Wednesday, March 2, 2011

6 things to keep in mind while administering written tests to job applicants

1.       Make it short and snappy. Unless, you are hiring IBM’s new CEO or new Secretary General of UN, your written test for almost any job applicant should never go beyond an hour or 40 questions.
2.       Make your tests before the actual need arise and pre-stress them.
3.       If you need to administer tests to a large pool of candidates, take advantage of technology to
a.       Auto-randomize questions  or use Computer Adaptive Testing to improve test results quality and reduce possibility of cheating.
b.      Allow tests to be taken at different times and locations.
c.       Provides quick result and statistical analysis
4.       Don’t forget to explain the scope and objective of the test before the start and then make sure that you provide feedback to test-takers on their performance
5.       Provide a comfortable, secure and quite place to test-takers to minimize extraneous factors affecting results
6.       Keep refreshing your test contents at regular intervals.