Job Skills Job Interview with a Mechanical Apptitude Test

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The discussion centers around preparing for a second interview for a customer service position at an environmental solutions company, which includes a mechanical aptitude test. The hiring manager indicated that the test is not something that can be specifically prepared for, but it assesses common sense knowledge of simple mechanical devices and the ability to interpret diagrams. Examples of potential questions include understanding the movement of gears based on a visual diagram. Participants in the discussion emphasize that the test is unlikely to involve manual dexterity unless explicitly stated in the job description. The original poster is studying relevant concepts like pulleys and gears to feel more prepared and has committed to sharing details about the test experience afterward.
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I have my second interview next Wednesday for a major critical environmental solutions company. The hiring manager says the interview will involve some sort of mechanical aptitude test which kind of caught me off guard since I'm applying for a customer service position. I do realize that my position will require plenty of technical knowledge and spatial ability with the products I'll be dealing with though. He says there's no way to prepare for it but that I will have no problem because of my lab experience through school. I'm not even sure if it's written or whether it will be a battery of manual dexterity tests. I've went ahead and started studying pulleys, levers and gears just in case I need to be familiar with those concepts. Has anyone been in a similar situation and know what I can expect from these tests?
 
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I'm afraid I'm no help at all :frown:, I hope someone can help!

But I have a favor to ask of you. Could you post back afterwards to let us know what the test was like? I'm curious!
 
The hiring manager was right, you can't really "prepare" for these type of tests. They don't require any special knowledge that you might have learned in a physics or engineeriing class. They are designed to find out if you have "common sense" knowledge about how simple mechanical devices work, and that you can interpret pictures and diagrams.

A simple example of the sort of question would be a picture or diagram of a set of several gears meshing with each other, and you are asked "if one of the gears is turned clockwise, which directions do the other gears turn".

It is unlikely to have anything to do with manual deterity, unless the information that came with the job application form clearly said that manual dexterity was required to do the job.
 
Thank you for that Aleph. Those types of questions/concepts are exactly what I have been studying so I should be prepared then. What a huge relief.

Lisa, I will definitely post back on the details!
 

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