ROLE-SPECIFIC SKILLS

Legal assistant test for hiring

See how candidates handle intake, client updates, filings, deadlines, and professional boundaries.

10 minutes
15 questions
Intermediate
Multiple choice
Questions in English
Phone and desktop

Use this test free See the question formats

The short answer

The Legal Assistant (US) test is a 10-minute set of workplace scenarios for legal assistants, paralegals, legal secretaries, litigation assistants, and other US legal support staff. Its 15 multiple-choice questions assess practical judgment in new-matter intake, client communication, filings and deadlines, and conduct within a nonlawyer role.

What it measures

Practical judgment in supporting US attorneys: intake, client communication, filings and deadlines, and professional conduct.

Client intake

Scenarios cover handling new-matter intake in a US law office.

Client management

Questions assess how candidates keep clients informed.

Filings and document preparation

Candidates consider preparing and tracking court filings and deadlines.

Professional conduct

Scenarios assess conduct within the limits of a nonlawyer role.

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

Legal assistants, paralegals, legal secretaries, litigation assistants, legal specialists and other support staff in US law firms and legal departments.

What this test can show

Evidence beyond a resume
See how a candidate responds to workplace scenarios involving new-matter intake, client updates, and court filings.
A focused screen
Use 15 questions in 10 minutes to review practical judgment before planning a structured interview.
Relevant to support roles
Review skills for legal assistants, paralegals, legal secretaries, and litigation assistants in US firms or legal departments.
A clearer interview focus
Use responses about deadlines and professional boundaries to choose topics for a work sample and follow-up questions.

What you get for each candidate

Example report (fictional data)Legal Assistant (US)

74%Percentile 53. Benchmark: HireValid candidates, n = 2,395

Client intake70%

Client management55%

Filings and document preparation88%

Professional conduct81%

Integrity ScoreHigh confidence

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 integrity signals

Each candidate receives a different question set from large pools. Questions and answer options are shuffled, and the browser shows one question at a time. The 10-minute timer runs on the server; reloading restores the same question with only the remaining time. Candidates cannot go back to earlier questions. Answer keys stay on HireValid’s servers. 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; neither decides on its own. With candidate consent, the employer can add webcam photos at random moments. Read more about how we build our tests.

How we prevent AI cheating · Integrity signals

Use the score as evidence

Review the score alongside a job-relevant work sample and a structured interview. For example, ask the candidate to organize a sample filing task or draft a client update using information you provide, then discuss their choices. The test covers general US law office practice, not the rules of one state; any rule needed for a question is stated in it. Compare the evidence with the actual duties of the role, and do not use the score alone to make a hiring decision. See our candidate-friendly hiring guide and structured interviews guide for related hiring resources.

Structured interview questions

A new client provides incomplete information during intake. What would you do next?
Listen for a clear approach to gathering and organizing information, and for appropriate communication with the attorney.
A client asks for an update, but you do not have a new development to share. How would you respond?
Listen for a timely, professional update that stays within the candidate’s nonlawyer role.
You notice a filing deadline while preparing documents. How would you track it and raise any concern?
Listen for careful date handling, clear communication, and attention to the office process described in the scenario.

Understand scoring and benchmarks

Fairness and accommodations

Questions use general US law office practice rather than any state's rules, and every deadline rule, form requirement or office policy a question relies on is written into the question. Scenarios use plain language, no idioms or sports, no money amounts, and clients, attorneys and staff with names from many backgrounds, ages and genders, without stereotypes about who is a client, a lawyer or a party. Scratch paper is allowed for every candidate for date counting.

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.

Read our fairness approach

Test details

A short, timed set of workplace scenarios from a US law office. Candidates handle new-matter intake, keep clients informed, prepare and track court filings, and act within the limits of a nonlawyer role. Questions are general practice rather than the rules of any one state, and any rule a question needs is stated in the question.

Questions are in English.
Aids allowed: Scratch paper.
Each question is answered once, in order, with no going back.
4 practice questions, 5 minutes, before the timed test.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Legal Assistant (US) test measure?+

It measures practical judgment in client intake, client communication, filings and deadlines, and professional conduct within a nonlawyer role. The questions are short workplace scenarios from a US law office, rather than questions about the rules of one state.

Who should use the Legal Assistant (US) test?+

It is intended for hiring legal assistants, paralegals, legal secretaries, litigation assistants, legal specialists, and other support staff in US law firms and legal departments. Its level is intermediate.

How long does the Legal Assistant (US) test take?+

The test has 15 multiple-choice questions and a 10-minute time limit. Candidates can use scratch paper for date counting. They cannot return to an earlier question after moving on.

Can candidates try a practice set before the Legal Assistant (US) test?+

Candidates can try a practice set of 4 questions with a 5-minute limit. The test uses plain-language scenarios, and any deadline rule, form requirement, or office policy needed to answer a question is included in that question.