"User Experience (UX) Improved Compared to First Half of the Year, and Exams Were Also Easy"
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 31st, Samsung Group conducted the second half new employee public recruitment written exam, known as the Samsung Test or GSAT (Global Samsung Aptitude Test), online.
Although the first-ever online GSAT held in the first half of the year was rated as a 'Fire GSAT,' surpassing the difficulty of a notoriously hard exam, the second half exam received responses from test-takers that it was relatively easy.
Samsung affiliates such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDS, and Samsung C&T are conducting the online GSAT over two days, on this day and the 1st of next month. The exam is held four times in total, twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. The total exam time is two hours, including 60 minutes of preparation and 60 minutes of testing.
In the first half, being the first online exam and unfamiliar to many, there were many reviews stating that readability was poor, and although the number of subjects was reduced, the difficulty increased. Samsung improved the user experience (UX) by enhancing screen layout, colors, and touch screen functionality to increase convenience for test-takers in the second half GSAT.
As with the first half GSAT, Samsung conducted an online preliminary briefing and supervisors carefully checked each test-taker’s environment to ensure no discomfort during the exam. On employment communities and other platforms, test-takers shared that based on accumulated online exam reviews and experiences from the first half, preparing for the exam was relatively not difficult.
The general consensus is that the difficulty of the second half GSAT was easier compared to the first half. One test-taker who took the second half GSAT said, "I also took the first half exam, which was truly a 'Fire GSAT,' and it seems they put a lot of effort into adjusting the difficulty this time. Like the first half, the system ran smoothly without issues, and the screen was easier to view."
A test-taker applying for the semiconductor process design position at Samsung Electronics left a review saying, "Unlike the first half, we didn’t have to write answers on an answer sheet, so I could focus solely on solving the problems." Another test-taker from Samsung Electronics’ Foundry Division said, "It was easier than the previous exam." Another mentioned, "It was easier than the commercially available problem books."
On the other hand, there were also reviews stating, "It was difficult because the number of questions changed," and "There were many questions I couldn’t solve." Beyond difficulty, one test-taker expressed concern, saying, "We were instructed to set the device to Do Not Disturb mode before the exam, and I followed the instructions, but a disaster alert message came during the test," and "I lightly touched the screen, but I’m worried it might be misunderstood as cheating."
Samsung will conduct interviews either online+in-person (Ontact) or in-person by affiliate for GSAT passers in November after the two-day exam period ending on the 1st of next month. After completing the interview process, Samsung plans to announce the final successful candidates in December. Samsung also intends to continue reducing social costs caused by large-scale on-site exams and transition written exams online in future public recruitments to align with the Fourth Industrial Revolution era.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
