How to prepare for written tests and aptitude tests
What employers test, how to prepare in the days before, and what to do on the day.
Why employers test
When many people apply for one job, employers often use a written test to choose who to interview. Government jobs commonly have a written interview before the oral one, and banks, large companies and organisations often use aptitude or skills tests, on paper or online.
A test is not a trick. It checks, quickly and fairly, whether candidates have the knowledge and skills the job needs. Preparing well can make the difference between being invited to the next stage or not.
Common kinds of test
- Subject knowledge: questions on your field, for example accounting standards, nursing procedures, laws for a legal role, or teaching methods.
- General knowledge: questions about Tanzania, its government and institutions, current affairs and the organisation itself. Common in public service tests.
- Numerical reasoning: percentages, ratios, reading tables and charts, often against the clock.
- Verbal reasoning: reading a short text and answering whether statements are true, false or can't be told.
- Logical reasoning: patterns, sequences and shapes.
- Practical tasks: typing, an Excel exercise, writing a short report or letter, or a coding task.
- English or Kiswahili language: grammar, comprehension or a short essay.
Prepare from the advert
The job advert is your study guide. Read the duties and requirements again and list the topics they cover. If the job involves preparing financial statements, revise them. If it mentions procurement, revise the procurement process and the main terms.
Then study the employer: what it does, its main services or products, its recent news and, for public institutions, the law or policy that created it and the ministry it falls under. Its website and published reports are good places to start.
Practise, especially timing
Many candidates know the answers but run out of time. Practise with sample questions and a timer. Free practice tests for numerical, verbal and logical reasoning are widely available online. Do a few sets each day in the week before the test rather than many on the last night.
For numerical tests, revise how to calculate percentages, percentage change, averages and ratios without a calculator, in case one isn't allowed. For written tasks, practise writing a one-page letter or report in thirty minutes.
The day before
- Confirm the date, time and venue, and how long it takes to get there. For an online test, check the link, your device, the battery and your internet connection.
- Prepare what the invitation asks you to bring: usually your national ID or another identity document, original certificates, the invitation letter, and pens.
- Sleep well. A tired mind makes simple mistakes.
During the test
- Arrive early. Late candidates are often not allowed in.
- Read the instructions fully. Check how many questions there are, how marks are given and whether wrong answers lose marks.
- Answer the easy questions first. Mark the hard ones and come back to them.
- Watch the time. Divide the time by the number of questions and don't let one question take far longer than its share.
- Write clearly. In written answers, use short paragraphs and headings. A marker who can't read your answer can't give you marks for it.
- Check your answers if time remains, especially your calculations.
After the test
Results are announced in different ways: a list on a website or portal, a phone call, an email or a text message. Make sure your contact details on the application are correct and keep checking the channel the employer named.
If you aren't selected, note which questions were hardest and practise those for the next one. Tests in the same field often cover similar topics, so each one you sit makes the next easier.
Tests taken online
Some employers send a link to a test you take at home within a set time. Find a quiet place, use a reliable device and connection, and close other apps. Read whether you may use a calculator or notes. Do the test yourself: employers often check results again at interview, and getting help with an online test usually shows up later.
More guides
- How to write a CV employers read
- How to write an application letter
- How to prepare for a job interview
- How to apply for a job by email
- How to spot fake job adverts
- Documents to have ready before you apply
- Finding your first job after college
- Applying for government jobs in Tanzania
- What to do after you apply
- Building the skills employers ask for
- How to read a job advert before you apply
- How to find an internship or field attachment
- How to search and apply for jobs using only your phone
- How to choose and prepare your referees
- What to check before you accept a job offer
- How to explain gaps in your CV
- How to find jobs through the people you know
- How to move into a new field
- How to do well in your first weeks at a new job