My first Account Assistant interview.

Lloyd1

Hi, I've got an interview tomorrow for the role of Account Assistant. On the interview confirmation letter it says that there'll be a test to follow the interview. The problem is that there isn't any indication of what to expect for the test. Has anyone been asked to take a test in an interview before? If so, any ideas on what might test this would be? Thanks

CeeJaySix

From my experience it's usually designed to test your ability with numbers rather than your knowledge; for example, one I had was a variety of scenarios using numbers you would normally use a calculator for (decimals or large figures), and rather than giving an exact answer there was a choice of 5 answers, each of which was a range rather than an exact figure, the idea being that you quickly estimated an approximate answer that would enable you to pick the right range. Quick fire, say 10 minutes for 20 questions.

A simple example:

A bus averages 19mpg. On Monday it travels 167 miles, on Tuesday it does 124, and on Wednesday it does 112. How much fuel will it need in it's tank to complete the 3 days work without filling up?
A.12-15 gallons
B.15-18 gallons
C.18-21 gallons
D.21-24 gallons

A quick estimate would be 170+120+110 = 400 / 20 = 20 gallons, so your answer would be C.

I've also seen variations on psychometric tests, usually of the numbers variety. This website has some free examples:
http://www.psychometric-success.com/downloads/download-numerical-computation-practice-tests.htm

Of course that's no guarantee that it is what it will be! There's absolutely nothing wrong with calling the firm and asking what will be tested, it shows you're paying attention and want to prepare as best as you can.

SamiH

When I applied for the role I am now in, I had a 15 minutes test where I had to manipulate data in Excel to work out apportionment and percentages.

Lloyd1

Thanks for the responses.

I've been told that the test is 'pretty straightforward' so I'm hoping for it to be similar to the example posted by CeeJaySix. But I was previously tested in an interview for Purchase Ledger Clerk that I had to log into excel. Wasn't so good that time as I was never told about a test and the invoices I was provided to log were all different and didn't provide all info needed.

Just need to refresh excel a bit know and hopefully I'll be fine.