Share
computer skills test: How To Design a Computer Test for an Interview
Question
Trending:
- excel test for interview: 50 Questions To Help You Ace an Interview Test on Excel
- written communication skills interview questions: Interview Questions About Writing Skills With Sample Answers
- how to improve interview skills: 10 Tips To Help You Improve Your Interviewing Skills
- active listening interview questions: Listening Skills Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
- boilermaker test questions and answers: 27 Boilermaker Interview Questions (Plus 4 Sample Answers)
- api interview questions: 20 API Interview Questions and Answers To Ace the Interview
- c++ interview questions: 43 C++ Interview Questions To Prepare for Your Interview
Answers ( 2 )
If you’re the hiring manager for a company or organisation, you might be considering a computer skills test to help you assess candidates’ skills. Before you do that though, make sure you know what makes a good computer skills test and how to design one. In this article we explain how to create an effective computer skills test by breaking down the essential components of such an assessment tool.
Choose a test design.
You’re not just going to sit down and write a test. First, you need to decide what type of test design will best suit your needs. There are many different types of test designs, but they all have the same goal: to measure what you want to know.
If you’re designing an interview-based assessment (like we are), then one option is called “behavioral interviewing.” Behavioral interviewing focuses on past performance rather than future potential or skillsets like technical acumen or leadership ability–it’s about how someone acted in certain situations in their past jobs or academic pursuits. This type of assessment is useful because it helps employers evaluate candidates based on concrete examples from their past experiences instead of relying solely on subjective opinions about what someone might be able to do with minimal information about their previous roles and responsibilities at work or school.
Choose the test items.
After you’ve decided on the type of test, it’s time to choose the actual test items. In general, it’s best to use questions that are relevant to the job and job-related. You may also want to consider using questions that have been tested in previous studies or studies conducted by other organizations as well.
Construct the test items.
Test items should be worded clearly and unambiguously, so that there is no room for interpretation or bias. Each item should also be relevant to the job being tested, representative of the skills required for successful performance in that position and of similar length and complexity as other similar tasks performed on the job (if possible).
Develop the scoring rubric.
The scoring rubric is the second step in the process of creating a computer skills test. It’s a list of criteria that you’ll use to measure how well each candidate performs on your test. For example, if one of your criteria is “Knowledge of Windows 10,” then this means that you want candidates to be able to use commands like “File” and “Open.” You might also include what percentage of correct answers is required for each question before they can move forward with their answers: if someone gets 50 percent correct on all their questions about Windows 10, then they can go ahead and enter their next response; if someone only gets 25 percent correct on those same questions though (or less), then we won’t let them proceed until they’ve done better on those problems.
Your scoring rubric should also include:
Develop a scoring key.
The next step is to develop a scoring key. A scoring key determines how you will score your test items and is based on your purpose for developing the test. For example, if you want to determine whether or not applicants can correctly use Microsoft Word during an interview, then it makes sense to create multiple-choice questions that require candidates to choose from one of four possible answers (e.g., “Which command is used to save changes made in Microsoft Word?”).
If there are no right answers and only one way of interpreting each item on your computer skills test (e.g., “How would you describe yourself?”), then creating multiple choice questions won’t work well–instead, consider using fill-in-the blank responses instead!
Takeaway:
The computer skills test is a great way to assess your candidate’s ability to use computers. It can also be used as a screening tool, so that only the best candidates move forward in the hiring process.
computer skills test: How To Design a Computer Test for an Interview
Introduction
As a hiring manager, you want to hire employees who can jump in and start contributing. That’s why it’s important to create a computer skills test for an interview that measures candidates’ abilities realistically. A well-designed computer skills test will help you determine whether candidates have the knowledge and experience needed to perform well in their positions, helping you hire employees who can contribute immediately upon starting work.
Define the job and determine what computer skills are required.
First, you need to define the job and determine what computer skills are required. You may already have a job description that includes this information, but if not, here’s how I would go about it:
First and foremost, I would ask myself: What does this person need to do in order for me to consider them successful at their job? This helps me identify what skills are critical for success on my team–and therefore should be tested during interviews. For example, if someone is applying for an IT support position where they’ll be troubleshooting issues remotely with clients over the phone or video conference platform like Skype or Google Hangouts (or whatever), then having strong communication skills will obviously be important. Similarly if they’re applying for a project manager role where they’ll need knowledge of project management software like JIRA or Trello so they can manage tasks and deadlines effectively while keeping stakeholders informed at every step along the way; then again knowing how these tools work could help build rapport between yourself and other team members by showing off some basic familiarity with them right away!
Identify the skills needed to perform the job.
The first step in creating a computer skills test is to identify the skills needed to perform the job. You can do this by looking at the job description, as well as any other documents that describe your organization’s requirements for employees. The most common types of documents are:
Create different levels of proficiency.
In order to create a test that accurately measures your candidates’ skills, you need to define the different levels of proficiency. The first step is defining what level of proficiency is needed for the job. For example, if you are hiring an entry-level computer programmer and want them to be able to program in Java, then you will need them to be able to write basic programs using loops and conditional statements. If they don’t know how do this yet but show potential, then they may be placed on an education track while they learn those skills.
If it’s too difficult for someone with no programming experience at all (like me), try learning some basics yourself so that you can better understand what level each skill falls under: beginner vs intermediate vs advanced/expertise
Determine what level of proficiency is needed for the job.
Before you start designing your test, it’s important to consider what level of computer proficiency is needed for the job. Is this a position where someone will be required to use basic word processing skills? Or are they going to need advanced skills like programming and database management?
In addition, think about what other types of skills are required in order for an applicant with no experience with computers or technology to succeed at their job. For example: does this person need good communication skills so that he or she can work well with others? Does he or she have strong leadership abilities so that he or she can lead a team successfully? If so, these should also be part of your test design process (and possibly even included as part of another portion).
Create a basic test and have it reviewed by experts.
Having a test reviewed by experts is an absolute must. They will be able to tell you if your questions are clear, if they are asking for the right information, and if there are any areas where the candidate can get confused or frustrated. It’s also important to get feedback from someone who is not familiar with the job (and thus doesn’t know what kind of person you’re looking for) as well as someone who has experience in testing and interviewing.
Develop a detailed test and have it reviewed by experts.
Make sure the test is fair and accurate. In order for your computer skills test to be effective, it must be both fair and accurate.
Test each part of your test with a representative sample before going live with the entire test.
Test each part of your test with a representative sample before going live with the entire test. It’s easy to get excited about a new idea, but it’s important not to rush things. Test each part of your test with a representative sample before going live with the entire test. This gives you an opportunity to see how well it works and make changes as needed.
You should also avoid making any changes after going live; there will be plenty of time for that later!
A carefully designed computer skills test helps determine whether candidates have the knowledge and experience needed to perform well in their positions, helping you hire employees who can contribute immediately upon starting work.
A carefully designed computer skills test helps determine whether candidates have the knowledge and experience needed to perform well in their positions, helping you hire employees who can contribute immediately upon starting work.
The key to a good computer skills test is ensuring that it’s relevant to your business needs. For example, if you’re looking for someone who knows how to use Microsoft Office programs like Word and Excel, then you should include these on your test because they’re important tools used by your employees every day. On the other hand, if there aren’t any particular software programs required for your job (or even computers themselves), then there’s no need for this section at all!
Conclusion
A computer skills test is a great way to make sure that your employees have the skills needed to perform well in their positions. If you’re looking for new employees and want to hire candidates who can contribute immediately upon starting work, consider using a computer skills test during your job interviews.