Amazon Work Simulation Assessment: Practice & Tips [2024]

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Amazon Work Simulation Practice Overview

10 Work Simulation Practice Modules

Each of the practice modules simulates a module from the actual assessment and includes similar details and questions.

All questions come with answers and in-depth explanations that focus both on the Leadership Principles behind the questions and explain the effectiveness of every response.

One Full Work Style Assessment Practice test

The Work Style Assessment is a personality test that usually comes after the Work Simulation. It evaluates your work behaviors to see if they fit Amazon's unique culture and Leadership Principles.

The practice simulation includes 40 questions that highly resemble the statements you’ll see on the real assessment.

Each question is coupled with an answer and a detailed explanation of the preferred answer choice and the Leadership Principle that the question targets.

One Amazon Hiring Simulation Practice Test

The Amazon Hiring Simulation is a less common version of the Work Simulation but it's still being sent to some candidates.

The assessment evaluates your logical reasoning skills and your personality traits.

To be on the safe side in case you receive it, we included a practice test that resembles the actual assessment. Each practice question comes with an answer and a detailed explanation for the favorable answers and which Leadership Principles to focus on.

Aiming for a managerial position? Learn everything you need with our Leadership Assessment Test guide.



Amazon Work Simulation Mini Guide

The Work Simulation Test is like jumping into a lake without knowing how deep the water is. Head first.

Essentially, this test asks you to face real work dilemmas that an Amazon worker (or "Amazonian") might encounter. Let's say you are an Amazon Program Manager and Black Friday Deals are coming up that YOU are in charge of. You are asked to decide which product should get the most visibility. What do you do?

Well, in this assessment, you’ll be presented with operational data (cost for example) and different opinions from team members. Then, after a series of emails, you’ll need to choose the right product.

Here's an example from our preparation pack:

Amazon Work Simulation Example

 

Remember - the way you respond to these dilemmas will determine your score. So how should this be approached?

In order to give the best answers, you’ll need to demonstrate both healthy judgment and decisive leadership. A great tool that you should definitely use to your benefit is Amazon’s list of 16 leadership principles (or LPs as Amazonians call them). Try to get inside the head of the “ideal” Amazon leader and act the way he would.

In the preparation pack you’ll find on this page you’ll gain access to different work scenarios. You’ll submit your calculated response, and in return, you’ll get feedback and full explanations made by assessment center experts based on those 16 leadership values.

What Should You Expect on The Amazon Hiring Simulation Test?

There is a reason the Work Simulation test goes by many names (job simulation and hiring simulation). In the past Amazon used a different kind of assessment, based on the same ideas. From our experience, you are less likely to get the "Amazon Hiring Simulation Test", but should still practice it in these cases:

  1. You received an email telling you that you need to take only a work simulation test and a work style assessment. In that case, you should practice both the work and the hiring simulation tests.
  2. You got an email specifically indicating that you need to pass a hiring simulation test.

After receiving an invite from Amazon to take an online Hiring Simulation assessment, you’ll have seven days to complete the task (including another work-style assessment).

Hiring Simulation Test Structure

The test is split into four sections. In each, you'll be given three questions about an occurring work scenario. In each question, you'll need to either rank or rate possible responses to the scenario.

The first two sections are more analytical. In these sections, you'll be given hard data that you'll need to base your responses on, such as graphs and tables.

In the last two sections, you'll get scenarios that focus on your compatibility with Amazon’s values, or “Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles” as Amazon likes to put it (formerly known as Amazon's 14 LPs).

In these sections, the data you'll be given will be vaguer so you’ll need to make a decision based on Amazon's principles. For instance, Amazon sees customer obsession as a core value so your answers should reflect that on the test.


Hiring Simulation Sample Question

Let's see a sample question that depicts the questions in the first two sections. Start by reading the memo, and then take the data below it into account before proceeding to rate the possible responses -

 

Amazon Hiring Simulation Sample Question

 

Amazon Hiring Simulation Sample Question

 

 

Based on the available data, rate the following options from 1 to 4. Rate "1" for most needs to be improved and "4" to least needs to be improved (each rating option can be used more than once).

 

Amazon Work Simulation Sample Question 2

 

Click here to view the answer and explanation:
Amazon Work Simulation Answer 2

 

In this question, your goal is to identify trends and rate them according to their urgency for improvement. When we rate, we judge an option in relation to itself and not in relation to other options, but we keep the same scale for all our ratings.

What is a trend? A trend is a general direction in which something is changing.

Try to recognize trends by looking at the given data.

Referring to the first option, there are two factors which we should check their trends when determining how to rate it. The first factor is the number of transactions, and the second is the percentage of crashes of the server. We can identify the trend for each and check if there is a correlation between them. We can see that while the number of transactions goes down (100 → 85 → 70) the % of crashes of the server goes up (+1% → +1% → +1%). Option 1 says that the problem is that the server crashes due to many transactions, but according to the data, the percentage of crashes stays positive- so there is no correlation between the two factors; therefore, this option is not relevant and we can rate it "4".

Referring to the second option, the relevant row which we should look at is row three. According to the data, the percentage does not change so much (+1% → +1% → +1%), but the fact that it stays positive means that there is a growth of the problem. If you try to look at it on a graph, it looks like this:

Amazon hiring simulation practice test answer

There is a slight linear growth of the problem, thus we should rate it "2".

Referring to the third option, in the first row (% Payment method was not accessible to a customer), there is a noticeable upward trend from 3% on the first week, to 5% on the second, and 9% on the third. This trend shows an escalation in a bad situation, and thus it needs to be improved immediately. We can rate the third option to be "1".

Referring to the fourth option, on the second row (% Payments declined for an unexpected reason) we see the opposite: a noticeable downward trend. The meaning of this trend is that every week there are fewer situations that payments are declined for an unexpected reason. This is a totally positive thing thus we can rate the fourth option to be "4".

 

As you can see, this work simulation question requires great judgment and logical skills. But there's another main reason understanding it is crucial - The way you choose to answer helps Amazon assess your prioritization and way of thinking as a potential worker.

Inside the Amazon Hiring Simulation preparation pack, you’ll be able to practice the same questions with full explanations and feedback. That way, you can make sure you are truly prepared for this unique assessment and proceed to the next steps in the hiring process.

 

 

Amazon Work Simulation Tips

Don’t worry about time: The Amazon Work Simulation test is pretty much untimed (there's a running clock but it is 2 hours longer than needed). Also - some questions take longer to answer than others.

Study Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles: They take it seriously and expect you to do the same. it is important to familiarize yourself with Amazon’s 16 leadership principles.

Find somewhere quiet: The questions ask you to deal with complex work scenarios, and that requires concentration. Find somewhere where you won’t get distracted.

Practice in advance: Like with any test, practice is the surest way to pass. With this test, it’s even more meaningful – The Amazon Work Simulation is a one-of-a-kind test that feels unfamiliar to many. Take practice tests before taking the real assessment; This might really help you to gain an advantage over other candidates on your way to getting into Amazon.

Amazon Work Simulation FAQs

How to pass the Work Simulation assessment?

The key to passing the Work Simulation assessment is knowing what to expect on the test and preparing in advance. This job simulation test is unique to Amazon’s recruitment process and is designed to fit Amazon’s values and principles.

What is the difference between the Amazon Hiring Simulation and Work Simulation?

The Hiring Simulation, as opposed to the Work Simulation, not only evaluates your critical thinking skills and use of Amazon's Leadership Principles but also assesses your analytical and numerical skills. using various tables and other graphic elements.

Is the Amazon Work Simulation assessment hard?

Amazon’s Work Simulation test is very complex and tests logical abilities, along with a candidate’s judgment and personality. Amazon is very specific about who it hires with most candidates failing to pass their assessments.

What is the Work-Style assessment?

The Work-Style Assessment is a personality test that is usually given with the Work and Hiring Simulations. The Preparation includes a simulation for this assessment as well.

Is there a time limit to this assessment?

The assessment is pretty much untimed, but the test takes between 35-50 minutes to complete. Not including the Work-Style assessment that takes about 15 minutes.

 

Read About Other Popular Amazon Online Assessments

 

To apply for a different Amazon job, visit our Amazon jobs search page.

 

 

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