Feeling dumb after taking USA Hire assessments

[Anonymous]

I applied for my dream job on USAJobs and had to take four occupational assessments to complete my application. No problem, I thought. I haven’t felt this dumb since high school before my dyslexia was diagnosed. I’m pretty good at compensating, but four tests that were supposed to take 2-3 hours to complete took me almost four hours and I was dying by the end. I can’t believe I put myself through that before even learning whether I made it through HR. Is this common? I’ve applied for 30 federal jobs but haven’t had this experience before now.

[Anonymous]

I did some digging on Reddit and found that these assessments are becoming more common in the federal government and that my assessment of the tests was pretty common too. They are no joke, particularly the occupational reasoning battery. I can offer some advice: 1) plan on taking the full 3 hours (more in my case), 2) eliminate all distractions as you’ll need to concentrate, and 3) use scrap paper to map out the reasoning questions.

[Anonymous]

You're not dumb. Those quizzes are really weird. I liked the LSAT type logic questions, but a lot of the situational ones seem to have no correct answer.

[Anonymous]

I am a fed applying for lots of fed jobs and I haven't seen one in a while from the applicant side. I think once you do one, it covers you for a year for that job series at least. Also hiring managers in my agency are choosing SME review panels over assessments when possible because they discourage qualified people from finishing their applications and don't actually screen for what we're interested in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a fed applying for lots of fed jobs and I haven't seen one in a while from the applicant side. I think once you do one, it covers you for a year for that job series at least. Also hiring managers in my agency are choosing SME review panels over assessments when possible because they discourage qualified people from finishing their applications and don't actually screen for what we're interested in.

I’m all for SME review panels in lieu of assessments. Currently the only thing these assessments accomplish it to weed out applicants, qualified or not. Only the SMEs know whether someone’s resume has the required skills. Interviews further elaborate on the applicant’s KSAs and provide confirmation that the candidate matches the resume. Assessments tell whether someone takes assessments well.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone successfully received their score? I know scores aren’t shared with applicants automatically (I have no idea why not), but I’ve heard HR folks will sometimes share scores unofficially if you ask nicely enough. I tried to reach out to the central HR office in Philadelphia to no avail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone successfully received their score? I know scores aren’t shared with applicants automatically (I have no idea why not), but I’ve heard HR folks will sometimes share scores unofficially if you ask nicely enough. I tried to reach out to the central HR office in Philadelphia to no avail.

That's ridiculous that they make you take a multi-hour assessment and then won't tell you how you did on it. Maybe based on the assessment you are a poor fit for the job series, wouldn't it be great to know that?

[Anonymous]

I just clicked randomly through the assessment lol (serious time crunch!) it's only once a year and hasn't prevented me from getting a lot of interviews and even offered position.

[Anonymous]

OP here and I passed! I guess? But it’s not clear from this notification letter how the online assessment factored into my referral. The letter only mentions my self rating, which of course I said that I’m awesome at everything, lol. Was the USA Hire Assessment the “quality review?” Was that score the 91 or my own self assessment?

Your rating is:
Eligible for the following position or positions:

You are tentatively eligible for this series/grade combination based on your self-rating of your qualifications. (91)

The following is your referral status for the position or positions to which you applied:

You have been referred to the hiring manager for position GS-0301-13 in Washington, District of Columbia


Please Note:
This letter serves as the final notification of your status for referral. Initially, applicant responses determine whether you fall within the group of best qualified candidates. A quality review was only completed of the candidates who were among the most highly qualified candidates for the position.
If you are eligible and your application was not referred, it is because your responses to the assessment questionnaire did not place you among the best qualified candidates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here and I passed! I guess? But it’s not clear from this notification letter how the online assessment factored into my referral. The letter only mentions my self rating, which of course I said that I’m awesome at everything, lol. Was the USA Hire Assessment the “quality review?” Was that score the 91 or my own self assessment?

Your rating is:
Eligible for the following position or positions:

You are tentatively eligible for this series/grade combination based on your self-rating of your qualifications. (91)

The following is your referral status for the position or positions to which you applied:

You have been referred to the hiring manager for position GS-0301-13 in Washington, District of Columbia


Please Note:
This letter serves as the final notification of your status for referral. Initially, applicant responses determine whether you fall within the group of best qualified candidates. A quality review was only completed of the candidates who were among the most highly qualified candidates for the position.
If you are eligible and your application was not referred, it is because your responses to the assessment questionnaire did not place you among the best qualified candidates.

Congrats OP!

I had to take one of these USA Hire assessments for the first time last week. I admit, it caught me off guard. I have always aced standardized tests (including GRE and LSAT) but being out of practice made the test surprisingly difficult. So don't feel bad for feeling challenged! if it ultimately strengthens the workforce, it will be a good thing.