What's on an Outlook skills test, and how to prepare
Outlook tests are common for receptionist, administrative assistant and office manager roles, where you may run someone's inbox and calendar. Everyone sends email, but these tests focus on the features many people never open.
Sending and managing email
Tests often describe a situation and ask you to deal with it, so you need to pick the right action, not just find the button.
- Reply, Reply All and Forward, and knowing when to use each
- CC and BCC
- Adding and saving attachments
- Signatures
- Read receipts, importance and delayed delivery
- Searching for a message
Staying organized
- Creating folders and moving messages
- Rules that sort incoming mail automatically
- Flags and categories
- Archiving and deleting
Calendar, contacts and tasks
Calendar work carries extra weight for assistant roles, so expect a question or two even on a short test.
- Creating appointments, and the difference between an appointment and a meeting
- Sending meeting invitations with required and optional attendees
- Setting up recurring meetings
- Adding contacts
- Creating and completing tasks
How to prepare
- Set up a rule from start to finish, since it has more steps than most tasks
- Practice scheduling a recurring meeting
- Learn Ctrl+R to reply and Ctrl+Shift+R to reply to all
- Check the details: right recipient, right date, right time
Slow down on recipients. Sending to the wrong person is a real-world mistake, and tests treat it like one.
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.