When you apply for a job, you will most likely be asked to write a test. There is no standard way of testing, so each company has come up with their own way of testing candidates. Some tests are simple, some are quite in-depth and some even try to simulate job interviews. Regardless of the form, all tests are trying to find out a similar thing: Can this candidate do the job?
Writing tests is an essential part of the applicant tracking process in today’s ever-evolving job market. It’s important to note that not all jobs will require you to write tests, but as a general rule, the more technical the job, the more likely you will be asked to write tests. In this blog post, we will discuss the various roles that tests play in the applicant tracking process, the advantages and disadvantages of writing tests, and how important the test is, in comparison to other aspects of the hiring process.
Why Are Tests Important?
Why should you bother to write a test? Simply put, to determine whether you are capable of doing the job or not. That’s it. When you are applying for a job, there will be so many things to think about: your resume, your cover letter, the requirements of the job, among others. But the single most important thing is your ability to do the job.
Even when you get the job, there will still be a wide range of duties that you need to learn and be able to perform. But you can be sure that you won’t be able to perform them all perfectly the first day, and that’s what makes tests so important. A test can reveal a lot about your skills, and even if you get the job without a test, you can be sure that you will have to learn something new every day.
What Do Tests Actually Do?
A test does exactly what it says on the tin. You won’t be doing any sort of task or solving any sort of problem, but you will be given a piece of paper with a question on it. Your job is to answer as many questions correctly as you can. The more questions you answer correctly, the higher your score will be. There are generally three types of questions: multiple choice, matching, and essay writing. Matching and essay writing questions can get quite in-depth, and you will have to show your knowledge of the subject matter.
Multiple choice questions are quite common, and it is quite easy to get them wrong. For instance, if you get a question like this: What is the strongest characteristic of a mammal? You will have to choose between strong, brave, fast, or flexible.
Matching questions are quite different and require a bit more thinking on your part. For instance, here’s a matching question: Which of the following best describes you? A. A fast typer B. A detail-oriented person C. An accurate listener D. A people person
What you need to do is choose one of the four answers and then explain why you are the right choice. If you picked B, you will have to explain why you are a detail-oriented person, and so on. A good job for testing your skills in this regard is something in the legal sector, where you will have to draft legal documents and pleadings. It is also a good idea to take a mock trial course to get used to the process.
The essay questions can be quite tricky as well, and it is quite easy to get them wrong. This type of question is used to see how well you can write in your chosen profession. Here’s an example: What makes a great manager?
You will have to identify several qualities that make up a great manager and then write about how you would go about managing a team of employees. You can’t go wrong with this type of question as long as you do your research beforehand. Finding the right material can be quite tricky, though, especially if you don’t have experience in this area. It is advised to take a course or pick up a book that can help you prepare for the test.
The Four Roles of Tests
As we discussed above, all tests have one thing in common: they are all trying to find out whether you are capable of doing the job or not. That’s the end result that you are looking for. But before you begin any sort of testing program, your employer will most likely give you a range of tasks to learn and practice on. This is what’s known as the training phase of the testing process. During this phase, you will be given various tasks that will help you build your knowledge of the subject matter.
On the whole, training jobs are fairly easy to get, and you won’t have to put too much thought into them. You will simply have to follow a set of instructions and practice the required tasks until you can do them accurately. If you get one of these jobs, you can be sure that you will learn something new every day, and that’s the most important thing.
Once you’ve finished your training, you will enter the validation phase. Here, you will be given a set of assessments, often in the form of multiple choice or matching questions. These questions are designed to check your knowledge of the subject matter and to see how well you can do the job. Remember: this is the validation phase and you’re not necessarily trying to impress anyone with your answers, so take your time and make sure that you give correct responses to these questions.
After you’ve finished your validation tests, you will have a final round of training jobs. These tasks will help you improve your skills and learn new things. Remember what we said about training jobs: they are easy to get, but it’s important to practice on different topics to build your knowledge.
The Advantages of Tests
As we discussed above, tests are quite important because they can determine your skills and allow you to find out whether you are capable or not. But apart from that, there are several advantages to having tests.
The first is accuracy. When you are writing a test, you are writing directly on the application form, so there is no room for misinterpretation. You can’t go wrong with accuracy when it comes to finding out the truth about someone. In the above example, we discussed how a multiple choice test could be quite handy to see whether you can do the job or not. But in terms of accuracy, it’s quite helpful to know that you are not mistaken and that you have indeed chosen the right answer. Of course, this depends on how good your memory is and how well you can do mental arithmetic. However, it’s still quite handy to know that you’re not misinterpreting the question.
The second advantage to tests is reliability. This is very similar to accuracy, but it speaks to the repeatability of the test itself. When a company decides to give a test, they will do so multiple times to ensure that the results are consistent. This is because there are lots of variables that can affect the outcome of a test. For example, the person who is grading your test may have different ideas about what constitutes a correct answer. Additionally, there are a lot of variables that can affect your mental arithmetic ability, such as your stress levels and whether or not you’ve eaten food that day.
Even when the conditions are the same, different people will give you different scores. While this can be quite frustrating, it’s a fact of life when it comes to testing. One important thing to note is that reliability does not necessarily mean that every test will give the same score. In fact, it very well may not. But at least you will know that the test is consistent, and that gives you some peace of mind.
The Disadvantages of Tests
As we discussed above, tests have a lot of advantages, but there are also some disadvantages to them. Not every disadvantage is applicable to everyone, but it’s still worth mentioning.
One disadvantage of tests is that they can take a long time to grade. This is especially problematic if you’re applying for several jobs and need to keep your application fresh. For example, when you finish your test and send it in, it could take several weeks for the employer to get back to you. During that time, you either need to be available for interviews or give the job you were applying for.