Career Readiness Assessment

Thank you for your interest in the NCLab Career Readiness Assessment (CRA). We’re excited to have you experience it.

The CRA is designed to measure the core thinking, problem-solving, and work-execution skills required to succeed in today’s technology-enabled workplaces. Through an engaging, gamified environment, the assessment evaluates how effectively you approach challenges, analyze information, and complete practical tasks.

Upon completing the assessment, you will receive a digital badge recognizing your achievement and demonstrating your readiness for modern work environments.

Candidates who earn a high score also qualify for any of the NCLab career training programs. These programs use the same proven, learn-by-doing platform used in the assessment and are designed to take motivated learners from foundational skills to career-ready capability. Even if you are starting without prior technical experience, our programs include the necessary foundations and guide you step-by-step toward success.

The CRA is more than an assessment—it is your opportunity to demonstrate that you have the mindset and capability needed to succeed in rigorous training and in high-demand careers.

What is the NCLab CAREER READINESS ASSESSMENT?

The NCLab Career Readiness Assessment (CRA) is a hands-on, learn-and-apply experience—not a questionnaire. Instead of asking about your background or testing what you already know, the CRA places you in an interactive environment where you demonstrate how you think, learn, and complete practical tasks.

Unlike traditional assessments, the CRA does not test prior technical knowledge and does not include math. The only prerequisites are the ability to read in English or Spanish and basic keyboarding skills.

Because of this design, virtually anyone can take the assessment. The CRA focuses on the core thinking, problem-solving, and work-execution skills that matter most for success in modern workplaces and career training programs.

Delivered through NCLab’s engaging learn-by-doing platform, the CRA allows you to actively work through challenges rather than simply answering questions—making it a far more meaningful indicator of real capability.

What is being assessed in the CAREER READINESS ASSESSMENT?

The assessment measures your ability to read and interpret instructions, quickly learn new concepts, and apply that knowledge to solve practical problems. It also evaluates perseverance—an essential trait that reflects a person’s determination to stay engaged, work through challenges, and complete tasks successfully.

What is the theory and research that underpins the assessment?

For many years, the NCLab Career Readiness Assessment has been used to identify individuals with the aptitude to learn quickly, adapt to new challenges, and succeed in modern training programs and workplace environments. The results have been studied over time and have proven to be a highly reliable indicator of an individual’s readiness to thrive in rigorous training and in today’s technology-enabled workplaces.

What is the predictive validity of the assessment in future performance in training programs and in subsequent work environments?

Performance on the Career Readiness Assessment has proven to be a strong predictor of success in both rigorous career training programs and modern workplace environments.

In fact, nearly 100% of individuals who earn high scores on the assessment and then enroll in NCLab career training programs complete their training and move on to high-paying careers—demonstrating the powerful connection between the capabilities measured in the assessment and real-world success.

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Taking the Career Readiness Assessment

The detailed instructions below describe the steps that you need to follow to take the assessment. The assessment takes 1 to 3 hours to complete and is best done in one session.

Do as much of the assessment as you want to do or have time to do. To come back to it later and pick up where you left off by logging in at nclab.com. Click on the LOGIN on the top menu bar and input your email address and password. Note: If you’ve forgotten your password, NCLab will provide you a new one through email.

Upon completing the assessment, you will be asked to continue your journey by scheduling a post-assessment interview in which we will review your assessment results and you will be able to ask any additional questions you may have. We will also discuss whether our training programs are a good fit for your learning style, time availability, and goals.

NOTE: Hints and templates are tracked in the graded exercises, but you can use as many as you need for the practice exercises so as to make sure you understand the concepts.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ASSESSMENT DOES NOT DISPLAY INFORMATION PROPERLY ON SMART PHONES SO YOU MUST USE A COMPUTER OR A TABLET TO DO THE ASSESSMENT.

FIRST: To begin the assessment, click here to open a new browser window and create an NCLab account. You’ll need to input: Your name, email address, and a password in the form.

SECOND: Press the SUBMIT button and you will get an “Activate Your Account” message below the completed form, as shown below.

THIRD: Go to your email inbox and you should find an assessment-generated email as shown below. If you do not receive the email, it may be in your spam or junk folder. If you cannot find it, please contact support@nclab.com and we will help you complete your activation because firewalls have been known to interfere with the process.

FOURTH: Click on the “Activate Your Account Now!” link.

FIFTH: This will open a confirmation message and clicking on it will bring you to the NCLab desktop with the NCLab Career Readiness Assessment card on it.

SIXTH: Click on it to begin doing your assessment. Enjoy!