When people hear the word “assessment,” often the first thing that comes to mind is how well they will perform on it. It’s a natural reaction. Most people want to present themselves in the best light. However, a new level of anxiety appears when an assessment is tied to a job. During the interview process, candidates are often advised to be their best during every interaction. It’s with that mindset that many candidates seek to “beat” or best an assessment to get the ideal result and impress their potential employer. So, how exactly do you beat the Plum assessment? To learn how, we’ll walk you through each section of the Plum Discovery survey, outline its purpose, and review what it seeks to understand about you. Then, we’ll explore how to ace it. Let’s jump in.
Personality
Each job has its unique set of match criteria, which outlines the most important talents to success, and your Plum Profile determines which positions you are the highest match for. The goal of this is not to weed you out of roles but rather to help place you in a role that will be naturally fulfilling to you based on your innate capabilities and preferences.
Two of the four sections of the Plum Discovery Survey involve answering questions related to your personality. There are no right and wrong answers here. This section is meant to determine which of the Plum talents are most driving to you. There are no “good” or “bad” talents either, it simply depends on the needs of a role. For example, someone with Teamwork as their top talent will thrive in positions where they are required to work regularly with large groups of people but would struggle in a primarily independent work role.
Problem Solving
The second section of the assessment asks you to study patterns and identify the next symbol in the series. The puzzles come in various difficulty levels, so solving some may require more time than others. Everyone who takes the assessment will get the same mix of difficulty levels in their questions, but the puzzles themselves differ between tests. This aims to measure your ability to problem solve, which has been shown to be a success factor in a wide variety of roles.
The puzzle section can make some people nervous, but it wasn't built with that intention. It’s natural to struggle with this section, as the questions need to be difficult to ensure a wide range of responses. Much like the personality section, the goal here is to determine what naturally drives and drains you so that you can be matched with roles that will give you energy and make you want to jump out of bed each morning. Some people get excited when solving puzzles and are happy to work through solutions all day. Others would prefer to do anything else – and that's okay!
Social Intelligence
The next section presents a series of social situations and asks you to choose the best approach. As with problem-solving, selecting the best or worst method can be daunting. However, just like the other sections, these questions aim to help uncover what naturally drives you and which areas you may need to develop coping mechanisms for.
You may be able to easily read social cues and quickly determine the best course of action in different situations. Or you may prefer working independently, solving complex problems, and getting items checked off your to-do list. Whoever you are, your Plum Profile will see you and help you communicate what makes you unique and valuable to potential employers.
The Core of Plum
So, what have we learned? Is there a way to beat the Plum assessment? In short, no! The fundamental core of the Discovery Survey is to match you to roles that will allow you to bring your complete self to work each day and go home feeling energized by what you accomplished. Unlike the tests you took in school, your Plum Profile is not concerned with what you are good or bad at. Instead, it’s a measure of what fills up your battery and what drains it. The best course of action is just to be yourself.
See, at Plum, we believe that when people flourish, business thrives. Discovering what makes you you is the first step in accomplishing that.
Ready to try out Plum for yourself? Take the Discovery Survey to get a complete overview of your Talents, tips for maximizing your potential and interacting with others effectively, and the resources you need to jumpstart your professional development journey.