Progressive Assessment – the Complete Guide and Practice [2024] 

As a pre-employment test, the Progressive employment assessment is taken by Progressive candidates, for roles such as Sales Specialist, Customer Service Representative, and Claims Adjuster Trainee. 

The assessment comprises three sections; each evaluates different aspects of your work-related competencies and how well you fit with the company’s culture. 

The test has no time limit and takes about 50 minutes to complete. 

Remember, if you fail the assessment, you must wait six months before applying again and retaking the test. 

The assessment contains 3 parts - a cognitive assessment (verbal and numerical), a personality questionnaire, and a call simulation.

This section will present you with 42 multiple-choice questions. These questions cover two topics – verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning.

Verbal Reasoning – assess your vocabulary and ability to understand, interpret, and deduce written information. Learn more about verbal reasoning questions.

Numerical Reasoning – assess your ability to calculate, analyze, and interpret numerical data. You are allowed to use the built-in calculator. Learn more about numerical reasoning questions.

While numerical reasoning questions may cover a wide variety of topics, on the actual test you will quickly notice that some topics are much more common than others. That is why we have constructed our Progressive Pre-Employment Assessment Preparation Course to mainly focus on such question types.

This section will present you with 54 statements regarding your personality, traits, preferences, and working style. For each statement, you need to indicate whether you agree or disagree.

These questions can be phrased in a deliberately ambiguous and even contradictory way that may affect your answer. You can identify those obstacles by preparing in advance and being familiar with these questions beforehand, as well as what you are expected to demonstrate.

This section will simulate conversations with customers who called the Progressive call center. You will hear audio recordings and be presented with Progressive’s customer support system, which includes the customers’ account information and transaction history.

During the conversation, you will be asked to perform various actions on your screen – respond to the customer, search for the needed information within the account and the system’s knowledge bank, navigate between different parts of the system, document the performed actions, etc.

This section includes 1 sample call and 1 test call.

This section assesses your customer service approach and attention to fine details. Thus, you must be attentive to all the data given in the simulation, every word the client says, and every piece of information presented in the customer’s account.

Be attentive – every section of the Progressive employment assessment demands high concentration. The test has no time limit, so you can carefully read each question, pay attention to the details, and only then choose your answer.

Be consistent – some questions in the Personality assessment section can be close in meaning but not in phrasing. Pay attention to the response you choose and stay on the same track.

Be whole – the result of your test does not depend on only one question or only one section. The test aims to assess all aspects of your personality, abilities, and potential to succeed in the position. View the test the same way, learn about the organizational culture, the traits required of your position, and how your qualities integrate with them.

Progressive Insurance is among the largest car insurance providers in the U.S. In addition to cars, Progressive Corporation also insure boats, RVs, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles. Progressive Insurance also offers home insurance via certain companies. Progressive now offers car insurance internationally (Australia). Progressive is based in Mayfield Village, Ohio, and employs over 27,000 people.

The hiring process in Progressive Insurance is extensive, and proper preparation can really make the difference between getting the job. Some of the previous candidates with experience in the field weren't chosen for the interview stage since they didn't pass the Progressive online assessments. 

The Progressive hiring process usually includes the following stages:

• Online application of resume, personal details, and more, via the Progressive application system
• Online assessment tests
• Phone interview with an HR representative
• Manager interview on-site
• Completion of background check and a job offer 

Progressive insurance uses S.T.A.R in their hiring process.

Previous candidates were asked the following questions:

• Can you describe a situation where you had to track and monitor others’ performance because their success was tied to yours?
• Please describe a situation when a customer requested an unreasonable request. How did you resolve the situation?
• Please describe a situation where you had to go the extra mile and reach multiple sources to solve it.
• As part of the hiring process, we take a background check. It includes references, criminal history, and more. Do you have questions regarding that?