# NEW JOB TEST



## EXCELRATED1 (Feb 2, 2006)

Hi all--

This group was recommended to me. I am currently a novice with Excel. The most elaborate thing I can do is a Vlookup/Hlookup. I must take a test in order to be considered for a new position in HR. I was told that the test was on some kind of Excel Test program. The test is next week. Is there any tips you can give me? WHat I can expect? IS there just a handful of Excel Testing software?


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## lenze (Feb 2, 2006)

I do not know of any standard excel testing software, but I haven't really looked for if. In my experience as a consultant, I've found that most of these type test involve nothing more than formatting, simple Functions(such as Sum), maybe calculating an average, sorting, and perhaps filtering. In my opinion, the real test is designed to see HOW you think in addressing problems in Excel, not so much the solution itself. So, DON'T PANIC.

This is, of course, only my opinion, and I could be wrong!

lenze


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## PaddyD (Feb 2, 2006)

My two cents worth...

If, by cramming on excel for a few days, you can pass a test that you would otherwise fail, then either the test is poor, or the level required to pass is so low that you should be able to pass it if you're at the 'vlookup stage'.  

That said, I would:

1) Take a half hour or so to remind myself of what each and every menu option did & where it was; look up in the help files / search the board for those that you're not sure about (e.g. do you know what insert | name | create is for?)

2) Devote another hour or so to browsing through the posts here.  Check out the questions, think how you'd go about answering them, then see how they actually progressed - why not even answer a few from scratch!

Best of luck with the job.


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## Russ At Index (Feb 3, 2006)

Hi EXCELRATED1, Welcome To The Board,

Just as Lenze says " Dont Panic !! "

You could do no worse than search the Internet for :
"Free Excel Tests"

You dont have to complete these , just have a look !

If you feel that you are pretty much covered , then thats
ok   

Should you need any advice on tests there any many sites
available !!

Chill out , i have just sat a maths exam for a potential job...
No calculators allowed , and its been 30yrs since i used my
Brain !!!! All thanks to Excel of course !!! ( I passed...JUST ! )

Good Luck

HTH

Russ


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## Richard Schollar (Feb 3, 2006)

I know when I've set tests for others, I have purposely made them reasonably easy so that I can establish how people solve the tests/derive a solution (much in the same way that Lenze described).  I wouldn't try and cram your mind with every Excel function/option, but I would probably make sure you know what a basic pivot table is (and how to create one from tabular data), and maybe how to graph a set of simple data.

All the best for the test!

Richard


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## EXCELRATED1 (Feb 3, 2006)

Thanks so so much guys. This is a really cool message board! Thanks for the kind words and advice.


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## Guentjo (Feb 4, 2006)

Excel requirement for an HR job?  I think vlookup will blow people away.  I agree that brushing up on pivot tables and graphs is certainly worthwhile.  I doubt you'll need to know anything more than if, sum, count, average, sumif, countif, max and min.

Don't forget.  F1(help) is your friend!


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## PaddyD (Feb 5, 2006)

"I wouldn't try and cram your mind with every Excel function/option..."

Indeed, though the "remind yourself of all the menu functions" suggestion was intended seriously - I know of a few excel 'tests' that proceed as follwows:

1) give subject 100 points
2) set subject a series of tasks (e.g. copy the range of cells in a1:a10 to b1:k1)
3) deduct a point for each time subject makes a mouse click that is not in the right sequence on the shortest menu path for the job.


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## Richard Schollar (Feb 5, 2006)

Paddy

I certainly didn't mean to imply that i disagreed with what you said - in fact when I stated "...cram mind with every Excel function..." I was drawing on my own experience from many years ago when I tried to do exactly that (literally reading a book of functions and trying to memorize them before interviews).  Needless to say, a complete waste of my time (but I still got the job .  I think knowing what the menu functions are is extremely sensible - particularly for formatting/changing options/aforementioned pivot tables etc.

Richard


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## Greg Truby (Feb 6, 2006)

I'm inclined to agree with Guentjo.  I've yet to see an HR person that could even do VLookup().  I'll be quite surprised if the job truly requires anything much more complex than that.  Do let us know how it turns out, now you've got us all curious.  

Richard -- your HR personnel can do Pivot Tables?    

Paddy -- so on tests like that, what if you [almost] never use the mouse?    I don't have *all* the hotkeys memorized, but I reckon I use most of 'em; I only mouseketeer when I havta.


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## Richard Schollar (Feb 7, 2006)

Greg

I'm sure some of the young HR ladies are quite capable at Pivoting around on Tables (outside of work), but whether this has anything to do with Excel I will leave up to your imagination....

Richard


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## Oorang (Feb 7, 2006)

So how did the interview go? 

Also, if you haven;t already had it... 
Some temporary agencies you standardized excel testing, as doo comp 100 classed at colleges. The first time I took one I did well enough but I was thrown by the way it asked you to arrive at the solutions. Many of them want you to use the menus. As I am a hotkey person it took me some muddling around to find what I was looking for.


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## Oaktree (Feb 7, 2006)

Along similar lines, Oorang, I once interviewed with a temp agency where they had a computer-based Excel skills test.  One of the questions was "where would you click to change the formatting of the cell?"  and they would deduct points from your score every time you clicked somewhere other than the intended place.  Of course, the test wasn't configured to accept CTRL+1, and clicking on the fill or font color buttons was considered "incorrect" (they were going for the format menu which, admittedly, should have probably been a giveaway since the word format did appear in the question and all).  

Thinking back, maybe they were just trying to test if the examinee was experienced in not losing his patience with people unfamiliar with Excel who design skill test exams.


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## Richard Schollar (Feb 8, 2006)

Oaktree



> Thinking back, maybe they were just trying to test if the examinee was experienced in not losing his patience with people unfamiliar with Excel who design skill test exams.



Did they get upset with you when you shoved your boot thru their computer monitor? :wink:

Richard


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## Oaktree (Feb 8, 2006)

Not as much as they did when I shoved my boot.... well, perhaps that's a picture for another board


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## Cbrine (Feb 8, 2006)

> I'm sure some of the young HR ladies are quite capable at Pivoting around on Tables (outside of work), but whether this has anything to do with Excel I will leave up to your imagination....
> 
> Richard



Richard,
   Not all HR is involved in dancing on tables.  I'm an HRIS Systems Analyst, and believe me any test  I put together would push people to the limits of thier Excel knowledge, if that's what we were looking for.  
Vlookup wouldn't do it for me.  Maybe a 3 level array formula, or a nice sumproduct, or even ANY knowledge of VBA!

Excelerated1,
  I don't know if you should hope to have someone like me to put togeter the test or not.  It would most likely be more difficult, but you wouldn't end up with some moronic program that tells you that there is only one right way to complete something.  

Cal

PS-I'm moving in to our IT group, and they are looking for someone to take over for me, I wonder if you are applying at my company!


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## Oorang (Feb 8, 2006)

CBrine, I think you should put the test together just so we can see if we can do it


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## Cbrine (Feb 8, 2006)

Oorang,
  Didn't say I wanted to, just that I could!


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## Oorang (Feb 8, 2006)

Aw c'mon we all want to take the cbrine challenge! :D


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## Greg Truby (Feb 9, 2006)

Cal, you may be working _with_ HR, but I wouldn't say you're _in_ HR.  At least not judging by your competence in Excel, which would get you thrown out of most HR departments.

Oorang, you might enjoy this lounge thread from dk; 'twas from before you joined our little community.  Looks like DK's link to the test is still good.


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## Oorang (Feb 9, 2006)

LOL Got everything but the SQL question. But I was glad it was in there, because the answer actaully solved a question i was pondering at work.


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## Cbrine (Feb 9, 2006)

```
Cal, you may be working with HR, but I wouldn't say you're in HR.
```

I always introduce myself as the "IT guy trapped in HR"    That always gets me a couple of good chuckles.


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## Milo_Minderbinder (Mar 28, 2006)

What ever happened with this?


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## dataworf (Apr 12, 2006)

*Took a Power Excel test*

Very Basic at first, then macros, goal seek, scenarios, summary and lo and behold, PIVOT TABLES!   And because I had practiced using information found on this site, I knew how to do the pivot table questions.
Thanks to everyone on this board, my score was high enough that I am still in the running for a position I really want..


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