I just took A Closer Look's exam for new shoppers and I couldn't believe it! Story problems like from 7th grade. Incredible. Little Billy had 60 marbles of which he gave 15% to his best buddy, little Bobby. Little Billy then loses 6 marbles. How many does he have? How many does little Bobby have? What color is Little Bobby's mother's hair? (sorry, added that last one.)

A yacht is traveling to New York from somewhere. Another yacht is also traveling from somewhere else. Yacht #1 stops for repairs for one day. Yacht #2 arrives 10 days after yacht #1 which arrives four days after its repair date.

Or something like that~ Geeesh! Do any other companies make you do this? And what is the purpose of this? Trying to find out that you don't have a brain that has turned to mush? That you can follow directions? That you paid attention in 7th grade math?

I don't think I have run into it with any other companies and I have heard nobody mention it in a few years so didn't know if they still did it. To a great extent it is a reading comprehension and logic evaluation. I must confess that when I first signed up with them years ago it was because someone was complaining on a forum about their "IQ" test to register. I am such an odd bird I couldn't fly over there fast enough to play, as that kind of mental exercise is something I thrive on :^) I have absolutely loved working with them ever since and I gather it is mutual.

Most companies do not test or check references or anything. You sign up, immediately get an e-mail that you are accepted, and you can log in for jobs. I am not even sure they read the writing sample some require. The acceptance comes too quickly for them to have considered it before accepting you. This is good and bad. It is good because it is very very easy. But it is bad in that there is virtually no checking of shoppers - they take anything that registers - no wonder we are so poorly thought of. With many companies we are truly a dime a dozen. The little test questions sound very simplistic, but you might be surprised how many people cannot answer those simple questions. However simplistic, I appreciate that ACL is making an effort at screening. They want to be sure you have basic English and an understanding of simple math and not a total idiot. The questions are pretty easy so it doesn't really rule out people who are just dumb. And I think that's the point.

Yes, and I appreciate that the companies that do this, do it with a sense of humor!

There was no test offered when I signed with them, just the sample narrative. Darn. I enjoy a challenge.

Awwwww. I thought I remembered a different test that was more along the lines of "Which comes next, an X or an O?" where the sample was XXX0X0X000_ or X0X00X00_

I adore working for ACL! If they made me take the SAT or the GRE again, it would be worth it.

Isn't it great to have a company you feel so good about? Not the fastest of payers but the check is in my hot little hand when promised! And really nice folks to work with. (Definition of 'nice': They stay out of your hair, thanking you for your work, when there are no issues. They ask for clarification in a civil manner. On the phone they are invariably pleasant.)

They always pay the next month and tell you exactly when they will send out the check. I enjoy working for them.

Flash, yes, there are pattern questions as well with symbols, and other number sets like 2,4,8,16, what comes next? Little Billy's marbles have to top it all however. I look forward to working with this company as well. And I am so proud that I passed this test! $40,000 for that MA degree has really paid off. (I only just finished the degree less than two months ago, next will come paying off the loan.) ha ha

Maybe you better pass on this before you lose your marbles.

All we can determine from this is little Billy has lost his marbles. Lordy, how many of us HAVEN't by now?

I had a short test when I signed up with a closer look. Nothing about the marbles. However, they never have anything close to where I live. They keep sending me offers that are in other areas.

That is too bad 'cause they are good guys. They are beginning to post shops for October. It will go on for the next few days. Generally the offers they email are things folks did not pick up from their boards directly and I too get offers on stuff that is too distant from those emails.

57Carol, I hope you are not planning to pay your loans with the mystery shopping fees. You will be 100 by the time you start to see a dent in it.

Oh Pat, that is a good point. Hmm

Wasn't it Sinclair that had the X O test?

I remember that I forgot to "Allow" their cookies, so my answers were not saved. After wasting 30 minutes on the application and test, I received a 0 %, thus flunking the X O test.
The "rules" stated I couldn't reapply for one month, so I said fogetaoubit.


I've completed several other tests; many SAT in nature, and several tested my observation skills and memory. One had me memorize picture after picture, and I had to "report what I remembered from the picture.

One test in recent memory had me correct the spelling in several sentences, and in one I had to "follow directions"

The worst test in recent memory was the on the spot shop reports on your personal experiences. If you answer Yes to frequenting a Spa Resort, Upscale Restaurant, Cruise and other luxury pastimes, you had to write a report as if you were a mystery shopper. It asked the name of the company, and the city in which you were reviewing, so you really had to stick with a personal experience and not copy an excerpt from a shop where you could be accused of violating confidentiality agreements. You couldn't even save the application, and come back to it. I spent a good part of my Saturday Morning recalling and writing about a recent dinner, a spa day, an all inclusive resort, and a cruise. I don't remember the other "events", but there were two more from memory.
By the end, I wanted to lie and say I never participated in whatever event they asked about.

What gets me gourd, is that the companies I jumped the highest for, had the least shops in my area. I wish there was a way to screen the company for local shops, prior to this exercise in futility.

With that said, I agree that these tests are rare, and the writing sample is never read, and beyond checking SSN/EIN and perhaps Driver's License information, that no further check is done until you start doing audits.

I don't know, but I do get a kick out of that kind of 'test', but then I know I'm kinda weird.

There are frequently narratives of your best/worst or most recent dining experience. Mine are 'canned' and saved on my thumb drive. They all are built on an experience at a single location local restaurant so I can pretty much build in whatever I need at the moment. The restaurant name gives the type of cuisine and the restaurant has no web presence. My assumption is they are looking for writing style and appropriate level of observational detail, so quality of greeting, minutes and seconds for service, friendliness of service, completeness of service, presentation and quality of food, cleanliness and ambiance of the location, presentation and payment of bill and quality of farewell are what I am going for. The bummer comes when I paste it into an application only to discover I had a 500 character limit. My cut and paste samples have been carefully reviewed for content, momentum, spelling and grammer. To have to rejigger to 500 characters is a PITA and obviously gives no opportunity for observational detail. They are geared rather to whether or not you can compose a complete sentence.

Companies that care do read writing samples. Many companies are pure copy cats so if ABC is asking for it, they probably should as well. Those guys probably don't bother reading samples or decide you need to pay them to read them.

As the person who used to be responsible for new shopper applications at ACL, I can ASSURE you that those samples are read. I 100% promise you - that they are read.

Obviously, when I was doing it - if I read the first paragraph and the individual was clearly articulate and could write in a detailed and descriptive manner, I might have "approved" without reading the rest of the sample.

But they were very much used. And when someone was not approved, it was because they did not follow directions, did not have a strong enough command of the written English language, wrote in all caps or without punctuation, used profanity (yes, people did), delved into pornographic or illegal activity in an attempt to be creative (yup, people did that too) or did not provide a sample at all (or only a very brief one).

I have said more than once that I personally love companies that do not take themselves too seriously and are a bit irreverant. ACL is a company that excels at this. I no longer have any relationship with ACL (other than as shopper) but they continue to be a great company in my book.

I could even pass that test!! lol I don't think of myself being dumb but I couldn't pass the sinclair test so I guess I am dumb afterall...lol

I must be "Special" all I had to do was count great grandchildren and sing my Abc's.

I was hoping foy marbles and yachts, maybe at least chickens or ducks...lol