Merck Job Assessment Testing

muninn

So I am in the process of applying for a position at Merck, and as a part of their screening process I need to take an "assessment test" to determine... I dont know what. This is supposed to be a 4 hour standardized test, and I have completely no idea what is supposed to be covered on it. Internet snooping gave me no info, so I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the process, and can tell me what to expect.

ceres

I have a friend who recently went for an R&D position with DuPont. I'm not sure if the processes are similar, but I can tell you that he he had to go in for an 4-hour interview, two hours of which were spent answering questions asked by various interviewers, one was spent on a written test, and one spent watching a safety video.

He said that the vast majority of the questions seemed to relate to his personality/work habits, and not a single one to the job he would actually be performing.

Jasconius

Yup.

Big corporations will do a lot of generic probing just to make sure you are a human being. It will probably be a test that regards work habits, ethics, security, and so on.

Basically, its the corporation version of retail's "do you know anyone who has smoked pot", or "have you ever stolen anything in your life".

Deebaser

It could also be a general problem solving test. My last company had one of those developed by Price Waterhouse as a means to check basic math/analytical skills. When I got on board, I saw that it was used primarily to weed out the dumbshits that could talk a good game.

muninn

Thanks everybody. I am thinking that since there was a mention of having calculator available on the site of testing, I presume analytical portion will be present. What type of math is usually present? Do I have to dust of my geometry and calculus books, or is this stuff pretty straightforward?

Either way thanks for putting my mind at ease.

MulysaSempronius

It could be to test basic knowledge of the job you would hope to do. Say, basic chemistry for a chem position. It really depends on the job you applied for. My boss once had a test where he was asked how he would set up a basic mobile laboratory, what equipment he would need and the people he would hire.. but he had a Master's degree and was going for a big job where he would be setting up labs like that.
It could be just a basic personality test, but it may not hurt to brush up on what the job basics are.

gracie56

I just took the test and it was hard a lot of mechanical stuff gave me a picture of a bolt and asked what kind it was.
Lots of mechanical terms. Majority was math word problems.