How to Pass the Cracker Barrel PAR Test in 2024 (Full Practice Test)
With more than 630 locations countrywide, the national restaurant chain Cracker Barrel which offers traditional, country-style food and general retail outlets, offers various employment options for entry-level and part-time jobs.
This article will tell you everything you need about Cracker Barrel’s PAR program and assessments. We will detail the four Cracker Barrel PAR tests and provide tips to help you get each new star on your apron.
Ultimately, we will also direct you to the best place to find practice materials to help you advance in the PAR program.
Table of Contents
Cracker Barrel Hiring Process
Candidates must demonstrate a willingness to take on any duties that leadership assigns throughout the interview phase.
Previous experience working in the food service business sector may be more advantageous for potential candidates throughout the hiring process. Still, executives may be persuaded more by candidates with a collaborative mindset and a welcoming demeanor throughout interviews.
Online Application
Fill out the application, which is available both in person and digitally, completely and genuinely. False documentation about previous employment or individual character traits may result in removal from the application process.
Interviews
The Cracker Barrel interview program operates mainly on a relaxed routine, particularly for new roles. For example, one-on-one interviews with managers are typically required for job positions such as department stores, cash registers, and servers. A collective interview may be needed in several places, particularly when several people are applying.
Second interview invitees might feel pretty at ease because the offer shows sincere enthusiasm for returning aspirants. Throughout the interview session, prospective employees should stay professional and patient.
Orientation
You will receive training and tools to start working in the Cracker Barrels’ appropriate manner. Once you begin serving guests, they give you the training you need to be successful.
During orientation, a new employee begins to learn more about multiple parts and their roles in the business.
Training
You should complete all training on-site in the work outfit, shoes, aprons, hair accouterments, etc. You are only compensated at the lower limit of your salary while you are in the process of training.
During training, the new Cracker Barrel employee will start from easy to more complex tasks, depending on their job position.
What Is The Cracker Barrel PAR Test?
The abbreviation PAR stands for Personal Achievement Responsibility. This test at Cracker Barrel is a way to promote employees based on their time spent with the company and their knowledge and proficiency in their job responsibilities.
The PAR test is a test used to measure the knowledge that each employee has obtained as part of the Cracker Barrel team. Employees can apply for the PAR test on their wish after they’ve spent the minimum time requirement that makes them eligible.
Once the employee successfully passes the corresponding PAR test, they gain a tier to reflect that, in the form of a star added on their apron.
How Does PAR Work At Cracker Barrel?
Each work role has four PAR stages (stars), so every star denotes a PAR tier the worker has reached. The rising star name on the apron reflects a new employee, while four stars reflect someone who has mastered the Cracker Barrel culture.
Also, every level imparts knowledge on topics essential to an employee’s growth and comprehension of the Cracker Barrel culture.
If an employee fails to pass the PAR exam for the corresponding level, they can always apply to retake the exam and do better the next time.
Rising Star
At Cracker Barrel, new employees are given a “rising star” apron. Consider it a candidate who isn’t quite a part of the community or team. Participants become eligible to consider taking an exam to “par up” after 30 days have passed.
The stars essentially serve as a way to indicate who has further coaching, knowledge, and mastery over the others. You begin with a no-star apron with your name attached to it, such as a badge.
PAR I (One Star)
Once you’ve been with the company for at least 30 days from your initial first day of work, you are eligible to take the PAR I exam – the lowest level of the PAR program.
Participants receive their first star after successfully passing PAR I, which is displayed on their name on their aprons. A $0.25 increase, as well as a 35% discount, are also given to them.
As a PAR I employee, you will receive more duties and commitments and change your status from a “new employee” to a “somewhat experienced employee.”
PAR II (Two Stars)
A PAR I (one star) employee is eligible for PAR II (two stars) after they’ve worked for Cracker Barrel for additional 90 days from their PAR I exam or 120 days from the start of their employment.
To obtain the PAR II star, you must score at least 85% on the PAR II exam. The PAR II Cracker Barrel exam will ask questions connected to the Cracker Barrel culture, the job responsibilities based on your position, and your proficiency in correctly executing work tasks.
Furthermore, the managers will also provide an evaluation of the development you’ve shown in the previous 90 days.
PAR III (Three Stars)
To obtain the PAR III status, Cracker Barrel employees need another 120 days of work as PAR II or a total of 240 days from starting their employment.
The content of the PAR III test follows the same outline as PAR I and II. Still, the difficulty of the questions increases, asking more details or providing more complex work scenarios that you need to resolve successfully. You must correctly answer 90% of the questions on PAR III to get the third star on your apron.
PAR IV (Four Stars)
PAR IV is the highest level that a Cracker Barrel employee can get. To take the PAR IV exam, you need at least 210 additional days of employment from the day you took the PAR III star. That would translate into a total of 450 days of work from the start of your Cracker Barrel employment.
To obtain the fourth highest star, you need to answer 95% of the questions on the PAR IV test correctly, which means that you can only miss one question from the test.
At four stars, your responsibility would be to train new hires. You are the person participants come to for guidance and preferences, as well as management teams, who seek your counsel whenever there is turmoil in the cooking area.
How Can I Prepare For The PAR Test At Cracker Barrel?
If you want to prepare for any of the PAR tests, you need to be highly invested in your job positions, always learning and remembering new things as you encounter them during your working hours.
These are some of the tips you can utilize to prepare for your PAR tests:
- Be vigilant about your working surroundings and learn from your’ and other employees’ mistakes.
- Ask questions whenever you’re not sure about how to proceed.
- Be invested in your job responsibilities and take mental notes with each work-related situation.
- Remember protocols and ways of conducting business and regularly implement them to automate the behavior.
- Don’t fake your personality, but internalize the qualities that Cracker Barrel expects from their employees.
- Use the help of JobTest-Prep, the most extensive online library for practice materials, to develop managemental and supervisory traits.
What Does JobTestPrep Offer?
Even though JobTestPrep doesn’t have any job-specific Cracker Barrel practice tests, they do offer numerous practice materials that can help you learn and internalize the character of an excellent Cracker Barrel employee.
They can offer you numerous:
- Personality practice tests,
- Supervisory practice tests,
- Managemental practice tests and
- Leadership practice tests.
The Personality practice materials can be great to prepare you for the interview process before your Cracker Barrel employment. They help you exercise and master the personality traits desired by Cracker Barrel management from their employees.
The Supervisory, Management, and Leadership practice materials can be essential, especially for PAR III and PAR IV.
In III and IV your work responsibilities increase and include guidance of less experienced Cracker Barrel employees. JobTestPrep’s assessments and practice materials can also be valuable learning tools if you’re aiming for a Cracker Barrel managemental role.
You can access their website and learn more about the Cracker Barrel assessments through this link.
About Cracker Barrel
An American chain of restaurants and souvenir shops with a Southern Country artistic motif operates under the title “Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. The business was established in 1969, opening its first location in Lebanon, Tennessee. In 2020, the business operated 663 locales spread across 45 regions.
Cracker Barrel restaurants’ rustic environment offers warm, inviting, pleasant, and comforting workplaces. Every restaurant employs new candidates regularly and holds between 20 and 30 staff members at all times.
Generally, job candidates request application forms in person at locations where they can find open positions. They can also visit the career opportunities section on the company’s webpage.
Cracker Barrel Job Positions
The lowest possible age limit for job consideration at the countrywide chain of country-style restaurants is 16 years old. Most entry-level positions, including web domain controllers, presenters, sales agents, and delivery drivers, require minimal to no experience and professional education.
Eligible applicants for leadership positions or full-time employment may be required to satisfy more demanding recruitment needs, such as minimum age requirements of 18 or above, high school degrees, and relevant knowledge.
While searching for employment with a restaurant, the typical opportunity seeker encounters the following roles:
- Host – taking reservations, greeting, and seating guests.
- Server – communicating with customers, taking orders, and delivering orders.
- Kitchen – interest in culinary, preparing meals, knowledge of menu items, food preparation, sanitation, and safety.
- Retail – customer support, handling registers, stocking shelves, knowledge of items sold, prices, and properties.
Benefits Of Working At Cracker Barrel
At Cracker Barrel locales, part-time employment is typically the most prevalent. The entry-level jobs offer competitive basic salaries, flexible work schedules, compensated coaching, and the opportunity for career advancement to management roles.
In addition to the biweekly wage, paid holidays, overtime compensation, and the potential to progress into organizational career paths inside the company’s spaces, management roles also provide similar employment perks.
Every Cracker Barrel staff member starts with a once-a-week paycheck, a choice of flexible schedules, and an available dress code. 8-hour staff members have admin rights to:
- 401 plans, products purchase programs
- 50% discounts on meals and commodities
- Medical and life insurance programs
- Employee aid programs
- Referral programs and bonus rewards.
Conclusion
With a homey, traditional atmosphere and dynamic, friendly workspace, Cracker Barrel is a desired job provider for many candidates. But, to prepare for the initial hiring interviews and the PAR evaluation program, you would need to prepare thoroughly.
We hope this article helped you understand Cracker Barrel’s PAR program and all the steps you need to take to advance in it. Furthermore, we provided you with some helpful tips and practice materials you can utilize to promote your career at Cracker Barrel.
Sarah is an accomplished educator, researcher and author in the field of testing and assessment. She has worked with various educational institutions and organisations to develop innovative evaluation methods and enhance student learning. Sarah has published numerous articles and books on assessment and learning. Her passion for promoting equity and fairness in the education system fuels her commitment to sharing insights and best practices with educators and policymakers around the world.
