Call Centre Phonetic Alphabet Skills Test

Everything you need to know.

The NATO phonetic alphabet was established in 1956 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to overcome communication barriers between different countries, organisations and individuals.

NATO devised their phonetic alphabet code by pairing a simple, common word with each letter of the alphabet; such as 'alpha' for A, 'bravo' for B and 'charlie' for C. By providing a universal language, the NATO phonetic alphabet makes it easier for individuals to communicate. Overall, NATO's code streamlines every communication process by preventing valuable time and resources from being lost to unnecessary miscommunication and dialectal variation.

Today, the NATO phonetic alphabet is regularly used by customer-facing staff, call centre teams and emergency service providers to ensure that information shared by the customer or individual is received correctly, word for word.

A quick internet search will bring up a variety of online quizzes for the phonetic alphabet. However, while these might be able to quiz you on your recollection of NATO's alphabet, they do not provide the chance to assess how well someone might use this phonetic alphabetical code in real-world scenarios. That means that they cannot effectively be used by employers looking to hire the best call centre staff, simply because they do not measure all the relevant skills. Luckily, our skills test does just that.

Our phonetics quiz comes under our larger umbrella of call centre skills tests which are all designed to simulate a realistic call centre environment and measure key skills required within such roles. A thorough understanding of the NATO phonetic alphabet, and how to successfully apply it, are key skills required by any individual working within a call centre or customer communications role.

Call Centre Phonetic Alphabet Skills Test

What is The Phonetic Alphabet Skills Test?

Designed to test an individual’s ability to quickly and accurately identify and use the NATO phonetic alphabet, this assessment will provide a reliable measure of your candidate's knowledge of the phonetic ABCs and how to use the NATO alphabet.

As part of the assessment, candidates are presented with a variety of question styles including true and false statements and multiple-choice questions. Candidates have 15 minutes to complete 30 questions, all of which are aimed at testing their ability to recognise the NATO keywords, identify which words correspond to specific letters of the alphabet and implement the NATO phonetic alphabet within their customer communications.

Candidate responses are automatically marked and a point is awarded for each correctly answered question. Skipped questions and incorrect answers will result in no point being awarded. Therefore, upon completion of the quiz, the candidate's final score will give you an accurate measure of the individual's phonetic alphabet proficiency and suitability for a call centre role.

Practice test available
Randomised presentation
15 minutes available

12 minutes average completion time
30 questions presented
30 questions in pool

Who is The Phonetic Alphabet Skills Test Aimed at?

Anyone who has to interact with customers, clients or the public over the phone (which is many of us now that the working world has gone largely remote due to Covid-19) would benefit from having an understanding of the NATO phonetic code. This is because communicating over the phone can be a tricky process; especially when language, pronunciation and dialectal differences are involved. Our NATO phonetic skills quiz is tailored specifically for call centre staff, which could be anyone from a sales and marketing team to emergency service line operators.

Hiring managers particularly would find this quiz useful as a way of testing their applicants' ability to use the NATO phonetic alphabet during their recruitment process. Pre-employment assessments are a great way to narrow down your applicant pool to only the most suitably experienced and talented candidates. Not only does this streamline your recruitment process, but it allows you to hire the best call centre staff who require minimal extra training, resources and guidance to do a fantastic job.

Skills Assessed

Candidates have 15 minutes to answer 25 questions. Each question covers essential practical and theoretical knowledge.

01 Knowledge of Phonetic Alphabet: Our test measures your candidate's ability to memorise and recall which word corresponds to a certain letter of the alphabet and vice versa. Points are only awarded for correct answers, so you can be sure that your candidate's final score is a true reflection of their knowledge of the NATO phonetic alphabet.
02 Ability to Apply Phonetic Code: Knowledge of phonetic code is one thing, but being able to apply it to real-world communication is another. This is essential when collecting information from customers and clients such as their first names and important personal details, as it's absolutely vital that this information is accurate word-for-word.

Why Use a Phonetic Alphabet Skills Test?

Knowledge of Phonetic Alphabet.

Enhance Your Call Centre Recruitment: Ensure effective hiring by using our quiz as a pre-employment skills assessment, allowing you to employ the candidates who are most suitable and highly skilled for a call centre role.
Provide High-quality Customer Service: A thorough understanding of phonetic code will allow your call centre team to work through pronunciation differences and dialect variations with ease, ensuring that your customers only ever receive quick, efficient and high-quality customer service.
Avoid Miscommunication: When speaking over the phone (and sometimes even face-to-face) people often confuse sounds such as "m" and "n" or "d" and "b". Using phonetic words, like "bravo" instead of "b" and "delta" instead of "d", allows you to avoid miscommunication and confirm that what you are hearing is accurate.
Ensure Accurate Data Entry: Whether it's collecting names and addresses or inputting customer details into a CRM, accurate data entry is essential for every business. Using NATO's phonetic code allows call centre staff to confirm that verbal information is correct before documenting it.