Hiring quality talent is the chief goal of every recruitment program - and yet, at the end of the onboarding process, recruiters often find skill gaps in the people they have chosen.
Clearly, they are unable to get a complete picture of their candidates' abilities somewhere down the line despite assessing resumes and conducting structured interviews.
Are you in a similar boat? According to Bersin by Deloitte, the average cost per hire in the US is $4,000. No company can afford to hire someone after investing much time and money only to find that the person is a bad fit!
In this regard, pre-employment aptitude tests are an objective way to evaluate a candidate's skills and shortlist only those who meet specific hiring criteria. Let us take a closer look:
What are aptitude tests?
We will talk about the basics first. What is aptitude? Essentially, it is the inherent ability to perform certain tasks well. There are different types of aptitude, such as mental prowess, a flair for conversation, or an innate talent for painting.
Different jobs require their aptitudes to be completed - the aptitude needed to be a good banker, for instance, is different from what it takes to be a good churchwarden.
An aptitude test evaluates a candidate's ability based on the specific skills needed for a particular job. Such tests are candidates' most accurate predictors of job performance and success.
The tests are structured to deliver universally accepted results by recruiters and assess a candidate's responses to various situations in addition to how well they can solve problems and execute tasks.
Aptitude tests are handy for hiring for all kinds of job roles and hierarchies - from campus hiring and entry-level assistant jobs to analytical and executive-level roles.
What is more - aptitude tests (situational judgment and personality testing) are also conducted for recruiting C-suite-level executives.
Depending on the skill being tested for, an aptitude test can have a number of formats - numerical, verbal, non-verbal, and abstract.
By incorporating aptitude tests into the recruitment process, hiring managers can quickly filter out the candidates with the optimal mix of skills rather than having to interview them all individually to find out.
Tests like this also help keep things objective and accurate, which benefits both the company and the candidate pool.
Types of aptitude tests
Choosing the proper test for a recruitment process is critical, as the results play a big part in determining the candidate's overall suitability for the job. Here are the top 13 commonly used aptitude tests:
1. Syllogisms
Syllogism is a popular psychometric test that assesses logical reasoning and deductive skills. It consists of a central premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion that follows from those two premises. The candidate is asked to state whether the given conclusion logically follows from the information in the premises.
2. Vocabulary test
This is a standardized psychometric test that assesses the candidate's vocabulary. It is commonly used in jobs related to communications or education.
3. Word problem test
This math test includes word problems that the candidate has to read, understand, and then solve. It tests reading and comprehension skills in addition to numerical ability.
4. Verbal analogy test
This measures a candidate's fluency in English and their ability to understand the relationships between complex ideas. It is often featured in tests like the SAT or GRE.
5. Numerical reasoning test
This is a standardized test that captures the candidate's general numerical aptitude. A numerical reasoning test is commonly used to measure how well the candidate can handle numerical data in a job setting, such as bookkeeping or running numbers for a machine learning algorithm.
6. Verbal reasoning test
This kind of test assesses the candidate's ability to process written material and reach factual conclusions from it. The verbal reasoning test could involve a series of true or false questions or ask the candidate to write a short summary of the salient facts in the material. The nature of the material could vary depending on the industry being tested for.
The test screens for verbal ability skills and shortlists candidates who can write and articulate concisely and clearly. Candidates must demonstrate an understanding of written English and must communicate effectively in business situations.
7. Spatial reasoning test
This measures the candidate's innate ability to remember shapes, detect patterns in their structure and sequence and manipulate them without physically touching them. Spatial reasoning is a critical ability in various technical fields, astronomy, and the natural sciences. It is also used to test for physically demanding jobs like military positions or field guides.
8. Critical thinking test
This test evaluates a candidate's ability to identify inconsistencies in reasoning, recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, calculate possible outcomes of a decision, and make an objective decision.
Recruiters conduct critical thinking tests to screen candidates for roles requiring strong decision-making abilities.
9. Number sequence test
This measures numerical ability in the specific context of number sequences. Typically, the candidate will be given a series of numbers and asked to find the missing one or the one that comes next in the sequence. The answer is derived by looking at the arithmetic relationship among the numbers, usually determined by addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division.
10. Mental arithmetic test
This measures numerical ability but is more of a speed test context than numerical reasoning tests. Typically, the candidate will be asked to quickly calculate the answers to arithmetic problems posed in rapid sequence. It measures the ability to quickly process information and deliver the right answer in minimal time.
11. Data interpretation test
If you want to evaluate a candidate's ability to analyze complex data, structure observations, and extract meaningful insights from meaningful data sources such as charts, tables, and graphs, then a data interpretation test is necessary.
12. Situational judgment test
This test assesses the candidate's ability to solve problems in work-based scenarios like coworker tension or manager-subordinate relations. It demonstrates how the candidate might behave in day-to-day job situations and shows the company whether the candidate's approach fits in with the rest of the team's. Recruiters conduct situational judgment tests to evaluate emotional intelligence, teamwork, awareness, and communication skills.
13. Watson Glaser critical thinking test
This critical reasoning test is commonly used to recruit people at the professional or managerial level. It assesses the candidate's ability to process evidence, make inferences and generalizations through applying logic, and reach conclusions. Critical thinking tests are a good measure of judgment, creativity, and problem-solving ability.
How aptitude tests can help with recruitment
Traditional screening methods included resume filters, telephonic interviews, and in-person interviews. While these continue to be an essential part of the selection process, they often do not provide enough insight into a candidate's core competencies.
On the other hand, an aptitude test is designed to assess candidates solely based on specific skills. There are several advantages to incorporating one into the recruitment process, which we discuss as follows:
1. Time saved
The first and most apparent benefit is the time saved. You need no longer invest your valuable time trying to sift through hundreds of applications. Instead, you get a curated list of only those applicants who made the cut on the test and thus are sure to bring only those skills onboard that the job requires.
2. Easy skill-filtering
Most modern aptitude test platforms come with an analytics feature that provides recruiters with a skills matrix of sorts or detailed insights on each candidate's performance, making it easy to see each candidate's strengths and weaknesses - and thus, what kind of training they may need.
3. Wider talent pool
Aptitude tests are conducted online and thus allow candidates to respond from any location. This makes reaching a wider talent pool easier and is also pandemic-friendly.
Aptitude tests also help carry out mass hiring strategies and empower you to automate pre-screening, taking pre-employment tests of applicants, and interview scheduling at scale.
4. No malpractice
Testing platforms usually come with an in-built proctoring solution to ensure that candidates respond fairly without attempting malpractice.
You can gather more data points if you cannot predict a candidate's potential performance once hired. Aptitude tests offer detailed information about a candidate and often highlight extra information that helps you make the best possible hire.
5. Multi-level testing
Recruiters can schedule multiple aptitude tests at different points during the hiring process for more advanced filtering. For instance, an initial test could evaluate general numerical and verbal ability, while the ones, later on, could test advanced verbal analogy and situational judgment skills.
6. No bias or discrimination
Aptitude tests are entirely objective and accurate, which removes unconscious biases in hiring and selecting truly talented candidates for any job.
Over to you
In short, an aptitude test can be instrumental in simplifying the recruitment process and ensuring that each team gets the highest-quality candidates.
With so many tests to choose from, companies in any industry will find one that suits their unique hiring needs. Consider shifting to aptitude tests today to save time and effort while attracting the best long-term hires year-round.
Test candidates for on-the-job skills with Adaface and find the most qualified candidates. Using our platform, you can automatically grade, rank, and benchmark candidates once they complete the test.
Results are displayed along with scores and a breakdown of achievements for individual skill sets. This makes it easy for recruiters like yourself to spot top-performing candidates since they are benchmarked against the rest of the candidates.
So what are you waiting for? If you would like to change how you identify the top talent for your company through aptitude tests, hopefully, this blog has given you the perfect start. Good luck!
Asavari Sharma
Asavari is an EiR at Adaface. She has made it her mission to help recruiters deploy candidate-friendly skill tests instead of trick-question based tests. When taking a break, she obsesses over art.
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