Excel and PowerPoint - Being Tested at Interview

I had an interview earlier this week which included a test on Access. They gave me half hour with a PC and a list of things to do - creating queries, forms, reports, using VB, etc. Even though I only got half way through, I still got the job. If its in the same format (and I can't see how else they would do it for Excel and Powerpoint) I would read through the exercises (which I didn't ?) and work out how long you have (and not get caught up in the detail of a report like I did ?).

Congratulations! I thought it might be something like that - I hope that they don't stand over my shoulder so that I can use the help function if I need to! I'm more worried about Excel than PowerPoint... formulae that I might not have done in a long time, etc. I set up all of my spreadsheets when I joined my current company but once that's done you don't necessarily need to revisit those original skills do you?

Thanks! ?

Thankyou.

The manager gave me the choice of him sitting in the room, checking up on me every 10 minutes, or coming back after 30 minutes. I used the help function - I do when I'm using the product so I didn't see why not in the test. Do you have any chance of playing with Excel before next week? Try setting up some formulas - that, if anything, will ensure thats not what they'll test you on!

Good luck!

I know there is proper, formal MS Office test software, that sets you things to do, and records exactly how you do it, so if you open the wrong menu etc it notes that down as a mistake. I had to do Word/Excel/Powerpoint tests when I was temping back in the daaaaaaark ages (2000) at the temp agencies.

No I'm exactly the same, if I don't know how to do something, or need my memory jogged then I use the help function too, as you say, that's what you do in real life!

I think formulas is the big thing too, I think I will spend Sunday playing about with the software.

When do you start?

Oh blimey Flowery, I hope that it isn't that type of test! I never think that those are a good measure really as it's all too easy to click on one area instead of another, or to have a preferred way of working. It's for an organisation as opposed to a recruiter, so hopefully the grading won't be based on something as sophisticated as keystrokes.

It reminds me of a typing test I did last year and it came back as 80wpm speed but only 50-odd% accuracy... I was stunned, until I realised that I do double-spacing after full stops and the software counted the second space as an error - well it wasn't when I first learned to touch type!!

I use the help functions in Access quite a lot - particularly the VB bit for the correct structure for the command.

I think 8th March but could be later. Boss-to-be is going on holiday next week so I think that delays things. Really looking forward to it. It could be a long term job but, if not, then I think there is the possibility of learning loads of things what will make getting my next job a lot easier.

FtG - that sounds horrible! I know Office applications reasonably well but I couldn't get the menu right, first time, every time!

Yup. I got royally stitched up by that software at an interview with Southwark Council. With Office, there is often more than one route to your intended goal, but unless you used the shortest way, it was marked as a fail. Think hard before clicking.

I think it's a piss-poor way of testing ability, but I guess the temping agencies needed a way of thinning out the crowd of students looking for summer jobs.

Ugh, I've done those tests too, they're hideous. Just laziness on the part of the recruitment agents, but no surprises there ?

Sorry SLD - we're not helping are we? I'm sure the co you are interviewing with won't resort to slack, lazy temp-agency methods. You'll be fine! Good luck!

It's also an example of showing initiative in a stressful situation (were you to do it during the test) The only thing I'd really chip in, is look at the job description, and try to work out from there what they're going to ask you to do. And agreed on watching your time limit and reading the question properly. (And entering any data accurately. This is where I came a cropper once.)

The H gives this sort of teat and you get brownie points for thinking and using google/help functions

Sorry guys forgot to come back to this.

Thanks very much for all of the information and advice. I'm going to have a bit of a practice over the weekend and then just get my head down on the day and do the best that I can.

Really hoping not to come away empty-handed!