Pre-employment screening tests, also known as pre-employment assessments or pre-hire assessments, are a standardized way for employers to evaluate potential job candidates. They help employers assess skills, abilities, personality traits, and other characteristics that may indicate future job performance.
In this blog, we will explain pre-employment tests, common types of tests used, the benefits of using them, and best practices.
Types of Pre-Employment Tests
There are several different types of pre-employment tests that assess critical dimensions like cognitive abilities, skills, personality, and risk factors. Here are some of the most common types:
Aptitude Tests
Aptitude tests measure general mental ability, learning, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. They indicate how well a candidate can process new information and think logically to solve problems. Aptitude tests are effective at predicting performance for a wide range of jobs. They are often used for mid-level to executive positions.
Skill Tests
Skill tests directly measure a candidate’s qualifications and abilities required to perform essential job functions. They include tests of specific skill sets like typing, data entry, software/technical skills, language proficiency, etc. Skill tests ensure candidates meet the job’s minimum educational or training requirements.
Personality Tests
Personality tests reveal candidates’ behavioral tendencies, work preferences, motivation, and cultural fit with the company values. The “Big Five” model – assessing Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Openness, and Stability – is commonly used in pre-hire personality assessments.
Integrity/Risk Tests
Integrity tests examine a candidate’s likelihood to engage in counterproductive work behaviors like theft, substance abuse, safety issues, etc. They help screen out high-risk candidates. Integrity assessments are often used for entry-level positions involving money, handling goods, or working independently.
Emotional Intelligence Tests
Emotional intelligence (EI) tests measure social and emotional competencies important for teamwork, leadership, customer service roles, etc. High EI indicates a candidate’s ability to manage stress, resolve conflicts, and build strong working relationships.
Benefits of Pre-Employment Testing
Using valid, job-relevant pre-employment tests offers several benefits to employers:
- Reduces costs associated with high employee turnover by identifying the best fit for the role and company culture.
- Streamlines recruitment process by screening large applicant pools quickly and cost-effectively.
- Decreases unconscious bias in hiring decisions by relying more on candidates’ objective test performances than resumes alone.
- Improves hiring quality and minimizes risks of future counterproductive behaviors through screening of personality and integrity factors.
- Promotes a more diverse and inclusive workforce as testing focuses on judging candidates on standardized evaluations of job-relevant criteria instead of non-job factors.
- Provides legally defensible documentation of hiring decisions in case of any future disputes. Test results support hiring was based on a consistent, fair evaluation of qualifications.
- Allows identifying high-potential candidates who may have been overlooked in initial resume screening but demonstrate strong abilities and traits through testing.
- Enables assessing hard and soft skills difficult to gauge from resumes and short job interviews like problem-solving, communication, teamwork, etc.
Best Practices for Effective Testing
To reap the maximum benefits, employers must follow best practices in pre-employment assessment:
- Use tests validated for the job through rigorous research establishing solid links between test performance and job performance.
- Limit testing only to job-relevant criteria and avoid any non-job-related questions.
- Provide candidates with prior information on test structure and sample questions to help reduce anxiety.
- Ensure tests are administered in a standardized, stress-free environment, and accommodations are made for any disabilities.
- Keep candidate information confidential and use test data judiciously as part of holistic candidate evaluation along with interviews and background checks.
- Provide an option for candidates to receive their scores and get detailed feedback on improving areas of development.
- Continuously review testing program outcomes to verify assessments accurately predict job success and make necessary adjustments.
Conclusion
When implemented properly through validated tools and fair processes, pre-employment assessments offer employers significant recruitment and retention benefits. They supplement traditional screening methods with data-driven, benchmarked insights into candidates’ qualifications and fit. As testing adoption continues growing, it will enable more evidence-based, inclusive, and productive hiring across various industries.
