LinkedIn assessments have become an increasingly popular way for professionals to showcase their skills and stand out from the crowd. But are these online tests really worth your time and effort? Here is a comprehensive look at the pros and cons of taking LinkedIn assessments.
What are LinkedIn assessments?
LinkedIn assessments are standardized tests that measure your knowledge and abilities in various professional domains. They cover a wide range of topics from software development and design thinking to sales and marketing.
When you complete an assessment, you receive a score and can showcase your results on your LinkedIn profile. Your connections and recruiters can then view your badges and scores to evaluate your competencies.
LinkedIn partners with established testing providers like Questionmark and TalentLMS to develop valid and reliable assessments. The tests draw from a large question bank and adapt to your skill level as you go through them. This allows the assessments to hone in on your true abilities.
The available tests span Across the following categories:
- Software development
- Design
- Marketing
- Sales
- Administrative skills
- Productivity software
Some of the most popular LinkedIn assessments include:
- Adobe Certified Professional exams
- Google Ads assessment
- Salesforce admin and developer tests
- SQL assessment
- Project Management Professional practice exam
The tests typically take around 10-30 minutes to complete. Some assessments are free while others cost between $15-$30. You can access and take any LinkedIn assessment you like based on your interests and career goals.
The pros of taking LinkedIn assessments
Here are some of the main benefits of taking LinkedIn assessments:
Showcase and validate your skills
Scoring well on relevant LinkedIn assessments is a great way to back up your listed skills with credible evidence. Rather than just claiming proficiency in Salesforce or HubSpot on your profile and resume, you can take the corresponding assessments to demonstrate your expertise. The standardized testing format offers tangible proof of your abilities.
Get noticed by recruiters
With over 910 million members, LinkedIn is most recruiters’ go-to platform for finding and evaluating talent. When you achieve a high score on desired assessments, your profile will stand out during recruiters’ searches. Your digital badges and test results signal that you have the required knowledge and skills they are looking for in applicants.
Build your professional brand
Performing well on key assessments helps strengthen your personal brand in your field. Someone who scores 90% on the Google Ads assessment clearly understands and can execute effective Google Ads campaigns. Such test results function as credible third-party endorsements of your capabilities that you can include as part of your professional story.
Show commitment to your career
Taking the initiative to regularly Complete LinkedIn assessments demonstrates your motivation to proactively develop your skills. You can include information about the assessments you have passed in your LinkedIn summary and “accomplishments” section. Doing so presents you as driven to grow your abilities.
Gain insights into your skill gaps
Many LinkedIn assessments provide rich feedback beyond just your overall score. By reviewing this performance data, you can identify areas of weakness to focus your learning and development efforts on. The tests thus offer a benchmark for measuring and improving your knowledge.
It’s free to take assessments
The vast majority of LinkedIn’s skills assessments are completely free to take. The ones that do cost money—usually $15-$30—are for advanced certifications like the Project Management Professional or Adobe Certified Professional exams. But most popular tests like the Salesforce administrator assessment and Excel assessment are available at no cost.
The cons of taking LinkedIn assessments
While LinkedIn assessments offer many benefits, there are also some potential drawbacks to consider:
Not all skills can be tested
LinkedIn currently provides around 140 different assessments. But there are countless professional skills and competencies beyond those covered by LinkedIn’s tests. Important abilities like critical thinking, judgment, creativity, and strategic planning are difficult or impossible to measure through standardized online assessments.
Assessments can be gamed
Since many LinkedIn tests draw from a question bank, it’s possible for unscrupulous actors to find ways to game the system and retake assessments until achieving a high score. This could undermine the credibility of some results. However, LinkedIn’s adaptive nature helps mitigate this issue.
Risk of overemphasizing tests
There is a chance that some recruiters or hiring managers overvalue LinkedIn assessment results compared to real-world skills and experience. While tests serve as useful vetting and screening tools, they provide limited data points. It’s important to not let scores overshadow deeper evaluation of candidates.
Not a replacement for certifications
Although LinkedIn markets some tests as “exams” and “certifications”, they do not confer accredited certifications. Independent certifying bodies like CompTIA and PMI still offer the most recognized professional credentials in many fields.
Possibility of errors
Like any online testing platform, LinkedIn assessments may contain errors, unclear questions, or inaccurate material. Since the tests draw from a large question bank, you may encounter more quality control issues compared to a static certification exam. But overall, LinkedIn assessments are developed rigorously to minimize such problems.
Low pass rates on some tests
Certain LinkedIn assessments like the Adobe Certified Professional exams have very low pass rates. You may end up spending time preparing for and taking difficult tests you have little chance of passing at your current skill level. Not all the assessments are beginner-friendly.
Who should take LinkedIn assessments?
Here are the types of professionals who stand to benefit most from taking LinkedIn assessments:
- Job seekers looking to enhance their profiles and candidacy
- Career changers demonstrating new capabilities to transition roles
- Recent graduates proving knowledge from academic programs
- Tech professionals keeping skills updated and relevant
- Experienced workers aiming to pivot careers
- Professionals wanting to identify skill gaps and areas for improvement
Essentially, LinkedIn assessments offer value for anyone looking to quantify, validate, and enhance their professional abilities at various career stages. The more your intended job or company values specific skills covered by LinkedIn tests, the more useful high scores become.
Should you display your LinkedIn scores?
If you achieve strong results on relevant LinkedIn assessments, it is generally recommended to showcase your scores on your profile. Here are some best practices for displaying test results:
- Include your highest scores for key skills tests like Excel, Python programming, and Salesforce to showcase your proficiency.
- Display badges for advanced certification exams you have passed like the PMP, Adobe Certified Professional, and AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner tests.
- Only highlight scores above 80-90% to demonstrate mastery. Avoid calling attention to mediocre results.
- List the most relevant and recent assessment results. No need to clutter your profile with outdated tests.
- Supplement test scores with real examples of how you have applied those skills successfully.
By following these tips, you can use standout LinkedIn assessments results to capture recruiters’ attention and strengthen your professional profile. Just be sure not to overemphasize test scores at the expense of your actual work experience and soft skills.
How to prepare for LinkedIn assessments
Here are some top tips for preparing for and passing LinkedIn skills assessments:
- Take unscored practice tests – Many LinkedIn assessments offer free unscored versions so you can experience the format and identify knowledge gaps. Review your performance to guide your preparation.
- Study LinkedIn Learning paths – LinkedIn Learning offers interactive courses to build skills covered in associated assessments. Take relevant learning paths to brush up on concepts.
- Read assessment descriptions – The test overview pages provide details on exam length, topics covered, and required proficiency level. Review these carefully to know what to expect.
- Master the basics first – Assessments often cover foundational concepts before advancing to more complex applications. Solidify core knowledge before moving to advanced topics.
- Leverage free learning resources – Take advantage of free content from providers like edX, Udemy, and YouTube to study up on key assessment subjects.
- Practice actual skills – Applying your abilities through real projects and exercises reinforces proficiency. Don’t just memorize facts and information.
- Take timed practice tests – Since LinkedIn assessments are timed, get comfortable performing under the clock through sample quizzes and tests.
- Partner with others – Study groups and practice tests with colleagues who have passed the same assessment can reveal blindspots.
- Review your performance data – Analyze any provided score reports and feedback to address weak areas and retake tests accordingly.
Investing time in focused preparation based on your skills gaps will give you the best shot at achieving high scores on LinkedIn assessments. Treat the tests as true opportunities to evaluate and develop your professional capabilities.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn assessments provide a valuable way to quantify, validate, and enhance your professional skills and expertise through standardized testing. While not a magic bullet, strong assessment scores can catch recruiters’ eyes, strengthen your brand, and help you stand out from the crowd.
But you need to approach LinkedIn tests strategically based on your career goals and target roles or companies. Only invest time in assessments that demonstrate relevant skills. And emphasize high scores among a wider range of accomplishments and capabilities.
By complementing your practical experience with targeted LinkedIn assessments, you can provide credible proof of your knowledge and abilities. Just be sure to intentionally prepare using the right study resources and practice tools. This will empower you to put your best foot forward with impactful test results.
