It turns out that the last semester exam, back in college, was not the last test that you had to take in your life. Philosophically speaking, life is full of tests. So it must not surprise you when you walk into a company’s waiting room for a job interview and are greeted with a not-so harmless looking test or questionnaire! If you are reading this article before the job interview then you are in a better position. A surprise test is loathed by one and all. Being prepared, both mentally and theoretically, is always a good option. Most of the guidelines to prepare for an employment test are similar to the ones you followed back in college and university. Remember the time when your mother advised you to sleep early before the test day and your father reminded you to not to forget the sharpened pencil, calculator and ink bottle? Well, for a job interview you don’t need the pencil, calculator or an ink bottle but a pen is still a must-have and so is a good night’s sleep before the day of the test. Read on for a few tips and advice that you must keep in mind before turning up for a job interview.
How To Become A Good Test Taker
- First and foremost, don’t be a patient to negative thinking. Taking the test is like the tip of the iceberg. In an employment test, there is hardly any syllabus that you are expected to memorise; it includes technical questions that test your conceptual grasp and your reaction to dicey situations!
- As mentioned earlier, being mentally prepared for a test always helps. Employment tests generally have a technical section which tests the knowledge that you should possess for the job profile in question. Some companies also keep a personality evaluation test to understand you as a person with a series of question like ‘describe yourself in 20 words’, or ‘how your mood affects your work performance?’ etc. It is best to answer these to the best of your abilities and try being honest. If you manage to get the job they will find out the truth anyways.
- There is an entirely different kind of test that you have to take if you want to join other careers like defence forces, manufacturing etc. We don’t want to keep you guessing – we are talking about ‘physical tests’! In these tests, you have to perform physical exercises or drills to show your fitness.
- The common advice for whatever kind of test that you are taking is to listen carefully to the instructions that you are being given. Ask all queries and clear all confusions at the onset. If you are applying for a post of Computer Engineer and you have to take the test on particular software which you are not familiar with then, by all means, understand the software first. Don’t ever hesitate to clear your doubts.
- Read the questions carefully. Don’t hurry and worry too much about the time. Understand each and every word of the question and also remember that sometimes there maybe more than one correct answers so take your time and carefully mark the right answer/s.
- Manage your time and get organized. Glance through the entire question paper and allocate time to different sections and then stick to this plan. You don’t want to be like how you were back in college and ask for extra time at a job interview! Remember this is a formal and professional environment so act accordingly at all times.
- The most important thing in a written test is to write legibly. You don’t want to be rejected because they could not understand your handwriting, now do you?
A positive and relaxed attitude can take you through these tests with flying colours. Remember, all the job applicants are taking the same test and the company would probably do relative marking to select the best fit. So, believe in your worth and prove it to the concerned people. All the best!
