They're another reason HR departments are toxic bullshit. I applied for an inbound calls job. I was short-listed within a day and offered the tests. That's when I knew I was fucked. I have serious performance anxiety. The tests were as follows:
-
The usual highly transparent and “no right answers, toxic positivity required!” Personality test. Passed because I know these HR companies only hire yes-men.
-
A language and comprehension test. Answers were timed. High score.
-
Mathematics test with little hidden gotchas hidden at the bottom of each illustration. I missed one and only noticed it halfway through the chapter of questions. Also had timed questions. Average score.
-
A data analysis test. It was literally this:
10110- O11II1 – 10110- O11II1
2025552 LLYXYX – 2025252 LLZXYX
But these are seven to twelve other lines of data like this, most of them longer and you have sixty to forty seconds to guess which ones do or don't match. One wrong answer and you fail this question.
No surprises, but I failed this one. On what planet would any employer organise data so poorly? Do they want their employees to constantly make mistakes? How the hell are people passing this test without help?
The thing is, I've had to deal with worse rests for other jobs. Borderline eugenics bullshit and IQ tests from the eighties repackaged into sleek Web 3.0 quizzes. These companies are toxic and don't screen for compatibility, the screen out people with mental illness.
My testing anxiety is so bad I will shake, if I need to sleep I won't, same with eating for hours afterwards. I also have another disability I won't disclose to employers so my resume will make it to someone's desk. When I work I'm fine, I'm usually a good worker when I learn the ropes. I've worked a high-pressure, physically intense job for eight years and I want out.
How the fuck are people like me supposed to find stable work when we're being gatekept? These tests weren't for extremely high-pressure job like an ambulance calls operator. They were for an insurance company.
BTW, the HR company was called Korn Ferry. Fuck them.