Types of tests

The following table contains the general types of tests that employers use:

Test type table sample

Test type	Characteristics
Mental ability/Intelligence	Measures learning ability, particularly the ability to learn through the use of printed material. Validation studies have shown that these tests can help predict who is likely to succeed in the job.
Skills	Attempts to assess whether the applicant matches job requirements. Classic examples are driving, welding, and typing and shorthand tests.
Aptitude	Seeks to measure and predict a person's potential for learning and performing specific skills or activities, eg mechanical, musical, physical dexterity. These tests seek to measure how trainable a person is, rather than how well he or she has been trained.
Achievement	Takes many forms. They range from simple typing tests to sophisticated paper and pencil tests that measure degree of knowledge in specific fields. They measure not how trainable a person is, but how well he or she has been trained.
Personality	Assesses traits such as drive, decision-making style, and temperament. These tests can be useful in predicting whether an applicant has the personality traits that are usually associated with success at particular jobs, eg sales, supervision, etc.

Appropriate and properly conducted tests can provide the following benefits to the organisation:

• they can provide a measure of an individual’s particular talents and skills
• they can identify areas where a person may lack ability or aptitude
• they can assist people to make career choices by showing areas in which they are suited or unsuited
• they are potentially a more objective method of assessing individuals than interviewing, being less susceptible to personal bias
• they are convenient and time-saving when there are many applicants for advertised vacancies
• over time, a profile can be built up showing which characteristics of employees were most crucial to successful job performance by combining test results with performance appraisal results
• the profile can aid refinement of the job specification and thus further improve the recruitment process
• the profile can also provide an indication as to which aspects of a job to emphasise when advertising it in future, in order to obtain suitable applicants (for example, whether a job is more suited to people who prefer to work by themselves or those with strong social needs)