Sales Aptitude Test: What Employers Test SDR Candidates On and How to Prepare

A sales aptitude test is a pre-hire assessment that helps employers judge whether you're likely to succeed in a sales job. For SDR and BDR roles, it can be a sales personality questionnaire, a timed thinking test, a mock cold call or cold email, or a mix. You can prepare for all of them.

Personality questions reward honest, consistent answers. Timed tests reward practice. Role-plays and writing exercises reward real SDR skills like prospecting, cold calling and cold email, which is what our CourseCareers Technology Sales Course teaches.

Key takeaways

• Sales assessments come in three main types: sales personality questionnaires, timed cognitive tests and practical exercises like mock cold calls.
• Don't try to game a personality questionnaire. Criteria says its SalesAP uses validity scales to spot applicants who exaggerate strengths.
• Cognitive tests move fast. Criteria's CCAT gives you 15 minutes for 50 questions, so timed practice helps.
• Role-plays and written exercises test the actual job: research, a clear opener, objection handling and a meeting ask. You can practice all of it now.
• The free Career Potential Test (CPT) is timed practice for the thinking part and a shareable score. It's not a sales personality test or a substitute for an employer's assessment.

What's on this page

• What is a sales aptitude test?
• Types of sales assessments
• What employers look for in SDR candidates
• How to prepare, step by step
• How to answer personality questions
• Role-play and cold email tips
• No sales experience?
• Where the Career Potential Test fits
• What to do next
• Frequently asked questions

What Is a Sales Aptitude Test?

A sales aptitude test is any assessment an employer uses to predict how you'd do in sales before hiring you. It looks for traits and skills a resume can miss.

One example is the Sales Achievement Predictor (SalesAP) from test publisher Criteria Corp. Criteria says it looks for traits "not apparent in an interview or resume," such as "inhibitions about cold calling" and "reluctance to ask for a sale." That's what a sales test tries to find out.

It may arrive as a link after you apply or come later as an interview step. If you're not sure what's coming, ask the recruiter.

Types of Sales Aptitude Tests and How to Prepare for Each

Sales assessments fall into three groups: personality questionnaires, timed cognitive tests and practical exercises. A hiring process may use one or all three.

Sales personality and behavior assessments

These ask how you think and act at work. Criteria says the SalesAP measures five main traits: Achievement, Cold Calling Initiative, Competitiveness, Sales Closing and Sales Disposition. It has 140 items at a sixth-grade reading level.

Objective Management Group (OMG) says its sales candidate assessment covers "21 Sales-specific competencies." They're grouped into Will to Sell, Sales DNA and Tactical Selling, and OMG marks candidates Recommended or Not Recommended for the role.

You might also get a general work-style assessment. The Predictive Index (PI) says its Behavioral Assessment gives you "two lists of adjectives," is untimed and takes about six minutes on average.

Cognitive aptitude tests

These measure how well you solve problems and use new information under time pressure, not what you know about sales. Criteria says its CCAT "measures your ability to problem solve, use new information, and think critically." Its 50 questions cover verbal, math and logic, and reasoning with shapes.

Don't panic if you don't finish. Criteria says fewer than 1% of candidates answer all 50. PI's Cognitive Assessment is similar: 50 questions in 12 minutes, in "numerical, abstract, and verbal" categories.

Practical exercises

An SDR interview may also include a hands-on task, such as a mock cold call or a written cold email. These test the job itself, so they're the easiest part to practice.

What Employers Look for in SDR Candidates

Put the tests side by side and the same questions come up. Will you do the outreach every day? Can you handle rejection? Can you learn fast and write clearly?

We've found that tech sales hiring managers look for "a strong desire to reach out to hundreds of strangers a day and face rejection." In practice, that means:

• Drive to reach out. The SalesAP scores Cold Calling Initiative as its own trait.
• Resilience. Lots of calls and emails end in a no or no reply. Show you keep going.
• Quick learning. You'll learn a product and new tools fast, which cognitive tests try to measure.
• Clear writing. Typos and long, vague emails stand out for the wrong reasons.
• Coachability. If an interviewer gives you feedback in a role-play, use it right away on the next try.

Notice what's missing: a degree. In our experience, employers care more about whether you can handle day-one SDR tasks, like prospecting, writing effective cold emails, making confident cold calls and managing a pipeline, than about formal education. For more, see what hiring managers look for in SDRs with no experience.

How to Prepare for a Sales Aptitude Test, Step by Step

Find out what's in the process, practice the timed part against a clock, and rehearse calls and emails out loud.

1. Ask what to expect. Ask the recruiter which assessments you'll take, whether they're timed and whether there's a role-play.
2. Look up the publisher. If the invite names the test, read the publisher's candidate page. Criteria and PI both point candidates to practice tests.
3. Practice timed questions. On the CCAT, Criteria notes you have "less than 20 seconds to answer each question." It also says there's no penalty for wrong answers, so make an educated guess and move on if a question takes more than a minute.
4. Learn the SDR basics. Know how a cold call is structured and how to handle common objections. Use our list of SDR skills and how to build each one as a checklist.
5. Research the company. Learn what it sells, who buys it and what problem it solves.
6. Rehearse out loud. Run mock calls with a friend who pushes back. Record yourself and listen for rushing and filler words.
7. Write practice emails. Write three cold emails to made-up prospects, then cut each one in half.
8. Set up test day. Sleep well, find a quiet spot and mute notifications. Criteria says "the most common mistake test-takers make is rushing through instructions."

How to Answer Sales Personality Test Questions Honestly

Answer as the person you actually are at work, quickly and consistently. Don't guess at the "right" sales answer, because some are built to notice.

Criteria says the SalesAP's "validity scales identify applicants who exaggerate strengths or minimize weaknesses" and adjust their scores. OMG's advice to candidates is to answer based on what you actually do and think, "not what you think the test might be looking for." It warns that gaming the test leads to inconsistent answers that "raise red flags."

• Picture real situations. Think about your last job or team, not an ideal version of yourself.
• Go with your first answer. OMG says, "Your first answer is usually the best answer."
• Don't try to look perfect. Claiming you never get nervous is the kind of exaggeration validity scales look for.
• Read every word. Watch for "never," "always" and "not."
• Don't worry about similar questions. Answer each one honestly and they'll line up on their own.

A poor fit isn't a failure. If a test suggests high-volume cold calling isn't for you, that's useful to know early.

Role-Play and Cold Email Exercise Tips

In a mock call, keep it short, ask questions and ask for a specific meeting. In a cold email, write about the prospect's problem and end with one clear ask.

Mock cold call

1. Ask for the setup. Who are you calling, what are you selling and what's the goal?
2. Open fast. Say who you are and why you're calling in a sentence or two.
3. Ask before you pitch. Ask how they handle the problem today. Listen, then repeat back what you heard.
4. Handle pushback. When they say "not interested," stay calm, acknowledge it and ask one more question.
5. Ask for the meeting. Suggest a short call at a specific time. Unless the setup says otherwise, the goal is a booked meeting, not a closed deal.

If you lose your place, pause and keep going. Recovering well is a sales skill too.

Cold email exercise

Aim for under about 100 words: a first line about them, the problem you help with, why it matters now and one easy ask, like a 15-minute call. Write a specific subject line, skip buzzwords and proofread twice. If the task asks for a sequence, make each follow-up add something new.

No Sales Experience? How to Show Sales Aptitude Anyway

You can still do well. Entry-level SDR roles often hire people without prior experience. The tests measure traits you can show from other work.

• Translate past jobs. Retail, food service and customer support all involve talking to strangers and hitting targets. Say so on your SDR resume.
• Build proof. Write a sample outreach sequence for a company you'd like to work for.
• Show your core skills. A shareable reading, writing, math and critical thinking score can help when your resume is thin. See how to use the Career Potential Test to get noticed.

Where the Career Potential Test Fits

The CPT can help with the thinking part of a sales hiring process. It is not a sales personality test, and it doesn't replace any employer's assessment.

We built the CPT, so we're not neutral, but here are the facts. It's free, webcam-proctored with a locked-down browser, and takes up to one hour. It has 55 questions on critical thinking, reading, writing and math. You get a percentile score right away and a link to share with employers. Here's how the Career Potential Test works.

• Good for: timed practice with overlapping skills before a cognitive test. Compare formats in Wonderlic vs. CCAT vs. the Career Potential Test.
• Good for: showing potential without a degree or experience. Employers can list it as an optional qualification (we explain how on our Career Potential Test page for employers), and some may accept it that way.
• Not: a measure of sales traits or a role-play. If an employer asks for a specific assessment, take that one.
• Not: a guarantee of an interview or a job.

What to Do Next

Our recommendation: If a sales aptitude test is coming up, ask the recruiter what's in it. Then do a free timed run with the Career Potential Test, and rehearse calls and emails out loud. If you're starting from zero, take the CourseCareers Technology Sales Course. It's our course, so we're biased, but it teaches what role-plays and written exercises test: prospecting, cold calling, cold email, cadences, CRM tools, discovery and the job search.

It's self-paced and takes about 4 to 12 weeks. There's a free intro course, and the full course costs $499 or four payments of $150, plus three required books. You can get a refund or switch courses within 14 days if you haven't taken the final exam. You can add affordable one-on-one coaching to practice role-playing interviews.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you fail a sales aptitude test?
Not in a strict pass-or-fail sense. The Predictive Index says the word test implies you can pass or fail, "and that's not the case" with its workplace assessments. But employers use results to decide who moves forward. OMG, for example, marks candidates Recommended or Not Recommended.

How long does a sales assessment take?
It depends. PI says its Behavioral Assessment takes about six minutes on average and its Cognitive Assessment takes 12 minutes. Criteria's CCAT has a 15-minute limit. Role-plays vary, so ask the recruiter.

Can you study for a sales personality test?
You can't study answers, and you shouldn't try. Learn the format and practice answering quickly and honestly. Save study time for timed tests and role-plays.

Is the CCAT a sales test?
No. It's a general cognitive aptitude test. Criteria says it measures your ability to problem solve, use new information and think critically. A sales employer may pair it with a personality questionnaire or a role-play.

Is the Career Potential Test a sales aptitude test?
No. The Career Potential Test (CPT) is a free test of critical thinking, reading, writing and math with a shareable percentile score. It doesn't measure sales personality and isn't a substitute for any employer's assessment, but it's useful timed practice.

Sources

• Criteria Corp: Sales Achievement Predictor (SalesAP) (accessed Oct 2026)
• Criteria Corp: CCAT prep for job seekers (accessed Oct 2026)
• Objective Management Group: Sales Candidate Assessments (accessed Oct 2026)
• Objective Management Group: How to Pass the OMG Sales Assessment (accessed Oct 2026)
• The Predictive Index: How does the Predictive Index test work? (accessed Oct 2026)
• CourseCareers: Technology Sales Course (accessed Oct 2026)
• CourseCareers: Career Potential Test (CPT) (accessed Oct 2026)
• CourseCareers: Career Potential Test for Employers (accessed Oct 2026)