History Main / SecretTestOfThievingSkill

* An early ''ComicBook/{{Hitman}}'' storyline had him being hired to break into Arkham Asylum and kill the Joker, which turned out to be an aptitude test set by somebody really unpleasant.
* Downplayed in ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'': In "Fingers", Luke learns to pick pockets from a borderline ImpossibleThief with an unfortunate habit of taking things without thinking about it. While he doesn't have to steal from him to gain the apprenticeship, he does so to impress his teacher later on:

** The [[VideoGame/ThiefTheDarkProject first game]] also has a wealthy lord, [[spoiler:who is actually the BigBad]], hire Garret to steal a sword from him through a proxy, in order to test his worth for a job he has in mind (and also to give him the sword as a down-payment).
** At the end of ''VideoGame/DeadlyShadows'', he takes on an apprentice in much the same way: after she almost picks ''his'' pocket.

'''Luke:''' Thanks. And [[RunningGag if you give me back my revolver,]] I'll give you your wallet back.\\

* An early ''ComicBook/{{Hitman}}'' storyline had him being hired to break into Arkham Asylum and kill the Joker, which turned out to be an aptitude test set by somebody really unpleasant.

* In the ''Film/AntMan1'' movie, Scott steals the Ant-man suit from Hank Pym's house after being tipped by Pym himself. Hank [[LegacyCharacter lets him keep the suit]] and asks him to perform an ever bigger heist.
* Played with in ''Film/TowerHeist'', where Slide is training the other characters in stealing. Before any lessons, he makes sure that the other characters are capable of stealing at all by having them steal $50 worth of merchandise from a mall. He makes them leave their wallets with him so that he knows they didn't just buy the stuff. [[spoiler: And perhaps subverted when he reveals that while they were gone, he stole all the cash in their wallets.]]

* In ''Videogame/OctopathTraveler'', Therion the Thief's story starts with him deciding to steal from a local noble family's mansion after hearing a rumor from the local barkeep, only to learn that it was all part of a test set up by said noble family (including the barkeep who was in on it the whole time) to find a thief for a job.
* The very first mission of ''VideoGame/WatchDogs2'' centers around Marcus Holloway breaking into a local [=CTOS=] server farm [[HollywoodHacking to erase the digital files]] [[MegaCorp Blume]] has on him, files that were used [[PrecrimeArrest to convict him of a crime he was suspected in wanting to commit.]] After hacking the server, and escaping the building he's welcomed into [=DedSec=], a gang of subversive hackers, and kicks off the game's main polt.
* ''VideoGame/{{Seven}}'': Teriel (the protagonist) tries to steal a black box from a wealthy noble, a job that has been deemed impossible by the underground. Unfortunately, they're proven right, as the black box contains an extremely powerful A.I. that uploads itself into Teriel's augmentations, knocking him unconscious long enough to be arrested and sent to a penal colony. The A.I. then tells Teriel that it's actually a black ops agent of the emperor, and Teriel has been drafted to discover the secrets hidden in the colony's mines.

* In the ''Film/{{Antman}}'' movie, Scott steals the Ant-man suit from Hank Pym's house after being tipped by Pym himself. Hank [[LegacyCharacter lets him keep the suit]] and asks him to perform an ever bigger heist.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* In the ''Film/{{Antman}}'' movie, Scott steals the Ant-man suit from Hank Pym's house. Hank him [[LegacyCharacter lets him keep the suit]] and asks him to perform an ever bigger heist.

[[folder:Web Video]]

* In the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' book ''Midnight Rogue'', the whole plot turns out to be a fake set up as your characters' final exam from the Thieves' Guild.

When someone looks to hire a capable thief/burglar/hacker/etc. and sets up an "aptitude test" where potential candidates have to steal something from them as proof of their abilities. Oftentimes, the candidate [[SecretTest won't even be aware]] that they are being tested, convinced instead of pulling off a ''bona fide'' heist right until the moment they're approached with a job offer. [[TropesAreFlexible At other times]], the future employer may not be actively looking for a thief but is sufficiently impressed with an act of theft to offer its perpetrator a job.

** ''VideoGame/{{Thief2014}}'', a reboot (and possible StealthSequel) indicates that Garret's apprentice met him in a similar way to the girl at the end of Deadly Shadows.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': The first part of the Chuunin Exams (at least the version our main characters take) is a written test with extremely difficult questions that only one taker (Sakura) in a room filled with aspiring Shinobi could actually answer without cheating. To complicate matters, proctors are posted around the room for the express purpose of keeping an eye out for cheaters, and three strikes meant disqualification. As many of the takers realize, stealing the correct answers is the REAL POINT of this test; the head proctor in the room later confirms that there were guys posing as test-takers who were meant to provide the answers for anyone smart enough to steal them without being caught. Only the most skilled cheaters (or Naruto, who never realized any of this and was never caught cheating simply because he didn't) lasted long enough to still be in the room for the final, fate-deciding question.

* ''{{Naruto}}'': The first part of the Chuunin Exams (at least the version our main characters take) is a written test with extremely difficult questions that only one taker (Sakura) in a room filled with aspiring Shinobi could actually answer without cheating. To complicate matters, proctors are posted around the room for the express purpose of keeping an eye out for cheaters, and three strikes meant disqualification. As many of the takers realize, stealing the correct answers is the REAL POINT of this test; the head proctor in the room later confirms that there were guys posing as test-takers who were meant to provide the answers for anyone smart enough to steal them without being caught. Only the most skilled cheaters (or Naruto, who never realized any of this and was never caught cheating simply because he didn't) lasted long enough to still be in the room for the final, fate-deciding question.

* ''Manga/Naruto'': The first part of the Chuunin Exams (at least the version our main characters take) is a written test with extremely difficult questions that only one taker (Sakura) in a room filled with aspiring Shinobi could actually answer without cheating. To complicate matters, proctors are posted around the room for the express purpose of keeping an eye out for cheaters, and three strikes meant disqualification. As many of the takers realize, stealing the correct answers is the REAL POINT of this test; the head proctor in the room later confirms that there were guys posing as test-takers who were meant to provide the answers for anyone smart enough to steal them without being caught. Only the most skilled cheaters (or Naruto, who never realized any of this and was never caught cheating simply because he didn't) lasted long enough to still be in the room for the final, fate-deciding question.

* ''Anime/Naruto'': The first part of the Chuunin Exams (at least the version our main characters take) is a written test with extremely difficult questions that only one taker (Sakura) in a room filled with aspiring Shinobi could actually answer without cheating. To complicate matters, proctors are posted around the room for the express purpose of keeping an eye out for cheaters, and three strikes meant disqualification. As many of the takers realize, stealing the correct answers is the REAL POINT of this test; the head proctor in the room later confirms that there were guys posing as test-takers who were meant to provide the answers for anyone smart enough to steal them without being caught. Only the most skilled cheaters (or Naruto, who never realized any of this and was never caught cheating simply because he didn't) lasted long enough to still be in the room for the final, fate-deciding question.

When someone looks to hire a capable thief/burglar/hacker/etc. and sets up an "aptitude test" where potential candidates have to steal something from them as proof of their abilities. Oftentimes, the candidate [[SecretTest won't even be aware]] that they are being tested, convinced instead of pulling off a ''bona fide'' heist right until the moment they're approached with a job offer. At other times, the future employer may not be actively looking for a thief but is sufficiently impressed with an act of theft to offer its perpetrator a job.

Depending on how high the required qualifications are, TheGuardsMustBeCrazy may be in effect to varying degrees. The job offer itself is often framed as AnOfferYouCantRefuse, as the potential employer now knows who the thief is and has enough dirt on to have them locked away if they don't comply.

* Garret in the ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' series was taken up for training by the Keepers after (almost) picking a Keeper's pocket as a kid--a feat considered impossible, as Keepers are InvisibleToNormals. At the end of ''VideoGame/DeadlyShadows'', he takes on an apprentice in much the same way: after she almost picks ''his'' pocket. The [[VideoGame/ThiefTheDarkProject first game]] also has a wealthy lord, [[spoiler:who is actually the BigBad]], hire Garret to steal a sword from him through a proxy, in order to test his worth for a job he has in mind (and also to give him the sword as a down-payment).