Work sample tests involve a sample of the work that you will be
expected to do. This may be mechanical, for example, repairing a
piece of equipment. It may involve a specific skill, for example,
a typing exercise where you need to demonstrate your ability to
type at or above a set speed whilst making less than a given
percentage of errors. At the graduate or management level, work
sample tests often involve one or more of the following:
In Tray Exercises
If you are asked to do an
in-tray exercise, you may be asked to
assume a particular role as an employee of a fictitious company
and work through a pile of correspondence in your in-tray. These
tests commonly measure job skills such as: ability to organize and
prioritize work; analytical skills; communication with team
members and customers; written communication skills; and
delegation.
Group Exercises
Group exercises involve candidates working together as a team, to
resolve a presented issue. These exercises commonly measure
interpersonal skills such as group leadership, teamwork,
negotiation, and group problem solving skills.
Group exercises may
range from 'leaderless group discussion' formats to problem
solving scenarios.
Case Studies
Project Managers may be asked to plan for the release of a new
product. This usually includes: devising a schedule, setting a
budget and allocating resources. This type of exercise measures
your ability to: analyze data, consider a mixture of issues, offer
multiple solutions, plan the project, and finally to present your
findings using your
presentation skills.
Role Plays
You will usually be asked to assume a fictitious role and handle a
particular work situation. These types of exercises may measure:
oral communication and influencing skills. Role Plays usually use
professional actors as your co-respondent. They are clearly
briefed about their role and how to respond when you take a
particular approach in the role play.
These types of exercise are usually performed at an 'Assessment
Center'. This does not refer to a location, but to a process which
is being increasingly used by organizations to assess staff,
either as part of the recruitment process or for internal
promotion. The Assessment Center develops a set of varied
exercises which are designed to simulate different aspects of the
work environment. These exercises usually last from half-a-day to
two full days. They are usually conducted at the employer's
training facility or in facilities provided by the HR consultancy,
that have been contracted to design and conduct the testing.
Clerical Level Work Sample Tests
Data checking tests are widely used to select candidates for
clerical and data input jobs, particularly where accuracy is important.This data to be checked may be either meaningless, for
example account numbers, or may be fairly meaningful, for example
names and addresses. In both cases is vital to check each
character rather than ‘read’ the data normally. You should also
bear in mind that there may be more than one error in any single
piece of data.
In addition to data checking tests,
concentration tests are
often used when selecting candidates for administrative and
clerical jobs where mistakes can have serious or expensive
consequences. This includes areas like financial services, legal
services and healthcare.
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