Test anxiety lost me a job

[Marah]

I got a lead for a well paying, full time job with benefits as a secretary (don't have any of those things now). I was really hoping to get this job, and I was scheduled for a typing test today.

 

I did well (from my view) on everything but the MS Word portion, which is asinine, because I know Word. Just froze and started shaking and ended up bombing a huge portion of the questions. Nearly 100% sure I will fail that module, and you had to pass all modules to be considered.

 

Right now I'm just sick, can't stop crying...I feel like I pissed away my chances at a better life. Jobs like these don't come around in this economy, and...I had a reference. Now everything is lost.

 

I cannot stop feeling haunted by this, I'm so upset. I'm smart and capable, but blew this test...it's as if it doesn't matter what my good attributes are, I can't seem to find a better job.

[Angel Irulan]

It sounds like you had a mini panic attack over your test. I am so sorry this happened to you. With jobs being scarce it's easy to flake out a bit over an interview. Don't feel bad, just keep practicing Word and ask to take the first part again.

 

Perhaps they'll say yes.

[Marah]

There's something about the MS Office testing software that confuses me, I have actually failed a test with this software before...it's not like I don't know MS Office, I just don't know how to properly take the test...it's so hard to explain, but I suck at it.

 

Makes it worse, at least if I didn't know Word I could chalk it up to inexperience but this is so frustrating. I can't get over it.

[Fudgie]

I do think you should practice typing tests a bit more, just to try and get over your anxiety. It sounds like you know your stuff otherwise.

 

I would contact the job and see if you can take it again once you have practiced a bit. See what they say. Can't hurt, right?

[Stay_home]

When I was in the police academy a couple years ago, I remember the drill instructors made us stand up and introduce ourselves and why we wanted to become public servants. Everybody was new then, so I didn't know any of those guys from any walk of life. One guy stood up to speak. He stood at about 6'2, 300lbs and spoke in a ironically soft voice as he gave his explanation of why he wanted to be on the force.

 

"I've been applying to this department for the last seven years. I started out working at fleet maintenance, watching all the police cars go in and out of the shop, I went through about 100 applications, test dates, physical agility exams, background checks, interviews until finally I made it through. I never gave up."

 

I really feel for you, Marah. It's very difficult out here. But is it possible that you can apply again?

[Marah]

I type 70 wpm!!! lol I took an online test as practice and that's what I got. When I do the typing tests in a real setting it goes down a bit but not much.

 

The Word test...I didn't even know what they were asking it would say "use a combination of keys to _____ (bleh idk)" so I would click what I thought and it would say "incorrect answer". I'd get so frustrated I couldn't even think.

 

Not sure it would matter if I redid the test, looks like I am just too stupid to pass those types. D:

I wanted health insurance so bad

[In the Dark]

Sounds ike you need to work on your anxiety attacks which cause you to blank out and possibly misunderstand the questions and how they are worded.

 

Or maybe it's because of how the questions are worded that you are having troubles.

I remember this happening while doing tests in Word.

 

One person stated that the test answers wrong.

Well he did not do well.

 

Sometimes it's asking the right people to understand how to decipher some of the terms used in the questions of the test prior to taking the real one if it is at all possible to hopefully overcome the anxiety.

[Marah]

I even coached myself before; deep breathing, telling myself it was ok. Didn't imagine I'd have any trouble at all. I spent the weekend watching excel tutorials (I'm weaker there) and felt prepared.

 

I guess I'm not meant to have health insurance D:

[sososadnow]

Try asking your doctor for anti-anxiety medication. You don't have to take it forever, but it might help.

[Marah]

I don't have a doctor. Not a luxury I have been given in life.

[thejigsup]

I did great on the Word portion, I bombed the Excel portion of a test for a job I really, really, wanted. Life went on and I am fine. I have not health insurance but you can get around that. One of my nieces worked as an intake desk clerk for a local hospital and she showed me how. Her mom had $10,000 worth of hospital bills excused. In this country, no one is exempt from medical help, you just have to know how to play the system.

[Marah]

I did great on the Word portion, I bombed the Excel portion of a test for a job I really, really, wanted. Life went on and I am fine. I have not health insurance but you can get around that. One of my nieces worked as an intake desk clerk for a local hospital and she showed me how. Her mom had $10,000 worth of hospital bills excused. In this country, no one is exempt from medical help, you just have to know how to play the system.

 

I think this is an awfully weighty statement not to explain.

The only system cheating I have ever heard of is NOT get sick or pay your bills in cash for a reduced fee. Ah yes, $2k instead of $8k, because people with no health insurance usually have thousands of dollars laying around.

[thejigsup]

Okay, sorry about not explaining further. DON'T go to a doctor, go to an emergency room in a hospital. You will get paperwork to sign AFTER you have been seen. When they ask you to pay, say you are broke and don't have insurance. THEN they will have you talk to someone from billing and set up a pay schedule, it can be as little as $25 per month on a $15,000 balance. Make payments every other month or so and then call the billing clerk and say you are broke and cannot buy food or pay rent because you make very little money. Generally, they excuse you debt under a poverty clause. Not many people know about this but I have done it when I needed to.