Why should recruiters use cognitive ability test?

Laszlo Bock, V. P Talent-Google, mentions in his book – ‘Work Rules’ that general cognitive ability is one of the top most parameter that they look for in a candidate while hiring at Google. The reason they do so is, he says, is that cognitive ability is one of the best indicator of performance for a given job role. 

So what exactly do we mean by cognitive ability? Is it same as IQ?

Well, very simply put, cognitive ability is the ability and speed of learn new things. A person with higher cognitive ability can learn the new things faster than the one with the lower cognitive ability score. For example, think of cognitive assessment as a tool to test the processing speed of a computer. Some computers can have higher processing speeds and some lower. 

But the question that comes to the mind is, why is it so important to determine the learning agility of a person through cognitive ability test?

One of the main reasons is that, the cognitive ability or learning agility of a person does not change appreciably after a person crosses the teenage. So as a company you can only hire a person with the required cognitive ability and not tech or improve it once the candidate is hired. 

A very important thing to remember is that cognitive ability is not same as IQ. Cognitive ability assessments such as Predictive Index Cognitive Ability (CA) test, measures only the capacity to learn and not the raw intelligence of a person (IQ). What it means is that if a person has a low CA score that does not mean he lesser intelligent than the person with the a higher score. 

When CA is used as a pre-hiring tool, it helps recruiters in understanding what is the range of score required for a given job role and helps them determine the same for a candidate to do an apple to apple comparison. This helps recruiters and HR to predict the performance of the candidate on a given job role. Important here is to match the score range with the ability shown by the candidate and not to just hire the candidates with the highest score. When we hire a candidate with either too high or too low score than what is required for the job, then each has its own consequences.  

With the hyper-dynamic business environment that we are entering into, organizations needs talent who can keep the pace up with the learning required for the changing job needs. The steep changes brought in last one year due to COVID and lockdown are best example of it.  

Read more on Predictive Index Cognitive Test @ www.tpsg.in/predictive-index


Vinaya Bansal
Workplace Talent Optimizer
vinaya@tpsg.in

Comments

  1. EmmanAugust 4, 2024 at 7:03 AM

    Cognitive ability tests are indeed a valuable tool for recruiters. They help in assessing how quickly and effectively candidates can learn new information. For those looking to get psychological assessments in Australia, these tests can provide crucial insights into a candidate's learning speed and problem-solving skills, which are essential for various roles.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please add your valuable comment here.

Popular posts from this blog

Why Candidates should Not Fear taking Psychometric Assessments

Image
  Psychometric assessments are widely used in the recruitment process and as an effective tool for screening in candidates. Psychometric assessment tools are scientific tests designed to assess an individual’s personality traits and cognitive abilities. These may include predictive index (PI), cognitive ability tests, behavioral assessment tests, emotional intelligence tests, etc.  Their extensive use in the recruitment process is because these assessment tests help evaluate a candidate’s performance, skills, knowledge, attitudes, competencies, personality attributes, and job as well as academic potential. Psychometric assessment tests are standardized tests useful for HR managers and recruiters in the hiring process because they are accurate in predicting a candidate’s behavioral tendencies and his or her competency for a particular job role. The insight about the candidate’s personality and skills enables recruiters make better job-related decisions and provide training for ...
Read more

Psychometric Assessment – Why Indian Organizations have been a late starter?

Image
  Psychometric assessment tests are scientific tests which are designed to help assess an individual’s personality traits and cognitive abilities. Psychometric assessments evaluate an individual’s performance, skills, knowledge, attitudes, competencies, personality attributes, and job as well as academic potential. These standardized tests are useful for recruiters in the hiring process because these tests accurately predict a candidate’s behavioral tendencies and how competent the candidate is for a particular job. The insight about the candidate’s personality and skills help recruiters make better job-related decisions and provide training for employee development.  In leading organizations, recruiters have started using psychometric assessment tools in the hiring process to select candidates who respond well to training, are efficient in their area of work, and possess the required skills for a particular job, so as to enhance business productivity. Psychometric assessment ...
Read more

Why cognitive ability test is increasingly becoming important for pre-employment screening?

Image
  Pre-employment screening is an important process while hiring a suitable candidate for a particular job role. In this process the recruiters or the organization verifies the information which the candidates have supplied through their applications and resumes or CVs. In pre-employment screening, recruiters use different tests, tools, methods, activities or tasks to verify the information and learn more about the candidates and their personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and how suitable they are for the position or job the organization has to offer them. Pre-employment screening till now primarily consisted of administering some IQ or knowledge tests, resume screening, and requiring candidates to do some job-related tasks to assess their skills. However, the trends are now changing. Today, in the modern world of technological advancement marked by changing working environments, cognitive ability tests which help assess a candidate’s ability to adjust to change and other important...
Read more