4 Major Categories of Competency Tests

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Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-people-woman-coffee-7731349/

There is an issue with today’s organizations. Businesses are losing an estimated $8.5 trillion yearly due to the gap between their talents and the needed skills. Some of the greatest businesses use competence skills assessments to screen potential candidates who won’t meet their high standards.

For the first time dealing with competency tests, what should you expect? Well, you won’t be after this post, as we’ll discuss employee competency, how to assess it, and the benefits your business can reap from using competency assessments.

We have a plethora of information to cover, so let’s get started!

What does it mean to be competent? And What Exactly Is a Competency-Based Evaluation of Ability?

Let’s begin with some definitions: first, of a competency itself:

The capacity to use certain knowledge, skills, and abilities to complete a task in a prescribed work environment is meant by the term “competency.”

There are two main points to consider from that description.

Knowledge, skill, and competence all come together to form competency. Competencies are nuanced and may need extensive practice over several hours, days, or even months to perfect.

Second, competency is evaluated based on the outcome of a certain assignment. In contrast to skills, which are more general and open to interpretation, competencies pertain to concrete outcomes.

Since we have established the meaning of competency, let’s examine the meaning of competency assessment.

“Competency assessments compare an individual’s skill set to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to do a job, typically using a predefined competency model.”

When evaluating candidates, competency tests are distinct since they focus on the needs of a particular position and typically model a candidate’s skill against a specific activity that would be expected of them on the job. These assessments can be performed on job applicants or current staff to identify areas of weakness.

A Breakdown of the Four Major Categories of Competency Tests

Competency assessments can take a wide variety of forms. They assist hiring managers in getting a complete picture of a candidate’s or employee’s skill set, including any potential weaknesses.

The following are the four main domains that make up a competence evaluation.

1. Behavioral Skills

Behavioral skills demonstrate how well an individual interacts with others daily. Personality, communication, leadership, and analytical abilities will all play a role in this competence evaluation.

One possible task in a behavioral competency-based evaluation is leading a group in creating a new business idea.

2. Cognitive Skills

You want to know how rapidly someone can digest information if you do a competence evaluation on their cognitive abilities. A cognitive ability evaluation will specifically focus on areas such as attention to detail, memory, and constant mental speed.

3. Domain Competency

A person’s capacity to complete their job effectively depends on their “domain competency,” which refers to their specific skills. These include customer service, IT, marketing, finance, and sales.

As an illustration, a Graphic Designer’s ability to develop, design, and launch a new logo may be tested as part of a domain competency examination.

4. Technical Skills

Technical competencies, in many respects, are analogs to hard skills in that they attest to mastery in a specific subset of the broader technology field. The main distinction is that a technical skill set may be applied to producing a technical product, such as when a web developer uses HTML to produce a website.

One way to evaluate a data scientist’s technical skills is to have them build PowerBI visualizations of some data.

Conclusion

If you want to take your hiring to the next level, we propose employing skills and competitive exams to provide you with a comprehensive picture of your future superstar employee!