Psychometric assessment tests or Aptitude tests have a long history of research behind them. In Nigeria alone, over 100,000 test instances are conducted annually.
A strong correlation between performance on these tests and performance in the workplace has led to companies all over the world investing heavily in them and employing them as a crucial aspect of their recruitment process.
In this article, I will share a few reasons why the use of aptitude tests have become an indispensable tool for selecting high potential employees.
1. The unemployment factor
As at 2019, Nigeria’s unemployment rate stood at 23.1 percent (According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics). With every single job opening, there are hundreds of thousands of qualified candidates waiting to fill the roles. With employers being forced to be more objective in the hiring process, it makes sense for them to use standardized outsourced tests which give every applicant a fair chance at being the lucky new employee.
2. The Need for Innovation
Being innovative is a critical growth factor for every business or company. Employers make efforts to encourage their employees to be innovative.
Innovation however requires a lot of skills rather than one specific attribute or ability. With aptitude tests, employers are able to predict a candidates ability to creatively make use of a proven system or existing business equipment to create new ideas.
3. Need to Evaluate Problem solving skill
Solving problems is a fundamental part of jobs in this sector. For a company to innovate, they must employ talents that have the ability to identify a problem, evaluate options and then implement a final solution to address barriers and circumstances that can prevent the organization from achieving their goals.
Aptitude tests such as the numerical problem solving (or numerical reasoning) focuses on the ability of a candidate to work with numbers.
Many employers need to know that you have a solid foundation of basic mathematical skills. These skills (calculating percentages, ratios, fractions, profit, revenue and so on) are crucial in almost any area of business.
4. Effective Communication skills
Being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important skills that employees can possess. When it comes to innovation, communication is even more important. Employees need to be able to articulate their thoughts clearly and concisely and in a non-technical way.
Company recruiters know that their new hires won’t necessarily have a great deal of industry or job-specific knowledge. That’s what comes with experience. The key for them is to choose applicants who have the foundations that allow them to adapt to the environment and pick up the skills and knowledge they need.
For these reasons and more, many employers even say that they value these aptitude tests more than university degrees.
Would you like to prepare for an aptitude test? Teststreams offers preparation materials for most employers aptitude tests. You can click here to find yours.
Also Read: How to answer Dragnet Physical Verification Aptitude tests
