Although selection tests are not yet the norm in Singapore and Asia, an increasing number of companies, particularly the major banks, are now using
specialist tests in addition to the face-to-face interview process. It is important to be aware of what they involve.
The general rule is that bigger
companies use tests more than smaller ones and, the higher the position, the more sophisticated and complex the testing is likely to be.
Three of the most common types
of test are; general ability tests, personality tests and specific tests to assess skills and experience for a particular role:
General ability tests
There are a wide variety of
tests that attempt to assess your general skills and intelligence against a benchmark of similarly graded employees.
Numerical and verbal reasoning
tests are the most common and are often used by the larger banks. They are almost invariably multiple choice, such as: "What number comes after 3, 9, 27?"
and can quickly become quite challenging.
Other tests are more
sophisticated in terms of methodology, like critical reasoning tests where inferences need to be drawn from data, or diagrammatic tests of logical reasoning
presented in the form of abstract shapes and diagrams.
Another type of test requires
you to read a narrative under time pressure and answer a series of what may appear to be ambiguous questions.
Then come more task
orientated tests, such as in and out tray exercises which expect you to react efficiently to a flow of paperwork and directives that make conflicting
demands, or case studies, which may or may not have anything to do with your particular job area, but test your ability to think through and react to
complex challenges.
Personality tests
Personality tests usually take
the form of questionnaires, which set out to provide a profile of your personality and motivation.
Personality questionnaires
are easy to sit and are generally multiple choice. You tick the
box that most accurately describes your preference in a given situation. They set out to identify specific personality traits (such as self assured versus
apprehensive). Your results can be compared with averages taken from the general population or any selected peer group. Further analysis and other tests
establish broad personality patterns.
A slight variation is
Occupational personality questionnaires, which are designed to assess your typical or preferred behaviour as it relates to work. For example, are you
orientated towards introspection or team building? It is easy to think that there are no right or wrong answers and that you can't pass or fail such tests.
However, would a potential employer wish to recruit a tense and introverted person or a positive, thoughtful team player?
Although it may be tempting
to consider giving the answer you think is wanted rather than what you really think, the tests carry warnings that suggest that if you attempt to lie in
your responses, you will be found out, as your results will reveal inconsistencies and invalidate the test. In reality, it is not unreasonable to obtain
examples of the commonly used tests and scoring methods, at least to help understand the potential pitfalls, as well as perhaps helping you to communicate
your personality in a more desirable way.
Specific tests
Specific tests take all
different forms, as they are usually generated to reflect specific companies views of the requirements of a particular role or department. Examples of such
tests include:
1. Presentations
- often given to your potential boss or other managers. It is not unusual for a company to provide the subject of the presentation before you attend the
interview.
2. Report writing - you are given a particular business scenario and then asked to draft a report detailing, for example, salient control features or security
recommendations.
3. Role-playing
- although not the most frequent type of test, role-play is occasionally used to try and gauge how you might react in a specific business situation. For
example, having provided you with the relevant information, someone going for a job as a senior auditor might be asked to enact an audit closing meeting,
with a member of the department's management team as the auditee.
All these tests are designed to provide companies with further evidence of the capabilities and potential
that you have. Very often you are benchmarked not just against skills required for a position in the specific part of the company for which you are
interviewing, but against a norm for a management grade. In some tests, for example verbal and numerical reasoning, there will be a minimum score, which you
must exceed. Other tests provide evidence that is qualitative rather than quantitative, but are no less important in a company's decision-making process.
For more information on selection tests, please contact John Tomnay jtomnay@tomnaynoble.com.
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