What Kinds of Questions Are Asked in Skills Assessment Tests?

Hiring has become challenging for businesses during the past few years. One reason is that there is a lack of qualified talent. According to a ManpowerGroup 2023 Global Talent Shortage report, 77% of employers worldwide need help finding qualified candidates to fill critical job roles.

Organizations have upgraded their technology and implemented digital transformation initiatives. However, applicants’ skills need to catch up with these changes. Therefore, we have an enormous skills and knowledge gap. According to a Korn Ferry report, there is a global talent shortage of more than 85 million people—about the size of the population of Germany.

Another problem is that traditional recruiting tools are no longer effective. HR professionals used to rely on resumes, applications, and interviews to screen candidates. However, they cannot assume applicants’ information is correct because over 80% of candidates lie on resumes and during job interviews.

Employers in virtually every industry rely on skills-testing solutions to identify top candidates. Skills test results are more reliable than traditional tools because they are data-driven. They show which candidates have the required job skills and help hiring teams determine whether candidates fit their corporate culture well.

What Types of Questions Are in Skills Tests?

Skills tests include questions that help hiring team members confirm that candidates have the required knowledge and experience. Questions are normally multiple-choice, true/false, and short-answer. Many hiring teams also add simulation questions that present applicants with realistic work situations so they can be evaluated on how they perform in job-related situations.

Video response questions are also popular with HR teams because they measure skills that are difficult to evaluate using written assessments, such as verbal communication, presentation abilities, and foreign language skills.

How Do Skills Tests Improve Hiring?

Companies that use an industry-leading assessment solution like the eSkill Talent Assessment Platform^TM have access to a library that contains hundreds of validated subject- and job-based skills tests. HR professionals can use the pre-prepared skills tests as-is or revise them by designating difficulty levels for questions and removing irrelevant questions.

These are examples of skills tests in the eSkill Assessment Library:

• AutoCAD Technician
• Business Analyst
• Call Center Operator
• Event Coordinator
• Firefighter
• Hazardous Material Specialist
• Java Developer
• Loan Officer
• Network Engineer
• Medical Transcriptionist
• Office Manager
• Tax Accountant
• 911 Dispatcher

HR leaders can create customized assessments by choosing questions from multiple skills tests and even add their own questions if needed. For instance, if your company is hiring a web designer, you can select questions from the Web Designer Skills Test to assess candidates’ creative and design skills, the Web Developer Skills Test to evaluate applicants’ ability to build and manage websites, and the Quality Assurance Tester Skills Test to verify they know how to test, troubleshoot, and resolve website issues. Then you can add questions that pertain to internal processes or design requirements.

What do Cognitive Skills Tests Measure?

Businesses need employees who can size up situations, take appropriate action, and learn on the job. Cognitive skills tests show how well candidates can process and retain information, learn new skills, and apply their knowledge to make good decisions.

These are some cognitive skills tests that are available in the eSkill Assessment Library to give HR teams maximum insight into candidates’ intellectual abilities:

• General Reasoning: Used to evaluate general analytic skills.
• Numerical Reasoning: Evaluates math, analytical, and logic skills.
• Spatial Reasoning: Assesses candidates’ ability to visualize designs and structures.
• Verbal Reasoning: Measures applicants’ ability to comprehend what they hear and read.

In general, candidates who do well on cognitive skills tests thrive in dynamic work environments, are capable of absorbing new information, and can quickly adapt to a fast-paced environment.

Why Are Behavioral Assessments Important?

Skills test results show which candidates can perform a job but do not show whether they are a good fit for the job and your corporate culture. HR professionals use behavioral assessments to identify behaviors and personality traits that indicate how candidates will act on the job, collaborate with colleagues, treat subordinates, and work with customers. Some of these include:

• Workplace personality
• Work style and habits
• Communication style
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Motivators
• Ethics

How to Get the Most Out of Skills Tests

The eSkill Talent Assessment Platform^TM gives you the flexibility to design assessment strategies for any position by allowing you to:

• Choose questions from multiple assessments and add your own content to create custom skills tests.
• Remove or modify questions to tailor a pre-prepared skills test to match a job role or conform to your corporate requirements.
• Choose top candidates based on assessment scores and expedite their progression through your hiring process.
• Include simulation questions that replicate your work environment so you can evaluate their performance in real job situations.
• Add video response questions to make it easier to evaluate skills that are difficult to measure using written assessments. 
• Use behavioral assessments with cognitive and skills testing to ensure candidates fit your company culture well.

Are you ready to learn how skills testing can help you improve hiring quality across your company? Contact us to request a demo.