SOFTWAREVAARDIGHEDEN

Active Directory test for hiring

See how candidates apply Active Directory knowledge to realistic network situations.

10 minuten
15 vragen
Intermediate
Multiple choice
Questions in Engels
Phone and desktop

Use this test free See the question formats

Het korte antwoord

The Active Directory test is a 10-minute, 15-question hiring assessment of practical knowledge in planning, administering, troubleshooting and keeping Active Directory available. It is designed for system, server and domain administrators, IT support and help desk staff, and infrastructure engineers who support administrators.

Wat het meet

Practical knowledge of planning, administering, troubleshooting and keeping Active Directory available.

Planning forests, domains and sites

Questions cover choices about forests, domains, sites and domain controllers in a network.

Administration

Questions cover day-to-day work with accounts, groups and Group Policy.

Troubleshooting

Questions ask candidates to find the cause of common Active Directory faults and decide what to do next.

Replication and fault tolerance

Questions cover keeping directory services available through replication, redundancy and recovery.

Question formats

Multiple choice

The candidate: Reads a short situation, table or statement and picks the right answer, or every right answer.

You see: Whether the candidate knows the material well enough to apply it, not just recognize it.

15 questions in 10 minutes, served one at a time.

Roles this test fits

System, server and domain administrators, IT support and help desk staff who manage user accounts and policies, and infrastructure engineers who support administrators working in Active Directory.

What this test can show

Applied knowledge, not just recognition
Candidates read a short situation, table or statement and choose the right answer, or every right answer. This Active Directory test can show whether they can apply material about accounts, Group Policy, faults and directory availability.
A focused view of the work
The results give you evidence across planning, administration, troubleshooting, and replication and fault tolerance. Use that evidence to focus a follow-up conversation on the parts of the role that matter to your opening.
A clear use of interview time
The test takes 10 minutes and has 15 questions. Its scenario questions and short tables can help you choose practical follow-up questions instead of spending interview time checking basic familiarity alone.
Details shown in the question
When a question depends on a tool summary or a list of servers, that information is provided in the question. This helps you assess decisions from the scenario rather than reliance on remembering a particular screen.

What you get for each candidate

Example report (fictional data)Active Directory

70%Percentile 44. Benchmark: HireValid candidates, n = 1.663

Planning forests, domains and sites55%

Administration82%

Troubleshooting85%

Replication and fault tolerance56%

Integrity ScoreHoge betrouwbaarheid

Stayed on the test tab throughout
No pasted answers
Answered at a steady pace

Scores, profiles and integrity signals are evidence for you to review alongside an interview, never an automatic decision.

Use this test free

Test design and integrity signals

Each candidate receives a different set of questions from large question pools. Questions appear in a different order for each attempt, and answer options are shuffled. The browser receives one question at a time, and answer keys stay on HireValid’s servers. Timing runs on the server; reloading restores the same question with only the time left. Question text cannot be copied or selected, and a blocked copy attempt is recorded in the timeline. Invitation links are personal and expire, and a finished test cannot be taken again. HireValid records signals such as time away from the test tab, pastes into answers, and answers faster than a question can be read. The employer can review an Integrity Score and evidence timeline; the system does not decide on its own. With candidate consent, the employer can add webcam photos at random moments.

Hoe we fraude met AI tegengaan · Integrity signals

Use the score as evidence

Review the score as one piece of evidence, not as a hiring verdict or a stand-alone decision. Pair it with a work sample drawn from the role’s actual Active Directory tasks and a structured interview with the same job-related questions for each candidate. Ask candidates to explain their choices and connect them to the scenario. For guidance on using assessments in a hiring process, see the pre-employment testing guide.

Structured interview follow-ups

You are given a list of domain controllers and a site layout. How would you decide what to check before changing the design?
Listen for a reasoned approach to forests, domains, sites and domain controllers, and for the candidate to use details in the scenario.
A user cannot access a resource after an account or group change. How would you investigate the issue?
Listen for a step-by-step troubleshooting approach that considers accounts and groups and uses available evidence rather than jumping to a conclusion.
A tool summary shows a replication problem. What would you examine next, and how would you explain your next step?
Listen for a response tied to the output, along with practical reasoning about replication and keeping directory services available.
How would you approach a Group Policy issue reported by a user, from the first details you gather through your next action?
Listen for clear questions, a practical troubleshooting sequence and an explanation grounded in the reported situation.

Understand scoring and benchmarks

Who this Active Directory assessment suits

This intermediate-level test is intended for system, server and domain administrators; IT support and help desk staff who manage user accounts and policies; and infrastructure engineers who support administrators working in Active Directory. It focuses on practical work rather than a general IT knowledge check. For other software skills, compare it with the Linux test or the Terraform test.

What candidates work through

Questions use realistic network situations in plain US English and made-up organization and domain names under example.com. Many show a short table, such as a list of domain controllers or a tool’s summary, and ask what it means or what to do next. Questions cover behavior that is the same in current Windows Server releases, or state the release when it matters. Needed details are shown rather than left to memory of a particular screen. Candidates can try a separate practice set of 4 questions in 4 minutes.

Fairness and accommodations

Questions describe realistic network situations in plain US English, use made-up organization and domain names under example.com, and use names from many backgrounds. They cover behavior that is the same in current Windows Server releases, or state the release when it matters, so no answer depends on which version a candidate happened to use. Every detail an answer needs, such as a tool's output or a list of servers, is shown in the question rather than left to memory of a particular screen.

You can give any candidate extra time as an accommodation. Results are evidence for a person to review, never an automatic decision.

Provisional: reliability is reported once 200 candidates have completed it.

Lees hoe we met eerlijkheid omgaan

Test details

Scenario questions on running Microsoft Active Directory in a small or mid-sized network: planning forests, domains, sites and domain controllers, day-to-day work with accounts, groups and Group Policy, finding the cause of common faults, and keeping directory services available through replication, redundancy and recovery. Many questions show a short table, such as a list of domain controllers or a tool's summary, and ask what it means or what to do next.

Questions are in English.
No aids are needed.
Each question is answered once, in order, with no going back.
4 practice questions, 4 minutes, before the timed test.

Microsoft Active Directory, Windows Server, Microsoft PowerShell are trademarks of their owners. HireValid is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.

Veelgestelde vragen

What does the Active Directory test measure?+

The Active Directory test measures practical knowledge of planning, administering, troubleshooting and keeping Active Directory available. Its questions cover forests, domains, sites, domain controllers, accounts, groups, Group Policy, common faults, replication, redundancy and recovery. It is for employers hiring people who will manage or support this work.

What kinds of questions are on the Active Directory test?+

The test uses multiple-choice questions. A candidate reads a short situation, table or statement and selects the right answer, or every right answer. Many questions show a list of domain controllers or a tool summary and ask the candidate to interpret it or choose what to do next. The test is in English.

How long does the Active Directory test take?+

It has 15 questions and a 10-minute time limit. There is also a separate practice set with 4 questions and a 4-minute time limit. The hiring test is for reviewing applied knowledge of Active Directory planning, administration, troubleshooting and availability, not for preparing for an exam.

Which roles fit the Active Directory test?+

It is designed for intermediate-level system, server and domain administrators, IT support and help desk staff who manage accounts and policies, and infrastructure engineers who support administrators working in Active Directory. Use the role’s responsibilities to decide whether its coverage of forests, Group Policy, fault finding and replication fits your opening.

Can candidates go back to an earlier Active Directory test question?+

No. Candidates cannot go back to a previous question. The browser presents one question at a time, and the test timing runs on the server. If a candidate reloads the page, the same question returns with only the time that was left.

How should I use an Active Directory test score?+

Use the score as evidence for a person to review, not as a decision by itself. Discuss the candidate’s approach to a scenario and, where useful, pair the result with a role-relevant work sample. Follow the same structured interview process for candidates and ask about practical choices involving administration, troubleshooting and availability.

Does the Active Directory test depend on a particular Windows Server version?+

Questions cover behavior that is the same in current Windows Server releases, or identify the release when it matters. When an answer depends on details such as a tool’s output or a list of servers, the question shows those details. Candidates do not need to rely on memory of a particular screen.