Ability Testing in Recruitment

What are you really measuring when you assess ‘ability’?

When faced with tens, hundreds, or even thousands of candidates, recruiting teams are always faced with a similar question: which of these candidates is going to perform best in this role?

While there is (unfortunately) no perfect crystal ball for predicting success, ability tests offer a practical and evidence-based way to get closer to the answer.

Ability testing in selection has a long history dating back even to the early Chinese dynasties. Today, ability tests remain widely used to understand candidates’ competence for a given role. The reason why ability testing has stood the course of time is due to its high predictive validity. This means that candidates who score higher on ability tests also tend to demonstrate strong job performance, which is valuable information to hiring teams.

Types of ability tests

Ability testing is often used as an umbrella term for a collection of different test components. These specific ability tests can include:

Number Series: Ability to infer relationships between numbers.

• Measures how efficiently a candidate interprets graphs, tables, and trends to draw logical conclusions.

Verbal Reasoning: Ability to infer logical relationships between words and statements.

• Measures how efficiently a candidate can understand complex information, evaluate arguments, and make reasoned decisions.

Diagrammatic Matrices: Ability to infer relationships between objects.

• Akin to abstract reasoning tests, which measure how efficiently a candidate can solve unfamiliar problems, adapt to new systems, and think strategically.

Spatial Reasoning: Ability to mentally rotate 3-dimensional shapes.

• Measures how efficiently a candidate can solve practical, spatial problems.

How ability tests are used in recruitment

Ability testing is often used in the early stages of recruitment, especially when there is a high volume of applicants, or for technical roles where particular skills are essential. They are also valuable in graduate recruitment where candidates are likely to have limited work-related experience, but may still show strong abilities and therefore high performance potential. In the later stages of recruitment, ability tests are used to help differentiate between final-stage candidates, supporting decision-making alongside structured interviews, personality assessments, or other selection methods.

It is important to note that ability tests should always be used alongside other recruitment methods, as they measure just one aspect of candidates’ potential. Factors such as emotional intelligence and personality also play a significant role in workplace performance. Additionally, results should be interpreted in context, using appropriate and consistent norm groups to ensure fair and meaningful comparisons between candidates.

Find out more about ability testing

The HUCAMA Ability Factors assessment offers a comprehensive solution for predicting your candidates’ success. You can deploy up to four separately timed test components: diagrammatic, number, spatial, and verbal. Your candidates’ scores are then clearly outlined and evaluated in the user-friendly HUCAMA Ability Factors Report. To become certified to use the HUCAMA Ability Factors, attend one of our upcoming HUCAMA Factors training courses.

Alternatively, you can learn the fundamentals of ability testing and psychometrics with our BPS Test User: Occupational, Ability certification. This nationally recognised accreditation qualifies you to use ability tests from all the UK’s main publishers.

Have questions about using ability tests in your organisation? Please contact us.