In most companies, it's common practice for the selected candidates to be called in for one or two interviews. However, many companies also use personality analyses and other tests to help them in the recruitment process. In particular, DISC and jung-based tests are widely used by companies in recruitment to find the right candidate match.
Larger companies in particular use tests in the recruitment process, but smaller companies are also starting to use tests to a greater extent when recruiting candidates. In fact, one study shows that 2 out of 3 companies use tests for recruitment. In larger companies with over 250 employees, 4 out of 5 companies use tests, while in small companies with less than 50 employees, one in two use them.
Tests are therefore very popular among companies for recruitment purposes. Personality tests in particular seem to be useful for many companies to find the right match for the company profile.
However, if you are hiring a new employee, it can be just as good an idea to test a candidate's abilities to find out if the candidate has the professional skills required for the position.
A candidate may have a personality that fits the company perfectly. However, this does not necessarily mean that the candidate has strengths in the exact areas needed for the position. That's why it's a good idea to create an aptitude test that tests the candidate's strengths and weaknesses.
What is a proficiency test?
An ability test is a test that measures a person's ability in different cognitive areas. It can consist of up to 9 sub-tests, giving companies insight into a person's work speed, ability to think, collect, analyse, combine, evaluate and process different pieces of information and respond to them correctly.
The test measures how many questions the candidate answers over how long and what percentage of the questions the candidate has answered correctly. In this way, a candidate's work speed is measured against the candidate's ability to answer correctly - speed vs. quality.
The ability test with its 9 sub-tests can therefore be particularly useful in recruitment to gain insight into a candidate's strengths and areas of development, and thus identify the candidate who can solve tasks in the way that best suits the position.
What does a proficiency test involve?
An ability test consists of 9 subtests, all of which present real-life scenarios for the candidate to respond to. Each subtest measures an area of the candidate's ability to think, problem solve and draw conclusions.
The 9 subtests are:
Abstract logical thinking
It measures the candidate's ability to see the bigger picture and possibilities. This test is relevant to companies in fields such as business development, abstract maths, IT and craftsmen/building constructors.
Understanding of logical processes
It measures the candidate's ability to understand cause and effect relationships. This test is relevant for companies in fields such as computer programming, research, project management, sales, purchasing and logistics.
Spatial thinking
Spatial Thinking measures a candidate's ability to see the logical processes visually and visual thinking. This test is relevant to candidates in creative professions such as draughtsmen, hairdressers, artists, photographers, designers, graphic designers and architects.
Understanding the social context
Here, the test measures a candidate's ability to understand social contexts and other people. In other words, it measures the person's understanding of the social context. This test is relevant for candidates for positions such as managers, teachers, politicians, salespeople, physiotherapists and doctors.
Numerical thinking
Numerical thinking measures a person's ability to perceive the relationship between numerical information. For example, rows of numbers where a number is missing. This test is relevant to organisations in work areas such as retail, management, accounting, logistics, finance and sales.
Mathematical logical thinking
It measures a candidate's ability to understand the logical application of mathematics and apply maths, logic and evaluate arguments. This test is relevant to companies in fields such as data analysis, research, procurement and logistics, as well as analyst and management positions.
Word pair understanding
This test measures a person's understanding of the relationship between different concepts and ability to classify information. This test is relevant to organisations in work areas such as journalism, planning, marketing, politics, negotiation and project management.
Memory test
This test tests memory and the candidate's ability to store many visual objects. The test measures how quickly a person can identify one's images and shows how great the working memory is. This test is relevant to companies in work areas such as detailed planning, architectural design, graphic planning and other positions that require a good memory.
Understanding text
This tests the candidate's ability to understand written information and find causal relationships. This test is relevant to organisations in fields such as journalism, data and analysis collection, identifying and solving problems, and in many other job contexts.
How to use the ability test
As not all areas are equally relevant for all types of positions, it is a good idea to select the tests that are closest to the competences that are required for the position in question and therefore need to be tested.
We recommend that companies use 2-3 subtests at a time. This way, the aptitude test can be completed in 20-30 minutes, after which it can be supplemented by a conversation to review the test results.
However, remember that the best candidate for the position should not be selected solely on the basis of an aptitude test, but should be selected based on an overall assessment of the candidate's experience, education, qualifications, personality and strengths and weaknesses.
What can the test be used for?
The ability test can be used in conjunction with:
- Recruitment
- Development screening and talent management
- Internal job rotations
The test is most commonly used in recruitment to find the right candidate. However, it can also be used for employee development to gain insight into employees' strengths and weaknesses in different cognitive areas. By using the test, the company's management can gain insight into the employees' work speed and core competences, which can serve as a starting point for employee development.
Finally, the test can be used for internal job rotations and team building within the organisation. If you need to rotate within the organisation, the test can clarify whether the employee in question meets the requirements for the current position.
Is the aptitude test right for your organisation?
The ability test and other cognitive tests require certification. The certification is necessary for you to be able to work with the feedback and sensitive data in the aptitude test. Would you like a certification or want to know more about the aptitude test?
Call us on 70263225 today or contact us by email info@hrsolutions.dk and find out more.
If your organisation prefers to use personality tests, you can Read more about the DISC test here.
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