What Is Employment Testing? And Its Nine Types
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A bad hire can significantly impact the company’s reputation. Bad hires can trigger a loss of productivity and efficiency in your workplace. Moreover, the effort and resources invested in onboarding, training, and managing poor-performing employees can hamper your business in the long run.
The employee recruitment process can seem quite daunting. Companies can integrate pre-employment testing in the hiring process to efficiently filter and manage the application and push the most qualified candidates down the recruitment funnel. These tests enable the recruiter to gather data about the candidates objectively and in a standardized manner. Based on the test type, employment assessments provide adequate information about the candidate’s capability to work in a particular business environment. Employment tests are a valuable tool that helps to determine whether a candidate is a good fit for the job.
Employment test online can effectively assess the equivalence and match between applicants and job requirements. It enables the employer to validate the candidates’ suitability and ability to perform well on the job. It also measures the capacity of the candidate to adjust and adapt within an organization. Employment tests are of different kinds, and depending on the test type, it assesses the analytical and logical capacity, reasoning ability, aptitude, and psychology of the candidate.
Here are nine types of employment tests.
Cognitive Aptitude Test
Cognitive Test seeks to measure the ability of candidates to solve a problem, use new information, and think critically. It assesses their general mental capacity, which helps to determine the quality of their job performance. Cognitive Tests are designed to validate the candidate’s ability to apply their intelligence through logic, reasoning, and problem-solving exercises. This test module typically consists of numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, abstract reasoning, spatial awareness, and mechanical reasoning questions. It is an excellent predictor of a prospective employee’s future job performance.
Integrity Tests
Companies conduct Integrity Tests to determine the honesty, dependability, and work ethic of the candidate. Through these tests, the candidates self-report their tendencies toward certain behaviors. The employers carefully evaluate their answers to determine if they will take reliable and honorable actions in the future. Integrity Tests provide insights into the problems an employee is likely to cause. Integrity Tests are of two types. Overt integrity test involves questioning the candidates directly about any dangerous or counterproductive behavior. Covert integrity test uses the personality-type test to define if the candidate will maintain behavioral integrity in the workplace.
Job Knowledge Tests
Job Knowledge Tests measure the technical or professional expertise of the candidate in specific or niche knowledge areas. It tests the candidate’s factual knowledge as well as procedural knowledge. This test type is highly correlated with job performance. It is a strong predictor of training success and the performance quality of the candidate.
Personality Tests
Personality Tests help to gain insights into the interaction style and behavioral tendencies of candidates. These tests are designed to collect information about the candidate’s motivators, communication style, preferences, and emotional qualities. These factors significantly impact culture fit and job suitability.
Emotional Intelligence Tests
Emotional Intelligence Tests help to hire managers and recruiters to assess relationship management skills and understand emotions. Emotionally intelligent candidates are likely to be more self-aware and are capable of recognizing and managing their feelings and the feelings of others. Emotional intelligence encompasses many traits, namely, teamwork, adaptability, and communication.
Skills Assessment Tests
Skill Assessment Tests evaluate the candidates’ skills required for successful job performance. It does not gauge knowledge or abstract personality skills. It measures the actual skills, be it soft skills or complex skills. It helps to understand candidates’ strengths and weaknesses and also assess their job readiness.
Physical Ability Tests
Physical Ability Tests measure the ability of the candidate to perform job-related tasks which require manual labor or physical skill. In addition, it enables the recruiter to assess their strength, muscular flexibility, and stamina. Examples of physical ability tests include Muscular Tension Tests, Muscular Power Tests, Muscular Endurance Tests, Cardiovascular Endurance Tests, Flexibility Tests, and Balance Tests.
Psychomotor Ability Tests
In the hiring process, Psychomotor Ability Tests are conducted to test the precision, coordination, control, agility, and reaction time of the candidates. It helps to determine the speed and accuracy of simple judgment.
Work Sampling Tests
In this test type, the main motive is to create a miniature replica of the job. Thus, the recruiter tests the candidate’s talent and ability to perform the fundamental tasks. In addition, it helps to determine if they possess the required competencies upon entry into the position.
To Conclude:
These employment tests engage, inform, and evaluate candidates and give the recruiter good insights to assess the job performance, reduce turnover, and increase efficiency. In addition, employment test can effectively measure the candidate’s capabilities, skills, and knowledge. Therefore, these tests function as screening steps that can significantly reduce the impact of a bad hire—the chances of employing a good candidate increase considerably using the right testing metrics.
