Recommended tests for assessing health & medical skills
Although there are a number of different roles at different levels in the health and medical field, there are several competencies, soft skills and aptitudes that are necessary across the board.
Numerical reasoning test
Accurate measurements, calculating dosages, and other numeracy skills are needed in the health and medical field, and candidates need to be able to use mathematical skills in a practical way as part of their daily role.
The numerical reasoning test consists of a series of questions that are about different numerical data. This is usually in the form of something like graphs, tables, and charts. The candidates have to read, understand and analyze the data that is presented, then perform some basic operations to find the right answer to the question from the multiple-choice options provided.
This test is not about mathematical skill and ability but about the candidate’s ability to apply their knowledge. The calculations are usually based around school-level knowledge.
Emotional intelligence test
Emotional intelligence is considered to be an important factor in assessing general intelligence, and it also helps in the medical field by demonstrating that the candidate has empathy and can adapt to different situations while understanding and dealing with different emotions.
In the emotional intelligence test, the candidate has to be able to identify different emotions in different situations. They will be presented with images and other information, and they need to select the emotion that they think is appropriate for the situation from the multiple-choice options provided.
Verbal reasoning test
Reading ability and the understanding of language, including things like medical terminology, are important skills that a candidate needs to be successful in the medical industry. Being able to extract important information from written data and use that to make reasoned decisions is a factor that the verbal reasoning test looks at.
In the verbal reasoning test, the candidate is given a passage of text that they have to quickly read, understand, and analyze. The question that follows is in the form of a statement, and the candidate needs to use the written information to decide if the statement is ‘true’, ‘false’, or if there is ‘not enough information to say’.
The candidate needs no prior knowledge to answer the questions, and in fact all the details they need will come from the passage of text.
Logical reasoning test
Analytical thinking is useful for making logical decisions, and in the medical and health industry, it is necessary to use logic to make decisions for the wellbeing of patients.
The logical reasoning test is based on pattern recognition and making decisions based on unfamiliar information. Each question is based on a series of shapes or images that are in some sort of sequence, and the candidate will need to find the rule that governs the pattern in order to choose the next item in the series from the multiple-choice options that are provided.
Candidates who can spot patterns in these shapes will be able to make logical decisions using different types of information, and will often be able to adapt and react to different situations.
Diagrammatic reasoning test
Another method of assessing logical reasoning and problem solving is the diagrammatic reasoning test. Used in a similar way to the logical reasoning test and sometimes also referred to as an abstract reasoning test, the diagrammatic reasoning test is about non-verbal and non-numerical questions, based on shapes and images.
Each sequence has a specific pattern, which might include things like rotation, lateral movement, or reflection - or it might be a combination of these. The candidate needs to be able to not only work out what the rule is, but apply it to the items in the multiple-choice options.
