Many job seekers wonder if the Indeed Excel assessment is difficult when applying for roles that require Excel skills. Excel assessments allow employers to evaluate candidates’ proficiency with Microsoft Excel before inviting them to interview. While Excel tests vary in difficulty level across companies, the Indeed Excel assessment aims to provide a realistic test of skills needed for Excel-related jobs.
What is the Indeed Excel assessment?
The Indeed Excel assessment is an online, multiple-choice test that job candidates complete when applying for certain roles on Indeed.com. It evaluates skills and knowledge in Excel functions, formulas, tables, charts, and other common Excel features.
The Indeed Excel test is not officially created by Microsoft. Rather, it was designed by Indeed as a screening tool for employers to filter and assess candidates’ Excel abilities. The test draws from a large bank of questions and aims to simulate the practical Excel skills needed in many workplace settings.
The Indeed Excel assessment is untimed and applicants can take it from any computer with an internet connection. Results are instantly calculated and shared with the employer. Many companies require candidates to pass the Excel test before proceeding to the next hiring stage, such as an interview.
What is tested on the Indeed Excel assessment?
The Indeed Excel test evaluates the following skills:
- Excel formulas and functions, including SUM, VLOOKUP, COUNT, AVERAGE, IF formulas.
- Data sorting, filtering, and analysis tools.
- PivotTables and PivotCharts.
- Conditional formatting.
- Data validation.
- Charts and graphs like column, bar, pie charts.
- Basic workflows like cell formatting, freezing panes, splitting screens.
In most cases, the Indeed Excel test assesses a candidate’s competency with Microsoft Excel for Office 365, the latest version. However, some tests may also cover older versions like Excel 2019 or 2016.
The types of questions asked aim to reflect real-life Excel use cases in workplace settings across many industries and job roles.
What is the format of the Indeed Excel assessment?
The Indeed Excel test has the following format:
- 15-20 multiple choice questions.
- Untimed, typically takes 10-20 minutes.
- Closed book – external resources cannot be used during the test.
- Online, requires a computer with internet access.
- Covers the intermediate skill level, some advanced questions may be included.
Sample questions are not provided by Indeed ahead of time. The test interface shows one question at a time. Applicants select one answer choice per question. They cannot return to previous questions once answered.
Indeed does not disclose the passing score required, as this can vary by employer. In most cases, scores above 70% indicate proficiency.
How difficult is the Indeed Excel test?
The Indeed Excel assessment is designed to be challenging enough to filter candidates based on realistic Excel requirements for the job. But it is not meant to be overly difficult or tricky.
Here are some tips to accurately gauge the Excel test difficulty:
- Focus is practical skills – The bulk of the test covers practical intermediate Excel skills needed in daily work, not obscure advanced functions.
- Not a speed test – With no time limit, candidates can think through questions without rush. The focus is accuracy not speed.
- Multiple choice format – The multiple choice questions allow you to logic through options versus needing to know the exact right answer offhand.
- Learnable skills – Since the test focuses on standard Excel features, candidates can prepare through practice and training.
Overall, while not easy per se, the Indeed Excel test is very reasonable for intermediate Excel users who are familiar with key functions and tools. With practice and review, it can be conquered by motivated job seekers.
How to prepare for the Indeed Excel assessment
Here are some top tips to get ready for the Indeed Excel test:
- Brush up on the core Excel functions like VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, COUNT, AVERAGE, IF.
- Know how to analyze, filter, sort data with tools like filters, grouping, sorting.
- Review PivotTables including how to summarize data and update sources.
- Practice basic charts like column, bar, pie, line charts.
- Learn Excel formula syntax rules and proper use of cell references.
- Take practice tests to simulate the real testing experience.
- Focus your study on features you use less often or find tricky.
- Watch videos on Excel skills to refresh and reinforce capabilities.
With some dedicated practice, most intermediate Excel users can pass the Indeed assessment and showcase their skills to potential employers.
Example questions
Here are some examples of the types of questions found on the Indeed Excel assessment:
Excel Functions
If cell A1 contains 4.5 and cell B1 contains 2, what will the following formula return?
=SUM(A1,B1)*A1
Choices:
- 9
- 6.75
- 7.5
- 10.5
Charts
Which chart type would be most appropriate for displaying the monthly revenue data shown in the table?
Month | Revenue |
January | $50,000 |
February | $40,000 |
March | $80,000 |
Choices:
- Column chart
- Pie chart
- Line chart
- Scatter plot
Functions
Given the dataset showing sales figures by client:
Client | Sales |
ABC Inc. | $10,000 |
XYZ LLC. | $12,000 |
123 Corp. | $18,000 |
Which formula will return the total sales?
Choices:
- =SUM(A1:B3)
- =SUM(A2,B2,A3,B3)
- =SUM(B1:B3)
- =TOTAL(B1:B3)
Conclusion
In summary, while not the easiest online test, the Indeed Excel assessment is very reasonable for intermediate Excel users who prepare. With some practice and review, it can be completed successfully by those with skills that align to the job.
By mimicking a realistic workplace Excel scenario, the Indeed test allows employers to make informed choices about candidates with the right mix of skills. Preparing for the Excel assessment is time well invested for job seekers to stand out and demonstrate their capabilities.