Tests For Pre-Screening Entry-Level Employees
Do your applicants have the skills you need?
It is difficult to know these days, whether there is a labor shortage or whether it is more a question of a shortage of people with the right skills. Nevertheless, the popularity of job posting boards on the Internet and companies accepting resumes by email has resulted in employers and placement firms being swamped with applicants all of whom claim that they are highly skilled, wonderfully successful and excellent in whatever job you have to offer. This has given rise to the development of services for writing better applicant questionnaires, hosting positions on the web, searching job boards, screening resumes and doing background searches. However, very little attention is being paid to finding out whether applicants actually possess the skills they profess to have or to discovering what levels of proficiency they have in these skills. You are no further ahead hiring a person who seems to be the strongest candidate, if he or she doesn’t have the skills you need.
You Can Pre-Screen Entry Level Positions Using Tests
Some firms offer skill testing at an extra cost, but there is no reason why you can’t do this yourself and save time and money in the process. There are tests for everything these days, and here are some that do a fine job of pre-screening applicants for most entry-level positions.
The Applicant Review Test: A Screen for Honesty
You might start with the Applicant Review test. It was especially developed to address the issue of employee theft and violence in the workplace and enable employers to screen out dishonest applicants. Unlike some honesty assessments, it will not disqualify honest people by accident and it includes a unique Moral Reasoning component, which enables it to differentiate between those who have internalized honesty and those who have not. This is a quick, reliable, four-page test that meets EEOC/ADA and Canadian Human Rights standards. It takes only 20-25 minutes to complete, minutes to score and reports results in an easy-to-understand percentile score ranging from 0 to 99%. The test is an ideal addition to any other testing battery that does not address honesty or integrity. [2026 Update The Applicant Review has been discontinued as of 2025. Find other honesty/integrity assessments here.]
The Employee Aptitude Survey: Assessing Ten Core Abilities
If you want more information about an applicant, consider using the Employee Aptitude Survey. It uses 10 subtests to measure:
- Verbal Comprehension
- Numerical Ability
- Visual Pursuit
- Visual Speed and Accuracy
- Space Visualization
- Numerical Reasoning
- Verbal Reasoning
- Word Fluency
- Manual Speed and Accuracy
- Symbolic Reasoning
Each test takes only five minutes to administer, and you have the choice of administering all 10 subtests, or just the ones you need.
The Differential Aptitude Test (similar to the Employee Aptitude Survey)
This test is similar to the Differential Aptitude Test. It measures candidates in eight areas:
- Verbal Reasoning
- Numerical Ability
- Abstract Reasoning
- Mechanical Reasoning
- Space Relations
- Spelling
- Language Usage
- Clerical Speed and Accuracy
The tests take 6 to 20 minutes to administer and can be used as separate scales or as a complete battery. [2026 Update – See the DAT Next Gen]
The Basic Skills Test: More Detailed Info on 15 Abilities
If you are looking for even more detailed information about basic skills, try the Basic Skills Test. It consists of 15 individual tests which have been specifically designed to measure language skills, numerical ability, reasoning and perceptual ability – the abilities required for successful performance in clerical, administrative and customer service positions. Each test takes about five minutes to administer and you can choose the ones you need, or use the whole battery. The complete sequence measures:
- Language Skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Vocabulary
- Computation
- Problem Solving
- Decision Making
- Following Oral Directions
- Following Written Directions
- Forms Checking
- Reasoning
- Classifying
- Coding
- Filing Names
- Filing Numbers
- Visual Speed & Accuracy
Canadian Personnel Selection Inventory
One of the best all-round pre-screening tests we’ve seen is the Canadian Personnel Selection Inventory. It measures applicants on the following scales:
- Honesty
- Tenure or Job Commitment (the likelihood that the applicant will quit after a short period of time)
- Employee/Customer Relations (tendencies toward courtesy, cooperation and service)
- Work Values
- Supervision Attitudes (the likelihood that the applicant will respond appropriately to supervision)
This test also contains measures of accuracy (did the applicant understand the test) and distortion (whether the person tried to give answers that are socially acceptable). One of the most useful aspects of this test is that it generates an Applicant Employability Index. This is a composite score that provides a quick reference as to the applicant’s overall suitability for hire. [2026 Update – The CPSI, along with an entire range of assessments under the same umbrella were all discontinued sometime around 2019 and are no longer available See below for a list of discontinued titles.]
Conclusion
All of these tests are easy to use, quick and inexpensive, but none of them should be the basis of your hiring decision and most of them should be used in conjunction with other tests, assessments, interviews, background checks and other measures that will ensure that you find the right people with the right skills.
2026 Update
The article above was written a long time ago. At that time, the number of assessments that were available to employers was limited. Much of what existed way back when has since been put out to pasture and discontinued or replaced with newer, better offerings. This is certainly the case when it comes to pre-screening for entry-level skills. These days, boy, oh boy, There’s A Test For That!
If you’re hiring and need quick screening tools to confirm basic skills like reading, writing, computer literacy, numeracy, cognition, basic mechanical aptitude, knowledge of MS Office apps, clerical skills, and more, then there are all kinds of options available. You’ll find 1500 choices just within the Kenexa tests list alone.
Check out these links (or just call us) to find solutions for practically every entry level need you might have, because as always… There’s A Test For That!
- Entry-Level Skills Tests
- Clerical & Administrative Skills
- General Pre-Screening
- Math
- Office Skills
- Reading & Writing
List of Tests That Have Been Discontinued That Include The CPSI And Other Related Products
- Adaptability Test
- Applicant Potential Inventory
- Applicant Productivity Profile
- Arithmetic Index Gr. 12
- Arithmetic Index Grade 8
- Basic Banking Skills Inventory
- Canadian Personnel Selection Inventory 7 and 7S
- Closure Flexibility (Concealed Figures)
- Closure Speed (Gestalt Completion)
- Computer Operator Aptitude Battery
- Computer Programmer Aptitude Battery
- Customer Service Applicant Inventory
- Customer Service Profile
- Customer Service Skills Inventory
- Employee Productivity Index
- Employee Productivity Report
- Employee Safety Inventory & ESI-Quality
- Experience & Background Questionnaire
- Firearm Operator Selection Inventory (FOSI)
- Flanagan Aptitude Classification Tests
- Flanagan Industrial Tests
- Healthcare Employee Productivity Report
- Insurance Selection Inventory
- Intuitive Mechanics
- Law Enforcement Applicant Inventory
- Managerial & Professional Job Functions Inventory
- Management Aptitude Test
- Management Readiness Profile
- Management Success Profile
- Mechanical Aptitudes Test
- Mechanical Movements
- Non-Verbal Reasoning
- Office Skills Assessment Battery
- Office Skills Test
- Perceptual Speed
- Personnel Selection Inventory – All Titles
- Quality Healthcare Employee Inventory
- Reading Index Gr. 12
- Reading Index Gr. 9
- Reid Report – All Versions
- Retail Readiness Assessment
- Sales Aptitude Test
- Sales Attitude Checklist
- Sales Professional Assessment Inventory
- Short Tests of Clerical Ability
- Skills & Aptitudes Inventory
- Space Relations
- Space Thinking
- Survey of Personal Values
- Teamwork KSA
- Telemarketing Applicant Inventory
- Test of Mechanical Concepts
- The Press Test
- Understanding Communication
- Verbal Reasoning