyone find any mistakes in any of the tests and email me? Thumbs up. The book deserves 5 stars. Good luck to the author as I heard the book has been translated into 4 languages.

Brilliant, 19 Oct 2004
After graduating last July with a degree in Finance I went to the USA for my summer holiday and heard by chance about the book when reading an article about psychometric tests in one of the USA journals. I bought the second edition of the book on my return to the UK and attended two assessment days for Barclays and HSBC banks. I was surprised that most of the psychometric tests given to us by both banks were very similar to the ones provided in the book, especially the diagrammatic reasoning tests. I passed both assessment days and I was offered two graduate positions. However I chose the HSBC because is nearer to my home. Therefore I wholeheartedly believe the book deserves 5 stars. It is comprehensive, easy to ready and contains lots of expert tips to help you to do better in your assessment day.

brilliant!, 09 Oct 2008
brilliant! definitely worth a purchase as it gives you many tips and the examples are amazingly helpful!
only problem as with the numerical reasoning book, even though this says its aimed at graduate tests, some of the ones i have been completing have been a lot harder :S
definitely worth the practice though.

Even more relevant today than when it was first written, 05 Sep 2008
This book was first published in 1992, but don't let that put you off - the topics are more relevant today than ever before, particularly given the way we appear to be sliding head-first into another age of unreason. One example would be the chapter on stereotypes: very appropriate in this post 9/11 world, showing the development of prejudice towards out-groups and detailing 9 reasons why they occur (and shouldn't). If only people would read this instead of the latest anti-minority rant in their daily newspaper, we'd have a far more enlightened and tolerant public.

There are stacks of case studies in the book - well over a hundred, described in great detail (sometimes so much detail that you need to re-read the rules of the experiment to remember them) and you will soon get used to reading the phrase "In one experiment..." along with references to subjects and stooges.

This is a comprehensive eye-opening read but also a somewhat infuriating one, though not through any fault of the author. Quite simply, you start to wonder why on earth more children aren't taught basic statistical concepts and probability at school, as it is ignorance of these areas that plays such a large part in human irrational thinking, in people from ALL walks of life.

Other common causes of ignorance and mistakes - the availability error, the primacy