The dangers of the one-size-fits-all approach to psychometric assessment.
At Urban Psychometrics in Brisbane, we often come across organisations that use the same psychometric assessments right across the organisation. Unfortunately, this one-size-fits-all approach, may not always deliver the value a tailored assessment package can offer.
An example of using a one-size-fits-all aptitude test.
In Brisbane, ABC Mining uses a battery of skills assessments to better understand their candidate’s mechanical reasoning, applied reading and basic mathematical skills. They find that for entry level operator jobs and some trade roles, they see quite a bit of variance in the scores, which helps them to rank candidates effectively.
For staff and management roles however, they do not receive as much value from these assessments, because everyone seems to perform within the above average range, which is making it hard to draw a distinction between different levels of performance.
Why does the one-size-fits-all aptitude test not work?
There are two reasons why a one-size-fits-all aptitude test doesn’t work as effectively as a tailored psychometric assessment. First, the difficulty of the assessments has not been tailored to suit the complexities of the different role levels across the organisation. For example, while applied reading and basic mathematics will likely be relevant to the role complexities of an entry-level or operator role, this level of assessment does not reflect the requirements of a staff position and certainly not of a management role.
Second, the abilities being tested are not relevant to every role across the organisation. For example, while a mechanical reasoning assessment is likely to be highly relevant to a mechanical tradesman, it is not suitable for a staff accounting role. Thus, a one-size-fits-all aptitude test adds precious little value to the recruitment process. Unfortunately, this is an all too common scenario.
Even worse, is where the opposite occurs. Using another all too frequent example, we often see advanced level, managerial psychometric assessments administered to people applying for roles where the actual complexity and reasoning requirements are far lower.
Unfortunately, this scenario causes undue stress for the candidates and disadvantages many who may be well suited to the role actual role complexities. This is why at Urban Psychometrics in Brisbane, we work with you to understand the key position criteria and complexity of the role, before recommending any assessments.
Our tailored psychometric assessment approach
In order to get the most out of the psychometric assessment results, there are three simple steps we follow:
- Competency Selection
Before any aptitude test or assessment is undertaken, we first define the knowledge, skills and abilities that are required to successfully perform in a given role. These competencies provide a clear set of dimensions against which performance can be described and measured. - Relevant & Readable Reports
In addition to selecting assessments suitable to the role, our reports can be tailored to suit the competency framework and written by a qualified psychologist. This ensures reports are easy to read and relevant to the role requirements. - Feedback of Results
At Urban Psychometrics in Brisbane, we believe that verbal feedback on psychometric assessment results is a valuable part of the process. This provides an opportunity for you to ask specific questions regarding candidate concerns, and it helps to raise further insights into candidate suitability – helping to understand how the psychometric results may play out in terms of workplace performance.
To explore using a psychometric assessment in your next recruitment campaign, call Urban Psychometrics in Brisbane on 07 38 or 03 6147 or get in touch today.
