Studies have found that 76 percent of the productivity and contribution of an employee will be determined by his or her level of intelligence. Intelligence in this sense means the ability to plan, to organize, to set priorities, to solve problems, and to get the job done.

Intelligence refers to the level of common sense and an employee’s practical ability to deal with the day-to-day challenges of the job.

In this article, we have listed the three primary cognitive abilities you should measure to ensure you choose the right candidate for a specific job role.

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Why do we measure cognitive ability?

People with higher general mental ability find it easier to:

• Acquire job knowledge
• Make effective decisions
• Adapt to complex and novel situations

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Acquire job knowledge

Every recruiter would be glad to have a job candidate who can easily adapt, has the capacity to take on new roles and embrace new ways of thinking. Studies have found that people with higher general mental ability acquire more job knowledge and acquire it faster which may lead to a better performance at the workplace.

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Solve problems

Even when it is not specified in the job description, recruiters will look at a candidate’s problem-solving skills at various different stages of the recruitment process. This could be measured through psychometric tests to one-on-one interviews. Problem-solving is connected to a number of other skills such as level-headedness and resilience which are important for assessing a situation and analytical skills and creativity to reach and come up with a solution.

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Make effective decisions

Decision making is the ability to identify and clarify problems, seek alternatives, apply knowledge and experience, evaluate options and arrive at an appropriate and timely solution. It is not just confined to a managerial role but it also relates to almost every job at every level.

A candidate who can demonstrate an ability to identify all the options and compare them in terms of both costs and effectiveness have an advantage over those who can’t.

Adapt to complex and novel solutions

People with high cognitive capacity tend to be better equipped to deal with mentally demanding situations, in part due to their ability to learn new tasks or technologies more quickly. A candidate that can adapt to their environment and survive when faced with a difficult situation, is the one that is going to continue to thrive no matter how many pressures he/she is faced with.

THE TOP 3 COGNITIVE ABILITIES

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1. Logical Reasoning

This is a person’s ability to pick up on trends and patterns within data and to apply these patterns to solve a problem. Scores on this assessment provides an indication of how well someone will learn new information and integrate this with their existing knowledge. It can also provide an indication as to how well someone is able to work with strategic ideas and intangible concepts. 

High Scorers:

Should be skilled at working with the majority of complex information that they encounter at work.

Moderate Scorers:

Should be able to identify the underlying patterns and trends in most data they encounter at work.

Low Scorers:

May take longer than others to learn new information and skills.

2. Numerical Reasoning

This is a person’s ability to understand and make decisions on the basis of numerical information. Scores on this assessment provide an indication of how well someone will understand information presented in tables, figures and graphs.

High Scorers:

Their ability to work with numerical information is likely to be better developed than that of others.

Moderate Scorers:

Should be able to understand the most numerical information that they encounter at work.

Low Scorers:

May take longer than others when required to work with numerical information.

3. Verbal Reasoning

This is a person’s ability to understand complex written arguments and make accurate decisions on the basis of that information.

Scores on this assessment provide an indication of how easily someone will understand relatively complex written material such as research information, reports and correspondence.

High Scorers:

Their ability to understand written information is likely to be better developed than others.

Moderate Scorers:

Should be able to understand the majority of written information that they encounter at work.

Low Scorers:

May take longer than others when required to comprehend written information at work.

In Conclusion

Measuring cognitive ability is not only helpful for predicting performance potential; it also helps to determine person-job fit. The better the person-job fit, the higher the job satisfaction and the lower the chance of a turnover. Thus, when making selection decisions the goal should be to find a candidate who best matches the job requirements.

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Cognitive ability tests are an easy-to-administer, cost-effective method of assessing candidates of their logical, verbal, and numerical reasoning and have been found to be very consistent and valid in their measurements.

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