How to Prepare for a Pre-Employment Assessment

When it comes to pre-employment assessments, there are a number of different tests that can be done. Some employers do drug tests, integrity tests, personality tests, skill tests, and aptitude tests. While some of these are obviously difficult to prepare for, others can be considered in advanced.

Drug Tests

Drug tests are pretty straightforward. Any drugs recently put into your system will show up on the drug test. Because these types of tests are becoming more and more common, it is important that you understand what is considered an illegal drug before you go in for your test. A number of prescribed medications will be flagged if you didn’t previously disclose that you have a doctor’s prescription to take these pills. You can’t ‘beat’ the test, so the only think you can do is further research the particular location where you will be getting the drug test.

Personality and Integrity Tests

You cannot prepare for a personality exam. Personality exams are often a set of question specifically designed to identify what type of personality you have and how well it will fit the job you are applying for. Because there is no ‘right’ answer, your best bet is to answer honestly. More often than not, these personality tests are the same 10 or 15 questions reworded to make them seem different. If you don’t answer honestly, you can end up mixing up your answers and blowing your chances at the job.

Most employers will be able to tell if you are just saying what you think they want to hear. If they believe you to be dishonest right off the bat, your chances of being hired are significantly decreased. The same goes for integrity tests. Employers lose a substantial amount of money per year to dishonest employees. Most personality and integrity tests are capable of detecting fake answers as a result of how the test is set up. Just like the personality test, you’re better off being honest with your answers.

Skill Tests

Skill tests will generally test skills that are applicable to the job. If they are skills that require training, chances are the employer will provide you with information ahead of time in order for you to prepare. This is extremely important and you want to make sure you can demonstrate you have a grasp on the material. Employers do this to see whether or not you can learn quickly and efficiently.  If they don’t provide you with material ahead of time, research skill tests for the type of job you will be doing. After you’ve done some independent research and you are given the real test, make sure you read the questions carefully.

As you can see, there isn’t much you can do to actually prepare for a pre-employment test. The best you can do is relax. This will enable you to perform better. You should also find out where the testing center is and how long it will take you to arrive there. Allow yourself some additional time for traffic and lights. You want to get to the assessment at least 10 or 15 minutes early in order to give a great first impression.