Interview Tests and Assessments

Be prepared for taking a test or assessment when you are on-site for your interviews. Asking your sponsor if there will be other activities scheduled when making the final arrangements is designed to alert you to the possibility, yet it may still come up unannounced. Being asked to take a test or assessment is a good sign, because employers typically do not waste time and money testing someone they are not interested in pursuing.

Following are the five basic types of tests or assessments you may encounter:

1. Intelligence/Mental Ability Tests
   These tests are designed to test your critical thinking skills, including problem solving, mathematical aptitude, and memory. They are usually structured in a format similar to the SAT/ACT tests using multiple choice.
2. Work Simulation Tests
   These tests are designed to provide you with example work scenarios or problems which you must work through to a satisfactory result. For example, this can include dexterity tests or other types of work simulations.
3. Specific Skills Tests
   For many highly specialized professions, they will test your skills in specific areas. Many of these tests are tied into certification, such as the CPA or CNE. A subset of these certification tests is the specific skills test. These tests are designed to ask questions at a detail level. They are very specific and very accurate. For example, a test for a Software Developer Programmer position may ask the candidate to whiteboard a solution to a coding problem. You will be more likely to encounter these tests in technical professions, such as engineering or information technology.
4. Personality Assessments
   These assessments are often the best indicator a company has of someone's personality. If you are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), you will understand the type of comparison questions: "Would you rather fly a kite or read a poem?" or "Would you rather read a book or fly an airplane?"
5. Honesty Assessments
   These assessments are usually reserved for jobs in high-security areas or where there will be access to trade secrets, merchandise, or cash. Many of the questions are repetitive direct comparisons ("Do you like chess better than poetry?" and "Do you like poetry better than chess?"), although some will ask for absolutes ("Have you ever told a lie?"). You know the answer. And the assessment knows if you are telling the truth.

While these tests and assessments are all an attempt at standardization and greater objectivity, they are all lacking to a certain degree. They still have a subjective element. Be prepared, both mentally and physically, for these tests and assessments. Some employers are known to not begin salary negotiation until after the person has completed the series of tests and assessments. The theory is that the candidate is so beaten down by that point that s/he will accept almost anything that is offered.

Following are certain points to keep in mind with quantitative tests (math, numbers, reasoning, objective—usually there is a right answer) and qualitative assessments (opinion, viewpoint, comparison, subjective—usually there is not a right answer, but there may be a better answer).

Quantitative Tests

• Get yourself mentally psyched. Clear your mind of all else and focus on the test.
• Take time to fully understand the instructions before you begin.
• If it is a timed test, forget about the time. Simply stay fully focused on completing the test.
• If you have no idea, it is usually best to skip the question.
• If you are unsure of your answer, but can narrow it down, it is usually best to answer the question with your best guess.
• If you can skip questions, skip the more difficult ones and come back to them if you have time.

Qualitative Assessments

• Prepare yourself mentally for taking the assessment. Get into a positive frame of mind.
• Take time to fully understand the instructions before you begin.
• Do not try to fool the assessment. Always give your best answer.
• Answer as the professional you, not the personal you.
• Answer from the employer's point of view.
• Incorporate qualities which have made you successful into your answers.
• Resist any impulse to lie about who you are.

With any test or assessment, keep in mind that the purpose is to further qualify you for the position. Put forth your very best effort and do not show discouragement when you finish the test or assessment. If asked about the test or assessment, make a comment about it being "challenging" (for quantitative) or "interesting" (for qualitative). Ask when the results will be available and if they will be sharing the results with you. For online evaluations, the results may be instantaneous, although the employer may not be willing to share the results (and is under no obligation to do so). It is simply one more piece in the puzzle of evaluation and assessment of potential candidates.