An accountant is entrusted with important tasks, such as paying bills, issuing payroll and reconciling accounts. So it's no wonder that an employer may want to test your skills before you are hired. You may have the necessary skills in school, but brush up when a new job is at stake.

Review and Study

Review the job description to be clear about the tasks you'd be performing in the new job. It also doesn't hurt to ask the employer what the pre-employment test will cover, or which brand administers the test. Some employers may use the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers test, or the SkillCheck tests used by the Society of Human Resource Management. Look online for practice tests or flash cards covering specific skills or general accounting.

Test Success

As you take the practice tests, mimic the conditions under which you'll take the real test. Give yourself a time limit, for example, and take the practice tests during the same time of day as you'll take the real one. During the test, read each question carefully, show your work when required, and try to answer the questions before you look at any multiple-choice answers. It also helps to quickly scan the questions and do the easy ones first, so that you'll have those done should time run out. If you do have extra time, on the other hand, double-check every answer before turning in the test.