What can I expect from an online competency assessment?

October 16, 2014 2:48 PM

The next step in my application for a position with the city government is to take an online competency assessment. I've never seen one of these before - can anyone give me some insight?

The info email I received says the assessment will test me on "Verbal Ability, Achievement, Composure, Flexibility, Reliability, Thoroughness, Sense of Duty, Customer Focus, and Leadership Professionalism," and that the verbal ability section will be timed (3 minutes per question).

I guess I'm just not quite sure what types of questions I'll be asked - are these like standard interview questions but in the format of online forms? I don't think the job has an in-person interview portion which would make this make sense, but I'd like to know a bit more about what I'm getting into. I can't find any info on Google.

Has anyone who's done something like this before have any tips? Thank you!!

posted by majesty_snowbird to Work & Money (3 answers total)

This is different from a standard interview, it's a way for them to try to screen out a real lack of ability (for the timed verbal part) and serious problem behaviors (for the second part).

The verbal ability test will likely be word-meaning type questions, where you pick the best answer out of 4-6 possible answers.

The rest will likely involve you rating yourself on a number of questions that ask about "Achievement, Composure, Flexibility, Reliability, Thoroughness, Sense of Duty, Customer Focus, and Leadership Professionalism", although the connection between the questions and what it's assessing may not always be really clear. This sounds like a personality assessment.
posted by lafemma at 3:34 PM on October 16, 2014

Best answer: lafemma is right. It sounds like a test developed specifically for your city government - there are consulting companies for whom this is their stock-in-trade - and it contains both a cognitive and a personality component. The verbal ability portion will likely have questions addressing definitions, meanings of phrases, and the like. These Wonderlic Personnel Test sample questions (minus the math-related ones) are probably similar to what you'll be asked. I doubt they'll give you three minutes per question, though; more likely it'll be three minutes per section.

The remainder will be a personality test, much as lafemma described. Try to do the best you can on the verbal ability portion, but don't try to fake anything on the personality portion. Most of these tests built specifically for an employer contain some sort of a lie scale (or, more euphemistically, an "impression management" scale) and those tend to be pretty sensitive. Remember, their test is constructed with two aims: first, to screen out the candidates who are obviously bad fits, and second, to shield the employer from any possible lawsuit. This is especially true when the employer is a public entity, like your city government.
posted by DrGail at 3:49 PM on October 16, 2014

I work for a company that designs assessments, so I think it's likely there will be a role play/in-basket element to this, ie. you will be given tasks and scenarios that test your use of specific competencies.

These may range from receiving 'emails' from reports or managers which require a response, to having you complete set tasks or manage resources.

If you haven't already, ask if you can see their competency framework or model., or ask if they can share how they define 'Verbal Ability, Achievement, Composure, Flexibility, Reliability, Thoroughness, Sense of Duty, Customer Focus, and Leadership Professionalism'. This will give you an opportunity to show off these qualities in your assessment.

Note, competencies are not the same as personality traits- they are behaviours. So the company is trying to get a realistic idea of how you will behave in role.

Good luck!
posted by Dwardles at 4:23 AM on October 20, 2014