How to Pass the Valero Online Aptitude Assessment Test ? – A Definitive Guide With Practice Questions
Wanting to work for one of the largest energy and gas production companies in the US is ambitious. Valero, a Fortune 500 company, has many applicants for any role they advertise. This can sound daunting to a job applicant but on a positive note, somebody must get the job and with adequate preparation, it could be you.
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Understand How the Selection Process Works
Understanding how future employees are vetted is your first step in getting a position at Valero. Resumes are submitted and the candidates who seem most suitable are asked to take a test.
Preparing well for the test can help you get beyond the thousands of other applicants for the job, and see you making your mark in the selection process.
Preparing for The Test
Careful time management and use of the best tools available to you are key to success in the examination. Look at your weekly schedule and find the times that are available to you for exam preparation. Draw up a timetable and decide what you are going to work on in each slot in your timetable.
Educational psychologists recommend studying in short chunks of time, 40-50 minutes per session and to vary the topic you are working on session by session. Another recommendation of theirs is to conclude every exam preparation session with 30 or so minutes of study time.
With your timetable in place, it is time to gather the tools that will help you get the best value out of your time. Job Test Prep offer the ValeroPrepPack with a range of sample exercises and examination questions and is acknowledged as the resource to prepare you for what could be the start of a whole new career.
With these tools and your own hard work, you can hone your skills in preparation for the test.
The Valero Assessment Test
But first you need to find information about the test and the best way to go about preparing for it.
The test comes in several parts where the company assesses your suitability for the job.
Using a respected test preparation pack will familiarize you with the test and give you exercises of the type used in the assessments to practice. Using the pack relieves you of the stress involved in fumbling for the information on your own. More importantly, it will enable you to walk into the examination center knowing that no unpleasant surprises lie ahead.
We recommend the preparation pack from Job Test Prep that includes full-length practice tests, practice exercises and study guides.
Mechanical Aptitude
Naturally, the company will need to test your mechanical aptitudes. This is one field of work where an employee needs to have confidence in his mechanical abilities.
Mechanical aptitude tests test your knowledge of mechanical principles and can be very demanding. The company will need to know if you understand basic mechanical concepts and check on your knowledge of weights, pressure, cogwheels and how to apply these concepts in the workplace.
Expect to have to deal with questions on all of these in the selection process. Good preparation is essential here. The sample pack poses sample exercises and questions. For the best preparation for this part of the selection process, attempt the exercises.
Do not fall into the trap of thinking you know all this material already. You more than likely do. This is the reason you are applying for the job.
Knowing the answers when presented with a task in real life is very different to confronting the topic in a test situation and you need to prove to the assessors your knowledge is adequate for the job. Testing yourself with sample exercises will make you comfortable when you must show your knowledge in an assessment.
Numeracy Test
Working with Valero you will be required to use numeracy skills and solve problems using graphs.
Preparing for this part of the exam you need to practice basic math exercises. Perhaps this sounds easy because it is called basic but, if an employee makes a mistake in the math calculations for a task in hand, it can have serious consequences for the company in the field.
Practicing numeracy skills and problem-solving of the type you studied in school will go a long way to helping you here.
But, like most who have left school, you probably no longer have access to the books and notes you used in those days. Therefore, a test pack will refresh that knowledge and give you sample questions to work on.
Reading graphs is another specialized skill set you will have come across during your school days. Your test pack gives guidance on how to interpret graphs and how to present that interpretation. Practice the exercises in the pack and assess your progress.
Related Reading: How to Improve Your Numerical Reasoning Skills?
Reading Comprehension
The comprehension test assesses your ability to read a piece of writing and extract the information you need from it. In a work situation where instructions are conveyed through written documents, it is essential that employees be able to read a piece of documentation and follow the instructions as they are laid out.
Practicing reading comprehension exercises of the type found in the test prep pack will hone your skills in finding what is relevant in a piece of information. It will also help you recognize what precisely a question is asking for. At a time when people tend to read less than they did previously this can prove challenging for a lot of candidates.
Practice Question
An example of this comes from people involved in correcting comprehension exams. Students presented with a picture were asked to accurately describe what they saw in the picture. However, in over 90% of test papers students gave answers stating, “I think it is cold,” or “I think the man is sad.”
The question was considered one of the easiest in that round of examinations, yet over 90% failed it because rather than describing what they saw in the picture they gave their thoughts on it.
Adequate practice in doing comprehension exercises could have saved the students from making that mistake. To avoid making mistakes like this, practice doing the comprehension exercises in the test prep pack. With each exercise, you will find your skills becoming sharper and identifying the key words in questions becoming easier.
Personality Test
In a field where employees need to work together and follow the chain of command within a company, personality matters. The company is of course looking for people who have good numerical skills.
But if a candidate who has those skills is unable to follow instructions or work as part of a team then no matter how expert they are at calculations, they will not be able to work in the way this particular employer needs.
Personality tests have been developed to assess an applicant’s ability to be a productive member of the workforce. Expect all employers to have a mental image of the type of person they want on their teams.
To successfully take the personality test for Valero, study the profile we provide of their ideal employee. Then follow the sample exercises based on their testing system that will show if you have those traits.
The personality test is probably the most difficult part of the assessment. Math and mechanical skills can be refreshed or relearned. However, you need to know how your future employer is evaluating your personality throughout the selection process.
Discover how your profile will be assessed. Will it be through casual observation or questions designed to elicit your traits through your answers? Or will you be presented with a series of situations and asked how you would respond in each of them?
Practice Question
You may, for example, be asked:
What you would do if you observed a colleague struggling with a problem at work.
Would you:
a) tell him that he doesn’t know his job
b) shout instructions at him
c) offer to help in a friendly but constructive way?
Consider what your answers here might tell you about your personality. Do you want to come across as impatient and rude by selecting answer a)? Bad-tempered and aggressive by answering b)? Or a good co-worker and team player by answering c)?
Read through similar scenarios presented in the test pack. Note your answers and decide if they match the personality outlined in the profile.
Before and During the Test
It is natural to feel anxious before and during an examination. Develop techniques for controlling stress. Some find that deep breathing techniques work well for them. Others find that fresh air or a brisk walk works for them.
On examination day make sure you have nothing to worry about apart from the examination itself. Make sure you are stocked up with whatever materials you need for the duration of the examinations. Make sure you are familiar with the structure of the test and the time allowed for it.
And above all be confident. You have applied for this job. It is something you want. You have done the preparation.
Entering the examination center, take deep breaths, place your materials on your desk and prepare to give it your all.
Related Study Guide – Gallup Strengthfinder Personality Test
Written by Elizabeth O Mahony
With 25+ years’ experience as a teacher and state examinations corrector, Elizabeth now writes for the education and careers industry. Her experience preparing students for examinations and running an academy for supplementary education give her invaluable insights into what it takes for job seekers and graduates to succeed in assessments.
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.
