Assessments and Passing Score

Hi there,

1) Are assessments before conducting interviews created to be finished all on time? I had a numerical assessment which I had to answer 30 questions in 30 minutes which was impossible for me to complete. Was I expected to finish it all? 

It depends on the company. In general, it should be feasible to finish an assessment within the allocated time.

2) Also, is there a passing score for these assessment or passing scores are based on the performance of other candidates? 

It also depends on the company. In some, they do benchmark the score against other candidates. Additionally, they might consider additional elements like your CV together with the test to decide whether it is a pass or not.

Good luck!

Francesco 

Hi,

Standardized assessment are normally designed in a way that does allow candidates to complete the questions on time. Of course not everyone completes these assessments on time, but the strong ones will be able to do so and do so correctly - very much similar to other standardized tests i.e. SAT, GMAT

Normally there is also a ‘minimum’ score but as Francesco mentioned, sometimes they do take into account other factors (e.g. CV, referral) to make a holistic assessment before passing you.

Hi there,

In short, yes, you were expected to finish all questions.

That said, just because you did not finish does not mean you inherently did not pass - this will depend on your overall score (as in, maybe you got all 27 that you answered right, which would be a great result!)

You are often assessed in the context of multiple other factors (your overall background, your resume itself, your recruiting channel (undergrad, MBA, etc.), and, yes, the current supply/demand of applicants)

Hi there,

happy to share my thoughts

1. Are assessments created to be finished on time? In general yes, while many of them are also designed to create time-stress. Typically, there is a threshold score that can be achieved, even if you don't finish.
2. Is there a passing score? In general yes, but this varies by company and office. Passing scores are also calibrated with how strong candidates would perform, so yes, there is typically a (direct or indirect) benchmarking element to it. Would not overthink the latter though - for most companies, if you exceed a simple threshold score, you'll be fine.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

Hi there!

No, you're not expected to finish it on time. 

The time crunch is meant to test skills such as prioritisation. 

Tests have different scoring mechanisms:

• Some basically take into account all correct answers and disregard the wrong ones
• Others penalise you for the wrong ones and ‘deduct’ points from the correct ones

It's virtually impossible without insider knowledge to know which is which, so the best thing that you can do is to:

Progress at the fastest pace possible with a 80-90% confidence in your accuracy. 

So basically, do your absolute best on each, but don't linger. If something is very complicated and you have the possibility of skipping it, then do so and if you have time at the end you can get back to it. 

Best,
Cristian