Job interview tomorrow - multiple choice IT test

Big Chris

Big Chris

Big Chris

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Joined
5 Apr 2004
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Bloxham
I've had one of these before a few years ago and they're a right pain in the baskside. The questions are along the lines of:

To adjust the page file size in Windows XP is it:

a) My Computer > Properties > Peformance > Advanced > Virtual Memory

b) My Computer > Properties > Advanced > Performance > Virtual Memory

c) My Computer > Properties > Peformance > System > Virtual Memory

Each choice is so similar that any could be correct, and if sat infront of a PC you'd get there with your eyes closed, but how can you revise/prepare for a test like this? Short of memorising all the routes to all the standard support areas of XP in less than 24hrs, surely it's just down to luck? Help!
 
From memory they were all like that, very few had obvious answers (being a test and all) but I can't imagine many people would know the exact route when given three very similar options as above.

Lets just hope I can smooth-talk my way in the interview!
 
Why would anyone want to remember stuff like that, the question should be "Why would you want to change the pagefile?" Anyone can find out how to do it!

Andi.
 
You just have to know your stuff, all of the microsoft exams are like this, every answer is similar enough to look correct but only one is actually correct, it's a pain but that's I.T for you.

Incidentally all of those answers are wrong, B is the closest but it misses out some steps.
 
Sp00n said:
Incidentally all of those answers are wrong, B is the closest but it misses out some steps.
Click to expand...
hehe it was just an example off the top of my head, doesn't bode too well for the test though does it!

They've just phoned and changed the time from 3pm to 11am too which is nice, was planning to go down in the morning but I'm gonna have to get a train this evening now and bunk at a mate's house. Not had an interview for years, kinda nervous...
 
Sp00n said:
You just have to know your stuff, all of the microsoft exams are like this, every answer is similar enough to look correct but only one is actually correct, it's a pain but that's I.T for you.

Incidentally all of those answers are wrong, B is the closest but it misses out some steps.
Click to expand...

In my experience as 1st and 2nd liner minutiae like this are not important in all types of tasks. It doesn't matter if you can remember which answer it is on a test (except when you're being tested) - it only matters that you can do it.

Asking stuff like "why does the user want to do this?" is an important early step, and the single most important attribute is problem solving/troubleshooting skill, eg the ability to eliminate possible causes, to use a knowledge base or google, to ask the correct person for help.

I've helped mark a knowledge test that was used for internal recruiting. Half was multiple choice and half free text answers. The multiple choice went from easy stuff to brain teasers and covered stuff like ipconfig, DNS, and gpresult. The freetext questions combined knowledge tests with fairly specific answers and open-ended questions where you could show that you had the right ideas on how to troubleshoot a problem.
 
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Big Chris said:
hehe it was just an example off the top of my head, doesn't bode too well for the test though does it!

They've just phoned and changed the time from 3pm to 11am too which is nice, was planning to go down in the morning but I'm gonna have to get a train this evening now and bunk at a mate's house. Not had an interview for years, kinda nervous...
Click to expand...

You'd better also hope you aren't interviewing for the company a mate of mine met a couple of weeks ago. Their test was, apparently, pathetic. Vague, nonsense questions where half of the time the correct answer would have been "I'd find the 1st line analyst who logged the call and slap them for not doing their job".
 
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