Google Hiring Assessment (GHA / Work Styles)

Non-coding online assessment sent by Google recruiting after a resume pass. Current variants use forced-choice work-style triples plus a situational judgement section on policy, ethics, confidentiality, and collaboration consistency. Requirements Part 1 — Work Styles inventory / forced-choice triples Current common format: each prompt shows three workplace statements; choose one as Most like me, then choose one of the remaining two as Least like me. Earlier variants used single-statement Likert choices (Strongly Disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agree); the same consistency signal still applies. Coverage: ambiguity tolerance, collaboration, thoroughness, adaptability, communication, decisiveness, self-motivation, problem solving, leadership. The forced-choice triples often contain three positive traits, so the question is about your dominant working style rather than finding a single obviously correct answer. Common work-style clusters: reliable delivery / timeline ownership, collaboration across teams, careful reflective communication, structured problem solving, security / policy mindset, comfort with ambiguity. Part 2 — Situational Judgement (~10–15 items) Each item: a workplace scenario + 4 actions. Pick MOST likely and LEAST likely to do (cannot pick the same one for both). Recurring scenario families: gift / conflict of interest, confidential information leakage (laptop on vacation, coffee shop call, friend borrowing work laptop), policy vs deadline, manager unavailable, helping a colleague being treated unkindly, competitor offer, accepting a referral that benefits a friend. Examples Likert items to mark as "Strongly Agree": I quickly adjust my pre-existing work plans to meet changes in project goals. I complete my tasks effectively despite changing requirements. I am able to succeed in ambiguous work situations. I share resources with my colleagues to help them complete their work. I identify potential risks before I decide on a course of action. I keep detailed notes about the decisions made in meetings. Likert items to mark as "Strongly Disagree": I can overlook small, but important, errors in my work. When deciding between projects, I usually pick the project that will allow me to avoid working with others. I write reports with an emphasis on speed over accuracy. I require clear instructions at work to be effective. I cannot progress on a project when I don't have all the information I need to complete a task. Sample SJT scenarios: A client offers a gift card after a project completes; company policy forbids gifts. You discover a coworker was mistakenly credited for your work right before annual review. A friend at a struggling competitor asks for confidential customer information. A new PM is being mocked by teammates for not catching up technically. Your manager calls to discuss confidential matters while you are in a coffee shop. Notes The Likert column order is Strongly Disagree → Disagree → Agree → Strongly Agree (Strongly Agree is the rightmost, not the first). Several candidates have reported submitting reversed answers by accident and being immediately flagged. Submissions are final per question; you cannot go back to edit. Total time is 30–60 minutes; pacing varies, but completing slowly does not appear to penalize. Most candidates pass within 24–72 hours; passing the GHA does not guarantee continuing — some candidates still see resume rejection arrive after a pass. The 2026 forced-choice ranking format is now the main pattern in recent samples; consistency is still the dominant signal. Candidates commonly pass within two days after submission, then wait for recruiter or hiring-manager routing. Preparation Pre-commit to a coherent "work persona" before opening the test: strong ownership, collaborative, methodical, comfortable with ambiguity. Apply it uniformly across the ~50 inventory items. For the SJT, default to: follow policy, escalate to manager, decline gifts, never share confidential data, never use a competitor's code, ask before accepting external offers/help. Re-read every statement before submitting — reverse-worded items ("I avoid…", "I cannot…") are easy to flip. Triple-check the column order before answering the first question.