I would look online for a similar test and self-test before I spoke to the recruiter. Based on my results and comfort level I would then decide how to proceed with the recruiter.

I don't think it's unusual for recruiters or employers to test skill levels.

Kaya, I can understand how you feel. I don't like timed exercises either, remembering the old days of typing speed tests. Just awful.

You may be in better shape than you realize and nerves are getting the better of you. Your skills are good and you just may sail through. I would take the test without any conditions. If you do, it could go against you. If you fail the test, you're no worse off. It's good to get it under your belt and maybe take solace that it they weren't the right recruiting firm.

I think you will do fine. Good luck in your career shift.

I would look at it as an opportunity for them to eliminate possible placements where your skills would be underutilized, or skills required that are not your strengths. Not a pass/fail situation, as you said, but a winnowing.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I don't mean this to sound arrogant, although it will likely come across that way, but I'm a senior level executive administrator with 30 years of experience. I now support the CEO of a global organization and am looking to make a more-or-less lateral move. I think it's clear I wouldn't be where I am without sufficient technical skills, but I don't like the thought of being assessed on something that may have never been a part of my needed repertoire.

Then again, what do I really have to lose? Maybe I'll proceed with the first test (there are several), and if it's a dismal failure than I can tell the recruiter pretty much what I've shared here. I do know that assessments are fairly common, and there are surely other highly qualified candidates who bomb on them. If I did, I wouldn't be the first.

Ha! Perhaps you aren't arrogant enough and will test so they'll be looking at moving you into positions for which you might not even know you were qualified!

LOL! Well ... stranger things?

I don't know. I'm giving this a LOT of thought; probably more than it should even command. Looking at it from the recruiting firm's POV, yeah - I totally get it. Their client has tasked them with making the perfect match, and they want to ensure it's not going to go sideways on any level. I do understand that. And I'm truly not "that special" that I feel I should be given special dispensation, although part of me wishes that were the case!

I do know that I can take skills assessments through LinkedIn. They're free and would be easy to access. I think I'll start there, although who knows if the questions are likely to be even remotely similar. I realize I cannot in good faith refuse the recruiter's assessments outright if I want to be considered as an amenable participant by this particular recruiter - and I do want that. She and I actually hit it off quite well, so maybe there is a bit of "extra credit" that could be extended to me in that regard.

I havent had to do a skills assessment in about a hundred years since I was looking for a temp job. I astonished the recruiter with a perfect score. I guess if you want to work with the recruiter and they require assessments you need to do it or pursue some other options.

You are over-thinking this. There is nothing to lose here, only upside. Take the test and you may get a great position, or learn what you need to do better next time. Fail to take the test and you fail, end of story.

Thanks for boosting my courage! I completed the first assessment and got 85% of the questions right! Woo-hoo! The ones I missed were phrased in an ambiguous way, or so I thought, and I would've had to ask for clarification on the intent behind the exercise before proceeding. Oh well. I'm glad I did it and proved to myself I'm not a total doofus.

There are still other components of the assessment to be taken, but I'm holding off for now. I just heard from a company that I pursued, and they want to set up an in-person interview early this next week. 😳 Now I'm going to veer off on another freakout. Can you imagine how long it's been since I had an actual, face-to-face, "I hope you like me well enough to hire me at my comp requirements" meeting? Holy yikes!

I once applied for a job working in the office of a nearby community college, and during the interview I had to take a timed computer skills test. The computer froze. I would say that was not my problem but I'm sure it was a major contributing factor for me not getting the job. But if their computer network was really that wonky, then I guess being able to work with it without it freezing was an important skill. However, I don't think it was a very valuable assessment. I even tried to problem solve around it, but a frozen computer pretty much ends your computer skills assessment test . . .

I actually think its not a bad idea, but I would not make it timed, only note the time, and I would allow the person to look online for answers or use reference books. Computer technology changes so rapidly, it's better to have someone who is a fast study in new ways of doing things than someone who already knows it all from decades of doing the same thing over and over . . . just MHO.

That said, any job you get nowdays in an office, is going to want you to be savvy in desktop finance, managing mailing lists and contacts, web site management, and even possibly e-commerce, or at least inventory management using some type of spreadsheet. A lot of companies use cloud based customer management software too . . . like Salesforce. Also online security is super important. A lot of those cloud based programs have fairly important security walls you have to navigate.

Fori, LOL, I guess I wasn't the only person to think of the ASVAB (that's the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery for those of you who have forgotten or didn't have to take it).

My company requires a couple of tests prior to interview-- but not a skills assessment (Skills assessments are done via interview). We do a Cognitive Aptitude Test that gives a score in each of the following: Spatial Reasoning, Verbal Ability and Math & Logic. There is also an Employee Personality Profile that measures across 12 traits-- this one has no "high" or "low" scores but ratings can reflect if the individual will be a good fit for a position. It will indicate if someone is more of a leader or follower.. conventional traditional vs creative/experimental... competitive/relaxed (their terms-- not mine).

I have found the results very helpful-- they aren't likely to make or break a hiring decision in and of themselves but they might indicate a line of questions I pursue in an interview.

Hope your interviews go well this week!