Positive government policies and a favorable economic atmosphere are boosting business activities in the country and more people are getting hired as a result. Considering the pace at which business opportunities are mushrooming, vacancies are being filled in a matter of days. This is a real challenge for human resource professionals as they are bestowed with the responsibility of hiring the best available talent in shortest time span. No wonder that the HR executives are conducting talent or skill assessment tests in increasing numbers as such tests give them the confidence of hiring the most talented persons and saves a lot of time which would have otherwise gone to subjective analysis of candidates’ capabilities. 

In order to reap more benefits, recruiters and education institutions are rapidly shifting from offline medium to online medium to conduct skill assessment tests. But many times, online tests give unreliable results due to possibility of technical glitches or wrong doing by candidates. This points to a question whether companies and education institutions are using the right technology to conduct the tests? Are they putting to risk the future of so many candidates by relying on sub-standard service providers?

In a recent incident, a student named Ms. Aanchal Yadav scored zero marks in Common Law Admission Test 2016 conducted by Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab. The university says the candidate did not answer any questions while Ms. Yadav says she answered all of 165 questions and under no circumstances all of them could be wrong answers. Either the candidate did not save her answers before pressing the submit button or did not press the submit button at all. The matter is being inquired into.

Whatever might be the case, it is sure that the candidate has lost her chance to get admission in the university for no fault of her. The online platform should have had all the safeguards to prevent such a happening. Similar might be the case for many candidates looking for admissions or jobs in reputed universities or companies, respectively.

If the recruiter or education institute is serious about assessing the skills of candidates, then it should choose the assessment partner carefully. Following points can be considered as the basis to scrutinize the assessment partner’s capability.

Capability in Case of Power / Internet Failure: The assessment platform should have the feature of undoing the effect of internet or power failure. It should allow the candidate to resume the test from the same point where internet / power connection snapped. 

Instant Performance Analysis: The online assessment platform should generate detailed reports on the performance of the candidate in minimum possible time after submission of the test. This will help save interview bandwidth and expedite the hiring process. This becomes all the more important in case of hiring of fresher’s through walk-ins as the suitable candidates can be given instant offers after going through their assessment reports. 

Customization of Assessments: Every organization has different requirements and therefore one test format cannot fit all firms. The assessment partner should have the capability to design customized tests based on specific requirements of the hiring company. This will ensure that the candidates are being assessed on the desired parameters. 

Remote Monitoring: A technology that enables the recruiting company or the education institution to monitor the performance of the candidate while sitting in their offices in real time. It also informs the recruiter / supervisor if the internet connection is poor or absent. The proprietary algorithms use continuous data points to help identify possible cheaters with 100% accuracy. This accompanied by single click response helps take immediate action to identify and block any attempt to use unfair practices. It also clicks pictures of the candidate after every 30 seconds and the same can be viewed by the recruiter / supervisor to check of suspicious activities which gives the power in the hands of recruiter / admission supervisor.

Nationwide Proctoring Team: A nationwide network of proctors is necessary to facilitate assessments from a location that is convenient to the company as well as the candidates. A partner with limited network can prove to be a constraint if the company wants to hire the best talent irrespective of his location.

Number of Annual Assessments: To check the experience and authenticity of your assessment partner you must know the annual number of the assessments done by the assessment company. One should also look at the success rate of such assessments, which means how many candidates were finally given the offer. This is a good indication of the reliability of the test. A poor show on this parameter would mean that the candidates who pass the assessment tests are still below the expectation of the recruiter when it comes to possessing the requisite skills.

References of Existing Client: This acts as the most important parameter of all. If an existing client is endorsing the capability of the assessment firm, the recruiter does not necessarily have to invest his time and energy into shortlisting and selecting the assessment partner. He can go by the testimonial and judge the particular service provider for its capabilities.