The practice test helps you get familiar with how UserTesting works before you start receiving paid test opportunities. During the test, you’ll speak your thoughts out loud and complete a set of realistic tasks—just like you would in an actual customer test.
In this article:
- What happens during the practice test
- What happens after you finish your test
- Tips to help you succeed
What happens during the practice test
Here’s what you’ll do:
Share your screen and audio
Think out loud
Thinking out loud might sound like:
- I’m going to scroll down and see if there’s more information.
- This isn’t what I expected. I thought I’d see a different page.
- I’m clicking this link because it looks like it might answer my question.
- I’m not sure what this is, but I’ll tap it and find out.
- This part is confusing. I don’t know what to do next, but I’ll try going back.
Review the scenario
Complete a short set of tasks
Let’s review!
What happens after you finish your test
After you submit your test, we’ll review your recording and email you the results. You can also view the status of your practice test in the applicant checklist. While we're reviewing your test, it status will be In Review. When we've approved your test, the status will update to Done.
If your test doesn’t meet the requirements, you’ll receive feedback and may be given one more opportunity to try again. On your checklist, your test status will be Try again.
Common reasons a practice test isn't approved:
- Quiet or muffled audio
- Not speaking thoughts out loud
- Missing or skipping instructions
- Poor screen/audio quality
Tips to help you succeed
You don’t need to be perfect. Just aim to be clear, thoughtful, and engaged.
Give yourself 10 minutes.
Complete the test in one sitting. You can’t pause or resume later.
Find a quiet, distraction-free space.
Turn off notifications and minimize background noise.
Check your microphone.
Make sure it’s unmuted, unblocked, and not too far away—avoid Bluetooth headphones. Get help with audio issues
Allow screen recording permissions.
Follow prompts carefully, especially on Android or macOS.
Get into the mindset.
Treat the scenario as if you’re genuinely trying to complete the tasks on your own.
Think out loud.
Narrate what you see and do in real time—imagine you’re talking a friend through it.
Reinstall the app if needed.
If something isn’t working, uninstall and reinstall the UserTesting app from the App Store or Google Play.