Behind the scenes of aptitude tests

Have you ever encountered such tests, job screening tests or what is called a "psychometric test"?

Have you taken them yourself or sent job candidates to them? Why?

Are you required to solve shape sequences like these in your job?

Does the position you're recruiting for require solving such shape sequences?

Few jobs in the world require solving shape sequences, calculating the next number in a number sequence, or understanding which word fits a verbal analogy. Yet, few workers haven't gone through such screening tests or similar ones during their careers. So why do we insist on putting job candidates through a series of various tests when their relevance to the job isn't always clear to us?

Well, psychologists responsible for developing screening tests have good answers. Meirav Hemi, a psychologist at LogiPass - Computerized Psychometric Assessment, shares the objectives of psychometric tests and what answers about a job candidate can be obtained from these tests.

The first thing we wanted to assess in cognitive ability tests (psychometric or psychotechnical tests) is the candidate's general intellectual ability. If we take a large group of such tests, like shape sequences, number sequences, and verbal analogies (especially these tests, but certainly others as well), we find that they indicate well the candidate's general intellectual ability, which is essentially intelligence. Intelligence is a trait that's very important for success at work, certainly in modern jobs that require the worker to deal with great cognitive complexity, whether in technical aspects of operating complex machines or abstract aspects such as managing people and providing service. Ability tests help us identify from among all candidates for a specific role the more intelligent candidates, who have a greater chance of being more successful than less intelligent candidates.

The second thing we wanted to assess in ability tests, which is very much related to intelligence but still stands on its own, is the candidate's ability to deal with new and unfamiliar tasks, things they haven't encountered before, and see how they cope. Although ability tests are relatively familiar, it doesn't mean we aren't testing the ability to handle new tasks. After all, there are countless sequence combinations that can be presented to a candidate, and they cannot memorize all possibilities. Therefore, they necessarily face a new task with each sequence presented. At LogiPass, we even offer candidates to prepare in advance for the tests, free preparation for job screening tests, because research has found that it doesn't harm the selection process, but on the contrary – it even improves our ability to find the more talented candidates. While there may not be a job that requires solving shape sequences, every job requires learning new tasks, dealing with something unfamiliar, and improving in dealing with it.

Another thing we wanted to test in this test is the ability for logical thinking and orderly thinking – to look at separate items, build one pattern from them, and deduce what the next shape is that fits this pattern. Many jobs require logical thinking, pattern recognition, drawing conclusions, etc., which is why the ability for logical thinking is considered a very important cognitive skill.

Of course, in a shape sequence test, we also examine the ability for visual perception, shape recognition, spatial work, etc., which is required for positions that include reading/creating drawings, for example. In numerical tests, such as number sequences, we check numerical ability, and so on.

Beyond cognitive characteristics such as intelligence and logical thinking, ability tests help us discern personality patterns as well. For example – the candidate's perseverance; work style, impulsivity versus precision, balance between quality and speed; coping strength and energy to invest in work; and more.

Therefore, recruiters looking for intelligent workers, with good ability to deal with new tasks, who are persistent, invested, and capable of balancing work quality with speed – can get a lot of information from the ability tests available in the LogiPass system.