Much faster completion times are claimed for a suite of online assessment tests developed by TalentQ, which says completion times are a third that of traditional ones because of the adaptive technology involved.

The Aspects Ability tests, primarily aimed at high-volume recruitment, measure verbal and numerical reasoning and clerical checking skills and take an average of six minutes to complete. Along with a competency-based screening questionnaire called Aspects Styles, they have been trialled by Royal Mail, which has put 170,000 people through the tests for front-line and back-office processing roles. 

Christine Higgs, head of strategic accounts at TalentQ, told Recruiter that the technology adapts in real time to the candidate’s ability level. “If you get a question right, you will be presented with a more difficult question, and if you get a question wrong you will be presented with an easier one,” she said, adding that as the candidate works through the tests, the technology intelligently converges to reach a point where it accurately determines the person’s ability level. “Because the person is being assessed at their level, they don’t have to answer redundant questions, so it’s a much shorter test and a more precise measure.”

Adaptive testing has been used in sectors such as education and the military for several years, and is starting to gain traction in the recruitment market. The tests are also described as having high “face-validity”, which relates to the degree to which the candidate thinks they are credible and relevant. 

 “If they can see a clear link between the tests and the role, the more likely they are to give it their best shot,” said Higgs. “From a more theoretical point of view, the more face-valid the test is, the more accurate it is likely to be in terms of predicting job performance.”

The new tests can be incorporated into an applicant tracking system, and can also be customised to reflect an organisation’s brand. Several assessment reports can be downloaded, including individual scores and overall percentile and competency scores.