What is the most common aptitude/job suitabilty test, or battery of tests, given to upper-level executives in Canada?

October 2, 2008 9:21 PM

What is the most common aptitude/job suitabilty test, or battery of tests, given to upper-level executives in Canada?

I don't know any upper-level executives that I can ask, but I have heard numerous times that for many senior positions at Fortune 500-type companies new candidates are put through tests to ensure they are right for the job.
Does anyone have any experience with this in Canada? If so, what companies administer the tests? Has anyone found any to be particularly helpful (either as a genuine measure of employability or as a means to self-understanding)?
I have looked into aptitude testing in general, and have gathered info about Myers-Briggs/ Johnson O'Connor/MBII, but I was wondering if there are others I have overlooked.
I am only interested in tests I can take here in Canada, and only the ones used seriously by employers.

posted by OlivesAndTurkishCoffee to work & money (4 comments total)

I am only interested in tests I can take here in Canada, and only the ones used seriously by employers.

Most people take the Myers-Briggs test in Business School and are familar with the test. The free versions you can take online gave me the same results the professionally administered test did.

That said, I've never heard of any organization ask for the results.. I've been an employee of a large Canadian-based international business-to-business firm and have worked with clients that include government Ministries and some very large energy companies; I've had access to project managers, several directors, deputy ministers, and vice presidents as a consultant on operational activities. I've only heard of these kind of tests are used to determine things like project/operational teams once you are already employed... I think if you are involved in a job search, you should probably save your money and time - this won't get you in the door.

Also get out of Toronto, the action is out West.
posted by Deep Dish at 9:44 PM on October 2, 2008

Deep Dish: the 'kind of tests are used to determine things like project/operational teams once you are already employed' are precisely the kind I want to track down. Are those also Myers-Briggs? Or are they usually interally devised tests specific to the project at hand?
Agreed, West is Best.
posted by OlivesAndTurkishCoffee at 10:03 PM on October 2, 2008

I'm not in Canada, but I'd like to chime in (if that's ok).

One thing to keep in mind is that there are many categories of career-related assessments. Some are grouped into global assessments, which can complicate things.

Myers-Briggs generally refers to a personality assessment (one without the strongest support in the literature as to reliability and validity). I could imagine that this might be used to indicate who should be included in teams on the basis of personality "fit".

An aptitude test will assess some kind of "ability" (which isn't a construct with a clear definition - a source of disagreement in the career community).

As to actual self-understanding, I'd suggest the COPSystem for a sense of your skills (this is one of those global assessments). I'd suggest, half-heartedly, the Self-Directed Search (SDS) for a career-oriented variant of the personality assessment (one that has high reliability and validity).

As to an understanding of the assessment you may have to take, I'd start with the clear understanding of the test type.

I don't know if this helps.

FWIW, does anyone know if American norms for assessments can be ethically used for Canadian populations?
posted by Hypnotic Chick at 11:26 PM on October 2, 2008

You may also want to look into the DISC profile by Thomas International, available through Manager Tools (I like them so I'm sending you their link). It's useful to understand your default modes of action and to possibly understand how you may wish to change things.
posted by lowlife at 5:09 PM on October 3, 2008