Often, candidates may be overwhelmed when asked to complete psychometric assessments as part of a recruitment or development programme, especially if it is presented in an ‘old fashioned’ school test format. For younger candidates, it can feel repetitive and sometimes even boring. Today, there is a great alternative, namely gamified assessments.

Gamified assessments take robust, scientific psychometric tests and present these as a game where you can progress through levels, earn points and get badges. Gamified assessments can be a great way to engage employees and increase motivation. It makes assessments more fun for employees, provides immediate feedback (read: instant gratification), and provides a sense of accomplishment and progress. Gamified assessments can also help measure employee performance in a more accurate way, by considering the amount of time spent on each task and the complexity of the task. Furthermore, they can be used to track progress over time and make learning more personalised. 

Five benefits of gamified assessments: 

  1. Measuring actual ability and job performance: In ways that standard assessments cannot, gamified assessments can expose a candidate’s innate performance. It has been demonstrated that they can assess both learning capacity and learning agility. In other words, both how quickly and how effectively applicants can learn. These fast-paced and immersive assessments put candidates under pressure to adjust to novel situations and the speed at which they do so reflects their level of learning agility.
  2. Delivering a highly engaging candidate experience: Candidates demand more from an application process. Especially non-active job seekers are not keen to participate in lengthy, boring recruitment processes with little (sometimes no) feedback in-between. The HR community can now benefit from gamification with up to 99% completion rates on tests, a strategy that has been employed for years by other industries to pique interest and create demand. By incorporating game-based aspects into the assessment process, gamified assessment provides a very engaging applicant experience.
  3. Enhancing your employer brand: Before submitting an application, candidates research your company’s reputation for 30 minutes on average. With so many peer-to-peer review websites like Glassdoor, they have more information at their disposal than ever. For talent discovery to be sustainable and scalable, a well-designed selection process is essential. Gamified tests present an upbeat and innovative employer image. They excel at making a strong first impression, leaving applicants with a lasting favourable impression that they can recommend to their colleagues.
  4. Dynamic feedback: Most people prefer to receive timely feedback on how they are performing rather than taking a deep breath at the end. Gamified tests can offer succinct feedback at the completion of levels or segments to let applicants gauge their progress as they proceed. Savvy candidates who are more receptive to feedback can also make use of this chance to improve their agility and boost their performance as they advance.
  5. Optimised for accessibility: Assessments should measure candidates at their best. However, they don’t have to be overly formal or discriminate against candidates who do not have access to a desktop or laptop during their free time at home. They also shouldn’t discriminate against candidates with low bandwidth. Whether a gamified assessment is taken on a mobile device, tablet or a desktop, it retains its strong psychometric validity. The game-like interface scales to meet the candidate’s optimal interaction dimensions. Additionally, the new design and feel invites more applicants to finish it whenever and wherever they feel at ease and capable of giving it their best effort. 

Give gamified assessments a try for your next recruitment project. Your candidates will love it! 

AIMS South Africa can assist with all your executive search and assessment needs. 

AIMS SOUTH AFRICA