Predictive Index® India, Talent Optimization

What is Cognitive Ability? The word Cognition is defined as the mental processes or mental activities which are associated with thought, language, reasoning, decision-making, and other mental processes. General cognitive ability is the “ability that consistently differentiates individuals on mental abilities regardless of the cognitive task or test” (Jensen, 1998). General cognitive ability is often referred to as general intelligence, general mental ability or aptitude. This general intelligence is also known as g factor and is a construct made up of different cognitive abilities. It is what is common or underlies all mental abilities or skills such as those related to spatial, verbal, numerical and mechanical abilities. Certain components of general intelligence include fluid reasoning, knowledge, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial reasoning, and working memory. Similarly, cognitive ability has also been defined as “general mental capability involving reasoning, problem solving,

Parameters to be considered before selecting the behavioral assessment tool for your organization Generally the only parameter that is given the most significance is cost of the assessment. This makes the companies pick up the cheapest option, under an assumption that all psychometric assessment tools are accurate and reliable. I would say, it is better not to have an assessment at all than to have one which gives misleading results. The latter is even more harmful for the organizations and for the psyche of the people. Based on my experience of working in this field, I would say to check the accuracy of the assessment you need to take care of the following parameters while making the selection of the tool that will work best for you: 1.      Reliability of assessment: Reliability refers to the consistency or stability of a measure. If the concept being measured is assumed to be consistent, such as a personality trait, then the measure should yield similar results if the same pe

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

  Importance of Psychometric Assessments for Hiring The usual process of hiring an employee to work at a company is quite familiar. This old convention begins with the publishing of a job description to attract potential candidates, after which the pool of applicants is rigorously screened to single out qualifications and traits that would be helpful for the job. There may be a selection committee that determines the proficiency level and past experience of a candidate, after which the lucky worker is scouted and hired. But can one gauge the finer aspects of a candidate’s workstyle and ethic solely based off of an interview and screening process? The answer to that dilemma is a psychometric test. What is a psychometric test? Psychometrics is the field of social sciences concerned with the study of psychological measurement. It can be used to measure one’s knowledge, abilities, personality traits and other attributes. A psychometric test hence provides clarity about one’s cognitive abil

A study done in London in 2017 showed that as many as 20% of college students believed they had chosen the wrong courses, mostly out of parental pressure or lack of research. Another study found that 9 out of 10 people between 21 and 65 felt their career choices had been rushed. This scenario is especially true of India, where misconceptions about the job market and ill-informed parents continue hampering career progress. The career paths most people in India think are the best were more suitable a few decades ago, but are not suited to the job market’s need anymore. In those days, there was a need for India to focus on its technological side because rapid industrialization was necessary to fuel our developing economy. However, the situation is more stable now, and there is a growing need for forward-looking thinkers who know what is right for them so that they may have maximum output in their chosen careers.  Still, there persists a lack of respect and understanding for careers beyond

“One ought to hold on to one's heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too.” Friedrich Nietzsche  What is emotional intelligence and how is it formed? Defined as the ability to understand, use and reason with one’s own emotions, emotional intelligence (also known as EQ) is a measure of one’s ability to defuse interpersonal conflicts, empathise with others’ struggles, communicate aptly and relieve stress. Each person’s EQ is dependent on a variety of factors, but science seems to have put the “nature vs nurture” argument to rest in terms of what defines one’s EQ. That means that emotional intelligence is not only dependent on biological or genetic factors, but also on one’s life experiences including their upbringing. Where is emotional intelligence applicable? i. School: Students with better emotional intelligence are more mature, hence they can conduct themselves better and communicate more effectively in the classroom. They will also be able to relate t

Emotional Intelligence or Emotional Quotient or EQ, as it is widely known as, is nothing but an awareness about recurring patterns of emotions and feelings that an individual has.  Now we all know what impact emotions can have on our decision making or on our way of working. We need not go far on this, just think if you have an argument at home in the morning and you come to office, then how do you deal with your colleagues and reportees. Do they get to see the same sweet professional demeanour as you would normally have? Well that is possible only if we were robots - totally transactional in our input - output. But for all humans, Emotions eat Rationality for breakfast!  There are 2 ways in which an individual can lead a worklife. First is in an auto mode - flowing with the emotions and reacting to the feeling that we generate inside us. Second is to be aware of these emotions and what triggers them. Being aware of it allows an individual to come out of auto mode and be able to respon