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Gamified Assessments

Modern psychometric assessments are sometimes gamified. This makes them faster to administer and more engaging for candidates.

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What are game-based assessments?

Your standard psychometric tests have evolved over time to provide more benefits to employers and candidates, whether that is in the validity or reliability of the results produced for the employer to review or the candidate experience. Gamification is the next step in the process, having received positive feedback from employers, candidates and psychologists.

Game-based assessments are used in the hiring process just like psychometric tests to assess a candidate's skills. However, unlike most aptitude tests, these are quick and engaging due to their game format. This new candidate friendly format can take the form of any sort of game, we have a free example called 'Memory cards' you can try below.

Play our Practice Gamified Assessment: Memory Cards

Memory Cards
Free

This is a simple memory game, which features in some publishers' gamified assessments.

Why are game-based assessments used in the hiring process

As mentioned game-based assessments have been introduced as an evolution to traditional assessments, however that doesn't mean that they have replaced them. Game-based assessments and traditional assessments are often used as complementary tools. Here are some of the main benefits of game based assessments:

  • Engagement and Motivation: - Games are inherently engaging and can capture the interest of candidates more effectively than traditional assessments. This engagement can lead to a more authentic representation of a candidate's skills and capabilities.
  • Behavioural Assessment: - Games often require problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making skills. Observing how candidates navigate through the challenges presented in a game can offer insights into their behaviour, cognitive abilities, and decision-making processes.
  • Diversity and Inclusion: - Game-based assessments can be designed to be more inclusive, tapping into a wider range of skills and talents. Traditional assessments may have biases or be limited in assessing certain skills, but games can offer a more holistic evaluation.

Check this out for a more in-depth look at the benefits of game-based assessments.

Test publishers with gamified assessments

Test Partnership:

As one of the better examples of gamification, Test Partnership has a series of gamified assessments called MindmetriQ. They are eye-catching and quite fun (compared to traditional tests anyway). There are six games each lasting between 4 and 7 minutes, and each measuring an element of your cognitive ability.

  • Pipe Puzzle: - Swap the tiles to connect up the start and finish pieces of the pipe. Successfully doing this within the time limit will present you with a little animation of the blue dot racing to its destination.
  • Shape Spinner: - One of the trickiest games out there! The shapes on the outside remain fixed, the shapes on the inside can be rotated. You have to pair each shape up according to a set of rules, either the same shape, or the same shade, but NOT both.
  • Word Logic: - Technically known as logical syllogisms these follow the pattern of 'Car is to Road as Boat is to ...'. Pick the correct answer from a choice of 5 options. You have three chances to increase your time limit for each question by an extra 15 seconds, giving you time to think and check your answers.
  • Link Swipe: - Pairs of words appear on screen, and swipe left, right or down whether you think the words are synonyms or antonyms of each other, or completely unrelated.
  • Net the Numbers: - Drag the grey net across the grid of numbers. All numbers caught in the grid will be summed up together. The goal is to get the highest score possible in the grid. Sometimes, it might seem counter-intuitive, but catching a few negative numbers gives a higher score than only going for positive numbers.
  • Number Racer: - You control an arrow representing a car, which can move left and right across the bottom of the screen. Blocks containing a number will drop down from the top of the screen. You have a target number to reach. Catch the falling blocks to add up to the target number and avoid others you don't want. You have a few seconds before the blocks start falling to look at the numbers coming up. Use this time to work out which to catch. There's often more than one way to reach the target number.

Arctic Shores:

A tech start up founded with the aim to make psychometric assessments more engaging. They were amongst the first to create and pilot a suite of immersive gamified assessments, which include; Yellow Hook Reef, Sky Rise City, Cosmic Cadet and Pinnacle Valley. These games test your memory, reactions, and identify aspects of your personality, such as how risk-averse you are. You can practise the memory game memory cards.

Revelian:

Their suite of 6 gamified assessments with a crisp, playful design assess problem solving, numerical reasoning and verbal knowledge through a few mini-games;

  • Short cuts: - The objective is to get the blue marble to the goal in as few moves as possible. Obstacles such as red marbles will block your path and these have to be moved out of the way for you to progress. You receive a different score depending on the number of moves it takes for you to solve the possible.
  • Resemble: - An image of different shapes and colours will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. You need to follow the instructions (rotate 180, reflect, etc) and construct that new image on a blank grid on the right-hand side using the building blocks you are given.
  • Gridlock: - Move and rotate Tetris-style pieces into position to occupy every block on a custom grid. The less moves and time you take the greater your score.
  • Numbubbles: - You are given a target number for each level, throughout the level bubbles of equations will appear and you have to click on the equations which equal the target number you have been given before the timer runs out and they pop! Each level may have 1, 2 or more equations which tally with the target number. Speed in mental arithmetic is hugely advantageous here.
  • Tally Up: - The screen is split in two down the middle and numbers will appear on both the left and right-hand sides. Work out, before the timer runs out whether the sum of the numbers on both sides are equal to each other, or if one side is greater than the other.
  • Proof It: - Select the words which contain misspellings or highlight any punctuation errors. You have 3 lifelines if you click on words which are spelled correctly. Once all errors have been found, you will progress to another document and asked to proof this too.

Aon:

smartPredict features four Challenges;

  • switchChallenge: - a more interactive version of a diagrammatic or abstract reasoning test, where you are asked to select which function would rearrange the shapes in the sequence above to follow the shapes in the sequence below. The sequences become more difficult and you will have to follow two or more functions to go from top sequence of shapes to the bottom sequence.
  • digitChallenge: - You have a time limit to solve an equation by entering in the missing numbers. You are given the answer, the blank spaces for you to enter numbers, the operators between these, such as plus, minus, division and multiplication signs and a set of numbers as they would appear on a calculator. You can only use each number once! e.g. _ x _ - _ = 12 8 x 2 - 4 = 12
  • motionChallenge: - This is similar to the Rush Hour Traffic game you may have played when you were younger. You have to clear a path to get the red ball to the goal by moving the blocks which stand in its way. Each level is timed and the number of moves you make are counted.
  • gridChallenge: - A memory game, you are shown a dot on a grid and have a few seconds to memorise its position. This disappears and you are then shown two images and asked to determine whether they are mirror images of each other (symmetrical) or not. Later on you are asked to recall where on the grid the dots you have been shown appeared.

HireVue:

They have produced quite a number of games that measure numerical and verbal reasoning, such as Wordexpand, Wordpath, Numerosity, Shapedance, Disconumbers, Digitspan. They also have a range of coding challenges.

Tips and advice for game-based assessments

  • Read the instructions: - These games are a new style of psychometric assessments. Recruiters are expecting this will be the first time that you have come across them. Companies are not looking to catch you out and will have provided clear, detailed instructions to introduce you to the concept.
  • Practise beforehand: - You are given practice questions before the real test starts, take advantage of these to make sure you understand what you have to do in the assessment. Often, you can re-read the instructions and redo the practice questions multiple times. Don't rush in if you're not confident. Use this opportunity to retake the practice questions. Test Partnership even give you the opportunity to practise the games on their website.
  • Internet connection: - All of these tests are online, so ensure that you have a good internet connection.
  • Be prepared and relaxed: - Set yourself up in a quiet area, where you will not be disturbed, and make sure that you are sat comfortably.