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Are you a recruiter or hiring manager looking for candidates for pre-employment assessment tests and tools, including aptitude tests? We invite you to visit our Assess Candidates website.
Which job assessments are used by employers? Why do employers use job tests? How to pass online job tests? If these are questions on your mind, look no further than this up-to-date guide.
In this article, we cover how you can prepare with our GF tools and provide expert advice you will need during your recruitment process. Prepare for your next online assessment with free aptitude practice tests and assessment tools.
Get scientifically validated practice assessment tests, interviews, and assessment centre exercises you can use to practice and prepare for online job assessments and recruitment processes.
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Aptitude Tests
Test Publishers
Video Interviews
Game Assessments
Assessment Centre
Not sure if you should practice to prepare for job assessment exercises? Research has shown that 60-80% candidates are rejected based on their aptitude test results. It is proven that practice increases your chances of getting hired.
A recent study (Bradley et al 2019) found that candidates who do not practice assessments tend to fail at the first hurdle of psychometric assessments (54%-84%). This study considered the Top 100 global employers.
Continue reading to get answers to these crucial questions regarding job assessment tests used by employers for recruitment.
Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
At GF, we provide access to free practice tests for your next job application. Our free practice tests are written by former SHL and IBM Kenexa organisational psychologists that developed SHL assessment tests used by over 80% of the world’s largest employers.
Whether you are a student, graduate, or experienced professional, our assessments and practice tools help with a number of different test publishers, including:
Our SHL-style practice tests and aptitude tests help increase your chances of getting your next job. We increase your success rate in your psychometric test, video interviews, assessment centres, and game assessments.
Start your job test preparation with a FREE aptitude practice test with us to increase your chances. Sign up here to start your practice journey.
We offer over 160 aptitude practice tests to help you during your recruitment process application with different product packages to suit your practice needs, ranging from Free to our Go Premium package. For your assessment preparation, we provide:
Buy our Go Premium bundle and gain unlimited access to all the assessments and tools listed above to help ace your tests and interviews first time!
Before diving into the prep, let’s first understand what aptitude tests are. Read on to find more information about aptitude texts.
An aptitude test is an assessment that is used by an employer to determine your suitability for a specific job role. The aptitude test measures relevant skills such as numerical reasoning, problem-solving, and verbal reasoning through ability or behavioural tests.
Aptitude tests used by employers for recruitment vary depending on the role. They may be done in-house at the employer’s office but in most cases, these tests are online where you can take them from the comfort of your home.
Let’s see some of these aptitude test concepts used by employers for recruitment.
Employer ability tests often focus on assessing your cognitive function, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Behavioural tests, on the other hand, assess your situational judgement, personality, and work preferences.
The most common psychometric tests used by employers include:
Practice FREE numerical, verbal and logical reasoning tests with GF today and get a headstart on your online assessment test practice with live test reports and progress charts based on your performance.
Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs), are psychometric tests used by employers to assess your competencies in a workplace. This test includes a hypothetical workplace scenario and requires you to select the most appropriate action from the options provided.
Looking to kickstart your SJT prep?
Personality assessments are used by most organisations to determine how well you fit into a particular role. These are typically questionnaires used by employers to predict your performance in the workplace through your traits that are relevant to the job.
Looking to uncover your workplace personality?
The Big 5 Model is the most common personality model used in recruitment. It supports SHL’s OPQ32n, Kenexa’s OPI, Hogan’s HPI, and our Work Personality Questionnaire (WPQ).
Take a break and watch the video below to discover our 5 tips to ace personality assessments.
Let’s check out some industries and employers that use aptitude tests for recruitment.
Many industries use aptitude tests in their recruitment process as it is a cost-effective, quick, and proven method of assessing candidates skills and competencies. These industries and roles include:
Now that we’ve checked out top industries that use assessments, let’s delve further and check out some employers that use aptitude tests to hire.
Some employers that use aptitude tests within their recruitment processes include:
Our 100+ Top Employer guides cover hundreds of aptitude tests used by top employers from all over the world. Discover the best tips to prepare and start practicing for your dream job right away!
Watch this P&G Employer guide for an example of how employers use these assessments in hiring below!
So why do employers use these online assessment tests to screen you during their recruitment? Let’s find out why below!
Employers use psychometric tests as a screening tool to measure your skills, abilities, and traits efficiently. The goal is to gain enough insight into your skillset, personality, and competencies.
Employers often use these tests for 2 key reasons:
So, who provides these employer psychometric tests? Let’s check them out below!
There are many aptitude test publishers providing high-quality assessments to employers all over the world to enable them to recruit the best talents into their workforces.
The most common psychometric test publishers include some big names, such as:
You are likely to encounter one of the above test providers during your job application in your job assessment stage.
To give you an edge, we have outlined the 3 major job test publishers you are likely to meet during your job assessment test. These include:
SHL is an occupational psychology-based company that specialises in providing assessments that evaluate the abilities of prospective candidates. SHL is renowned as a leading test publisher and provides psychometric tests to thousands of employers globally.
SHL assessments cover four categories of tests:
Having identified the assessments, here are some helpful tips to help you pass these SHL assessments.
Take a break from reading and check out this short video on how you can improve your speed in your employer assessment test!
Did you know? GF job assessment experts are former SHL test developers? Try a FREE Verbal, Numerical, or Logical Reasoning Test and receive instant expert feedback on your score today!
From SHL, let’s now check out IBM Kenexa, another popular job assessment test provider.
Kenexa was first set up in 1986 by Rudy Karsan as a recruitment company and has grown rapidly since then to offer over 1,500 assessments. Many top employers in talent acquisition and performance management use Kenexa to hire.
Good to know: GF was founded and is run by experts that previously designed and tested Kenexa assessments. As such, we have first-hand knowledge of how employers use these tests to assess you.
Let’s move on to Cubiks, another top job test provider.
Cubiks employs organisational psychologists and psychometricians who develop assessments used by employers for recruitment. Cubiks offers a wide range of tests, including ability tests (called Logiks tests), e-tray exercises, and personality questionnaires.
Having gained some insight into these top job assessment publishers, let now take a closer look at aptitude tests and what they really involve.
But how are aptitude tests typically taken? Let’s find out below!
Employers aptitude tests are usually carried out online, but you may come across these in a traditional written format. As well as assessing your cognitive abilities, these tests are often also timed to assess your time management skills and your performance under pressure.
Check out this typical graduate verbal reasoning test below we’ve designed to show how recruiters often assess your ability to comprehend and analyse written information!
Graduate Verbal Reasoning Test Question Example
Were you able to get the answer in under a minute? Check the correct answer at the bottom of the page!
Sign up with GF today and take FREE practice aptitude tests developed by our experts, who designed and tested the job assessments for 8,000+ companies around the world.
So how do we prepare for these assessments? Keep reading as we share our top expert tips below!
Preparing for a job assessment test may seem daunting, as many employers and providers claim there’s no real way to prepare. However, our team has uncovered 5 employment assessment test tips you can take to ensure you are ready for the employer ability test.
As well as psychometric tests, many top employers also use various other tools to find the best candidate for the role. One of these modernised assessment tools are the game-based assessments.
Game-based assessments are tests designed like games and used by employers to assess your cognitive abilities through interactive tools and game-based elements. Common game-based assessments include emotional intelligence and short-term memory games.
Did you know? Many organisations are now incorporating game-based assessments in their recruitment processes. Some top examples of these organisations include Unilever, HSBC and RBS. Institute of Student Employers (2018)
Some key game assessments provided include:
Game assessments provide you with a more interactive and engaging experience, while they provide employers with thousands of data points on your behavioural activity that employers can use to determine your suitability for the role.
Here’s an example of a common Arctic Shores game assessment used by PwC.
PwC Arctic Shores Balloon Game
Source: Arctic Shores
Now, let’s check out some great tips to help you ace your next game assessment.
Looking to practice more game-based assessments ahead of your job application?
A fundamental stage of any job recruitment process is the interview stage. As businesses move more and more online, virtual interviews are becoming increasingly popular.
Read on below to uncover our top tips to help you prepare for and pass your upcoming job video interview.
What are video interviews?
Video interviews are typically used by employers in the professional and graduate recruitment process. Video interviews are online through various video conferencing platforms like Skype, Google Meet, MS Teams, and Zoom.
Video interviews typically use questions relevant to the role, similar to traditional interviews. However, these may not always be live with an interviewer in some cases, as the questions may be pre-recorded and your responses recorded.
Check out this short video below to discover 3 easy tips to prepare and ace video interviews!
A key way to boost your confidence in video interviews is to practice. Practice video interviews using our GF Video interview Platform to get ready with 60+ sets of practice interview questions.
As well as interviews, many employers use an assessment centre as a final stage of assessment to find the best fit for the company.
Keep reading below as we outline what these involve.
An assessment centre is a hub created to gain more knowledge about your experience and further assess your relevant skills like communication, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
The activities used to examine candidates at assessment centres include:
Kick-off your assessment centre practice with GF and prepare for your next job screening right away!
Recruiters also use assessment centres to assess your technical ability when recruiting for technical roles like software engineering, web development, and cyber security. If you are applying for a technical role, recruiters may also include technical tests in the assessment day’s activities.
Did you know? Our assessment exercises are developed by former SHL consultants. Our assessment centre practice bundle includes case study, in-tray, presentation, group discussion, and role-play exercises.
Assessment Centre Example Exercises
Now that you have all you need to know about various assessments and employers, let’s uncover some super tips to help you land your next job!
When applying for an undergraduate, graduate, or direct entry role, it is important to take several steps that can increase your chances of getting the job. Some of these key steps include:
Research the company and role
This step cannot be overemphasised. It helps you understand the company and know the type of job assessment tests they use and this knowledge can boost your confidence and improve your skills.
Submit a well-tailored CV/resume
This is the first thing your employer checks; therefore, it is important to submit a CV/resume that is well-structured, highlights your relevant skills, and demonstrates your keen interest in the role.
Practice for your assessments
Never downplay the importance of practice. Practicing the job tests beforehand can help you improve your skills, get comfortable with the formats, and boost your confidence.
Smash your interview
Research the role and industry, then dress appropriately for the interview. Speak clearly and maintain eye contact with your interviewer. Ask meaningful questions about the role when it’s time for questions.
Follow up
after your interview. You can send a thank-you message to the interviewer and briefly summarise how much you enjoyed the interview. It is also important to check your emails regularly afterwards in case there is any feedback.
Looking to practice more job assessment tests?
That’s all you need to know about job assessment tests! Before you go, here are top questions other candidates are asking.
Many employers generally use online assessment tests to screen candidates for recruitment. The hiring process used will depend on the role and the company, where some employers may use alternative recruitment tools.
If you were rejected at the assessment stage, you may need to reapply to the company during another window. However, while some employers allow you to retake a test, many employers do not allow candidates to reapply for up to 6-12 months later.
Assessments are typically scored using percentiles to allow employers to compare the results across candidates. It is best to aim beyond the 70th percentile to increase your chances of making it to the next stage.
Online job aptitude tests such as numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning tests typically may include a short time limit of up to 20 and 30 minutes. However, many other job assessments such as SJTs may have no time limit and can last up to 1 hour.
Most employers typically provide feedback on your assessment performance within 2 weeks to enable them to progress candidates to the assessment centre stage as quickly as possible.
Do you want to ace your job assessments first time? Sign up for tools offered by GF, the only aptitude practice test expert providing practice test solutions to over 150 UK universities and their students, and also across Asia and continental Europe. Go to GF now and select from the range of products we offer at no risk. We offer a comprehensive premium package with a full set of assessment tools for candidates (numerical, logical, verbal reasoning, situational judgement tests, assessment centre tests and more). Practice with peace of mind without commitment to a full 100% money-back guarantee if you do not pass your job tests. Correct answer to the Verbal Reasoning Test question – B
Do you want to ace your job assessments first time? Sign up for tools offered by GF, the only aptitude practice test expert providing practice test solutions to over 150 UK universities and their students, and also across Asia and continental Europe.
Go to GF now and select from the range of products we offer at no risk. We offer a comprehensive premium package with a full set of assessment tools for candidates (numerical, logical, verbal reasoning, situational judgement tests, assessment centre tests and more).
Practice with peace of mind without commitment to a full 100% money-back guarantee if you do not pass your job tests.
Correct answer to the Verbal Reasoning Test question – B
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