Main technical tests in personnel selection

Technical tests in personnel selection processes respond to the needs of many companies and organizations to have instruments capable of evaluating competencies and abilities in high demand in the labor market.

These selection techniques help filter the candidates objectively, reducing the number of candidates or with the objective of looking for specific qualities necessary for the company.

We talk about the technical tests most commonly used by Human Resources departments or specialized recruitment agencies.

What are technical tests in an interview?

Technical tests in a selection process are evaluations that contrast the technical skills of candidates and their ability to respond to specific problems.

These tools aim to complete the recruitment process after the first contact with the candidate through the resume and the interview and can also be developed during the interview.

By using this methodology, you will benefit from:

• An efficient method of detecting the most qualified candidates for the position.
• A tool to save time in the selection process.

These procedures let the interviewer get closer to the candidate’s potential skills.

5 types of technical tests for personnel selection

Technical tests improve the success rate of a selection process, helping to avoid bad hires that can cause severe damage to a company.

Take note of these five tools to find the ideal candidate:

1. Psycho-technical tests.
2. Personality tests.
3. Competence tests.
4. Group dynamics.
5. Knowledge tests.

Now, let’s take a closer look at what each of them evaluates and what data they can provide about the candidates.

Psycho-technical tests

The psycho-technical tests, also called intelligence tests or aptitude tests, including a set of tools that allow measuring different abilities, such as:

• Logical, abstract, and numerical reasoning.
• Mechanical ability.
• Spatial ability.
• Perceptive speed.
• Attention.
• Memory.

These tests are interpreted according to successes and errors; typically, since they have a time limit, they consider the speed of their execution.

Another of their advantages is that they are effective in detecting profiles with specific personality traits, as occurs in the selection processes of the State security forces.

Personality Tests

Personality tests aim to delve into the candidate’s personality through traits or qualities inherent to people regardless of the context in which they operate.

We share with you 5 of the most commonly used personality tests:

1. 16 PF: is a test that measures 16 personality traits such as dominance, self-reliance, rebelliousness, suspiciousness, self-control, or group conformity.
2. PAPI or Personality and Preferences Inventory: explores interpersonal skills, motivations, interests, ambitions, and needs.
3. NEO-PI-R: evaluates the five major personality factors: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and responsibility.
4. OPQ or Occupational Personality Questionnaire: one of the most widely used tests worldwide for its high accuracy in measuring job performance.
5. Myers-Briggs Indicator –MBTI-: it evaluates personality based on dichotomous pair of introvert-extrovert or intuitive-sensory.

Competency tests

Competency tests assess candidates based on the qualities needed to perform a job successfully.

They are also used internally in annual evaluations because they provide decisive data on the need or not to readjust the responsibilities of a position.

Competencies involve three dimensions of the human being: knowing, doing, and willingness and they allow a person to use them to achieve a specific result.

This process can be enhanced to improve organizational performance.

Group dynamics and Assessment Center

Group dynamics -known as Assessment Center- allow evaluating a candidate’s behavior when interacting with other people in specific circumstances.

These are some examples of the different group dynamics that can be used:

• A conversation or debate.
• A free discussion.
• A test to reach a joint solution.
• A role-playing game.

These situational tests measure communication skills, teamwork, collaboration, decision making, leadership, or flexibility, in short, skills that are necessary to achieve success and that cannot be acquired in a short period.

Knowledge Tests

As the name suggests, knowledge tests measure the interviewee’s level of knowledge of a subject or area required to fill a vacant position.

So, for example, if you want to assess the knowledge of a foreign language, you can offer candidates oral or written tests that transcribe their level of competence.

These tools can, at the same time, estimate intellectual capacities for the performance of tasks related to the job.

How are technical tests developed?

Most of these tests are automated thanks to questionnaires which, more and more often, are carried out with the help of selection software that facilitates the collection of data for subsequent analysis.

This methodology ensures a fair, objective procedure that assesses all the determining parameters to determine which candidate is the most suitable for integration into the company.

Discover our proctoring products that allow you to create environments where privacy and security are a maximum so that your selection tests are carried out with all the guarantees and with direct access to valuable reports.

Ask us for a free demo and we will explain how they work and how we can adapt to your monitoring needs.