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What to expect from a 2hr written test Interview

10 replies

OneDayFri · 11/11/2022 13:59

Has anyone come across such before?
Any advice on how to prepare for it?

OP posts:
OneDayFri · 11/11/2022 14:00

Have read my post and it doesn't seem clear. The interview is for a job.

OP posts:
SheWoreYellow · 11/11/2022 14:01

What sort of role? I’ve done a civil service one that had two written parts, for a statistician role.

OneDayFri · 11/11/2022 19:44

@SheWoreYellow Thanks for responding. It's a Finance job with SME type Organisation. My first thought was Excel type of testing but I struggle to see how that can take 2 hours. Unless, it's a mixture of things.

OP posts:
SheWoreYellow · 11/11/2022 19:51

Have they not said? Maybe ask.
Mine was a 30 min statistical test followed by a thing of reading an article and making a presentation. Then the interview and the presentation. That’s not particularly relevant though.

OneDayFri · 11/11/2022 21:34

@SheWoreYellow I thought of asking then decided against it for fear of appearing "not ready for a challenge", but I see now that's a silly assumption to make. Will ask and see what they say. Thanks for taking time to respond. Much appreciated.

OP posts:
SheWoreYellow · 11/11/2022 22:05

I’d ask. For a start the people organising the interview details are probably not the ones interviewing you, but also it’s as much a positive as a negative - ‘gets all the facts before going ahead’.

AnyRandomName · 11/11/2022 22:16

Do ask. You can phrase it as 'Ahead of the exercise on Tuesday is there anything that I can prepare for in advance?' Or similar.

I've administered many written test, and taken them as a candidate. They're usually closely linked to your role, and will likely be in several parts, each testing something slightly different, eg 1. Analysis 2. Presentation of a decision with data to support 3. Prioritisation based on business need.

If you've had an interview previously look over your notes, what were the priorities of the team, why do they need your skills?

Also do show your workings, eg I was well marked when I showed the reasons I'd discounted other options as well as explained why I had picked the option I did in an analysis question.

Finally, don't be surprised if there is too much to be done in 2hrs, it's a test of how you can cope under pressure, can you cover all questions to a reasonable degree rather than just one but aim for perfect.

Good luck

Beachbabe1 · 11/11/2022 22:30

Good luck. Please let us know what it was once you've been, I'm intrigued!

OneDayFri · 11/11/2022 23:33

Thanks all for the wishes. @SheWoreYellow yeah, that's what I feared, but it's a gamble I need to take.
@AnyRandomName that's a helpful list of things to think about and prep for. @Beachbabe1 will let you know how it went.

OP posts:
ChicCroissant · 11/11/2022 23:59

Might be an in-tray type test where you have to prioritise issues, or collating information and doing some kind of letter/report/presentation (are any of these likely to feature in the job?) to the panel.

In my former life in HR, I was always careful to check that anyone proposing this kind of test had a clear idea of what would be a good/model answer beforehand and didn't just pick their favourite on the day. Good luck with the interview OP, hope it goes well.

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