Standardised aptitude test to assess initiative and other skills

September 10, 2010 2:14 PM

Standardised aptitude test which assesses a given candidates ability to follow complex instructions and most importantly to test initiative?

I am currently advertising for various freelancers to complete tasks for a relatively complex project requiring certain qualities in the candidate to...

1) An ability to follow complex instructions about how to format data in data entry. (Good cognitive and comprehension ability)
2) An ability to use a high level of initiative.

I am advertising on freelancing sites, and I am currently overwhelmed with applications. It is hard to interview and asses them all on an individual basis, so is there some kind of standardised ready-made test which I could give to all shortlisted candidates to test their ability to follow certain instructions, and also their initiative - which is by far the most important quality required of candidates.

Any help much appreciated. just to reiterate, the testing of initiative is most important.

posted by samengland to computers & internet (7 answers total)

I don't know of any such standardized test, but generally, I would include some specific detail in the advertisement such as "Please provide a PDF copy of your resume, and a cover letter typed in Courier 12" or something like that.

Those who pay attention to those details make it past your first filter; the rest you ignore.
posted by dfriedman at 2:20 PM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've already taken such a measure - and many passed this stage.
posted by samengland at 2:29 PM on September 10, 2010

I'm not sure that "standardized test" and "test for initiative" are at all compatible as concepts - how do you know the test taker is really showing initiative rather than that they've seen the test before and have a pat answer prepared?
posted by robertc at 2:31 PM on September 10, 2010

Anyone can take initiative, following through is what counts. There is no test for that except to hire them on a trial basis for a smallish task and see what happens.

Also, I would be confused if a boss gave very specific instructions for things like formatting, but then also told me to take initiative.
posted by gjc at 4:25 PM on September 10, 2010

There is an entire discipline, Industrial Psychology, specializing in this type of HR testing. It should not be difficult to connect with one who could taylor the test to your requirements.
posted by francesca too at 5:50 PM on September 10, 2010

Have you read this AskMe, about ways of determining "to what extent a specific person is able to think outside the box".
posted by James Scott-Brown at 2:35 PM on September 11, 2010

My question was meant to end with a question mark, not a period.
posted by James Scott-Brown at 2:36 PM on September 11, 2010