HOW TO PREPARE
How Job Candidates Can Prepare For Employment Tests
Have you applied for a job and been asked to take a pre-employment test? It may seem intimidating, but there’s no reason to stress! No matter what type of assessment you've been asked to take, there are a couple of steps you can take to prepare yourself. So how should you get ready for a Criteria assessment?
Take a deep breath.
Before you start your assessments, give yourself the time and space to relax to let your skills shine through. Keep in mind that your assessment results are designed to be objective and encourage fair evaluation – and they’re just one of many factors companies use to evaluate applicants.
Deep breathing exercises can be surprisingly effective at getting you in the zone and focused. Let’s go over a simple and practical deep breathing exercise called 4-7-8 Breathing that you can do just about anywhere:
- Find a comfortable position. Sit in a chair with your back straight, feet flat on the floor, and hands resting comfortably on your lap.
- Focus on your breath. Close your eyes to help you concentrate on your breathing and avoid visual distractions. Take a moment to notice your natural breathing pattern without trying to change it.
- Empty your lungs by exhaling through your mouth. You can make a whoosh sound to ensure your lungs are completely empty.
- Inhale through your nose. Close your mouth and silently inhale through your nose for a count of 4.
- Once you’ve filled your lungs, hold your breath for a count of 7.
- Exhale completely through your mouth to a count of 8.
Repeat this breathing cycle for a total of four breaths.
This kind of intentional and focused deep breathing exercise activates your parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and delivering more oxygen to your brain to improve cognition – a good boost before taking a test!
Set the stage.
Before you take your test, there’s a lot you can do to improve your chances of scoring well.
Getting a good night’s sleep before your test day is a great place to start. Eating a nutritious, high-protein meal will keep your energy up and make sure you’re not distracted by a rumbling stomach. Exhaustion and hunger can derail even the most brilliant test takers, so make sure your basic needs are met before you begin your test.
If you are taking a test remotely, not at an employer’s place of business, figure out how long it will take you to complete the tests and then limit all distractions during that time. Most of Criteria’s tests can be taken on any device, including laptop, desktop, tablet, or mobile devices.
Next, make sure you have everything you need at your workspace – and remove all distractions you can. Shuffle kids, pets, partners, or roommates into a different space so you can focus solely on your assessment. Grab a glass of water, silence your phone, and close any distracting windows or programs you’ve got up on your computer.
Use the device that you feel most comfortable with and take time to turn off or mute any notifications that may pop up during the assessment. If you are in a shared space, let others around you know that you are planning to take an assessment for a certain amount of time.
Read the instructions.
The most common mistake test-takers make is rushing through instructions. You can take as much time as you need to read and understand them! The instructions will often give you hints about optimal test strategy: for example, if there is no penalty for wrong answers, don’t be afraid to guess and move on if you’re stuck on a tough question.
Get familiar with the tests.
Learn more about the different types of assessments you may be asked to take so you feel more at ease.
Take practice tests.
Get familiar with some of the most common question types on Criteria’s assessments by taking a mini practice test.