You’ll find that one of the tasks on our Excel test for job applicants requires the candidate to create a pivot table. Here’s a sample practical Excel test question:Ĭreate a pie chart titled “Percent of Sales” and label each piece as follows: So, I prefer to cut right to the chase and use practical questions. However, choosing the right multiple choice answer doesn’t actually show me the applicant can do the work-just that they know the right answer. Sometimes, these questions can provide insight into an applicant’s level of Excel knowledge. Some companies like to give multiple-choice tests to job applicants. Types of Questions to Ask on an Excel Test Without that, they may not complete the more challenging tasks required for this position. Applicants must prove they have the foundational elements of Excel. I recommend testing for the basics, regardless of the level of position you’re hiring for. Here are some common Excel skills you should test interview candidates for: A finance manager may need to know how to create charts to show a visual representation of where this month’s revenue is coming from. For example, a bookkeeper must know how to input accounts receivable and payable data to create an accurate budgetary picture. If you’re hiring for a front office position that needs to know how to create simple spreadsheets and use a SUM formula, that’s an entirely different Excel skill set than hiring for a bookkeeper or finance administrator.Ĭertain Excel skills will be necessary for your specific open role. Depending on the position you need to fill, the job applicant’s qualifications might vary. Excel Skills to TestĮxcel, and its related cousin, Google Sheets, are easy to use on the surface but incredibly difficult to master. Note that the Excel Test Results file contains the test answers, so do not send this file to your job applicants. The last piece of the job applicant’s test requires them to create an output document. Tab 2, Clubdata, and tab 3, Fitness Table, are the data used by the applicant to complete the test. The first tab, Context & Tasks, is the test given to job applicants.

When you download the Excel test, you’ll see multiple tabs.

Beginner excel assessment topics