Work sample test examples: 15 exercises by role family

Written by the Calavion team · Published 31 October 2026 · Last reviewed 31 October 2026

A work sample test example is a short, realistic task from the job that an applicant does and an employer reads, such as replying to a customer, checking an invoice or writing a handover note. Below are 15 illustrative exercises across seven role families, each with what the applicant does and what you read.

What are some examples of work sample tests by role?

Each example below is a bounded task with records to read, a rule that limits the answer, and output a reviewer can read. They are grouped by role family, and each links to the role guide.

1. Customer support – Customer service. In the cancellation case, the applicant follows the operating procedure and writes to the customer and the warehouse. This is the one exercise Calavion has run end to end. You read: The messages, what was checked first and what was passed on.
2. Customer support – Technical support. A customer cannot log in and the security procedure requires an identity check before an unlock. The applicant reads the ticket and the account log, then replies and leaves a ticket note. You read: Whether the check came before the unlock, and the note for the next person.
3. Customer support – Customer success manager. A renewal is three weeks away, usage has dropped and the main contact has gone quiet. A clause limits what a manager may offer without approval. You read: Whom the applicant contacted, what they offered and when they involved a colleague.
4. Sales and marketing – Sales representative. A prospect wants a discount and a feature the product does not have, and says a competitor is cheaper. The pricing rules limit what can be offered without approval. You read: Whether the reply held the price, avoided inventing a feature and named a next step.
5. Sales and marketing – SDR. A prospect answers a cold email with one line, ‘Interesting, how does it work?’ A qualification guide says a meeting is booked only when there is a named problem and an owner. You read: The reply, the decision about booking and the handover note to the account executive.
6. Operations and supply – Logistics coordinator. A shipment is held at the port, the delivery window closes tomorrow and the documents show one detail that does not match the booking. You read: What was checked, whom was chased and what the customer was told.
7. Operations and supply – Dispatcher. Two urgent jobs arrive while a technician is running late. The applicant reads the job board and three customer messages. You read: What was moved, what stayed open and the note left for the next dispatcher.
8. Operations and supply – Operations coordinator. A supplier misses a delivery and a manager asks for an update. The applicant reads the schedule and the supplier message. You read: A status update that separates what is known from what is not.
9. Finance and payroll – Billing specialist. A customer disputes an invoice for a seat removed before the billing date. The credit policy needs finance sign-off above a set amount and forbids promising a credit first. You read: The calculation, the reply and whether a credit was promised too early.
10. Finance and payroll – Payroll specialist. A manager asks for a pay rise the day before payroll closes, but there is no signed change form and the timesheet and shift record disagree. You read: What was paid, what was held and what the manager was told.
11. People and office – Executive assistant. An executive’s flight is cancelled, two meetings now clash and a board member has asked a sensitive question. The executive cannot be reached for an hour. You read: What was rebooked, what was moved and what was said, and to whom.
12. People and office – Recruiter. Two interviews are booked in the same hour. The applicant checks the hiring manager’s constraints and writes to the more senior applicant. You read: The decision, the message and the record of what was agreed.
13. Hospitality and property – Hotel reservation agent. A guest arrives at 9:30 PM and the room they booked is not available. Rate rules limit what the hotel may offer and a manager can be reached. You read: What was offered, whom was contacted and what the guest was told.
14. Claims, compliance and analysis – Paralegal. A filing deadline appears in two documents that give different dates. The applicant compares them and writes to the attorney. You read: Whether the conflict was found and stated plainly, and what was asked.
15. Claims, compliance and analysis – Business analyst. Sales wants a field editable by anyone, finance wants it locked, and the draft specification does not say who approves exceptions. You read: What was asked, whom was asked and what was written down.

How do the examples compare?

Role family	Example roles	Typical records	What the reviewer reads
Customer support	Customer service, technical support, customer success	Orders, tickets, account logs, contract clauses	Replies, notes and what was checked first
Sales and marketing	Sales representative, SDR	Pricing rules, prospect messages, qualification guide	Replies and handover notes
Operations and supply	Logistics, dispatch, operations	Schedules, documents, supplier messages	Status updates and decisions
Finance and payroll	Billing, payroll	Invoices, contracts, credit and pay policies	Calculations and what was promised
People and office	Executive assistant, recruiter	Calendars, constraints, messages	Rebooking decisions and messages
Hospitality and property	Hotel reservation agent	Bookings, rate rules	Offers and guest messages
Claims, compliance and analysis	Paralegal, business analyst	Documents, requirements	Conflicts found and questions asked

Browse the full family pages: customer support and success, sales and marketing, operations and supply chain, finance and payroll, people and office, hospitality and property and claims, compliance and analysis.

What makes a good work sample test example?

• It is bounded. One situation, one sitting, one piece of output.
• It uses real records. The applicant reads what a person in the job would read, not a summary of it.
• A rule limits the answer. A policy, an approval limit or a deadline makes the choice matter.
• The output can be read. A reviewer can see what the applicant did and wrote, not just a result.
• There is more than one defensible answer. The point is to read the reasoning, not to match a key.

How do you adapt an example to your own role?

1. Pick a case your team handled recently and could explain in two minutes.
2. Gather the records the person used, and remove names and anything confidential.
3. Write down the rule or limit that shaped the right answer, before anyone sees the exercise.
4. Decide what a reviewer should look for first, and write it as a short list.
5. Run it yourself or with a colleague, note where the brief was unclear and fix it.
6. Tell applicants what is recorded, who reads it and whether AI tools are allowed.

For more on choosing the work, see how to choose real work for a hiring exercise, and for the definition and limits see what a work sample test is.

How does Calavion fit?

Calavion builds these exercises with a company from a case it has already handled, and shows the employer a Replay of what each applicant did and wrote. It does not produce scores, rankings or hiring decisions, and the employer, not Calavion, makes the shortlist. The only exercise run end to end is the customer service cancellation case. See all work sample tests by role or bring a case your team has handled.

Common questions about work sample test examples

What is an example of a work sample test?

A customer service applicant reads an order record and the operating procedure, then writes to the customer and the warehouse. The employer reads the messages and the steps behind them. The 15 examples on this page follow the same pattern for other roles.

Can I use these examples as they are?

No. They are illustrative and invented, and none has been used by a company. A usable exercise comes from a case your own team has handled, with your records and your rules. Calavion prepares those with a company by hand today.

How many examples do I need?

One bounded task per role is enough to start. A single task cannot cover a whole job, so treat what you learn as one piece of evidence next to the rest of your process.

Do these exercises predict job performance?

There is no evidence for these specific exercises. Research on work-sample tests in general reports moderate validity (.33 in a 2022 re-estimate by Sackett and colleagues), and it does not transfer automatically to any one exercise. See what research says.