Types of Employment Tests

Personality Tests

Motivation and interpersonal skills are also significant. As one consultant put it, most people are hired based on qualifications, but most are fired for nonperformance.

And nonperformance “is usually the result of personal characteristics such as attitude, motivation, and especially temperament.” It is a selection tool, and personality tests have not been as useful as other types of tests.

They are often characterized by low reliability and low validity. Because some personality tests emphasize subjective interpretation, the services of a qualified psychologist are required.

Achievement Tests

Achievement tests measure what someone has learned.

Most of the tests we take in school are achievement tests. They measure our “job knowledge” in areas like economics, marketing, or human resources. Achievement tests are also popular at work.

The miniature Job Training and Evaluation

Miniature training and job evaluation mean training candidates to perform several of the job’s tasks and then evaluating the candidates’ performance before hiring.

The approach assumes that a person who demonstrates that he or she can learn and perform the sample of tasks will learn and perform the job itself.

Work Sampling Tests (Simulations)

Work Sampling is an effort to create a miniature replica of a job. Applicants demonstrate that they possess the necessary talents by actually doing the tasks.

By carefully devising work samples based on job analysis data, the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for each job are determined. Then each work sample element is matched with a corresponding job performance element.

Performance Tests

Performance tests measure the ability of applicants to do some parts of the work for which they are to be hired, for example, a typing test for typists.

Validity is often assumed when the test includes a representative sample of the applicant’s work upon being hired.

Polygraph Tests (Honesty Test)

For many years, another means to verify background information has been the polygraph or lie detector test. One purpose of the polygraph was to confirm or refute the information contained in the application blank.

The use of lie detectors for verifying information on the application form can only be used for specific jobs, such as police officers or federal agents, that typically require a security clearance.

Honesty tests are the most frequently used psychological tests in the industry. An individual’s response to the test statements indicates the individual’s attitudes towards theft, embezzlement, and dishonest practices.

These honesty tests represent a valuable selection tool for choosing employees who will occupy positions that involve handling company money.

Graphology Tests

It has been said that an individual’s handwriting can suggest the degree of energy, inhibitions, and spontaneity to be found in the writer, disclosing idiosyncrasies, quirks, traits, and elements of balance and control from which many personality characteristics can be inherited.

Although most scientists doubt the validity of handwriting analysis, it is estimated that more than 3,000 U.S. organizations, including Ford, General Electric, and the CIA, consult graphologists to supplement their usual HRM procedures.

Drug and Alcohol Testing

Medical tests have grown in popularity in recent years. Through an analysis of urine, hair, or blood samples, laboratories can screen for the presence of drugs.

The basic purpose of the drug-testing programs contends that it is necessary to ensure workplace safety, security, and productivity.