Achievement tests

Designed to measure what the applicant may do on the currently job, for example whether the test really knows what he or she claims to know. A typing test indicates typing proficiency, a short test measures the testee's capability to take dictation and transcribe, etc. Such type of proficiency tests are also known as work sampling tests. Work sampling is a selection tests wherein the job applicant's capability to do a short portion of the job is tested. These tests are of two kinds; Motor, by including physical manipulation of things (for example: trade tests for carpenters, plumbers, electricians) or Verbal, including problem situations that are primarily language- oriented or people-oriented (for example situational tests for supervisory jobs).

            As work samples are miniature replicas of real job requirements, they are hard to fake. They offer existing evidence of the proficiency of an applicant as against his capacity to do the job. However, work-sample tests are not cost effective, as each of the candidates has to be tested individually. It is not simple to develop work samples for each type of job. Moreover, it is not applicable to all of the levels of the organisation. For managerial jobs it is frequently not possible to create a work sample test that may take one of all the full range of managerial abilities.