Man Made To Take 50-Question IQ Test To Apply For Job, Internet Calls It 'Unfair'

The job interview process can be stressful for candidates, and recent trends indicate that some initial tests are adding unnecessary hurdles for job seekers. A peculiar trend has emerged, with companies requiring potential candidates to complete unusual tests before even speaking with a recruiter. A Reddit user recounted his frustrating experience of being asked to take a 15-minute IQ test for a senior sales position, which involved client interactions. This odd requirement is not new, as many others on the platform shared similar experiences of being subjected to bizarre tests in the past.

The man shared a screenshot of an IQ test that left many scratching their heads. The test included a visual puzzle asking, “Which of the following boxes should replace the question mark to complete the pattern?” It presented nine tiles, each with a unique pattern, and the challenge was to select the correct tile from five options to complete the sequence. Accompanying the image, the user wrote, “Just a 15-minute timed examination required to move past a recruiter. This is for a client-facing senior sales position, by the way.”

Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “I’ve had this happen to me, too. The funny part is that having a degree is just a proxy for high intelligence and now that they seem to be questioning that assumption, they’re literally testing for intelligence and then probably still asking for a degree on the application anyway.”

Another shared, “Every position that required me to do one of these tasks on Indeed has ghosted me.”

“Have seen similar assessment with my Deloitte application. I just feed it to ChatGPT and even ChatGPT can’t keep up with the time limit,” a comment read.

Another wrote, “I think if people pass these stupid tests they should be guaranteed an interview.”

An individual shared, “I was asked to complete one of these for a role and I refused. I emailed the recruiter and told them if they’re serious about the role, call me. I had actual work experience for the role. This is such a waste of time.”

One more added, “I did a test that looked exactly like this and it pissed me off and I didn’t succeed at it. I have 20 years of experience in industry and they decided that they don’t want to even talk to me because I didn’t pass their dumb timed test, because I took too long on getting to get correct answers. I was facing this crap for a generic software engineering role by the way and actually they didn’t even tell me what the specifics of the role was so it was stupid from the start.”

Since the post was shared on Reddit, it has garnered over 1,000 upvotes.