HighMatch Guides

What is a Job knowledge assessment?

A job knowledge assessment evaluates an individual’s knowledge of their field and role. Job knowledge assessments are typically used to evaluate applicants during the hiring process or to assess the knowledge and skills of current employees.

The following guide describes how job knowledge tests work, their benefits, and their common use cases.

How Job Knowledge Assessments Work

A job knowledge test often takes the form of multiple-choice tests, essay questions, oral examinations, or practical demonstrations. An individual’s score on the test should represent their level of expertise and competence in the role.

These tests cover a wide range of topics, including technical knowledge, best practices, industry-specific regulations, problem solving, and decision making. The content and difficulty of a job knowledge test depends on the industry and role.

Benefits of Job Knowledge Assessments

• Efficient screening: job knowledge tests identify which candidates aren’t qualified for the role, saving your organization time and money
• Decreased turnover: candidates that are adequately skilled for a position are less likely to quit, which decreases turnover
• Lower training and replacement costs: by hiring candidates with the required knowledge and competencies, your organization saves resources on finding and training replacements
• Identify candidate potential: knowledge about a candidate’s capabilities helps gauge their future success in the role

Use Cases for Job Knowledge Assessments

Job knowledge assessments are often used to screen out candidates that are not qualified for the position. Many roles require a minimum standard of skills and competency, and testing candidates based on the minimum requirements is an efficient method of screening.

Job knowledge tests are also used to measure how effective a candidate will be in a specific role. For positions where performance is critical, it’s important to assess how capable a potential candidate is.

Finally, job knowledge assessments can be used to evaluate the skills of existing employees. The insights gained from this can be used for training and future development, or for succession planning for other critical roles.

Summary

A job knowledge test is a tool used to evaluate an individual’s knowledge and competency related to a specific job. These tests are typically used to identify the most suitable candidates or areas of growth for current employees. Implementing job knowledge testing can help reduce turnover and replacement costs in the long-term.

Reducing Turnover

Bad hires can have a ripple effect across your organization, impact revenue and profitability, cause delays in mission-critical projects, and rupture team dynamics.

Get additional facts around the true cost of turnover and learn how the right pre-employment assessment can, in many cases, pay for itself by reducing turnover.

DOWNLOAD THE FACT SHEET