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I think recruiters nitpick on MT tests so they can

Posted By: "justify" offering a 3rd world wage. on 2009-05-30
In Reply to: Testing with companies - lookingforhelp

If you'd typed it verbatim, they probably would've dinged you for not cleaning up the grammar and punctuation.

They always win; we always lose.


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They nitpick the commas to death but it depends on who you get
to QA you.  Other than that, they are a good company
Easy tests versus harder tests...
Having passed both and offered jobs at both, which company would you likely go for?  They both have the same basic benefits and line rates.  Would I be assuming that the harder testing will mean that the dictation is more difficult?  Any opinions on this would be greatly appreciated!
that's too bad..maybe it's the recruiters accusing others of being recruiters...
x
What about IQ tests?
start doing....!
Take other tests
There are lots of MTSOs that have online tests through MTtest.
sorry....not sure about any tests
Someone just mentioned something about a test. I just had to say that I was never offered a test. I DO NOT like tests either. I do great on employment, but get extremely nervous with tests...lol. Sorry if it made you nervous.
tests
Phoenix Medcom has new and improved voice files for testing.
tests
I just tooked the tests and not at all what is being described so the tests must have been updated recently.
Tests
I refuse to test for a company until I have received some background. Your're right some of those tests are quite extensive and I refuse to spend 2 or more hours on a test to find out they only want to pay 7 cpl and have lousy benefits. Funny thing is, when I want to inquire further before taking a test, I never get a response back from the company.
Need help with MT tests

I have almost two years MT experience and have transcribed and edited just about everything short of pathology and radiology.  I am currently doing ER.  I tested for a national today and did well on the grammar and terminology, but not well enough for the transcription.  No direction was given for the transcription test such as to type bedtime as opposed to h.s. and daily or q.day instead of q.d. or mL for cc.  I never know whether to do those things or not do them, it seems like whatever I choose to do is always wrong whenever I take an MT test anymore.  I could not even slow down any of the dictators for clarity.  I need to find a better paying MT job. 


What would you do for prohibited abbreviations? 


Also, would you expand or not expand for diagnoses and impressions? 


Would you type short physical examination sections in paragraph form with the headings or would you list them individually under the section heading?  I have had clients that wanted it both ways.


Maybe I have lost my edge by doing strictly ER.  Still, I would really appreciate the thoughts of other MTs about the above questions and any other pointers anyone would like to share. 


Thanks in advance.


TESTS
Hi Jan:
I am a newby fresh, new blood. A post graduate from community college. Use mL in place of cc.

Am also looking for transcription work myself; do you have any leads?
tests
Sorry to hear you failed their test. I also failed theirs and Medquists twice. I hate that they don't give you any feedback on why. No idea whether it was writter or transcription or what. Just thanks, you can reapply in so many months. I really think they should give some feedback, don't you?
I don't think anyone tests with MDI-MD
I could be mistaken, but I work for MDI-MD and there was no formal test required. Instead, they review your resume, see if they have a 'fit' for you, and then there is an extensive phone interview where they assess you skills and go over your experience with you.

I've seen several MTs post to this same experience, so I don't believe they have any formal testing at their site or elsewhere.


Easy tests
Nope, you can't go by that. In fact, you can't go by anything but your own experience. Make your wisest decision. Use your gut instincts. That's all any of us can do.

It might help others to answer if you named the companies, but I understand why you can't.

Good luck. :)
I though the tests were very fair sm
and although not simple, they weren't extremely hard and certainly much better than some I have taken. The actual verbal, I thought, was the easiest. By the way, definitions ARE a MAJOR part of transcription ability. Sounds like you are sore at the company for not getting the position.
TESTS UPDATED
All tests for Phoenix Medcom have been updated as of 7/26/2006
Long tests
I was thinking the exact same thing!  LOL! I once took an enormously long test that was in my specialty and I knew it was good.  Never got the courtesy of a reply.  Soured me on tests.
Long Tests
Yep! I think that some companies out there do use MTs to get work done for free. Absolutely agree with you.
Tests and Companies
I have taken a test for DR,Inc; Chronicle, and O-Script. Have offer from the last two. Would really just like to work part-time because of health reasons, so I went ahead with the test for DR. Now, if I passed the test for the last two, which weren't just a piece of cake but showed that you had knowledge , it would seem I would pass the DR,Inc. test, but you never know. I just would like to work when I feel really good which is about 4 hours after lunch every day, I have had 2 back surgeries and a neck surgery and it just takes awhile to get going and after sitting for awhile, I can hardly get up. Any suggestions on what I might could do to alleviate some of the pain? I take about 3 hot showers a day just to get the tension and stress out of my neck and back.
transcription tests

What is the grading criteria for these company tests?  Must the transcription be totally error free, 95% error free or what.  I've had some good results, but some where I thought I had every word correct gave no answer at all.


 


thanks.


 


Quig.


Most tests are done in Word
and emailed, so you'd have a copy of what you submit. You can always copy/paste your test from the online sites as well. I'm not really sure why you have such a big problem with her seeking feedback from a fellow MT either on her previous tests, or actually as I suggested in my original post, HER PREVIOUS WORK she's done to see where her weaknesses are so she can improve her skills.... ??
For the majority of tests, you HAVE to go by
BOS2. No way you can pass it if you are not following the rules.
About the book/tests - have you not ever sm
done any in-depth research into the field you are working in?  Had you done that, you would have probably ended up at the AHDI site at some point (creator of the BOS) or MTChat or here - references to BOS and tests come up daily.  How could you have been working and not know there was a BOS?
transcription tests
What a bunch of BS.  If you have years of experience the testing process is so ridiculous.  I think taking the test before you even know what they are going to pay is so unfair.  If they are paying ZILCH - which seems to be it today - why waste your valuable time transcribing anything.  I agree 21 notes - give me a break.  They probably just send them to QA and on to the client and get free work!
Now the recruiters have gotten
Take it to the job seekers board and post away.  I don't believe you are a happy MT.  It sounds like you want to recruit some happy MTs.
Those recruiters will say anything SM
to keep you talking to them.  Come back after you've spoken with the supervisor because I am willing to bet they aren't going to be flexible other than 30 minutes either way on a shift and definitely no 12-hour window.
Think what you wish? I know several recruiters
and they make much more than $35000.
MTs for recruiters
Maybe instead of overworking the recruiters, those of us who want jobs should be hired as recruiters, MTs and QA people. At least we would know what NOT to do!!
MT RECRUITERS, INC.
Anyone know anything about these people? 
What's up with TT recruiters?
I emailed a resume with an immediate response.  Emailed back with question and then received a reply but now that I have emailed back, nothing for days and days. Makes me wonder.......
was it one of those RECRUITERS? lol
/
The recruiters for SS are just as bad!

All around smarmy situation here, worse than anything I've ever seen.  And I've been in this biz a long time... 


I loved when they sent around the memo to nominate them for MTSO of the year.    Were they serious or just rubbing in their nastiness? 


Exactly! Get rid of the recruiters, the
secretaries to the secretaries, the assitants to the assistant manager/supervisor, etc., most of the human resources personnel, even some of the so-called techs who don't know as much about computers as I do! Trim the fat in other places besides the ones who are actually producing the document which earns the company money! Why cut the ones generate actual REVENUE rather than the office fluff & executive-type positions?
Oh let me tell you, they know how to pass the drug tests! (sm)
One woman I worked with was talking about how to use "Yellow Root" to "beat" the drug test! (that's what she said, "beat" the drug test) They know all of the tricks of the trade. One company stopped using the urine drug test and now they use the hair strand drug test, so I don't know what they use to "beat" that one (I guess they pull the strands out of somebody else's hair!) :-)
In my testing experience the tests that were the
hardest had the easier dictation and the testing that was the easiest had the hardest dictation and worst doctors.  I don't think that the testing really has much to do with what the dictation for the company will be like.
In depth, what exactly are you looking for in these psych tests?
Just "crazy" people or stressed out individuals, what? Aren't those who are truly crazy obvious to those not so crazy individuals? Why couldn't you, the MTSO, use your own judgement rather than pay for expensive psych evals?

Good judgement is part of being a good business person. I, as a MTSO, would look upon this as a failure if I could not use good judgement and hired "crazy" individuals. But then again, not everyone has good judgement I guess!

If the MTSO did hire anybody with working fingers, I don't think there would such a problem.

This is my 2 cents. I do not agree with such psych evaluations, but to each their own.

Good judgement is the key. If you don't have that as a MTSO, than you probably should not be in business, and if you are, you won't be for very long.


Psych Tests To The Company!

I haven't been on here in a few days, so I'm just catching up here, and reading about the psychiatric evaluations.   I have to put in my two cents.


Personally, after dealing with the crap from various medical transcription companies out there, I feel that it is the Transcriptionist who should be giving the owners/managers/team leaders of these companies psychiatric evaluations!  They are the ones that expect us to do all this extra ancillary work for free and then bow down and kiss their feet to thank them for giving us a job paying an average of 7 cpl with virtually NO benefits to speak of.  I'm sorry everyone, but if these companies are starting to give psychiatric evaluations to their prospective transcriptionist, then maybe we should create one for them!  After all.....they are the ones making us crazy! 


Update. All tests taken are for ortho. All who have taken and
passed have been offered a job and either have started or declined. There is no one who has taken the test prior to 3 days ago that has not heard back and had resolution. One person does the hiring for Keystrokes and this person has never told someone that they are too busy to respond or always on their phone or that they get 150 emails a day. Hiring is priority as we have added at least one account per week for the past four months and anticipate this year following the same pattern.

No, I do not work in the office either, but that is irrelevant. I went to the source and called HR and asked her. This was concerning to me as the account I am in charge in is expanding, and I need four more MTs to run it. She assured me that this is absolutely not true and everyone has been contacted.
I recently took two over the phone tests.
It is not that bad. In both cases the person giving the test made me feel quite at ease. I passed both tests and even took a position with one of the companies. It is easier, does not take forever to do, and the questions in both cases were things you see every day in transcription. I have heard of about four other companies who have started testing on the phone now. I remember years ago the old Edix as well as the now gulped Your Office Genie all did phone tests. There is a lot to be said for these tests. I took them then with those companies and also passed and got job offers.

usually, for the online tests, you can download...
the voice file into a file on your computer, then download into Express Scribe player (free online), so you can use your foot pedal instead of the keyboard.
And then there are those who ace the tests and deserve a response!
x
Tests are only on ortho accounts. nm
nm
I sent them my resume and took their online tests...
they e-mailed me and said I did extremely well on the tests. Then I took the online transcription test. I told them ahead of time that in my 15 years of transcribing I did maybe 5 OP reports and they said that was fine. I have NO experience in them whatsoever.  One of the test reports was an OP which I failed miserably.  The other 2 reports I did fine on.  However, they did not hire me and I have to believe it was solely on that one OP report because all they could tell me was I did well on MOST of the transcription test reports.  Oh well...I have heard a lot of good about them though apart from running out of work.
lol I'd give it a little time. Who knows how many tests they
Patience is a virtue.
i turned in tests, last year. nothing
/
What's the big secret? Just change the tests more
often.  There is plenty of dictation to change the tests frequently.  You must work for Keystrokes.  That's the company they are talking about.  I just wanted to know what I did wrong so in the future I can be more careful.  Even in school you get corrected papers. 
Recruiters and their Styles

It seems the more telephone interviews I go through the stranger they become.  You really have to wonder how a lot of so-called MT recruiters ever got hired to recruit.  Where on this planet did these companies dig them up from?!!!  Sometimes you are asked the strangest questions.  It is usually like they don't even have your resume in front of them, never saw your test results, etc.  Ask them questions and try to get straight answers...What a nightmare...Any funny stories to tell???


I think the job of recruiters is to get people to

work for the company.  If you are qualified and past testing they want you.  Some recruiters get paid a bonus for each hire, others just need to have new hires to show they are doing their job.   I have had dealings with one recruiter who told me what a wonderful account they wanted me to work on, that people on it just loved it and there was rarely an opening so I should count my blessings.  I talked to the team leader and she told me about the account and how hard it was and that they couldn't keep MTs on it.  I had worked on that account at a different company and I knew for a fact how hard it was.   Fortunately for me the team leader was honest, because had I taken the job based on the recruiter I would have quit the next day.


I think a recruiter should be as honest as they can be because it costs money to hire and train and if the MT isn't going to stay because what she was told and what IS was to different things it doesn't look good.   I have had recruiters who are not/have never been MTs and they haven't a clue what you are talking about half the time.


I have adopted Oprah's advice - doubt means don't.   If I don't have a good feeling about a company I won't take the job.  


Have you asked their recruiters? -nm
xx
Clique/recruiters
Maybe it is one recruiter who works for several companies. A clique of one!
There are recruiters who work for more than sm
one company and they could play an obstacle game with an applicant who refused an offer from one company and applied to the other. People can be fickle and mean.