Despite psychometric tests becoming a fundamental stage in graduate job application processes, Employers are now looking to shake this up even further by throwing game-based assessments into the mix.
The development of psychometric games aims to provide a more fun and accessible way for graduates to be tested and revamp elements of the Employer’s selection process.
We sat down with Robert Newry, Managing Director of Arctic Shores, a world-leading provider of game-based assessments, to share his insight into the next generation of psychometric testing within the world of graduate recruitment.
What are game-based assessments? 🤔
While the use of games to attract graduate job applications is nothing new, the use of game technology to help select which applicants to progress to the next stage is an entirely new development.
The term ‘game-based assessments’ refers to a new form of psychometric tests that measures personality traits and cognitive abilities through a game-like interface.
Despite the name, it’s not actually a game though, rather it’s a series of tasks and challenges, presented in an engaging format, where the decisions, effort, and choices you make are used to create a profile of your natural strengths and preferences.
In fact, during the average 25-35-minute assessment session, over 3,000 data points will be captured and used to generate a unique profile.
The result is a data-rich and objective measure of a candidate’s personality and cognitive strengths.
This then can be matched to a profile of those traits and cognitive abilities aligned to the success of a particular business.
These profiles of success will be different for every company, so there is no right or wrong approach to taking a game-based assessment.
There is no reason why something can’t be both engaging and serious at the same time.
What’s important is that the science behind them is rigorous and validated, they are fair and objective in their measurement, and are relevant to success in the workplace.
How can graduates prepare for game-based assessments? 🎮
Most students ask – “how can I practice?” and the answer is no preparation or previous gaming experience is required at all.
Our assessments took over 15 months to design and validate to ensure that each task and challenge can be understood within 30 seconds – the analogy we like to give is if graduates can play ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ then you can use our game-based assessments!
We want to measure how graduates go about tackling tasks, not their skill in handling them and their level of finger dexterity.
Companies are more interested in how graduates naturally approach tasks and react to changes in task requirements, as these are important indicators on how they will perform in their workplace.
As many of the data points we capture are unobservable, the best approach is simply to make sure you are comfortable and relaxed and read the instructions carefully.
Pop over to Arctic Shores to find out more about game-based assessments and try out a demo while you’re there.
Also, check out our interview questions advice for tips on how to prep for answering common graduate interview questions. Want to practice some Psychometric Tests? There are plenty of resources out there to help.
Find more career advice on our careers advice blog – or check out the latest graduate opportunities!
