Software skills

Active Directory Test

The Active Directory Test helps hiring teams assess intermediate AD skills before interviews. It is suited to roles that manage user accounts, permissions, Group Policy and domain relationships, and helps identify candidates who can handle common administration tasks with sound judgment.

10 mins20 questionsIntermediateMultiple choice

Summary of the Active Directory Test

The Active Directory Test helps hiring teams assess intermediate AD skills before interviews. It is suited to roles that manage user accounts, permissions, Group Policy and domain relationships, and helps identify candidates who can handle common administration tasks with sound judgment.

Users & groupsGroup PolicyTrusts
What it measures

3 dimensions, scored separately

Users & groups

This measures how well a candidate manages accounts, security groups and access assignments. It matters because everyday AD work depends on giving the right people the right access without creating unnecessary exceptions.

Group Policy

This measures a candidate's ability to apply and target policy settings for the right users or departments. It matters because poor Group Policy decisions can cause inconsistent logon behavior, configuration drift and support tickets.

Trusts

This measures understanding of domain and forest relationships and how they affect authentication and access. It matters when teams work across multiple domains and need secure, reliable access between environments.

The complete guide

Everything about the Active Directory Test

01What is the Active Directory Test?

This test measures practical Active Directory knowledge across three areas: users and groups, Group Policy, and trusts. Questions focus on everyday administration decisions, such as assigning access through the right groups, targeting mapped drives at sign-in, and understanding how domain relationships affect access. The test is built for intermediate candidates who should be able to work in a live Windows environment with limited supervision. Because questions are drawn from a larger bank, candidates see a varied set of scenarios rather than a fixed list. Teams using Springhire can use the results to compare applicants on the AD tasks that matter most in support and admin roles.

02How does the Active Directory Test work?

Candidates answer 20 auto-scored questions in 10 minutes. Items are drawn from a 60-question bank, so each candidate receives a randomised set. The test is set at an intermediate level and uses practical, scenario-based questions rather than long theory prompts.

03Why is the Active Directory Test important to employers?

Hiring for infrastructure and support roles without checking Active Directory skills can lead to avoidable access errors, weak permission setups and poor policy targeting. This test reduces that risk by showing who can apply AD knowledge to routine tasks, not just recognise terms on a resume.

Reading the report

How to interpret Active Directory Test results

Every candidate report scores each dimension separately. Here is what high and lower scores typically look like at work, and how to use them in your hiring decision.

Users & groups

High scorers: A high score means the candidate can structure access through appropriate accounts and groups and make sensible administration choices.

Lower scorers: A low score suggests the candidate may struggle with basic account management, group use and permission assignment.

Group Policy

High scorers: A high score means the candidate can target and apply Group Policy settings in a way that fits real user and department needs.

Lower scorers: A low score suggests the candidate may misapply policies or have trouble targeting settings to the correct users or systems.

Trusts

High scorers: A high score means the candidate understands how trusts support cross-domain access and can reason through common trust-related scenarios.

Lower scorers: A low score suggests the candidate may have gaps in understanding domain relationships and their effect on access.

What job roles can you hire with the Active Directory Test?

  • Systems Administrator
  • Windows Server Administrator
  • IT Support Specialist
  • Desktop Support Engineer
  • Network Administrator

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