# COBOL Programming (Short) Assessment

## Description
The COBOL Programming (Short) test is designed to assess the knowledge and skills of job candidates and employees in writing, debugging, deploying, and maintaining COBOL programs for business applications, covering entry-level to mid-level proficiency. The test evaluates a broad range of competencies including COBOL Program Structure and Divisions, Data Definition and the Data Division, File Handling, Procedure Division Logic encompassing arithmetic, conditionals, and PERFORM statements, Table Handling with OCCURS clauses, subscripts, and SEARCH statements, as well as Debugging, Copybooks, and COPY Statements. It measures skills through a variety of question formats, including Multiple Choice, Multiple Correct Answer, and Essay Composition questions, with some questions featuring individual time limits to discourage cheating and enhance predictive accuracy. Questions are drawn from a large pool to further reduce the risk of cheating, and one or more questions leverage artificial intelligence in the scoring process to ensure a thorough and objective evaluation of each candidate's COBOL programming proficiency.

## Competencies Measures
- COBOL Program Structure and Divisions
- COBOL Program Structure and Divisions (Coding Tasks)
- Data Definition and the Data Division
- Data Definition and the Data Division (Coding Tasks)
- File Handling
- Procedure Division Logic: Arithmetic, Conditionals, and PERFORM

## Metadata
- **Duration:** 14.0 Minutes
- **Language:** English (US)
- **Type:** Skills/Knowledge Assessment (Test)
- **Last Updated:** July 4, 2026

## Catalog Link
View additional details or to administer the assessment to a candidate here:
[View in Online Test Catalog](https://www.hravatar.com/ta/tests/9615/cobol-programming-short.html)