The future of the cognitive ability test in the recruitment process
A cognitive ability test is a psychometric test that is designed to test a candidate’s numerical reasoning, verbal, abstract, mechanical and spatial reasoning. In other words, they test how well a candidate learns, remembers, pays attention and solves problems, rather than testing for a particular skill set or specific knowledge.
At Urban Psychometrics, we use a cognitive ability test in Brisbane and Melbourne as part of the recruitment process for our clients. A cognitive ability test has been shown to be much better than a personality test to predict how well a candidate will learn a new job or task and how well they excel at critical thinking. Let’s look at the future of these tests in the recruitment process over the next few years.
The popularity of a cognitive ability test will increase
Whilst we have seen a steady increase in the use of the cognitive ability test in Melbourne and Brisbane over the past few years, we expect this increase to continue during 2018 and beyond. With the state of the financial and retail marketplace and the fact that many employees no longer remain in one job for longer than 3 years, employers need to identify candidates who can learn the job very quickly. A cognitive ability test helps an employer to select the right employee for the job, reducing the costs of the recruitment drive and a lengthy training period.
Online testing will become the norm
With the increasing use of the internet and mobile devices in both our private and our work lives, companies will need to become more high-tech with their recruitment process. They will need to ensure that psychometric tests, such as the cognitive ability test, are not only available online, but are also mobile friendly. You might be surprised to learn that many of these online tests still require a Flash plug-in on the candidate’s PC, which is clearly not an option on mobile devices. If your online assessments still require this antiquated software, it’s time that you upgraded the systems that operate your assessments. After all, the best candidates will expect their employer to be up to date with all the latest technology.
For more information on using a cognitive ability test as part of your next recruitment drive, call Urban Psychometrics on 07 3535 1220 or send us an email.
