Aptitude tests?

Mr Joshua

Mr Joshua

Mr Joshua

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,281
I have an aptitude test for a job coming up in March.

This is the first time that I've had to do one for a job so I was hoping the more knowledgeable could offer me some advice.

I've had a good look around and the consensus seems to be take your time but don't get bogged down.

I want to know is it better to guess at a question if you're unsure or just miss it completely?
 
ive always been told take a guess. if you guess and get lucky then :) but if you leave it blank there is not even chance you might get it right.
 
well oviously make an educated guess. If you have no idea what the heck they are on about and are totally wOoo then maybe yes it would be good to leave that question.
 
in my experience it does not count against you as to pass the majority of these tests you need to make a minimum score so if you guess and get it wrong they don't take points off but if guess and get it correct you get the points added.

If your not sure always choose B ;)
 
For the ones I have done the time pressure made it so it was impossible to answer every question correctly, so you had to guess at some.. Try doing the SHL practice tests online.
 
Mr Joshua said:
I was thinking that but if you get it wrong does that count against you?
Click to expand...

If they tell you it's going to be negatively marked, don't guess.

I've done a couple, last one was just before Christmas for a promotion, and before it started they told me not to guess as it would count against me.

So depends on the marking system. If you've got a reasonable grasp of maths and english you should be ok IMO
 
if each question isn't individually timed/read out, go through any question that stumps you for a second skip and move on just answering all the easy ones/ones you know for sure, then go back and do the ones that require thinking/working, skipping the ones you don't know, then go back if there's time (which there should be plenty of), and guess/try to work out the ones you don't know.
 
never had to do any of those tests but i know a lot of mates who had to when applying for computing jobs. I can understand the need to be quick thinking and brilliant at mental arithmetic for jobs like ATCO or pilot or something but all this for graduate computing jobs seems totally stupid. One of the best students in the class who would have been an ideal candidate for the job lost out as he didnt get the aptitude tests. Anyone else think they rule out good people and are a bad idea?

And sorry to hijack thread!
 
The tests I did for a banking internship were designed to make you think "agh, i've not got enough time." Trick with those is to be accurate with fewer questions and leave some out, rather than rushing/guessing all of them.
 
Last edited:
Yeah I know the point of them is to get quick thinkers, calm under pressure and all that but in most jobs you are not pushed to those limits unless air traffic control/pilot as i have mentioned. I think it is a big ask for graduates especially and they may be brilliant at the job but just ruled out because of their crap mental arithmetic. Thankfully I managed to get job without having to do them!
 
ringo747 said:
never had to do any of those tests but i know a lot of mates who had to when applying for computing jobs. I can understand the need to be quick thinking and brilliant at mental arithmetic for jobs like ATCO or pilot or something but all this for graduate computing jobs seems totally stupid. One of the best students in the class who would have been an ideal candidate for the job lost out as he didnt get the aptitude tests. Anyone else think they rule out good people and are a bad idea?

And sorry to hijack thread!
Click to expand...

I had to take one for my current (software developer) job. The ones I did were tailored towards programming and tested your ability to think logically and how quickly you could pick up a new language.

I don't think they should be relied on for choosing candidates. However, if there's a large pool of people to choose from then it certainly helps the interviewers whittle down the numbers.
 
ringo747 said:
Yeah I know the point of them is to get quick thinkers, calm under pressure and all that but in most jobs you are not pushed to those limits unless air traffic control/pilot as i have mentioned. I think it is a big ask for graduates especially and they may be brilliant at the job but just ruled out because of their crap mental arithmetic. Thankfully I managed to get job without having to do them!
Click to expand...

I think you're right. The tendency right now seems to be overcomplicating the recruitment process and I'm sure a lot of talented people do fail to get through into jobs that they would be eminently suited to. But then that seems to be a side-effect of this widely-held belief that every company can hire the theoretically perfect candidate for every position that they want to fill.
 
best way to get prepared is to find some aptitude tests online, I know its not under the same conditions as your actual test will be but you will get an understanding of the different questions and how much time you can spend on each one
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom