Management Assessments Test: Practice & Examples

Managerial Assessments

When applying for managerial positions, expect to encounter a variety of pre-hire assessment tests. Tests will vary depending on position, job level, and company, but some of the most common management assessments are cognitive ability, situational judgment, and personality tests. Read on to learn more about each type of test.


Managerial Situational Judgement Tests

Situational judgement tests are geared to measure your expected actions when confronted by managerial difficulties. They tend to focus on your perspective and behavior in response to many real-life management situations.

SJT Sample Question

Sara was given a list of tasks to complete two days ago. After working fast and efficiently she has now finished her tasks. Sara’s supervisor is working from a different location today.
What is the most effective response that Sara can take?
Sara could find a colleague that needs help with a task- this could be more interesting than just sitting around at the office.
Sara could call her supervisor and ask him what she could do next- so that her work is more efficient.
Sara could go study materials that are generally relevant for her work.
Sara could ask another member of the office if there is anything she can do to help - as it’s important to help a teammate.
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

Primary: Working with supervision; prioritization
Secondary Competencies: Teamwork; proactivity; achievement

Correct response: B
Response B is the correct response. The supervisor is best informed to help Sara prioritize her goal, as he can be aware of more factors related to the productivity of the team as a whole. By being able to communicate directly with the supervisor, Sara is showing working with supervision skills. By understanding the importance of prioritizing- she is showing prioritization skills. Sara is also being proactive by initiating a call to the supervisor.

Explanation:
This question is about being able to prioritize tasks effectively, and knowing when it is appropriate to approach a supervisor for help.

Response A can be eliminated if we observe the rationalization offered by Sara. Notice that her reasoning for helping a colleague is to find something interesting to do- and not to effectively help the colleague. There is nothing wrong with wanting your work to be interesting – but in this context it shows Sara lacks prioritization skills.

Choosing to invest time in personal development (response C) can be a good thing for any employee. However, this should normally be done with some kind of coordination with a supervisor. Without such coordination with a supervisor, Sara might focus on less important topics – or topics that she is not yet ready to learn. It’s also possible that there are other important tasks that Sara should be doing right now – instead of focusing on her training. By choosing to invest time in undesignated training Sara is showing bad prioritization and working under supervision skills.

By seeking to help her teammate (response D), Sara is showing good teamwork skills, however, note that Sara’s rationalization is not effective in order to solve the problem at hand. It is certainly possible that the supervisor could use Sara for a different important task that doesn’t involve helping another teammate. Helping teammates is certainly important – but there could be more important priorities. Here Sara shows faulty prioritization skills.


Management Personality Test

Most pre-employment personality exams follow the lead of the Big Five Model. The five time-honored primary personality traits that predict job performance are:

1. Extroversion – dominance; determination accompanied by high energy

2. Agreeableness – emotional intelligence; sociability; sensitivity

3. Emotional stability – self-confidence; ability to adjust

4. Openness to new experiences – flexibility; sense of inner control; creativity

5. Conscientiousness – integrity; dependability; thoroughness; work ethic

The managerial personality questionnaire measures work-related traits and facets, such as values, attitudes, motivation, interests, interaction with situations and people, preferences, and emotionality of responses.

Items are formatted as multiple-choice, with response alternatives ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” The task is to pick the answer that most closely reflects your attitudes and behavior. Through the process of exam preparation, you gain increased speed and insight into the real meaning behind the questions on personality exams.

Without preparation that includes question and answer analysis, it is often difficult to understand exactly what each item is assessing. JobTestPrep takes the guesswork out of the equation by providing an in-depth explanation of answers and sample questions.


What's the Difference Between a Manager and a Supervisor?

Although intuitively they seem similar, the position of manager requires an individual who is capable of working effectively with all of the organization’s departments, branches, suppliers, employees, and customers. This is a wide-ranging employment setting with leadership, good-natured diplomacy, and self-confidence coming to the fore in the hiring process.

The job of a supervisor, however, presents a much narrower scope. The supervisor is the team leader, responsible solely for the effectiveness of his or her unit. While leadership is still important, the focus is on the ability to motivate employees in order to optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of a particular department.

The management situational judgment test (SJT), cognitive ability test, and personality exam all reflect the degree of maturity and leadership skills essential for managerial work. In most pre-employment assessments, a management competency test will differ significantly from a supervisory assessment. The scenarios and particular exam items presented throughout a manager assessment test will represent the multi-faceted and far-reaching daily employment problems and situations that managers encounter. Likewise, a supervisor exam will reflect the specifics of supervisory work.


Managerial Cognitive Test

Managerial cognitive tests measure the ability to apply important thinking processes when solving job-related problems. Cognitive exams highlight many skills, such as:

  • Reasoning Ability
  • Problem Solving
  • Perception
  • Mathematical Ability
  • Memory
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Verbal Proficiency

On the managerial cognitive exam, you will encounter number series completion, arithmetic computation, math word problems, and items that require mathematical reasoning. Other questions involve analogies to be derived from charts, tables, and words. Furthermore, expect to find spatial relations questions concerning your ability to visualize geometric shapes and other objects in a three-dimensional setting. Also included are verbal proficiency questions relating to grammar, spelling, and verbal reasoning.

The standardized management skills assessment contains many types of question formats, including:

  • Multiple-Choice
  • Short Answer
  • True/False
  • Sentence Completion

A strict time limitation presents an additional element of difficulty. The more you practice on sample management assessments, the more familiar you will become with question types and the exam format. This familiarity will lead to quicker and more confident answers.


How to Pass a Manager Assessment Test

Studies have proven that working on sample tests yields a higher potential for passing pre-employment assessment tests. JobTestPrep has developed a thorough management assessment test preparation program, offering you both an affordable and quality practice opportunity. Our preparation materials include practice tests, test information, detailed answer explanations, and score reports. Get one step closer to landing your dream job by preparing today.

 

All trademarks are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with JobTestPrep or this website.