Recommended tests for assessing IT services skills
The best way to hire well is to really hone the test or selection of tests you use as part of the early recruitment process. All of these tests could be useful if you’re looking to hire someone for an IT services role:
Numerical reasoning test
Numerical reasoning tests are designed to assess how capable an individual is of working with data, charts, tables and graphs.
The test will be multiple-choice and timed. The results from the test will help you determine how comfortable a candidate is working with numbers.
The numerical reasoning test is not a math test in the traditional sense of the word as it focuses more on how well someone can analyze and interpret data, but strong math skills will certainly help.
There are many roles in IT services that require competence with data sets, or an aptitude for numbers, so this can be a really useful test to set early on.
Logical reasoning test
Logical reasoning tests are set to find problem solvers. Those that perform well on the test tend to be good at performing under pressure, thinking logically and ultimately solving complex challenges and problems.
The questions take the form of non-numerical and non-verbal puzzles. Candidates will be asked, against the clock, to select the right multiple-choice answer that shows their understanding of how to finish a sequence or solve a pattern.
Logical thinking is a highly valued skill in IT.
Verbal reasoning test
A verbal reasoning test may not seem like the most obvious test to set when hiring for roles in IT, but the skill of reading, analyzing and comprehending dense passages of text is actually really useful in many IT service jobs.
Candidates will be asked to read through a passage of text on a subject that they won’t require any prior knowledge of. They’ll then be required to answer multiple-choice questions on what they’ve read, and indicate whether something was presented as a fact or merely inferred.
Being able to assimilate large volumes of information, make quick decisions and communicate key information are the skills candidates will showcase if they do well on the verbal reasoning test, and all are useful in a variety of IT roles.
Adaptability test
Adaptability is a really important skill in fast-paced, innovative industries such as IT.
The adaptability test looks for reassurance that candidates are flexible and adaptable through a series of hypothetical, scenario-based questions that ask individuals how they’d respond if placed in the same situation.
The test will be timed, to increase the pressure to make a fast and instinctive decision.
Problem solving test
Few industries value problem solvers as much as IT.
The problem solving test is a great way to put your pool of interested applicants to the test and see which ones are able to apply their best logical reasoning and critical thinking skills to make sensible, rational decisions for the business.
The test is timed and uses hypothetical workplace scenarios as a means of gauging how an individual might react if placed in a similar situation. Tests such as these can also be really useful if you're looking for a certain type of personality to fit into an existing team.
