Pre-employment assessment

A candidate aptitude test, or employment aptitude test, is part of a systematic approach to test the ability of a potential hire during the pre-employment assessment stage. This test helps to assess whether the candidate can perform specific required tasks as well as gauge the candidate’s reactions to more diverse situations. This enables a standardized method for evaluating and scoring a candidate's skills, with quantified results for comparison against other applicants.

Job postings can attract a large number of applicants. Pre-screening of these applicants via assessments can filter out unqualified candidates early on, reducing the time required of interview teams.

The contents of an aptitude test and the manner in which it is conducted should be very carefully considered - always keeping in mind relevance to the specific job.

Candidate aptitude test examples

Knowledge tests - These tests measure the knowledge of a candidates regarding a particular feature of the job. A knowledge test is based on specific topics relevant to job responsibilities to ensure the candidate possesses the minimum required knowledge.

Skills Tests- Skills tests are typically simple tasks related to essential functioning of the job, such as typing speed and data entry.

Personality tests- There are numerous personality examinations, but commonly performed screening tests involve these factors:

• Introversion vs. Extroversion
• Intuition
• Thought process
• Perception

Ability tests- These evaluate mental and cognitive abilities. These may be used to evaluate a candidate's aptitude for coping with various workplace scenarios.