HOW COMMON ARE ART TESTS?
They are, a lot of companies can offer arttest these days because of the heavy competition to get into the industry and also to make 100% sure that you are the right fit for the company you're applying for.
ASKING QUESTIONS DURING THE ART TEST
For sure, make sure to ask questions as soon as you’ve read through the brief,, sometimes there might be issues in the way things are explained and need to be clarified. So always feel free to reach out to the people sending you the test if necessary.
CAN I GET FEEDBACK?
It doesn't hurt to ask, but it's pretty uncommon to get feedback on your work, especially because some companies perceive it to be risky to give someone personal feedback which might then be received poorly and reflect bad on the company.
However, saying this, it is becoming more and more acceptable to do it, so just ask.
IS ASKING FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS CHEATING?
In our opinion whatever can increase your changes to get a better end result you will need to take it. Getting feedback is also not a magic potion that can fix any artwork, you still need to apply it in the correct way too.
Also, to add to this, feedback is a normal part of the entire games industry, so it doesn't make sense to then not make use of it when doing art tests.
You have to make the most of every opportunity.
CAN I RESCHEDULE MY ARTTEST?
When it comes to art tests, it's important to remember that it's okay to ask for a different starting date if you have other plans or are already working on another art test.
It's important to take your time and do your best work, so it may be best to focus on one test at a time and not rush through them. You don't want to sacrifice your sleep and mental well-being in the process.
Don't hesitate to communicate with the company or recruiter about your schedule and availability, it's perfectly normal to let them know if you need to start the test on a different date or if you need to take a break for a day or two. The most important thing is to show your best work and not to burn out.
HOW ABOUT COMPENSATION?
We believe that they should be compensated, but they aren't in a lot of cases.
However daunting, There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking if they are paying you for your time. So just ask about it and see what they respond. In the best case your time working will be fully compensated.
ADDING THEM TO YOUR PORTFOLIO?
Often times companies ask for specific art tests to be done because they are closely aligned with their projects, many of them will be unannounced. So for this reason it's unlikely that you can add them to your portfolio. Again, it doesn't hurt to ask, sometimes they don't mind.
Should you add them? Now this is a questions that is going to get different opinions. But in my opinion I think you could, but only if the end result looks completed and you've gotten the job.
It does look weird when you add an arttest to your portfolio that didn't get you the job in the end, however, you can use your own judgement on this.
CAN I USE ASSETPACKAGES?
So this is a question that comes up now especially with all the assets being available for free for Unreal Engine users. But this does depend on the brief and if it's stated in the there, so if it isn't specifically stated and you need to create a full environment? Just send them an email and ask! But I would say that from what I've seen recently is that it's not that common just yet.
DO I GET A PRECISE CONCEPT?
Most likely? No, because also a precise concept is something of a unique thing when you are working in a studio as well, treat is as a great opportunity to show how you solve things in a creative manner.
Also, if the concept is REALLY unclear, always feel free to reach out again and ask them to clarify the concept again if needed.
This shouldn't be looked at as a negative, again, because this can also occur in a studio setting as well.
DO I NEED TO KNOW THE FULL PIPELINE?
This depends on the brief, sometimes they are really focused but other ones are really general. So make sure that once you've got one send over to read the brief thoroughly and understand if you have to or not.
WHAT IS THEIR USUAL SCOPE?
Depends on the studio you're doing it for, sometimes they can be small and specific (make a prop or a texture) to bigger ones (Diorama or environment creation)
HOW DO I PREPARE FOR ONE?
Not really, and neither should you honestly. Tests will usually be focused on specific things to do and you can never really prepare for all the specificities of all the workflows out there.
So just try your best once you get one and give it your all.
DOES THE ARTTEST NEED TO BE FINISHED?
Deadlines and time restriction is the name of the game on most art tests, so it's highly unlikely that you will FULLY finish your arttest in any case (at least in my opinion).
Just do your best and get as far as you can!
DO I NEED TO USE SPECIFIC PROGRAMS?
Depends on the arttest, it can use all the common softwares used in the industry. But you will most likely know that certain companies use certain software before doing the art test or at least have talked about it during one of your discussions with the studio.
If not, keep that in mind to bring that up.
