Role Of Cognitive Ability Tests In Recruitment

One of the best tools for predicting better job performance in the hiring process is cognitive ability tests. You may have seen a steady increase in the use of cognitive aptitude test as a pre-employment assessment tool to streamline the hiring process over the past few years. These tests help to examine a candidate's behaviour and potential before further screening, advancement and recruiting. After the implementation of cognitive ability tests in the recruitment process, the time-consuming aspects of a selection process and costs of recruitment reduces significantly. With improvements in technology, the hiring process is becoming more automated by implementing these assessment tools within the recruitment process.

Cognitive ability tests check important problem-solving skills relating to verbal, spatial, abstract, and numerical reasoning ability, multi-tasking, attention to detail, and mental speed of a candidate. They are also known as general mental ability tests and examine a candidate's ability to adopt new skills and solve complex problems. These tests can clearly predict future job performance. Cognitive ability tests are the most accurate predictor of work performance compared to work experience, references or qualifications. Recruitment and selection tests for employees play an important role in the hiring process by measuring:

• Problem-solving Ability

Pre-employment tests help to examine a candidate's ability to solve complex problems. They measure the raw intelligence of a person by examining their ability to solve unfamiliar problems. This is often referred to as Fluid Intelligence. Pre-employment tests are generally used with other psychometric tests like skills and personality assessment tests to give an overview of a person's capabilities.

• Quantitative Knowledge

Numerical reasoning tests are extensively used in the recruitment of job candidates. These tests determine the numerical and procedural quantitative knowledge of a candidate. Tests like these are a great choice for job roles associated with data and numbers. 

• Speed and Accuracy

These tests are powerful predictors of future work performance of a candidate, especially around the speed of learning and problem-solving. When compared with other tools used in the selection of suitable applicants, these types of cognitive ability tests prove themselves to be a fast and accurate tool for recruiting quality candidates.

• Spatial Reasoning Skills

This is an ability to perceive and reason with spatial information related to visual patterns and transform these patterns with respect to the object in space. The Mechanical Spatial cognitive aptitude test requires a candidate to identify a sequence or pattern when that object when placed in different positions and angles. These tests are often used in production, trades and manufacturing environments.

Conclusion

Implementation of these tests in the recruitment process improves successful hiring rates. They are a quick and easy method of identifying the top performing candidates out of a pool of applicants. They can save businesses precious time by automating the screening process and provide a wealth of useful information relevant for making correct hiring decisions. Implementing recruitment and selection tests for employees within the hiring process has the added benefit of improving job satisfaction and long-term employee retention.