There are many types pre-employment tests. We will be discussing five types of assessment: aptitude, personality, emotional intelligence, risk and skills.
Aptitude tests measure critical thinking, problem solving, as well as the ability learn, digest, and apply new knowledge. Cognitive aptitude tests assess applicants' general intelligence or brainpower. According to one study, 73% of employers wanted candidates with problem-solving abilities, and 63% desired candidates with analytical skills. These skills are hard to evaluate if you only look at resumes and interview transcripts. That is why aptitude tests can be helpful. Aptitude tests can be used for any occupation, but are particularly useful for jobs at the mid- or higher levels. Aptitude tests measure the essential skills required for job performance in many fields. This is why it's the best predictor of job success.
Organizations looking to hire the best talent can benefit greatly from pre-employment assessments. Pre-employment assessments can be added to the candidate selection process for companies of any size to help them better manage the huge pool of applicants to open jobs. While technology is responsible for increasing applications, it can also provide an answer by making it easier to include pre-employment tests into the hiring process.
As a way to manage large applicant pool, pre-employment testing has become more popular in recent years. It is now easier than ever to find job opportunities. According to one study, 250 resumes were submitted per job opening. Some job-seekers are called "resume scammers", and they distribute their resumes all over the internet, without any regard for required qualifications or job suitability. It is not surprising that nearly half of all job applicants fail to meet the basic requirements of the job. It is a common problem that most hiring managers lack the time and resources to carefully review every applicant's application. According to some reports, recruiters spend an average of 6.25 seconds reviewing each resume.
Figure 1: In predicting job performance aptitude tests are twice the predictive power of job interviews, three-times as predictive of job experience, four-times as predictive of education level, and three times as accurate as job interview results.
Research shows that cognitive aptitude tests do a better job of predicting job performance then other common hiring criteria. Aptitude tests are twice the predictive power of job interviews, three-times as predictive than experience, and four-times as predictive like education level.
While personality tests are becoming more popular among HR professionals there are still many misconceptions about how and what they should be used.