What are game and gamified assessments? How can you prepare for employer game assessments? Which employers use game assessments? If these are questions on your mind, then look no further than this guide. Are you a recruiter or hiring manager looking for candidate pre-employment assessment tests and tools including game assessments? We invite you to visit our Assess Candidates website. In this text we go into depth on various types of game assessment currently being used by top employers. We’ve got the lowdown on these games and how they work, so you can learn what to expect, start preparing for the real game assessments through practice with us at GF. Why is it important to practice and prepare for your game assessments? Researchers at the University of Sussex Business School, in association with the Institute for Employment Studies, have warned that young jobseekers feel confused, dehumanised and exhausted by automated recruitment systems. To get ahead and ace these new automated hiring systems, practice game assessments with GF and prepare for your job assessments and ace your application first try. GF TestSkills PracticedCognition-A™AttentionCognition-M™MemoryBARTRisk-Takingi-EQ™EmotionsMTA-Tray™Organising, Attention, and Multi-TaskingMathBubbles™Mental ArithmeticFlanker TaskAttentionPassCode™Attention and Resilience In this guide we will cover: Contents Game-based assessments for Candidates and Job Seekers How to Prepare for Game-Based and Gamified Assessments Top 3 Differences Between a Traditional Psychometric Test and a Game-Based Assessment/Gamified Assessment Top 4 Reasons Why Companies Use Game-Based Assessments Types of Gamified / Game-Based Assessments and the Top Global Providers Game-based assessments for Candidates and Job Seekers Gamified-assessments, also referred to as game-based psychometric assessments or gamified-recruitment, are becoming an increasingly common recruitment tool to screen through thousands of applications in search of the best candidates. Game-based assessments incorporate game elements into psychometric tests and can be used alongside, or as an alternative to, traditional psychometric test solutions. As a result, standard psychometric tests such as verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, numerical reasoning, situational judgement tests and personality tests are being moved onto gamified platforms. This offers a more engaging and realistic experience for job seekers and provides employers with thousands of behavioral data points that can be used for a more focused selection of candidates. Many large employers are leveraging gamified assessments as part of their recruitment processes (Institute of Student employers, 2018). A few of these major companies include Unilever, HSBC and RBS.. So what are game assessments? If you’re imagining a computer game combined with a traditional psychometric test, you’re on the right track. You’re a tetris champion, so it’ll be easy, right? Not exactly. These games are designed to be “fun” but they are real, scientific assessments. They also vary considerably in terms of format and content. Currently the three most common gamified assessments used by employers are: A series of short tests: to assess a particular skill or behavioural trait. For jobs in banking, they might want to assess a candidate’s level of risk-taking or memory, for example. Longer games assessing work/occupational personality: These use complex scenarios in which the candidate deals with a business situation and makes decisions as they progress. Job simulation experiences: This type of gamified recruitment solution is a bit like several psychometric tests combined: situational judgement, numerical, logical, e-tray and personality questionnaires. These job simulations: Will often take more than an hour to complete and tend to be more complex since they replicate an entire business experience. May start from the moment the candidate walks through the door of the office, so be prepared! Will involve a number of situations where candidates are asked to take business decisions, driving the next steps of the assessment. How to Prepare for Game-Based and Gamified Assessments 1. Identify which gamified assessments are used by which employer It is likely that you will be asked to complete several assessments of varying complexity. The most typical tests assess your personality, judgement, numerical skills, risk taking, memory and the interpretation of emotions. For some quick preparation tips to help you practice for your game assessments, check out our short video below: Watch this video on YouTube Keep reading to discover many examples of game-based assessments used and uncover which employers use games in their current candidate assessment processes. 2. Practice gamified assessments like any other aptitude test This is the best way to maximize your chances! By practicing, you will reduce stress and familiarise yourself with the format of the assessment. It is unlikely you will get the exact same games in your recruitment process but it will help you find out how to react and prepare your strategy. You can practice several game-based assessments with GF (balloon, cognitive memory, emotions, attention). 3. Assess what is being measured Is it your numerical skills, situational judgement, risk-taking, memory or personality? Ensure you understand what the game assessment aims to measure before you take the assessment. This will help you navigate the real test. 4. Take the game-based assessment in a quiet place With a fast and stable internet connection, where you know you will not be disturbed or distracted. Make sure you allocate enough time to get set up beforehand! Never postpone taking the assessment until the last minute. These games are demanding in terms of concentration and level of interaction; sometimes they can take up to an hour. Ensure you have enough time to complete the game assessment. 5. Use the best device for the test. Avoid using mobile devices (unless asked to do so) since some of the tasks may be difficult to perform on a smaller touch screen. Make sure you have the right operating system to take the tests. Some tests may require iOS, Android, Windows or Mac to function properly. Many employers will provide information in advance on which device is best for you to complete these game-based assessments. 6. Read all game instructions carefully Don’t presume you automatically know what to do! Some companies tweak instructions or change the format of the game during the course of the assessment. This could mean that the game questions change and the story adapts as you progress, depending on your answers. Key Gamified Assessment Tip: Pay extra attention to this and read the instructions very carefully so you don’t get caught out! What are the Top 3 Differences Between a Traditional Psychometric Test and a Game-Based Assessment/Gamified Assessment 1. Measurement of behavioral traits Predefined questions/instructions vs. dynamic questions/situations: In traditional psychometric tests, candidates are confronted with a number of predetermined questions and are required to answer them under a time limit. Companies use response data to analyse candidates’ speed and accuracy when answering questions In gamified assessments, you need to solve problems in a dynamic way. This provides more information to employers about candidates’ actual behaviour than just speed and accuracy. Game assessments also measure: The response time Patterns of behaviour A candidate’s attitude to risk-taking and changing scenarios The way candidates react to feedback during the assessment Behavioural variations among individuals completing gamified tasks correspond to observable differences in personality traits and cognitive abilities. By capturing authentic behaviour, game-based assessments attempt to objectively distinguish between candidates on a wide range of traits. 2. Data availability and analysis potential Gamified psychometric assessments collect thousands of data points from just one candidate taking one assessment. Artificial Intelligence (AI), cognitive neuroscience and data neuroscience are used to feed predictive algorithms, analyse data, recognize patterns and produce an automated report. 3. Candidate experience In game-based assessments it is not just the test interface that is more engaging, but the games themselves. They often include typical game-style tasks such as moving, clicking and drag-and-drop. Candidates must use these to solve problems presented on the user interface, through mobile or on a computer. They may introduce a story or characters with specific features so the candidate feels immersed in the problem-solving experience. For example, check the below Arctic Shores gamified assessment. Source: Arctic Shores Top 4 Reasons Why Companies Use Game-Based Assessments They offer the same benefits as other online assessment tests, such as measuring a candidate’s cognitive abilities, as well as speed and accuracy. Game assessments also… Offer a better candidate experience: Gamified solutions offer more enjoyment and engagement than traditional online tests. They are fun to use, designed for mobile and meet the expectations of Gen Y and Gen Z employees entering the labour market. Track behavioural data: Gamified assessments measure not only answers to predetermined questions and results, but also collect extensive behavioural data on candidates. It is harder for candidates to attempt to manipulate results with biased responses, unlike in self-reported answers. Reflect dynamic situations: Gamified assessments are designed to test candidates on the actual tasks they will face in their daily jobs. By creating an innovative and interactive method of candidate assessment, candidates stay more focused and immersed in their tasks, eliminating potential interruptions. To sum-up, game-based assessment allows recruiters to learn more about candidates and select the most fitting future employees for the company. GF offers game-based assessments for you to practice. Try GF’s gamified assessments, immerse yourself and understand how they work before you attempt the real deal. Types of Gamified / Game-Based Assessments and the Top Global Providers There isn’t one single type of gamified assessment, but there are some general trends in the current market which we will go over in this section. Several companies are currently developing gamified assessments. The current leading providers of game-based and gamified assessments are Arctic Shores, Assess Candidates, The Talent Games, Pymetrics, HireVue and Revelian. Discover more about Arctic Shores (AS) and Pymetrics through our articles to better understand what kind of games they offer. Gamified assessments can vary from simple games examining your cognitive skills in an interactive format, to immersive job simulation experiences that analyse your personality traits. Some of the main types are: 1. Interactive assessments These are traditional psychometric tests that have been made interactive. You will still have to solve very similar tasks – but in a different format. Instead of clicking on the answer, you might need to move it or circle it, for example. Gamified numerical, logical, situational judgement or personality tests are the most common. In reality these are “interactive” solutions rather than gamified assessments. They do not generally measure behavior but provide a better user experience vs. traditional tests. SHL and Cut-e offer these types of solutions. 2. Single assessment games Single game assessments address individual competencies, eg. numerical skills, memory or logical reasoning. You will typically be asked to complete a set of very short, interactive tasks with a “game” layout, which may be part of a bigger story. They may not ask a typical question but provide you with very generic instructions. They use standard game tactics to measure your abilities and competencies. This could, for example, include a task in which you throw rocks at glass bottles containing butterflies. For each released butterfly you get points, but you also get penalties for smashed bottles. The trick is that bottles will randomly release butterflies or smash – your task is to make a dynamic decision based on: how many rocks you throw at each bottle, how risky your approach is, whether you still seek to gather more points after a failure or whether you give up. A lot can be learned from candidate reactions in these types of games. Unfortunately for candidates, these games vary significantly so you cannot learn one single correct way to play. Arctic Shores are one of the players in this area. PWC, Deloitte, Citi, KPMG and e-on are just a few of the companies that use single game assessments. Below is a GF single game assessment example to help you practice for your assessment tests: Practice BART Balloon game assessment and other games here to gain more confidence and maximize your chances of successfully passing gamified assessments. Watch this short video to understand what the Balloon game assessment measures: Watch this video on YouTube 3. Job-Simulation Game-Based Assessment A different type of game-based assessment is the job-simulation game-based assessment. These games immerse you in a virtual office world. They are usually tailored to the specific company you apply to, reflecting the brand image and company culture. These gamified assessments act as a platform on which certain personality traits and skills are measured through standard psychometric and personality tests, such as Situational Judgement Tests or Work Personality Questionnaires. Coca-Cola is one of the companies using a job simulation task. The Talent Games is one of the game assessment development companies producing this particular type of test for many employers. For this type of gamified assessment, you need to ensure you keep in mind these 3 key tips: Recognise what personality profile the company is looking for in an ideal candidate. Read job descriptions to get an idea of who they want: is it someone who can demonstrate patience or perhaps a person who takes risks? An extraverted communicator or a diligent analyst? Familiarise yourself with the format and phrasing of personality questions. Game-based assessments often follow a similar logic to more traditional personality tests; the interactive format simply gives the company more data points (from observing your actual behaviour!) and information – as well as making the experience more engaging for you. observing your actual behaviour!) and information – as well as making the experience more engaging for you. Job-Simulation Game-Based Assessment / The Talent Games Source: The Talent Games website 4. Behavioral Gamified Assessments Behavioural gamified assessments indirectly measures decision-making and reveals your behavioural preferences. One example is a game developed by Pymetrics – it uses an intertemporal allocation problem to measure impatience levels and individual discounting of future gains. For roles requiring patience and a sophisticated approach to personal benefit discounting, this type of information might be crucial for an employer. Unilever, Accenture and Workday all use behavioural gamified assessments. Below is an example behavioural gamified assessment question from Pymetrics: Behavioural Gamified Assessments / Pymetrics Source: Pymetrics website 5. Emotional Intelligence Game-Based Assessments Gamified assessments can also include questions examining your emotional intelligence. One such example is a game developed by Revelian called “Emotify” that uses a gamified platform to examine how individuals recognise and identify emotions in others: an essential skill in roles requiring communication and teamwork. Example of An Emotional Intelligence Game-Based Assessment Example of An Emotional Intelligence Game-Based Assessment Source: Revelian website Make sure that you clear your mind before you begin and avoid any negative emotions and distracting thoughts that can hinder your performance. You can practice and improve this skill through playing our i-EQ™ game. At GF, we offer a practice emotions game-based assessment called i-EQ. It is a good prep for assessments where you are asked to identify emotions based on facial expressions presented (e.g. PwC). Emotional Intelligence Game Assessment Don’t miss out on the below video where we explain: Why emotional intelligence gamified-assessments are used by employers globally What a typical example Emotional Intelligence practice question looks like How Emotional Intelligence Game-based assessments measure candidates Watch this video on YouTube Leading providers of game-based and gamified assessments: Arctic Shores The Talent Games, Pymetrics, Revelian, HireVue and other trademarks are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with GraduatesFirst Ltd. or this website.