All Things Transcription

There are many MTs (Medical Transcriptionists) on the job hunt right now. Besides having a good resume and cover letter there is another subject that strikes fear in the heart of newbie transcriptionists everywhere; the dreaded employment test! If you have started applying for jobs, you know that many companies require you to take both an objective and transcription test as part of the hiring process. I thought I would gather up some tips from some forum friends and make up a list of the ones I thought were most helpful.

Follow up:

As you are starting a list of MT companies to send your resume to, start looking for the ones that you think would be the best fit for you. Everyone has a few companies they know they want to apply to. This brings me to my personal favorite of all tips:

Don’t test for your #1 choice first!

Why? I have seen many posts from transcriptionists who tested for their most favored company first and bombed on the test. In most cases, this means that you will not be able to attempt the test for this company again for 6 months. Right off the bat you have set yourself up for a big bummer. It isn’t the most auspicious way to begin the job search. If you set up a list of desired companies and start from the bottom, you will have a much better chance of doing well on the tests for your favorites. On to the next tip:

Read the instructions very carefully!

Lots of these tests are very similar, if not exactly the same. However, some of them are not. You really do not want to fail for a stupid reason like not reading directions. You may do very well on the test itself but get a “no pass” because you didn’t follow the company’s directions for margins. There goes another 6 months.

Save your work!

Computers can be evil. You must protect yourself from this evil by not allowing them to swallow your test whole just as you are finishing up. I don’t know about you guys, but I only have to sit down in front of one for it to do really crazy stuff. All the while my hands are in the air and I’m saying, “I swear I didn’t touch the stupid thing!” Ask my husband, he’s the one that has to fix the problem. He has seen it. He’ll vouch for me.

Do not assume or guess!

Flag, flag, flag! Do not just make a choice because you think you are right. You must know that you are right. After listening several times, if you simply cannot tell what the dictator is saying, flag it! Really, please listen to me here. Obviously, you don’t want the report to be covered with holes, but better to leave a couple of blanks than to guess. This cannot be stressed enough.

Transcribe the test reports verbatim unless otherwise instructed.

You will find that some tests provide very little instruction. The consensus seems to be that verbatim in these cases is best. Most transcriptionists will correct glaring grammar mistakes, but otherwise type just what you hear. You should know this from your course work anyway.

Proofread, proofread, and proofread some more!

If it is a timed test, go over it as many times as you can, but do keep an eye on that clock. If it is not timed, proofread until you are absolutely sure you are ready to submit the work. This being said, if you are a Career Step graduate you will most likely use the 3-pass method. For those of you who are not Career Step graduates and you are not familiar with this method here it is:

1. Transcribe the whole report first.
2. Go back and research blanks.
3. Proof to sound. (Listen to the file again and proof as you listen.)

This will not be the most efficient way to actually work when you are employed, but if you stick to it while testing you will most likely succeed in passing employment tests.

Those are the tips that I think are the most helpful. There are a couple of things I would like to mention about employment tests. One thing you might want to know is that every company has different requirements. You may score 96% and it still not be good enough for certain companies. You may be invited to test and then be told that you do not qualify because of lack of experience. You may take a test and never find out how you did and have no further communication from some companies. All these things can be very depressing. Never fear.

I have seen some working MTs that took 3 or 4 tests and received job offers. I have also seen many who took 15 to 20 tests before they ever received offers. So much of it depends on being lucky enough to test, meet their requirements, and the company having positions available all at the same time. Hang in there. You will find that “perfect fit.”

Thanks to all forum friends who have posted on this subject and continue to be supportive and helpful to fellow MTs that are currently seeking gainful employment.