7 types of pre-employment tests

Here are some pre-employment tests you can prepare to take the next time you apply for a job:

 Job knowledge tests

 Integrity tests
 Cognitive ability tests
 Personality tests
 Emotional intelligence tests
 Skills assessment tests
 Physical ability tests

Job knowledge tests

1. Job knowledge tests

Job knowledge tests measure a candidate’s technical or theoretical expertise in a particular field. For example, an
accountant may be asked about basic accounting principles. These kinds of tests are most useful for jobs that require
specialized knowledge or high levels of expertise.

Limitations
A job knowledge test doesn’t take into account a very desirable attribute: learning ability. A candidate may have
limited knowledge but be a fast learner. Or they may know a lot but be unable to adjust to new knowledge and ideas.
Plus, there’s always a gap between knowing something in theory and applying it in practice.

2. Integrity tests
The story of pre-employment testing began with integrity tests. They can help companies avoid hiring dishonest,
unreliable or undisciplined people. Overt integrity tests ask direct questions about integrity and ethics. Covert tests
assess personality traits connected with integrity, like conscientiousness.

If carefully constructed, integrity tests can be good predictors of job performance. Plus, they’re less biased than other
tests, as few differences have been spotted between people of different age groups or race.

Limitations
Candidates faking answers is always a concern. Especially with overt integrity tests. If a candidate is asked whether
they ever stole something, how likely are they to answer yes? If they did, they’d be (paradoxically) honest enough to
tell the truth. Employers should consider the fact that people can repent and change.

3. Cognitive ability tests

Cognitive ability tests measure a candidate’s general mental capacity which is strongly correlated to job performance.
These kinds of tests are much more accurate predictors of job performance than interviews or experience. Workable
uses a General Aptitude Test (GAT) which measures logical, verbal and numerical reasoning.

Limitations
As with any cognitive ability test, practice can improve test takers’ scores. Also, cognitive ability tests are vulnerable
to racial and ethnic differences, posing a discrimination risk. Use multiple evaluation methods and don’t base hiring
decisions on these tests alone. Just use the results as a guide.
Personality tests

Personality tests indicate to employers if you fit within the company's culture and if your personality leads to an
increase in productivity. Test results might help employers evaluate your engagement level and if they think you're
interested in a long-term career with the organization. Review the different types of personality tests to understand
the format and the questions asked so you can properly represent your personality to employers.

Some pre-employment personality tests you might take include:

 The Caliper Profile

 The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
 The SHL Occupational Personality Questionaire
 The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)
 The DiSC Behavioral Inventory

4. Personality tests
Personality assessments can offer insight into candidates’ cultural fit and whether their personality can translate into
job success. Personality traits have been shown to correlate to job performance in different roles. For example,
salespeople who score high on extraversion and assertiveness tend to do better. The Big five model is popular.
Motivation tests are also personality assessment tests, used more frequently by career guidance counsellors in
schools.

Limitations
Social desirability bias plays an important role in self-reported tests. People tend to answer based on what they think
you want to hear and end up misrepresenting themselves. Make sure the test you choose is designed to catch
misrepresentations. Some candidates might also find personality questionnaires invasive, which could hurt candidate
experience. So, be careful how and when you use them.

Emotional intelligence tests

Emotional intelligence tests analyze your relationship-building skills and your knowledge of emotions. Having high
emotional intelligence shows how you can defuse conflicts and relieve the anxiety of coworkers if they're frustrated or
disappointed. Some employers may use the Berke assessment to review the range of your emotional skills to see
they fit for the position you applied for.

A few skills that can be revealed during your emotional intelligence test include:

Teamwork

Employees with teamwork skills can succeed if they can collaborate with coworkers of different backgrounds and
personalities. By working with your team, you have a better chance of accomplishing your goals and getting a
promotion to a high-level role.

Adaptability

Adaptability displays how you can change to meet the current demands of your company. For instance, if you're a
project manager and a client needs to alter the deadline of a project, you need to reprioritize your tasks to meet their
expectations.

Empathy

Empathy is the way you understand the feelings of others in a given situation. This trait underscores that you're
compassionate and willing to help coworkers improve their mindset and achieve their goals.
5. Emotional Intelligence tests
Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to how well someone builds relationships and understands emotions (both their own
and others’). These abilities are an important factor in professions that involve frequent interpersonal relationships
and leadership. In general, tests that measure EI have some predictability of job performance.

Limitations
People don’t always tell the truth when reporting their own EI abilities. You can ask experts or observers to give their
input but be prepared to spend more money and time in the process.

Skills assessment tests

Skills assessment tests overview your soft and hard skills. Employers test for these skills once they're in the later
stage of the hiring process to understand who they might want to hire. For example, if an employer wants to hire you
for a public relations coordinator position, they might administer a writing test to see how many words you type per
minute, if you can write newsworthy content within a given timeline and how well you proofread your content before
submission. Additional skills assessment tests may require you to demonstrate your research skills, presentation or
leadership skills to advance in the hiring process.

6. Skills assessment tests

Skills assessments don’t focus on knowledge or abstract personality traits. They measure actual skills, either soft
skills (e.g. attention to detail) or hard skills (e.g. computer literacy). For example, a secretarial candidate may take a
typing test to show how fast and accurately they can type. Other examples include data checking tests, leaderships
tests, presentations or writing assignments.

Limitations
Skills assessment tests are time-consuming. Candidates need time to submit work or give presentations. Hiring
managers also need time to evaluate results. You can use skills assessments during later stages of your hiring
process when you have a smaller candidate pool.

7. Physical ability tests

Physical abilities tests measure strength and stamina. These traits are critical for many professions (like firefighting).
So they should never be neglected when relevant. By extension, they’ll help reduce workplace accidents and
worker’s compensation claims. And candidates won’t be able to fake results as easily as with other tests.

Limitations
Sometimes physical ability tests may resemble medical examinations that are protected under the Americans with
Disabilities Act. If you’re not careful, you could face litigation. You should also allow for differences in gender, age and
ethnicity when interpreting your candidates’ results, for the same reason.

Screening by Means of Pre-Employment Testing

Basics of Pre-Employment Testing

Types of selection tools and test methods

Cognitive ability tests measure intelligence. The most common types, IQ tests, measure general mental ability.
Other tests gauge verbal ability, math skills, spatial perception, or inductive and deductive reasoning.

Physical ability tests measure strength, endurance and muscular movement.

Aptitude tests measure an applicant's ability to learn a new skill.

Personality tests measure characteristics such as attitudes, emotional adjustment, interests, interpersonal relations
and motivation. Employers frequently use these tools, but critics say they are an invasion of privacy and unrelated to
job performance. See What Do Personality Tests Really Reveal?

Honesty and integrity tests measure an applicant's propensity toward undesirable behaviors such as lying, stealing,
taking drugs or abusing alcohol. Two types of tests assess honesty and integrity. Overt integrity tests ask explicit
questions about honesty, including attitudes and behavior regarding theft. Personality-oriented (covert) integrity
tests use psychological concepts such as dependability and respect for authority. Critics have said these tools may
invade privacy and generate self-incrimination. They also claim that candidates can interpret the questions' intent and
provide politically correct answers. Some states have regulations regarding these types of tests, so employers should
consult with legal counsel before implementing.

Polygraph tests provide a diagnostic opinion about a candidate's honesty, but their validity has been called into
question, which has led to restrictions on their use. The Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 prohibits
employers from requiring or requesting pre-employment polygraphs under most circumstances.

Determining what testing is needed

The first step is to identify the KSAOs required to perform the job:

 Knowledge is information the employee must possess (e.g., knowledge of accounting principles).
 Skills are learned behaviors needed to successfully perform a job (e.g., typing).
 Abilities are observable behaviors, including those needed to perform the physical requirements of the job
(e.g., climbing stairs, lifting).
 Other characteristics include any other job requirements (e.g., attitude, reliability).

The process of deciding which tests to use begins by isolating the KSAOs the new employee must possess on Day 1.
In other words, what must the person know and be able to do without additional on-the-job training? Once the list of
KSAOs is created, the employer can consider testing options.

Knowledge is evaluated via written and oral questions. Although commercial tests are available for a host of specific
job fields, they should be evaluated for reliability and validity before use.

An employer may also develop and validate customized questions for a written exam or an interview, ensuring
interviewers ask the same questions of each applicant for the position.

Skills are best assessed by having the applicant perform them. Obviously, some skills are more easily assessed than
others, but testing key job skills may be valuable. Again, employers should develop a standardized, job-related,
validated assessment process for use with each applicant. Skills can be tested by asking for work samples or by
developing job-related assessment centers.

Abilities are also best assessed by demonstration. When strenuous physical activity is involved, however, safety
concerns may trump the need for evaluation. Many employers prefer the mental ability test, which measures general
intelligence, but it is uncertain whether such tests predict job performance, and they often have a discriminatory
impact. For jobs that require frequent learning or mental acumen, a job-related assessment center is a better option.

Other characteristics can be assessed in various ways, depending on the specific attribute. Some of these tests will
be classified as medical evaluations and cannot be administered until the employer makes the job offer.

What Is an Aptitude Test?

An aptitude test is a systematic means of testing a job candidate's abilities to perform specific tasks and react to a

range of different situations.

The tests each have a standardised method of administration and scoring.

The results are quantified and compared with all other test takers.

No prior knowledge is needed, as the tests measure innate ability at a particular competency.

How Are Aptitude Tests Administered?

Aptitude tests are usually administered online – most often after a candidate has made their initial job application –

and are used to filter unsuitable applicants out of the selection process, without the need for time-consuming one-to-

one job interviews.

Employers use aptitude tests from a variety of providers – such as SHL, Talent Q and Cubiks – alongside general

interview advice, application forms, assessment centres, academic results and other selection methods.

What Are the Different Types of Aptitude Test?

Numerical reasoning tests assess your ability to interpret data and do basic math,

including fractions, percentages and currency translation.

Verbal reasoning tests assess your ability to comprehend passages of text and make accurate deductions.
In-tray exercises provide a simulation of an email inbox, where you are required to respond to an imagined scenario.

Often these will be followed by an interview or presentation at an assessment centre.

Diagrammatic tests measure your logical reasoning ability, usually under strict time conditions. They usually require

you to infer a set of rules from a flowchart or similar diagram, and then to apply those rules to a new situation.

Situational judgement tests are psychological tests that assess your judgement in resolving work-based problems.

Inductive reasoning tests are designed to examine a candidate’s abstract reasoning ability. They identify how well a

candidate can see the underlying logic in patterns, rather than words or numbers.

Cognitive ability tests measure intelligence through logic, reasoning and problem-solving exercises.

Mechanical reasoning tests assess your ability to apply mechanical or engineering principles to problems; they are

often used for technical roles.

Watson Glaser tests are often used by law firms to assess a candidate's ability to critically consider arguments.

There are five types of question, each tests a different aspect of critical thinking (inferences, assumptions,

deductions, interpretations and evaluation of arguments).

Abstract reasoning tests use diagrams, symbols or shapes instead of words or numbers. They involve identifying

the underlying logic of a pattern and then determining the solution to test general intelligence and reasoning ability.

Spatial awareness tests assess your ability to form mental images and visualize movement or change between

them. They are often used in applications for jobs in design, engineering and architecture.

Error checking tests are an unusual type of aptitude test that focus on your ability to identify errors in complex data

sets, such as codes or combinations of alpha-numeric characters.