Thank you @coomassie_blu this is really helpful.Hello all
Yep uTest as a newbie is overwhelming. You do really need to explore and read - but most of it will still seem like gobbledygook.
I am not techie in any way, but sometimes that's an advantage as they want testers who would use the test site like a normal user would. So don't be afraid.
Here's what I did:
You will need to be signed up and have set up your profile.
Go to: https://www.utest.com/articles/the-utest-academy
Where it says "How to participate" click on the link that takes you to a video course sign up page. Fill that in. I can't remember if you get access to it straightaway, but there is a video followed by some multiple choice questions and a couple of longer questions. Try to do this test carefully - don't rush it. Pay attention to detail. If you do well in the test you will get an invite to the Academy which uTest now seems to be running weekly rather than monthly.
Again when you are participating in the Academy really throw yourself into it, as there is a wealth of information and you get to take part in test cycles as though they were the real thing so you are really experiencing what it is like to be a uTester.
I started getting invites to paid cycles as soon as I had done the first Academy cycle. I haven't looked back since and I am turning down several invites a day.
And don't worry about the whole Sandbox thing. I didn't get invited until I was well into the Academy courses, and even then I wasn't informed I had passed for a couple of weeks. It seemed to be a bit irrelevant. I would say the Academy is the way to go.
Good luck to anybody giving it a go. I'll try to help if anybody gets really stuck. But I would say you'll do well if you're a "self-starter" and can use the resources on the site to find different ways of doing things. Read read and read some more
Out of interest, and for planning purposes, how much money can be earned with utest? Obviously it depends how many tests you do, so may be hard to estimate!