Skills Assessment Test For Employees

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Summary. Skill assessment tests are a way for employers to determine an employee’s skill set before hiring them. They are also sometimes used to see how effective a training program is in terms of learning and knowledge retention. They can be either a written exam, a series of questions asked during an interview, or a roleplay or dialog.

Key Takeaways:

Skill assessment tests help determine a candidate’s skill level in a particular area or field.
Tests can be either structured or unstructured, depending on how much time the interviewer wants to spend on them and how standardized they want the process to be.
There are myriad different types of tests. They include hard skills tests, soft skills tests, integrity tests, personality tests, cognitive or physical ability tests, and a combination of different types of skills.

What Is a Skill Assessment Test?

A skill assessment test is a test given to candidates to determine if they have the required skills for a position. Often they’re used in the hiring process to make sure that employees are qualified for the position. However, they can also be used to measure how effective a training program is for its candidates.

Skill assessments should be short if at all possible. Most candidates aren’t going to be thrilled by the idea of having to take a test to prove themselves, especially because the application process is already time-consuming and difficult. So that should be considered when deciding whether to administer a skill assessment test and what manner of test to administer.

Types of Skill Assessment Tests

There are many different types of skill assessment tests. Different employers will emphasize different types of skills or personality types. So, if you’re planning to have a skill assessment test as part of your application process, consider what you want to know about your potential employees before hiring them.

To start with, there are two primary ways to administer a skills assessment. They can be:

Structured. A structured test is the type of test that everyone takes in school. It’s based on certain questions that typically have the right answer. The majority of assessments will be written and will be expected to be filled out by the candidate. Sometimes, they will be read aloud and discussed, but they’ll still follow a set of guidelines and questions.
Unstructured. This type of assessment is much more of a dialog. In this case, the assessor won’t have a specific set of questions and instead will engage with the candidate to determine the depth of their knowledge and how they’d respond to certain situations.

Here are some types of assessments:

Technical Skill Test. This can also be called a job knowledge test. Tests of this sort measure a candidate’s understanding of the skills and knowledge needed to perform the job they’re being interviewed for. A test of this type will make it clear that the candidate is knowledgeable about the subject and will confirm the skills stated in their resume.
Soft Skill Test. In many ways, soft skills are just as important to performing well in one’s job. Some positions will also have an emotional intelligence test, which is similar, but not exactly the same. These will measure helpful traits in the workplace, such as:
- Empathy. Being able to understand others and help them with their problems can be a huge boon. Not only does it help workers get along with others and help them through their problems, but it also facilitates working together, comradery, and open office culture.
- Adaptability. Being able to change as needed is another important life skill. Sometimes problems arise that can’t be solved by the previous methods. Other times someone is sick, or something fails, and someone will have to fill in a role they don’t usually do.
- Communication. Good communication skills are vital. Being able to clearly make yourself understood can help prevent confusion, miscommunications, and hurt feelings.
  
  On the flip side, being able to listen is essential. Understanding what others express is equally important, as well as being willing to ask for clarification.
- Teamwork. The vast majority of projects are a team effort. That means that being able to work with others is necessary for the majority of jobs. Teamwork is a combination of communication, getting along with others, and being willing to give and receive feedback.
Hard Skill Test. Unlike soft skills, hard skills are learned. In some cases, this test can overlap with a technical skills test, but some places have a more genetic hard skills assessment. Basic hard skills include:
- Typing aptitude. In many jobs, being able to type well is a huge boon. However, the majority of jobs don’t require you to be a fast typist. It is the sort of skills; however, that would show up if you’re interested in being an executive assistant or transcriptionist.
- Speaking a second language. While not an essential skill in most jobs (unless you’re a translator), being able to speak a language other than English can be a huge advantage, especially when dealing with the public.
- Education. The education you’ve received is a hard skill. While many assessments aren’t especially tailored to education, there are general education credits that every undergraduate is required to take, meaning that most people with an undergraduate degree should have a similar knowledge base.
Personality Test. While not precisely a skills test, personality tests have become popular in applications. It’s supposed to be a way to measure soft skills, integrity, and the type of job that would suit the candidate. For instance, if they test heavily towards the introverted side, they’ll likely be a great software engineer but not a good salesperson.

The exact nature of the personality test can vary greatly. Many organizations will use an established personality test; however, others will write their own version of one in order to assess more directly how a person would react in a work setting.
Physical Ability Test. Jobs that require physical labor may have a physical ability test. That will ensure that the candidate will be physically able to perform their job duties and won’t end up hurting themselves or causing problems for other employees.
Cognitive Ability Test. These tests look at how a person thinks through problems. They’ll often test numerical and verbal reasoning skills, as well as try to assess how they’d react in unexpected situations. It’s common nowadays to use a game-based approach to this, as it’s less time-consuming and more approachable for the candidate.
Work Sample Test. On occasion, called realistic job previews, job sample tests are exactly what they sound like. A candidate would be set up with a scenario that they might run into at work and are asked to solve the issue. This can range from writing a piece of code to writing up a presentation or resolving a conflict.
Integrity Test. As stated in the name, integrity tests measure a candidate’s honesty. In some positions, having someone with integrity is essential. Positions of this sort include accountants, lawyers, medical professionals, and any job that requires access to classified information.
Combination Test. Some organizations will attack the issue from multiple directions. Instead of measuring one type of skill, they’ll put together an assessment that covers a range of necessary skills. The majority of jobs don’t require just hard skills or soft skills but a mix of both, meaning that testing for all of them makes sense.

Why Use a Skill Assessment Test?

There are several reasons why you may want candidates to take a skill assessment test. They have a number of benefits, though it is important to weigh the inconvenience to the person submitting an application.

Skill tests help determine the following:

Eligibility. In the sense that they’ll show that the candidate does or doesn’t have the technical knowledge to perform the job. Of course, every job requires a bit of training and spinning up, which means that if they fall a bit short, it may not be a dealbreaker.
Honesty. This isn’t just a matter of integrity tests. If someone claims to have a particular education or experience in a particular job but can’t pass the skills assessment, it’s likely they may have lied or embellished their resume.
Ability. Some skills are difficult to put down on paper or don’t seem directly relevant to the job. Cognitive skills, for instance, like problem-solving or conflict resolution, can be difficult to ascertain. But certain skills tests can highlight them.
Communication. While, of course, the resume and cover letter should give you a basic idea of the candidate’s communication skills, it’s difficult to know for sure until they actually have to use them. Some assessments specialize in communication, and many others require communication skills to do well.