It is common practice for companies to get job applicants to write tests as part of their interview process. So if you want a good job, you should have the skills needed to pass the tests given!
One thing that messes people up a lot in tests is poor use of time. This article will give you a basic procedure you can try out.
Of course everyone is different an you might want to do something else, but this workd for a lot of people:
The first thing to do is just read through all the questions. Get a basic idea of what you are dealing with.
Choose something that looks doable to start off with, let’s get your brain warmed up. Double check your understanding of the question.
Make sure you RTFQ. It’s very important that you don’t jump to conclusions.
Most problems can be broken down into smaller problems. Do your best to decompose the test question and work through all its parts one at a time. Be consistent and keep your logic clear. The intention of your code must be clear at all times.
nuf sed.
If you get stuck: Don’t immediately give up and move on. And don’t just bash your head against the problem until you run out of time.
Check how much time you have left. Then set a time limit for yourself. Somewhere between 2 and 5 minutes is generally good.
Bash your head against the problem and focus as hard as you can on this one problem for 2-5 minutes.
Multi-tasking slows you down and makes you stupid. Seriously, don’t try to think about 2 problems at the same time.
Focus on one thing and then continue
Go read over all your answers
Tests can be scary, I get it. But panic isn’t useful. If you are feeling overwhelmed: stop what you are doing, take a deep breath, and intentionally slow down.
Yes, slow down. By slowing your movements you actually calm yourself.
Focus your mind only on the one problem that is right in front of you. It might be a single question, or a single part of the question.
Sometimes when people panic they start to jump from question to question. This isn’t useful. Use the time boxing technique mentioned above to stop yourself from doing that and to help you focus. For 2-5 minutes you only have one problem to think about. Do your best on that one problem.