Why you should use Excel & Data Interpretation Test?

The Excel & Data Interpretation Test makes use of scenario-based questions to test for on-the-job skills as opposed to theoretical knowledge, ensuring that candidates who do well on this screening test have the relavant skills. The questions are designed to covered following on-the-job aspects: Mastering basic Excel formulas Understanding and applying advanced Excel math formulas Analyzing data in Excel using Pivots and Filters Visualizing data in Excel through charts and graphs Interpreting graphs to draw conclusions Analyzing tables to extract insights Utilizing Excel's data visualization tools effectively Applying statistical concepts and techniques to Excel data Understanding and utilizing advanced Excel functions Creating dynamic reports and dashboards in Excel

Excel & Data Interpretation Test

Q: What topics are covered in the Excel & Data Interpretation Test?

Basic Excel Formulas Excel Math Formulas Analyzing data in Excel using Pivots and Filters Visualizing data in Excel Interpreting Graphs Analyzing Tables Drawing inferences Analyzing Charts Data Visualization

About the test:

The Excel & Data Interpretation Test uses scenario-based MCQs to evaluate candidates' ability to perform tasks such as data manipulation, statistical analysis, financial modeling, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Candidates may also be evaluated on their ability to interpret and draw insights from data, and to communicate their findings effectively through visualizations and reports.

Covered skills:

Basic Excel Formulas
Analyzing data in Excel using Pivots and Filters
Interpreting Graphs
Drawing inferences
Data Visualization

Excel Math Formulas
Visualizing data in Excel
Analyzing Tables
Analyzing Charts

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9 reasons why

Adaface Excel & Data Interpretation Assessment Test is the most accurate way to shortlist Data Analysts

Reason #1

Tests for on-the-job skills

The Excel & Data Interpretation Test helps recruiters and hiring managers identify qualified candidates from a pool of resumes, and helps in taking objective hiring decisions. It reduces the administrative overhead of interviewing too many candidates and saves time by filtering out unqualified candidates at the first step of the hiring process.

The test screens for the following skills that hiring managers look for in candidates:

Proficient in using basic Excel formulas
Strong understanding of Excel math formulas
Ability to analyze data in Excel using Pivots and Filters
Skilled in visualizing data in Excel
Proficient in interpreting graphs for data analysis
Ability to analyze tables and draw inferences
Strong understanding of analyzing charts in Excel
Proficient in data visualization techniques
Ability to interpret and make sense of data
Skilled in using various Excel features for data analysis

Reason #2

No trick questions

Traditional assessment tools use trick questions and puzzles for the screening, which creates a lot of frustration among candidates about having to go through irrelevant screening assessments.

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The main reason we started Adaface is that traditional pre-employment assessment platforms are not a fair way for companies to evaluate candidates. At Adaface, our mission is to help companies find great candidates by assessing on-the-job skills required for a role.

Why we started Adaface

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Reason #3

Non-googleable questions

We have a very high focus on the quality of questions that test for on-the-job skills. Every question is non-googleable and we have a very high bar for the level of subject matter experts we onboard to create these questions. We have crawlers to check if any of the questions are leaked online. If/ when a question gets leaked, we get an alert. We change the question for you & let you know.

How we design questions

These are just a small sample from our library of 10,000+ questions. The actual questions on this Excel & Data Interpretation Test will be non-googleable.

🧐 Question
Medium MATCH INDEX LOOKUP	Solve
Some friends live in adjacent apartments in a building in Central Perk, New York. We want to write a function to search the apartment number by name. Which of the following functions should we use?
Medium Organization data Data transformation	Solve
We have two Excel files with organization data. One file has Organization ID and Organization Name fields, whereas the second file has Organization ID, Organization Name and Country fields. We wrote a query to retrieve the data from both files. Here’s a sample of the data retrieved: We want to ensure Organization ID field is unique. Which of the following is the ideal solution that ensures Organization ID field is unique while retaining Country data? A: Select the Organization ID and Country columns, and then click Keep Duplicates. B: Select the Organization ID and Country columns, and then click Remove Duplicates. C: Use Group BY function to group the rows by Organization ID. Specify output columns for Organization Name and Country using MAX operation. D: Select Organization ID column and then click Remove Duplicates. Then specify output columns for Country using MAX operation.
Medium Student scores Data formatting	Solve
Here’s a sample Excel data source: Here’s the expected data format: Which of the following is the correct way to transform the data from the query editor to achieve the result? A: Columns to Select: Student Only B: Columns to Select: Student and Student ID C: Columns to Select: Primary and Secondary D: Command to Use: Pivot Column E: Command to Use: Reverse Rows F: Command to Use: Unpivot Columns
Medium VLOOKUP blood donor	Solve
We are looking to find the contact number of the only blood donor with blood group O-. Which function should we use to look up the correct contact number? Here's the documentation for VLOOKUP: =VLOOKUP(lookup value, range containing the lookup value, the column number in the range containing the return value, Approximate match (TRUE) or Exact match (FALSE)). A: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 3, TRUE) B: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 3, FALSE) C: =VLOOKUP("O-", D1:D10, 4) D: =VLOOKUP("O-", D1:D10, 3) E: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 4, TRUE) F: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 4, FALSE) G: =VLOOKUP("Kane", A1:E10, 4)
Medium Dividends Financial Analysis Percentage and Average Calculations	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the money invested by a company in production each year and the sales made by the company each year. If the pie chart shows the shareholding pattern of the company and the company gives 10% of the profit as dividends to its share holders then what is the average dividend received by retail investors from 2000 to 2004?
Medium Laptop Brands Proportions and Percentages Financial Reasoning	Solve
Given below is the list of laptop brands and their details in which some data is missing. If the cost price of Dell is 3/5 of the cost price of Lenovo, then what will be the %profit of Dell?
Hard Median Trend Analysis Statistical Reasoning	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the sales of five different companies from 2000 to 2009. Which of the following companies has the maximum percentage increase in the median from 2000 to 2004 and 2005 to 2009.

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill
	Medium MATCH INDEX LOOKUP	2 mins Excel	Solve
Some friends live in adjacent apartments in a building in Central Perk, New York. We want to write a function to search the apartment number by name. Which of the following functions should we use?
	Medium Organization data Data transformation	3 mins Excel	Solve
We have two Excel files with organization data. One file has Organization ID and Organization Name fields, whereas the second file has Organization ID, Organization Name and Country fields. We wrote a query to retrieve the data from both files. Here’s a sample of the data retrieved: We want to ensure Organization ID field is unique. Which of the following is the ideal solution that ensures Organization ID field is unique while retaining Country data? A: Select the Organization ID and Country columns, and then click Keep Duplicates. B: Select the Organization ID and Country columns, and then click Remove Duplicates. C: Use Group BY function to group the rows by Organization ID. Specify output columns for Organization Name and Country using MAX operation. D: Select Organization ID column and then click Remove Duplicates. Then specify output columns for Country using MAX operation.
	Medium Student scores Data formatting	2 mins Excel	Solve
Here’s a sample Excel data source: Here’s the expected data format: Which of the following is the correct way to transform the data from the query editor to achieve the result? A: Columns to Select: Student Only B: Columns to Select: Student and Student ID C: Columns to Select: Primary and Secondary D: Command to Use: Pivot Column E: Command to Use: Reverse Rows F: Command to Use: Unpivot Columns
	Medium VLOOKUP blood donor	2 mins Excel	Solve
We are looking to find the contact number of the only blood donor with blood group O-. Which function should we use to look up the correct contact number? Here's the documentation for VLOOKUP: =VLOOKUP(lookup value, range containing the lookup value, the column number in the range containing the return value, Approximate match (TRUE) or Exact match (FALSE)). A: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 3, TRUE) B: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 3, FALSE) C: =VLOOKUP("O-", D1:D10, 4) D: =VLOOKUP("O-", D1:D10, 3) E: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 4, TRUE) F: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 4, FALSE) G: =VLOOKUP("Kane", A1:E10, 4)
	Medium Dividends Financial Analysis Percentage and Average Calculations	3 mins Data Interpretation	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the money invested by a company in production each year and the sales made by the company each year. If the pie chart shows the shareholding pattern of the company and the company gives 10% of the profit as dividends to its share holders then what is the average dividend received by retail investors from 2000 to 2004?
	Medium Laptop Brands Proportions and Percentages Financial Reasoning	2 mins Data Interpretation	Solve
Given below is the list of laptop brands and their details in which some data is missing. If the cost price of Dell is 3/5 of the cost price of Lenovo, then what will be the %profit of Dell?
	Hard Median Trend Analysis Statistical Reasoning	3 mins Data Interpretation	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the sales of five different companies from 2000 to 2009. Which of the following companies has the maximum percentage increase in the median from 2000 to 2004 and 2005 to 2009.

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill	💪 Difficulty	⌛ Time
	MATCH INDEX LOOKUP	Excel	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Some friends live in adjacent apartments in a building in Central Perk, New York. We want to write a function to search the apartment number by name. Which of the following functions should we use?
	Organization data Data transformation	Excel	Medium	3 mins	Solve
We have two Excel files with organization data. One file has Organization ID and Organization Name fields, whereas the second file has Organization ID, Organization Name and Country fields. We wrote a query to retrieve the data from both files. Here’s a sample of the data retrieved: We want to ensure Organization ID field is unique. Which of the following is the ideal solution that ensures Organization ID field is unique while retaining Country data? A: Select the Organization ID and Country columns, and then click Keep Duplicates. B: Select the Organization ID and Country columns, and then click Remove Duplicates. C: Use Group BY function to group the rows by Organization ID. Specify output columns for Organization Name and Country using MAX operation. D: Select Organization ID column and then click Remove Duplicates. Then specify output columns for Country using MAX operation.
	Student scores Data formatting	Excel	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Here’s a sample Excel data source: Here’s the expected data format: Which of the following is the correct way to transform the data from the query editor to achieve the result? A: Columns to Select: Student Only B: Columns to Select: Student and Student ID C: Columns to Select: Primary and Secondary D: Command to Use: Pivot Column E: Command to Use: Reverse Rows F: Command to Use: Unpivot Columns
	VLOOKUP blood donor	Excel	Medium	2 mins	Solve
We are looking to find the contact number of the only blood donor with blood group O-. Which function should we use to look up the correct contact number? Here's the documentation for VLOOKUP: =VLOOKUP(lookup value, range containing the lookup value, the column number in the range containing the return value, Approximate match (TRUE) or Exact match (FALSE)). A: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 3, TRUE) B: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 3, FALSE) C: =VLOOKUP("O-", D1:D10, 4) D: =VLOOKUP("O-", D1:D10, 3) E: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 4, TRUE) F: =VLOOKUP("O-", A1:E10, 4, FALSE) G: =VLOOKUP("Kane", A1:E10, 4)
	Dividends Financial Analysis Percentage and Average Calculations	Data Interpretation	Medium	3 mins	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the money invested by a company in production each year and the sales made by the company each year. If the pie chart shows the shareholding pattern of the company and the company gives 10% of the profit as dividends to its share holders then what is the average dividend received by retail investors from 2000 to 2004?
	Laptop Brands Proportions and Percentages Financial Reasoning	Data Interpretation	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Given below is the list of laptop brands and their details in which some data is missing. If the cost price of Dell is 3/5 of the cost price of Lenovo, then what will be the %profit of Dell?
	Median Trend Analysis Statistical Reasoning	Data Interpretation	Hard	3 mins	Solve
Consider the following line chart which shows the sales of five different companies from 2000 to 2009. Which of the following companies has the maximum percentage increase in the median from 2000 to 2004 and 2005 to 2009.

Reason #4

1200+ customers in 75 countries

With Adaface, we were able to optimise our initial screening process by upwards of 75%, freeing up precious time for both hiring managers and our talent acquisition team alike!

Brandon Lee, Head of People, Love, Bonito

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Reason #5

Designed for elimination, not selection

The most important thing while implementing the pre-employment Excel & Data Interpretation Test in your hiring process is that it is an elimination tool, not a selection tool. In other words: you want to use the test to eliminate the candidates who do poorly on the test, not to select the candidates who come out at the top. While they are super valuable, pre-employment tests do not paint the entire picture of a candidate’s abilities, knowledge, and motivations. Multiple easy questions are more predictive of a candidate's ability than fewer hard questions. Harder questions are often "trick" based questions, which do not provide any meaningful signal about the candidate's skillset.

Science behind Adaface tests

Reason #6

1 click candidate invites

Email invites: You can send candidates an email invite to the Excel & Data Interpretation Test from your dashboard by entering their email address.

Public link: You can create a public link for each test that you can share with candidates.

API or integrations: You can invite candidates directly from your ATS by using our pre-built integrations with popular ATS systems or building a custom integration with your in-house ATS.

Reason #7

Detailed scorecards & benchmarks

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Reason #8

High completion rate

Adaface tests are conversational, low-stress, and take just 25-40 mins to complete.

This is why Adaface has the highest test-completion rate (86%), which is more than 2x better than traditional assessments.

Reason #9

Advanced Proctoring

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About the Excel & Data Interpretation Online Test

Why you should use Pre-employment Excel & Data Interpretation Test?

The Excel & Data Interpretation Test makes use of scenario-based questions to test for on-the-job skills as opposed to theoretical knowledge, ensuring that candidates who do well on this screening test have the relavant skills. The questions are designed to covered following on-the-job aspects:

Mastering basic Excel formulas
Understanding and applying advanced Excel math formulas
Analyzing data in Excel using Pivots and Filters
Visualizing data in Excel through charts and graphs
Interpreting graphs to draw conclusions
Analyzing tables to extract insights
Utilizing Excel's data visualization tools effectively
Applying statistical concepts and techniques to Excel data
Understanding and utilizing advanced Excel functions
Creating dynamic reports and dashboards in Excel

Once the test is sent to a candidate, the candidate receives a link in email to take the test. For each candidate, you will receive a detailed report with skills breakdown and benchmarks to shortlist the top candidates from your pool.

What topics are covered in the Excel & Data Interpretation Test?

Basic Excel Formulas
This skill involves using built-in Excel functions to perform calculations and manipulate data. It is important to measure this skill as it forms the foundation for more advanced Excel operations and is a core requirement for most data analysis tasks.
Excel Math Formulas
This skill focuses on using mathematical formulas in Excel to perform calculations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It is crucial to measure this skill as it demonstrates the ability to perform basic numeracy operations within Excel, which is essential for working with numerical data.
Analyzing data in Excel using Pivots and Filters
With this skill, individuals can analyze and summarize large datasets using Excel's pivot tables and filters. Measuring this skill allows recruiters to assess a candidate's proficiency in data manipulation and their ability to extract meaningful insights from complex datasets.
Visualizing data in Excel
This skill involves presenting data in a visual format, such as charts or graphs, to facilitate better understanding and analysis. Evaluating this skill helps recruiters gauge a candidate's ability to effectively communicate data-driven insights and make information more accessible.
Interpreting Graphs
This skill focuses on understanding and interpreting graphs and charts created using Excel. Assessing this skill provides recruiters with insights into a candidate's ability to extract insights from visual representations of data and draw informed conclusions.
Analyzing Tables
This skill involves working with tabular data in Excel, including sorting, filtering, and performing calculations. Measuring this skill helps evaluate a candidate's ability to analyze structured data and spot patterns or trends within tables.
Drawing inferences
This skill involves using data analysis techniques to draw conclusions or make predictions based on available information in Excel. Assessing this skill allows recruiters to evaluate a candidate's ability to interpret data and make informed decisions based on the analyzed findings.
Analyzing Charts
This skill focuses on examining and interpreting various types of charts created in Excel, such as bar charts, line charts, or pie charts. Evaluating this skill provides insights into a candidate's ability to analyze graphical representations of data and extract meaningful information.
Data Visualization
This skill involves presenting data in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner using charts, graphs, or other visual elements. Measuring this skill ensures that candidates possess the ability to effectively communicate data insights and visually represent information for better decision-making.
Full list of covered topics
The actual topics of the questions in the final test will depend on your job description and requirements. However, here's a list of topics you can expect the questions for Excel & Data Interpretation Test to be based on.
SUM function
COUNT function
AVERAGE function
IF function
VLOOKUP function
PivotTables
Filtering data
Conditional formatting
Charts
Sparklines
Data validation
Data sorting
Data filtering
Data formatting
Data analysis
Data visualization
Cell references
Date functions
Logical functions
Text functions
Statistical functions
Lookup functions
Chart types
Chart formatting
Graph interpretation
Table analysis
Table formatting
Table functions
Drawing conclusions
Data trends
Data patterns
Data correlation
Data comparison
Data presentation
Data interpretation
Data manipulation
Data exploration
Data extraction
Data summarization
Data filtering
Data grouping
Data calculations
Data reporting
Data visualization tools
Data analysis techniques
Data visualization techniques
Data interpretation techniques
Data analysis best practices
Excel shortcuts and tips
Data input techniques
Data formula auditing
Data error handling
Data quality assurance
Data accuracy verification
Data security measures

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What roles can I use the Excel & Data Interpretation Test for?

Data Analyst
Financial Analyst
Business Analyst
Data Entry Specialist
Project Manager
Operations Manager
Accountant
Marketing Analyst

How is the Excel & Data Interpretation Test customized for senior candidates?

For intermediate/ experienced candidates, we customize the assessment questions to include advanced topics and increase the difficulty level of the questions. This might include adding questions on topics like

Leveraging conditional formatting and data validation in Excel
Performing trend analysis on Excel data
Using Excel's lookup and reference functions efficiently
Employing Excel's data analysis tools for decision making
Applying data cleansing techniques in Excel
Utilizing Excel's PivotTable and PivotChart features
Analyzing and interpreting Excel data for forecasting
Applying regression analysis to Excel data
Creating interactive data visualizations in Excel
Utilizing Excel's Power Query and Power Pivot capabilities

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The hiring managers felt that through the technical questions that they asked during the panel interviews, they were able to tell which candidates had better scores, and differentiated with those who did not score as well. They are highly satisfied with the quality of candidates shortlisted with the Adaface screening.

85%

reduction in screening time

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Excel & Data Interpretation Hiring Test FAQs

Can I combine multiple skills into one custom assessment?

Yes, absolutely. Custom assessments are set up based on your job description, and will include questions on all must-have skills you specify. Here's a quick guide on how you can request a custom test.

Do you have any anti-cheating or proctoring features in place?

We have the following anti-cheating features in place:

Non-googleable questions
IP proctoring
Screen proctoring
Web proctoring
Webcam proctoring
Plagiarism detection
Secure browser
Copy paste protection

Read more about the proctoring features.

How do I interpret test scores?

The primary thing to keep in mind is that an assessment is an elimination tool, not a selection tool. A skills assessment is optimized to help you eliminate candidates who are not technically qualified for the role, it is not optimized to help you find the best candidate for the role. So the ideal way to use an assessment is to decide a threshold score (typically 55%, we help you benchmark) and invite all candidates who score above the threshold for the next rounds of interview.

What experience level can I use this test for?

Each Adaface assessment is customized to your job description/ ideal candidate persona (our subject matter experts will pick the right questions for your assessment from our library of 10000+ questions). This assessment can be customized for any experience level.

Does every candidate get the same questions?

Yes, it makes it much easier for you to compare candidates. Options for MCQ questions and the order of questions are randomized. We have anti-cheating/ proctoring features in place. In our enterprise plan, we also have the option to create multiple versions of the same assessment with questions of similar difficulty levels.