ExamopotamiaWhy test IT support skills before you hire?
Helpdesk applicants often bring a list of certificates and a good attitude, and both are useful. But the job depends on habits that a CV can't show: narrowing down a vague complaint, refusing an urgent password reset from an unverified caller, writing a ticket note the next person can use. A short scenario test shows how someone thinks about those situations before they talk to your users.
What this template covers
- Troubleshooting approach: clarifying the problem, then finding what several affected users have in common.
- Network basics: self-assigned addresses after a DHCP failure and name resolution problems.
- Security habits: identity checks, never asking for passwords, phishing signs and least privilege.
- Incidents: the first response to suspected ransomware and why backups must be tested.
- Service quality: clear ticket notes and prioritising by business impact.
How to run it well
Allow 12 to 15 minutes for twelve questions. A pass mark of 65 to 70% fits first-line support; raise it for second-line roles and add questions on your directory service, endpoint management or scripting. Shuffle questions and options so a group of applicants cannot share answers.
The template mixes single-choice scenarios with a select-all phishing question and true/false checks on risky habits. In the results, read the security answers individually. A candidate who would ask a user for their password needs a conversation, whatever their total score.
Who this test is for
Use it for first and second-line support, helpdesk analysts, desktop support technicians, IT apprentices and managed service providers hiring engineers who will support several clients. It also works as a quick knowledge check for staff moving into IT from other departments. Schools, clinics and small businesses that rely on one generalist IT person can use it to check a candidate without needing an IT manager to interview them. The scenarios are written in plain language, so a non-technical hiring manager can follow why each answer is right.
Make it yours
Add questions on the systems your users actually work with: your operating systems, email platform, VPN, ticketing tool and service levels. Write a few scenarios from real tickets you have closed, with names removed. The AI generator can draft more questions on topics like printers, mobile devices or account lockouts for you to review. If you support remote staff, add a scenario about a user who cannot connect from home.