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Employee aptitude tests

Employee aptitude tests are one of the best indicators of a candidate’s performance potential once he has been selected. They are an even more accurate indicator than actual interviews, according to Heneman and Judge, Staffing Organizations, (4th edition). Tests can be designed specifically in line with the employer’s needs. They reveal their true value to a company, while also giving the candidates an insight into the employer’s requirements upon taking the test.  

 Aptitude tests are therefore praised much and serve as an ideal form of screening, for more rigorous screening that may follow. Candidates who score well in these tests will also perform better in subsequent training the company provides to their employees. Tests should not be neglected particularly for mid to high level positions.

Types of tests

 Aptitude tests assess the qualities of problem solving, critical thinking, and digesting and applying new information. Tests may be focused on skills and knowledge that are required on the job, abilities that a candidate possesses, and personality tests that reveal a candidates personality type and innate qualities – such as being able to handle oneself under pressure – that employers may want to see in their preferred employee.

We will talk about a few test types here:

·         Numerical reasoning tests: These tests include questions from statistical figures and charts and require the candidate to answer them.

·         Verbal reasoning skills: These assess your verbal (oral) logic and ability to digest information from text.

·         Cognitive ability tests: These tests are a measure of general intelligence. They cover many types and categories of general tests.

·         Abstract reasoning test: These are also known as inductive reasoning tests. They test a candidate’s ability to identify underlying logic in patterns, rather than in words or numbers.

Test administration

Aptitude tests are administered to applicants/candidates in a time-constrained environment. Candidates may be invigilated by members of a company’s human resources department for the test. Tests can allow candidates an access to resources online or provided on hand.

Tests may make applicants quite apprehensive, and their difficulty may weaken their performance and abilities. Human resources must take into account this qualitative penalty, dealing with candidates who may have suffered in their test performance due to how the test is administered.

Using tools

Using tools available online such as test creators for developing tests may aid your human resources department in easing the process, overcoming time obstacles, and saving up on valuable resources, since tests are quite difficult to develop. You may have better developed tests on hand for testing candidates for different positions, and your organization may have different departments where these tests will prove their worth. Test creators are a novel tool and represent further progress into the 21^st century.

Post-test evaluation

 

Many employers will deal with relatively small pools of candidates and this can impact the development of points of comparisons with employees. Test evaluation may also reveal mixed results compared to interviews and other stages in the screening process, where judgment needs to be called in. You may read more about their drawbacks here.