LinkedIn skill assessments allow you to showcase your proficiency in various software programs and professional skills. As one of the most widely used software programs in the workplace, Excel skills are highly valued by employers. The LinkedIn Excel skill assessment provides an opportunity to demonstrate your Excel capabilities to recruiters and hiring managers.
What is the LinkedIn Excel skill assessment?
The LinkedIn Excel assessment is a multiple-choice test designed to evaluate your knowledge of Excel features and functions. It covers a wide range of topics including formulas, charts, pivot tables, data analysis, and more. The assessment has 20 questions and you are given 20 minutes to complete it.
Each question provides four answer options and you must select the best answer. The questions vary in difficulty level, ranging from basic Excel skills to more advanced capabilities. Scoring is based on the number of correct answers, with each question carrying equal weightage.
Why take the LinkedIn Excel skill assessment?
Here are some key reasons to take the LinkedIn Excel assessment:
- Validate your Excel skills: The assessment provides objective feedback on your proficiency level in Excel.
- Showcase skills on profile: A passing score adds a verified skill badge to your LinkedIn profile, highlighting your capabilities to recruiters.
- Stand out in job search: Verified skills help you stand out from the competition and attract employer interest in your profile.
- Prepare for interviews: Practicing for the assessment helps you brush up on Excel skills to perform better in job interviews.
- Benchmark skills: You can use the assessment results to identify strengths and improvement areas in your Excel knowledge.
What topics are covered in the LinkedIn Excel assessment?
The LinkedIn Excel skill assessment tests your knowledge across a variety of topics. Some key topics covered include:
- Formulas and functions: Using built-in functions, complex formulas with logical and nested functions.
- Charts: Creating visualizations like column, bar and pie charts from data.
- PivotTables and PivotCharts: Summarizing data using PivotTables and visualizing it with PivotCharts.
- Data analysis: Sorting, filtering, validating, consolidating data and using tools like Goal Seek and Scenario Manager.
- Formatting data: Applying conditional formatting, number formats, joining text, removing duplicates.
- Collaboration: Using comments, track changes and managing multiple authors in Excel.
How to prepare for the LinkedIn Excel assessment
Here are some tips on how to prepare for the LinkedIn Excel assessment:
- Review Excel fundamentals: Start with refreshing basics like cell references, keyboard shortcuts, functions.
- Practice sample questions: Solve sample questions on topics like formulas, charts, formatting.
- Attempt practice tests: Take timed tests to simulate the actual assessment experience.
- Learn shortcuts: Memorize shortcut keys to save time during the assessment.
- Understand functions: Know use cases, syntax and arguments for important functions like VLOOKUP, SUMIFS.
- Make cheat sheets: List down quick facts, tips or formulas for a quick reference.
- Learn by teaching: Explain Excel concepts to others to strengthen your grasp.
Where to find practice resources
Here are some helpful resources to find LinkedIn Excel assessment practice questions and tests:
- LinkedIn’s skill practice pages – Provides sample questions for each skill assessment.
- Udemy practice tests – Offers timed mock tests with solved examples.
- YouTube tutorial videos – Numerous free videos explaining sample questions.
- Assessment prep sites – Websites like JobTestPrep offering practice tests.
- Excel help forums – Tech forums with members sharing practice resources.
- MS Office support pages – Provides sample questions and study guides.
What is the assessment format?
The LinkedIn Excel skill assessment follows the multiple-choice question format and is timed. Key details include:
- 20 multiple-choice questions
- Multiple choice options for each question
- Select one correct answer per question
- 20 minutes time limit to complete the test
- Assessment is unproctored – You can take it from anywhere
- Passing score is 70% and above
How is the assessment scored?
You need to achieve a passing score of 70% or higher to pass the LinkedIn Excel assessment. Here is how scoring works:
- 20 multiple choice questions with 1 point for each question.
- No negative marking for wrong answers.
- 70% of 20 = 14 questions correct required to pass.
- Each question carries equal marks. No differentiation in weightage.
- You can review submitted answers but cannot return to unfinished questions.
What is a passing score and how does it help?
A passing score of 70% or higher in the Excel assessment provides the following benefits:
- Unlocks “Assessment Taken” label under your name
- Displays a “Excel” skill badge on your profile
- Certifies your advanced skills in Excel
- Validates your expertise to recruiters and peers
- Boosts your chances of getting contacted for Excel-related jobs
- Allows you to endorse others for Excel skill
What happens if you fail the assessment?
If you do not achieve 70% in the Excel assessment, here’s what happens:
- No badge is added to your LinkedIn profile
- You can retake the assessment after 30 days
- The assessment remains unlocked so you can still take it later
- Your profile shows “Assessment Unfinished” instead of “Assessment Taken”
- No limits on how many times you can retake after the 30 day cooldown
- Recommend revising your preparation and trying again
How long is the LinkedIn Excel skill valid for?
The LinkedIn Excel skill assessment and badge do not expire. Once earned, the skill will remain valid forever and can be showcased on your profile for as long as you want. You do not need to retake the assessment after passing it once.
Can you cheat on the LinkedIn Excel assessment?
Cheating on LinkedIn skill assessments is technically possible in the unproctored online format but highly not recommended. Here are implications of cheating:
- LinkedIn algorithms actively detect cheating patterns and may invalidate your score.
- Getting flagged can lead to your account being banned by LinkedIn.
- The badge may be removed and assessment marked unfinished if cheating is detected.
- Recruiters may rescind job offers if they find your skills do not match the badge.
- Focus your effort on genuinely developing your Excel skills instead.
How long are LinkedIn certificates valid for?
Unlike skill assessments, LinkedIn certificates have an expiry date after which they need to be renewed. Here are the validity durations:
| Certificate Name | Validity |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Certified: Excel Associate | 2 years |
| Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Associate | No Expiry |
| Microsoft Office Specialist Expert – Excel | No Expiry |
Certificates act as a supplemental validation of your Excel skills on top of the assessment badge. Renewing expired certificates ensures your profile always showcases the latest endorsement of your Excel expertise.
Should I get the Excel certificate or just the skill badge?
Here is a comparison between the LinkedIn Excel certificate vs skill badge:
| Certificate | Skill Badge | |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Passing accredited exam | Passing LinkedIn skill assessment |
| Validity | 2 years or no expiry | No expiry |
| Effort to obtain | Pass accredited certification exam | Pass 20 min online test |
| Renewals required? | Yes, for some certifications | No renewals needed |
| Profile visibility | Certification badge displayed | Skill badge displayed |
Based on your specific circumstances, you can choose to get either the badge, certificate or both to maximize your LinkedIn profile visibility.
How do I add the Excel badge to my LinkedIn profile?
Follow these steps to easily add the Excel skill badge to your LinkedIn profile after passing the assessment:
- Go to your LinkedIn Profile
- Click on the “Add profile section” button
- Select the “Licenses & Certifications” section
- Click the “+” icon to expand the section
- Click “Add certification”
- Search for “Excel” and select the appropriate skill
- The Excel badge will now appear in your profile
Additionally, you can showcase the badge under your name and in your profile intro sections. The badge enhances your personal brand and highlights your Excel skills to visitors.
What other assessments does LinkedIn offer?
In addition to Excel, LinkedIn offers skill assessments for various software, programming languages, tools and soft skills. Some top assessments include:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- JavaScript
- Python
- C++
- Statistical Analysis
- AutoCAD
- Content Writing
- Public Speaking
Based on your professional domain, you can showcase relevant skill badges on your profile and aim for certificates for the top skills in your field.
Conclusion
The LinkedIn skill assessment for Excel provides a quick and easy way to get your Excel proficiency officially validated. Along with a certificate, the Excel badge helps your profile stand out and demonstrates your skills to recruiters and peers.
Preparing properly for the assessment ensures you can pass in the first attempt. Ranging from basics to advanced capabilities, the questions test a broad spectrum of your Excel knowledge. With practice resources widely available, you can confidently aim for a score of 70% or more.
So take the Excel assessment, add the badge to your profile and let your skills speak for themselves! For other professional skills, utilize the wide range of assessments on the LinkedIn platform to showcase all your capabilities.
