The Indeed Excel assessment: what to expect and how to prepare
If an employer asked you to take an Excel assessment on Indeed, a little preparation can help. This is an independent guide. DeskReady isn't connected to Indeed, and we haven't seen its current test. The details below come from third-party prep guides, so treat them as a rough picture. Indeed can change its assessments at any time, and the instructions on your screen always win.
What the assessment is reported to be like
- About 15 multiple-choice questions, rather than work in a live spreadsheet
- Topics include formatting, common functions and general Excel knowledge
- A timer on each question, with roughly a minute and a half to two minutes per question
- About 10 minutes in total for most people
- A result shown as a level, such as Proficient or Expert, rather than pass or fail
Because each question is timed, you won't have long to work anything out. It helps if the basics already feel automatic.
What to review
- Formulas: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN and MAX
- Logic and lookups: IF, SUMIF, VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP
- Cell references: when to use relative and absolute references
- Formatting: number formats, alignment, merging and conditional formatting
- Data: sorting, filtering, charts and PivotTables
How to practice for a multiple-choice test
Be aware that DeskReady's tasks are hands-on, not multiple choice, so they won't look like these questions. They do build what the questions test. Once you've written a VLOOKUP yourself, it's much easier to spot the correct one in a list of four.
As you practice, stop and ask yourself why the answer works, and what would change if a reference or a setting were different. That's the kind of thinking a multiple-choice question asks for.
On the day
- Find a quiet place and a reliable connection before you start
- Read each question all the way through, since one word can change the answer
- Watch the timer, and make your best guess rather than running out of time
- Check whether you can retake it or choose who sees the result, since these options can change
More guides
DeskReady is an independent practice tool, not affiliated with any software vendor or employer. Tests vary, so use this as a general guide.