The recruitment and selection of high performing leaders and managers are central to the human resources strategy of most organisations. Numerous studies attest to the efficacy of combining both cognitive ability and personality assessment tools in selection, promotion and development as these yield high validity (Busato, Prins, Elshout & Hamaker, 2000; Lievens, Harris, Van Keer & Bisqueret, 2003; Roberts, Kuncel, Shiner, Caspi & Goldberg, 2007).

A recent South African study looked at two ability and personality assessment tools, the Swift Analysis Aptitude-R and the Wave Professional Styles to evaluate the extent to which these were able to predict managerial performance. The study found significant relationships between these assessment tools and how managers performed their jobs.

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In order to keep-up with technological advances we have witnessed that a number of major international test-publishers are considering to discontinue or stop investing in paper and pencil based assessments. A number of organisations are replacing these traditional methods with online supervised assessments as an alternative. In many instances, these assessment are used to assess large volumes of semi-skilled or skilled entry-level candidates such as applicants for learnership or apprenticeship programmes. 

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It has long been recognised and accepted that creativity and innovation are essential in driving the change that organisations require to obtain a competitive advantage. Experts in the field of organisational behaviour indicate that organisational competitive success hinges on the effective management of innovation (Nonala & Kenney, 1991). Other experts concur that companies that are effective at rapidly bringing innovative new products and services to the market are those that have gained a huge competitive edge in today’s business world (Ostrenga, Ozan, McIlhattan, Harwood, 1992).

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In selection and recruitment, most organisations and talent decision makers invest substantial resources in utilizing assessment tools with the aim of attaining the best prediction of an individual’s job performance. These assessments often comprise of test batteries which produce a number of scores in differing areas of performance which are then combined to produce an overall picture of the individual’s match for a predefined role. However, few decision makers stop to consider the implications of their assessment integration method on the accuracy of predicting job success. 

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The last 10 years have seen a steady increase in the use of online assessments. With this growth comes unique questions in how best practice can be maintained in psychometric testing. A key issue around technology and online assessments relates to the impact that various technologies have on accessibility, standardisation, fairness and consistency. For instance, when one takes into consideration the use of mobile technology, how do factors such as screen size, page orientation, download time and input devices, amongst others, impact standardisation, fairness and the reliability of the assessment data.

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As technology trends advance, leading assessment providers actively remain at the forefront of assessment technology. In 2013 alone, more than 50% of adults between the ages of 24-50 owned a tablet device. This significant growth in the accessibility of tablets, translated into over 300 000 login attempts for online assessments in 2014.

In response to these trends, which indicate a clear demand for assessments that can be completed using a tablet, Saville Consulting has launched mobile-enabled assessments which increase candidate experience through better accessibility and mobility.

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New tests for new technology

Have you ever been asked for online practice tests or been invited to complete assessments? Are you curious to know more about cut-e assessments and what they are like? 

Currently cut-e has three different types of ability assessments that can be tried out should you require practice tests. The following is available from the cut-e test drive page: 

• Frequently asked questions;
• Key facts about online assessments;
• How to best prepare for a test;
• What you need to know or do;
• What happens after assessments.

The site has been created by cut-e to help individuals prepare for the selection or development process. The assessments will be similar regarding question types, the format and the difficulty of the tests. To test drive the three assessments, please click here.

The new book, Psychometrics@work from Professor Peter Saville and Tom Hopton provides a preview of what can and can’t be done with psychometrics. 

The book is written and designed for individuals who are interested in learning about psychometric assessment including taking tests or implementing them. Psychometrics@work provides a straightforward approach to a field of study which can be seen as daunting or complicated area.

 “A really helpful book. There are lots of psychometric instruments around and hardly a year goes by without something new being published. It’s sometimes hard to know what’s what objectively. Plus, we all hang on to our favorites, even when they are getting a little long in the tooth! Books like this allow us all to step back and think about what we are using and why.” – CI Welford

The book is already receiving great reviews, click here to read more.