Time Management

Time management skills are important to assess during the pre-employment stages of hiring. Use this test to assess a candidate's time management abilities.

  • What is a time management test?

    Time management is a skill that is important in the modern workplace. Candidates with good time management skills are able to choose their priorities, meet deadlines, and work effectively under pressure.

    The time management test assesses each candidate on their ability to deal with competing priorities in the most effective way. The multiple-choice scenario-based questions will need the candidate to choose the most effective strategy for dealing with multi-tasking and ensuring that all tasks are completed at the right time and to the right standard.

    During the assessment, candidates will be presented with fictional but realistic problems that they might encounter in the workplace, and they need to choose the most appropriate course of action.

Jump to a section on this page:

  1. What is a time management test?
  2. Why is a time management test so important when hiring?
  3. How to assess time management skills using our test
  4. Time Management FAQs

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    Select the assessments that match the skills or behaviours for the position. You can test for software or coding competency, soft skills like teamwork, or personality traits, to be sure those who pass have high potential.

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  • Eliminate bias.

    All your candidates take the assessments on a level playing field. Only their results determine whether they get shortlisted.

  • Why is a time management test so important when hiring?

    Time management is a form of soft skill that is pivotal to many roles in the modern workplace. Competing problems, different job functions, and roles that move quickly all need candidates that can manage their workload to ensure that deadlines are met and work is completed efficiently.

    Assessing candidates on this using just resumes and interviews can be tough - it is not always clear how well a potential employee deals with pressure or can prioritise and plan their workload from reading a resume or even asking questions during an interview.

    However, a time management test can be used to ask the right questions and provide evidence of the skills that each candidate has, and their level of proficiency.

    The results of the time management test can be used to inform decisions with quantifiable data; the results of the test should demonstrate which candidates have what it takes to manage their time efficiently and effectively for the best results.

    The test is also easy for a recruiter to administer to several candidates at once, narrowing down a large candidate pool using scenario-based questions that are specially selected to demonstrate their level of skill and understanding.

    Time management tests can be used in the hiring process for a number of roles including:

    • Account managers
    • Personal Assistants
    • Managers and executives

    In essence, the time management skills test will show which candidates have better decision-making skills and can plan their workload to maximise efficiency and get everything done according to deadlines and priorities.

More Soft Skills Tests

Sample Time Management question

You are about to give a presentation to the upper management of the company you work for. While you're reviewing the presentation one last time, one of your direct reports approaches you and asks for your input regarding a crucial project handled by your team. What would you do?

  • Tell them that you need to focus on the presentation and will look at the project later.

  • Ask them to show the project to other team members and seek their feedback on the issue.

  • Quickly skim through the project and provide your thoughts as the project is important.

  • Enquire about the urgency of your input on the project and decide accordingly.

How to assess time management skills using our test

Our time management skills test asks a variety of questions that vary in difficulty level. Candidates who demonstrate strong time management skills should be able to answer most of the questions correctly.

The time management skills test provides valuable insight into a candidate's approach to managing time at work. The test is structured using multiple-choice questions: a familiar format for most test-takers, that allows for instant and objective scoring.

As well as the correct answer, there are typically 2–3 distractors, representing common misconceptions and mistakes. This helps make the test more challenging, so a candidate's ability can be measured more accurately.

Test scores are provided to the user and can be compared to other test-takers in your talent pool, to see how they perform relative to each other.

Each test has been thoroughly reviewed to ensure accuracy and validity in line with industry standards. It has been written, examined and edited by I/O psychologists and psychometric professionals. It has also been reviewed by a diverse sample of job seekers to check for any issues including sensitivity, face validity, fairness and accessibility.

This test is continually monitored so our team can optimize performance and regularly assess fairness issues.

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  • Analytics

    An array of candidate metrics

    For each of your candidates, you’ll be given a comprehensive report. Included will be all the metrics you need to build a detailed picture of each candidate and ensure you’re making the right hiring decisions.

“The platform is so simple to use. I had used competitor providers for over six years and will never go back. Fast, efficient and friendly!”
Greg Chambers, HR Business Partner, Littlefish Ltd
Greg Chambers, HR Business Partner, Littlefish Ltd

Time Management FAQs

How can you test time management skills?

Time management skills can be tested using scenario-based questions with multiple-choice options, where the candidate has to choose the best course of action in order to solve the issue.

Are time management tests difficult?

For disorganised applicants who are not good under pressure, the time management test can be a challenge, but the content of the assessment itself is not difficult.

Candidates might struggle with the pressure of the 'exam' environment, but that helps give a more accurate picture of how they would cope with the pressure of working in a fast-paced, busy environment.

Who should be given a time management test?

Time management tests can be used in the application process for a number of roles, from management to administrative assistant. They are also useful when recruiting for start-ups and innovative tech companies where priorities and deadlines can change and effective time management is needed for success.

Is time management an important skill?

To avoid the need to micromanage an employee, inherent time management skills are needed. If the potential employee can plan and prioritise their own workload (and even the workload of other people), they can ensure that work gets completed on time and to the right standard, so less for the management to have to worry about.

Time management skills are good for almost every employee to have, to help ensure that they are not put under too much pressure and prevent burnout to maintain good mental health.

“An unbeatable service, impressive platform and fantastic value for money.”
Laurence Fishman, Partner, NLPCA
Laurence Fishman, Partner, NLPCA

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