Doing a written test before an interview

[Furbys]

Hello all, hope you are all well.

 

I have been lucky enough to finally apply for a job (as there is nothing out there) and i have managed to be shortlisted for an interview. This is for a support worker role. But when i read my email, which told me I had an interview, it told me to turn up 5 minutes early so i can complete a short written test. I have never heard of doing this for a interview so i was hoping some of you would have some experience or knowledge about these tests.

 

Does anyone know what this could possibly be about and why they do this? It is a test which i obviously cannot revise for and i cannot ask them what it is about otherwise i can prepare, and my guess is they do not want people to prepare for a short test as they want the person to be put on the spot.

 

Any advice, knowledge and experience is welcome.

[blueidealist24]

It could be a knowledge test but it could also be a personality test of some kind. I've heard a lot of employers are giving those out these days and I even had to take one once to apply to Wal-Mart.

[HeatherB]

Could be a skills test related to the job, in which case, just brush up on your math and alphabetizing and whatnot. Or it could be a aptitude screening test. In which case, they present a bunch of gotcha questions in order to try to figure out whether you'd steal or ignore the rules. For those types of questions, always choose the goody goody Girl Scout answers. No shades of gray.

 

No, it is not okay to take home pencils or paper clips from work. If you saw someone breaking the rules you would: immediately bring it to the attention of a supervisor. No unexcused absences are acceptable. Being late is never acceptable. When you have a conflict with a coworker you: I don't have conflicts with my coworkers.

[blueidealist24]

Could be a skills test related to the job, in which case, just brush up on your math and alphabetizing and whatnot. Or it could be a aptitude screening test. In which case, they present a bunch of gotcha questions in order to try to figure out whether you'd steal or ignore the rules. For those types of questions, always choose the goody goody Girl Scout answers. No shades of gray.

 

No, it is not okay to take home pencils or paper clips from work. If you saw someone breaking the rules you would: immediately bring it to the attention of a supervisor. No unexcused absences are acceptable. Being late is never acceptable. When you have a conflict with a coworker you: I don't have conflicts with my coworkers.

 

Saying you NEVER have conflicts with a coworker is hard to buy. Sometimes they are inevitable. If it's multiple choice, usually never having any conflicts isn't an option. The answer I always use is that I'd talk to a supervisor or manager while avoiding any direct argument with the coworker.