This happened a year ago.
I got an “interview” that consisted of multiple back to back interviews in a single day. A couple were one-one interviews and a couple would be panel interviews. Mind you, the schedule was full, from 08:00am – approx. 1pm. I had zero breaks between interviews.
However, before my first interview there was a “basic” test for me to take. I asked several days before-hand if there was any material I could study to help me prep for this test. I was told no. It was a basic test. Um … ok?!? Never in my life have I been given a test totally blind like that and I’ve been to graduate school. Point is – I’ve taken many exams by this point and never once have I gone into testing without knowing what the test was going to be about so I can prepare. Never.
That morning I was e-mailed the timed exam. I had one hour to complete it. I shit you not it was a college course statistics exam. I know bc I took statistics in college some years ago.
Find the probability of you pulling out blue vs. green in X-number of blue, green, yellow, etc. balls; stack boxes and how many of X box vs. Y box do you pull out at random, kinda questions. Two entire pages of questions like this. I know these questions require very specific formulas to be used. Formulas one don’t just keep memorized years after you’ve taken the course.
The kicker: The position I was interviewing for had nothing to do with statistics or data analytics or anything of the sort. It was for an administrative-type role.
I was … shocked … and … pissed. Why say it was a basic exam? Why did they refuse to let me brush up on this topic? I felt as if I was purposefully being set up for failure here. No, they must have given me the wrong exam, right?!!
So I immediately called the lady who e-mailed me the exam to see if they had e-mailed me the wrong test for this position. I got a recording of the company. I went through the entire company phone roster on the phone hoping to find her extension. She wasn’t in there.
Next I sent her a very strongly worded e-mail asking her what part of the job description for this position entailed stacking boxes, only to randomly pull certain ones out? And why wasn’t I at least given a heads up to brush up on college stats bc these are NOT basic, day to day questions. I also stated how I should be tested for the position I was actually applying for. I also called her out bc she was unavailable to talk when she said she would be available.
Lastly, I reminded her that interviews are a TWO way street and they’ve shown me just how they set up their employees up for failure and how this company clearly has red flags. Due to this, I told her to get my name off the list for this job, and to cancel all my interviews as I wasn’t interested in working for a company that would do this to their employees.
That lady called me so quick and left a voice mail apologizing for the test and said it was just standard and she understood that I felt it had nothing to do with the position but to please call her.
Right after that i got an e-mail saying the same thing. Followed by another phone call.
I didn’t answer a single one; I blocked that company e-mail, phone, etc. Next I went to Glass Door and posted this experience with a negative review. Let’s just say I wasn’t the only one posting on there about that ridiculous exam.