How long are assessment tests

Situation a brief outline of the circumstance Task what was your goal Action what you actually did Result what was the outcome Researching the organisation and the sector: Review any information you have on the organisation: what services do they offer? Who are their clients? Have there been any recent news items? Extend your knowledge of the sector: who are the main players?

Does the organisation have any particular partners or competitors? What consumer trends might influence their market share or what government legislation might impact on their business environment? Making practical preparations Plan the journey including an alternative route if possible.

Consider dress — what is appropriate will depend to an extent on the type of organisation. Think about the range of questions that might arise based on the job description and your application. Practice interview technique. As well as using the resources below, remember that you can book a mock interview with a Careers Consultant if you wish.

Resources Your Careers Portal contains a ' preparing for interview ' learning pathway. Come along to one of the regular interview skills workshops offered by the Careers and Employability team— see Eventbrite for details Book a mock interview with a careers consultant. Download the Interview Skills Information Sheet Visit the Prospects website which provides comprehensive information on all aspects of preparation including anticipating possible questions.

Online Testing. You will almost certainly be given a set of sample questions for preparation purposes. Make sure you use any practice materials provided so that you are fully familiar with the format of the test.

Time yourself so that you can gauge the pace at which you need to work. For additional practice materials, see the suggestions below. Work as quickly and accurately as you can. If you are not sure of the answer it is fine to record your best guess, but making wild guesses might not be helpful as in some tests incorrect answers attract a negative score.

These tests are meant to challenge you, so do not be discouraged if you are unable to answer every question, just keep going!

If you have a disability and need some adjustment to the testing process, contact the employer to ask for support. A good start is by following these three best practices:. Know what is on the test. Many talent acquisition personnel have no idea what content or questions are on their current online assessment. The best companies have assessments that their personnel are familiar with and that relate to key characteristics that successful workers should have at that company.

Do not have a test just to have a test. Involve hiring managers and talent acquisition personnel in the design of this tool to make it more effective. Every individual responsible for hiring at a company should know what is being asked of applicants. Keep the length of your test under control. Are you getting enough qualified candidates?

Employers have had the upper hand for quite some time, but the unemployment rate is low and forecasted to get even lower. There is going to come a time where companies are going to need those qualified jobseekers who do not want to spend half a day completing an online quiz. Do you really care? Are you sure?. What do I mean by that? As an example, I work with jobseekers with disabilities with applications, interview preparation, and everything in between. Shockingly, though, a large percentage of these numbers are either non-functional or they lead to an impersonal, confusing answering machine.

In a virtual assessment centre, there are likely to be fewer; Thames Water has up to 12 candidates per assessment day. It is usual to be given detailed information before the assessment centre to help you prepare and to put you at ease.

This is harder to do on a virtual platform. Although some companies have put together videos of their teams and offices for candidates to watch beforehand, it is not quite the same.

Recruiters at Thames Water advise you to ask questions that will help you work out whether the employer will suit you — this could be during your interview or in an information session. If you are made an offer by an employer, its recruiters will answer any questions you have if you are still making up your mind. They may also put you in touch with current employees for an informal chat. If there are technical difficulties, the recruiters will do all they can to help — for example, when Thames Water have experienced glitches with the audio, the assessors have promptly called candidates so that they could see each other on screen but talk on the phone.

If you have a choice of devices, choose the one that gives you the best audio and picture. Careers advice. Interviews and assessment centres. Virtual assessment centres: what to expect and how to succeed. Virtual assessment centres: what to expect and how to succeed We explore everything you need to know about virtual assessment days and give you our top tips on performing at your best — with the help of employers including Thames Water.

Jump to: How virtual assessment centres work Tips for success During the coronavirus pandemic, some graduate employers moved to running virtual or digital assessment centres instead. What is a virtual assessment centre?

Just as with an in-person assessment centre, activities could include: information sessions question-and-answer sessions a group exercise which can be based on a case study an individual case study exercise a presentation an interview.

How long does a virtual assessment centre last? How does a digital assessment work in practice? Can I still get a feel for the employer and whether it is right for me?

As a result, typing is an example of a hard skill. Of course, there are many different types of hard skills tests. Some relate to the job that the candidate has applied for. For example, a computer technician will require certain technical skills. A professional driver is likely to face tests associated with driving knowledge.

In a clerical role, for example, a candidate may be assessed based on a host of criteria including typing and data entry skills — which in turn will be broken down into audio typing, copying typing and audio data entry.

An example of soft skill would be the ability to reason. Most employers wish to ensure that the hiring process leads to a successful hire with a candidate who can both do the job from a technical perspective, but also be productive with his or her teammates. As a result, personality tests often include a career aptitude test, personality type tests and so on, as well as the more basic skills assessments. In a financial role, for example, a candidate may be assessed with numerical reasoning and prioritisation.

If a job candidate could practice the assessment in advance, this would defeat the object! However, all of our assessments do have at least one practice question for each of the question styles in that test — ensuring familiarity.

This will vary. Some tests allow candidates to complete the test from home. Examples of this would be multiple-choice tests designed to be used on mobile devices. However, in many cases, the recruiter will schedule the assessment to coincide with your job interview.

The testing time for a short test such as a data entry test will typically be as little as 5 minutes. A longer test for something such as Numerical Reasoning might take as long as 60 minutes. Generally, the employer or recruitment consultant will ask the potential candidate to sit multiple tests.