JCL Online Test

About the test:

The JCL Online Test uses scenario-based MCQs to evaluate candidates ability to design, develop and manage JCL (Job Control Language) scripts for batch processing in large enterprise environments. The test assesses candidates on skills such as creating and modifying job control statements, coding condition codes, using utilities such as SORT and IDCAMS, managing resources, and analyzing JCL error messages.

Covered skills:

Job Control Language
DD
JCL statement
STEPLIB
DISP parameter
Cataloged Procedure
SOC4 error
Uncataloged dataset
PROC
SYSOUT

Job Control Language
EXEC
JCLLIB
DSN parameter
JCL Procedure
COND
COBOL
IEBGENER
JES3 and JES2

See all covered skills

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9 reasons why

Adaface JCL Online Test is the most accurate way to shortlist Mainframe Developers

Reason #1

Tests for on-the-job skills

The JCL Online Test helps recruiters and hiring managers to 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.

The Adaface JCL Online test screens candidates for the typical skills recruiters look for JCL Developer roles:

Experience in Mainframe, COBOL, JCL, and CICS
Knowledge of DB2 performance tools like BMC MAINVIEW

The insights generated from this assessment can be used by recruiters and hiring managers to identify the best candidates for the JCL Developer role. Anti-cheating features enable you to be comfortable with conducting assessments online. The JCL Developer test is ideal for helping recruiters identify which candidates have the skills to do well on the job.

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.

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 ->

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.

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

🧐 Question
Medium Disposition Parameters JCL Syntax Dataset Management	Solve
Consider the following JCL snippet: In MYJOB, PROG1 in STEP1 uses the dataset MY.DS.INPUT with a disposition of (OLD,DELETE,KEEP). PROG2 in STEP2 also uses the dataset MY.DS.INPUT with a disposition of (NEW,PASS,DELETE). Assume that STEP1 executed successfully, but STEP2 failed during its execution. What would be the status of the dataset MY.DS.INPUT after the job MYJOB is run? A: MY.DS.INPUT will be deleted. B: MY.DS.INPUT will be kept and can be used by other jobs. C: MY.DS.INPUT will be newly created. D: MY.DS.INPUT will be available for the duration of the job, then deleted. E: MY.DS.INPUT status cannot be determined with the provided information.
Medium Execution Order and Return Codes Job Control Execution Order Return Codes	Solve
Consider a JCL job that needs to execute five steps: STEP01, STEP02, STEP03, STEP04, and STEP05. The steps represent data initialization, data processing, data validation, error handling, and job finalization respectively. The execution rules are as follows: 1. The job should always start with STEP01. 2. STEP02 should only execute if STEP01 completes successfully with a return code (RC) of 0. 3. STEP03 should always run after STEP02, irrespective of STEP02's return code. 4. STEP04 should only execute if either STEP02 or STEP03 fails, i.e., return a code not equal to 0. 5. STEP05 should always be the last step, and should only execute if all the previous steps were successful (each returning a code of 0). Given these rules, how would you design the JCL job using the IF/THEN/ELSE/ENDIF construct?
Medium Decision Control Arithmetic Operations Decision Structures Data Types	Solve
Consider the following COBOL program: What will the program display when it is executed?
Medium Multi Dimensional Arrays Arrays Data Processing Subroutines	Solve
Consider the following pseudocode snippet in COBOL: After executing this program, what will be the final state of StrArr?
Medium VSAM File Processing in COBOL VSAM File Handling	Solve
Consider the following COBOL code snippet. The program aims to read from a VSAM Key-Sequenced Data Set (KSDS) named 'CUSTOMER-FILE' which contains customer records. The program reads the file in ascending order by 'CUSTOMER-ID', performs some processing (not shown here), and then displays the 'CUSTOMER-NAME' of the last record read. Assuming there are no syntax errors and the 'CUSTOMER-FILE' is present and accessible, what will the program display as the last customer's name after executing this COBOL program? A: The program will display the name of the customer with the highest 'CUSTOMER-ID'. B: The program will display the name of the customer with the lowest 'CUSTOMER-ID'. C: The program will not display any customer name. D: The program will display the name of the first customer in the 'CUSTOMER-FILE'. E: The program will display an uninitialized or random 'LAST-NAME'.

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill
	Medium Disposition Parameters JCL Syntax Dataset Management	2 mins IBM JCL	Solve
Consider the following JCL snippet: In MYJOB, PROG1 in STEP1 uses the dataset MY.DS.INPUT with a disposition of (OLD,DELETE,KEEP). PROG2 in STEP2 also uses the dataset MY.DS.INPUT with a disposition of (NEW,PASS,DELETE). Assume that STEP1 executed successfully, but STEP2 failed during its execution. What would be the status of the dataset MY.DS.INPUT after the job MYJOB is run? A: MY.DS.INPUT will be deleted. B: MY.DS.INPUT will be kept and can be used by other jobs. C: MY.DS.INPUT will be newly created. D: MY.DS.INPUT will be available for the duration of the job, then deleted. E: MY.DS.INPUT status cannot be determined with the provided information.
	Medium Execution Order and Return Codes Job Control Execution Order Return Codes	2 mins IBM JCL	Solve
Consider a JCL job that needs to execute five steps: STEP01, STEP02, STEP03, STEP04, and STEP05. The steps represent data initialization, data processing, data validation, error handling, and job finalization respectively. The execution rules are as follows: 1. The job should always start with STEP01. 2. STEP02 should only execute if STEP01 completes successfully with a return code (RC) of 0. 3. STEP03 should always run after STEP02, irrespective of STEP02's return code. 4. STEP04 should only execute if either STEP02 or STEP03 fails, i.e., return a code not equal to 0. 5. STEP05 should always be the last step, and should only execute if all the previous steps were successful (each returning a code of 0). Given these rules, how would you design the JCL job using the IF/THEN/ELSE/ENDIF construct?
	Medium Decision Control Arithmetic Operations Decision Structures Data Types	2 mins COBOL	Solve
Consider the following COBOL program: What will the program display when it is executed?
	Medium Multi Dimensional Arrays Arrays Data Processing Subroutines	2 mins COBOL	Solve
Consider the following pseudocode snippet in COBOL: After executing this program, what will be the final state of StrArr?
	Medium VSAM File Processing in COBOL VSAM File Handling	2 mins COBOL	Solve
Consider the following COBOL code snippet. The program aims to read from a VSAM Key-Sequenced Data Set (KSDS) named 'CUSTOMER-FILE' which contains customer records. The program reads the file in ascending order by 'CUSTOMER-ID', performs some processing (not shown here), and then displays the 'CUSTOMER-NAME' of the last record read. Assuming there are no syntax errors and the 'CUSTOMER-FILE' is present and accessible, what will the program display as the last customer's name after executing this COBOL program? A: The program will display the name of the customer with the highest 'CUSTOMER-ID'. B: The program will display the name of the customer with the lowest 'CUSTOMER-ID'. C: The program will not display any customer name. D: The program will display the name of the first customer in the 'CUSTOMER-FILE'. E: The program will display an uninitialized or random 'LAST-NAME'.

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill	💪 Difficulty	⌛ Time
	Disposition Parameters JCL Syntax Dataset Management	IBM JCL	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Consider the following JCL snippet: In MYJOB, PROG1 in STEP1 uses the dataset MY.DS.INPUT with a disposition of (OLD,DELETE,KEEP). PROG2 in STEP2 also uses the dataset MY.DS.INPUT with a disposition of (NEW,PASS,DELETE). Assume that STEP1 executed successfully, but STEP2 failed during its execution. What would be the status of the dataset MY.DS.INPUT after the job MYJOB is run? A: MY.DS.INPUT will be deleted. B: MY.DS.INPUT will be kept and can be used by other jobs. C: MY.DS.INPUT will be newly created. D: MY.DS.INPUT will be available for the duration of the job, then deleted. E: MY.DS.INPUT status cannot be determined with the provided information.
	Execution Order and Return Codes Job Control Execution Order Return Codes	IBM JCL	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Consider a JCL job that needs to execute five steps: STEP01, STEP02, STEP03, STEP04, and STEP05. The steps represent data initialization, data processing, data validation, error handling, and job finalization respectively. The execution rules are as follows: 1. The job should always start with STEP01. 2. STEP02 should only execute if STEP01 completes successfully with a return code (RC) of 0. 3. STEP03 should always run after STEP02, irrespective of STEP02's return code. 4. STEP04 should only execute if either STEP02 or STEP03 fails, i.e., return a code not equal to 0. 5. STEP05 should always be the last step, and should only execute if all the previous steps were successful (each returning a code of 0). Given these rules, how would you design the JCL job using the IF/THEN/ELSE/ENDIF construct?
	Decision Control Arithmetic Operations Decision Structures Data Types	COBOL	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Consider the following COBOL program: What will the program display when it is executed?
	Multi Dimensional Arrays Arrays Data Processing Subroutines	COBOL	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Consider the following pseudocode snippet in COBOL: After executing this program, what will be the final state of StrArr?
	VSAM File Processing in COBOL VSAM File Handling	COBOL	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Consider the following COBOL code snippet. The program aims to read from a VSAM Key-Sequenced Data Set (KSDS) named 'CUSTOMER-FILE' which contains customer records. The program reads the file in ascending order by 'CUSTOMER-ID', performs some processing (not shown here), and then displays the 'CUSTOMER-NAME' of the last record read. Assuming there are no syntax errors and the 'CUSTOMER-FILE' is present and accessible, what will the program display as the last customer's name after executing this COBOL program? A: The program will display the name of the customer with the highest 'CUSTOMER-ID'. B: The program will display the name of the customer with the lowest 'CUSTOMER-ID'. C: The program will not display any customer name. D: The program will display the name of the first customer in the 'CUSTOMER-FILE'. E: The program will display an uninitialized or random 'LAST-NAME'.

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

Reason #5

Designed for elimination, not selection

The most important thing while implementing the pre-employment JCL 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.

Reason #6

1 click candidate invites

Email invites: You can send candidates an email invite to the JCL 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

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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What roles can I use the JCL Test for?

Mainframe Developer
Mainframe Operator

What topics are covered in the JCL Online Test?

Job Control Language

EXEC

JCL statement

JCLLIB

STEPLIB

DSN parameter

DISP parameter

JCL Procedure

Cataloged Procedure

COND

SOC4 error

COBOL

Uncataloged dataset

IEBGENER

PROC

JES3 and JES2

SYSOUT

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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

View Full Case Study

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.

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
Web proctoring
Webcam proctoring
Plagiarism detection
Secure browser

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.