Skill Assessment tests are a method by which skills of a person are measured, and skills are essentially the ability to do something well. Today, employers and organisations use skill assessment tests to identify the skills of future employees or students. This is done so as to test their ability to undertake a job or course of study and excel at it. There are even common and mass skill assessment tests where hundreds and thousands of applicants write the same test to be tested on a common platform.
What you need to know about skill assessments
However, you should know these honest truths about skill assessment tests before taking one:
It is going to be analytical:
The point of a skills assessment test is to take an abstract concept like skill and create a method where it can be analysed and quantified. Researchers and experts spend time in formulating these tests in order to make them efficient in testing skills. This is because the results have to be uniform across all test takers.
This, however, means that you are told outright your performance in the test, you may have been informally told that you need to improve your communication skills but to see it out there in print with percentages can be a bit overwhelming. The idea is to take this positively and work out a strategy to improve.
It is not a pass or fail test
A test usually means a result with a pass or fail; however, a skill assessment test rarely gives out such a result. There is no cause of jubilation or despair because this is an evaluation and an assessment; it gives an idea of what is your skill level. While you may be below average in a skill set, it does not mean that you have failed but there is always a redeeming factor because you would have another skill set where you excel. This will only help you understand your own strengths and weaknesses.
It is not a career magic mirror
A skill assessment test report will give you a good idea of where you stand in terms of skills but it does not give you a direct prediction of your career path. That is something which you have to work out on your own! For example, communication skills might be a skill set across various functions and roles like sales, public relations, content writing, legal work, now the test for sure cannot tell you where you will fit in.
It does not guarantee a job
Most common skills assessment tests like AMCAT test the skills of students and job seekers on a common platform. They certify that a candidate is capable in certain skills; however, it does not directly get them a job or connect to employers. A job search is complicated and involves several steps and you have to put in the hard work and get that job you desire!
It does not account for emotional quotient
Emotional quotient is an important factor for success as an employee. However, this is something that is missed out in skill assessment tests. EQ is generally tested through personal interaction or specific psychological tests and cannot be mass produced. For jobs which require high EQ like psychiatrists and coaches such skills assessment tests are not viable and this is something job seekers need to understand.
Now that you are aware of what a skills assessment test will give you and what it won’t, it’s time you scheduled an AMCAT to test your skills and access a world of job opportunities.
Its a good read about aptitude test. General Aptitude is defined as potential of the candidate and the ability to grasp new concepts which are crucial to his/ her role as an employee in the organization. It is the innate, learned or acquired ability of an individual to perform certain tasks. It helps assess Individual’s capacity for learning in general regardless of any specific skill.