What is a job simulation assessment?
A job simulation, or work sample, gives someone a realistic problem and looks at what they do with it. An aptitude item more often asks for a reasoning step abstracted from a particular job.
· GlobalPass+
When each design is useful
Abstract reasoning items are useful when the capability should transfer across jobs: reading a chart, checking an assumption, writing a clear paragraph. They are cheaper to standardise and easier to compare across candidates. They are a poor picture of a specific desk.
A work sample is useful when the job has a recognisable task: triage a brief, reply to a stakeholder, or choose what to do with incomplete data. It is closer to the work and harder to keep equivalent across candidates. A long unpaid assignment that produces client-ready work is a different thing again, and a poor candidate experience.
What GlobalPass+ is
GlobalPass+ pathways are timed assessments of transferable competencies, using applied tasks rather than a multi-day simulation of one employer's workflow. Examples in the pathway descriptions include checking an assumption, evaluating a source, and prioritising incomplete work. They are not a substitute for a role-specific work trial.
Duration is published on each assessment page, from 60 minutes for Foundations to 100 minutes for Graduate Launch. The candidate receives a score, profile, report and certificate. The sitting is not unpaid client delivery.
Questions
Is an aptitude test the same as a work sample?
No. An aptitude test samples a reasoning skill. A work sample asks for performance on a job-like task. Both can be valid for different decisions.