Diagrammatic Test

[tranceporter]

I had to do one of these test for a role at Astra Zeneca years ago. The agency never mentioned it and I was totally unprepared, and had never seen this type of thing before. I don't know if it was the pressure of someone stood over me or whatever, but I ****ed it up and didn't get an offer. It's one of the rare occasions when I didn't convert an interview into a gig...

lol.. i just had a go at the link posted by one of the posters above, and its not easy to get a grip for the first 10 minutes. Certainly not the kind of test I would find very easy unprepared, especially when they put constraints like completing the test in 15 minutes. Reminds me of the tests they put for scholarship in 5th grade

[russell]

Couldn't agree more, I also refuse to do any tests upfront and become very uninterested if they start asking me 'techie' questions in an interview. Fine when they ask ‘intelligent ‘ questions like how you'd approach certain situations, etc.

I get particularly miffed when they ask a series of noobie questions to check that my last fifteen years in contracting was more than just a lucky run.

These sort of companies have a blurred distinction between staff and contractors – not a place I’d want to offer my services to.

WHS

[ChrisPackit]

I had to do one of these test for a role at Astra Zeneca years ago. The agency never mentioned it and I was totally unprepared, and had never seen this type of thing before. I don't know if it was the pressure of someone stood over me or whatever, but I ****ed it up and didn't get an offer. It's one of the rare occasions when I didn't convert an interview into a gig...

[dack]

+10000
At client up North recently was told I was lucky, normally they sit contractors in a room to do a test for 30 odd minutes. On telling them that they were lucky because had they have tried that I would have told them to shove it, they queried my attitude. I went on to mention I could provide any number of referees to contact about my abilities if the so wished and also pointed to one guy who had often bragged he had the highest score in their tests and whispered quietly 'look at him, he's lazy and pi$$es everyone off and you yourself would like to see him gone, how come your test didn't highlight that ?'
I did do tests during the start of my career but wouldn't do them now and don't expect to be asked to do them given my experience that can be verified, they prove very little. And clients who give out such tests you may find will lack respect for contractors and may treat like temps.

Couldn't agree more, I also refuse to do any tests upfront and become very uninterested if they start asking me 'techie' questions in an interview. Fine when they ask ‘intelligent ‘ questions like how you'd approach certain situations, etc.

I get particularly miffed when they ask a series of noobie questions to check that my last fifteen years in contracting was more than just a lucky run.

These sort of companies have a blurred distinction between staff and contractors – not a place I’d want to offer my services to.

[Pogle]

I refuse to do them, or any sort of test, it's contracting, if you fail on the job, you are terminated in two days.

No need for a test.

Agreed.
The last time I did a test like that was to get on the CSC graduate training scheme.

[SuperZ]

+100

+10000
At client up North recently was told I was lucky, normally they sit contractors in a room to do a test for 30 odd minutes. On telling them that they were lucky because had they have tried that I would have told them to shove it, they queried my attitude. I went on to mention I could provide any number of referees to contact about my abilities if the so wished and also pointed to one guy who had often bragged he had the highest score in their tests and whispered quietly 'look at him, he's lazy and pi$$es everyone off and you yourself would like to see him gone, how come your test didn't highlight that ?'
I did do tests during the start of my career but wouldn't do them now and don't expect to be asked to do them given my experience that can be verified, they prove very little. And clients who give out such tests you may find will lack respect for contractors and may treat like temps.

[nomadd]

I refuse to do them, or any sort of test, it's contracting, if you fail on the job, you are terminated in two days.

No need for a test.

+100

[Notascooby]

These were common for graduate programmes at consultancies. If you've got a techie brain they're a piece of p1ss but they're more for weeding out people with 'ology' degrees that couldn't get a real job and thought IT would be a blast - think most of them become BAs and PMs and go around saying "I'm not technical"

http://irisharmy.shlsolutions.net/DIT6.htm

[The Agents View]

Quote:

Diagramming tests are often used in the area of Information Technology to assess skills needed in IT roles such as software engineers, systems analysts and programmers.

These psychometric diagramming tests measure the ability to follow complex instructions often in the form of coded symbols and use these like they would use programming commands.

Often the diagramming tests ask the person to use a flowchart and series of rules to solve new problems with.

HTH

[pmeswani]

Got one of these to do next week before an interview. Anybody got some advice on how to prepare for one?

Cheers

I don't think it has anything to do with drawing wheelbarrows. I can only guess it's something to do with Programming or Testing?

[stek]

I refuse to do them, or any sort of test, it's contracting, if you fail on the job, you are terminated in two days.

No need for a test.

[fullyautomatix]

Got one of these to do next week before an interview. Anybody got some advice on how to prepare for one?

Cheers

WTF is that ? I can only imagine they will tell you to draw diagrams ? Anyway let us know what it was all about after you done with it

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Got one of these to do next week before an interview. Anybody got some advice on how to prepare for one?

Cheers