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Client Help for SHL OPQ and Tests
This client support page has been designed to help you get the most from the SHL on-line questionnaires and tests that are available to aid your candidate selection process or development support.
The information below has been prepared and presented by KSL Training not SHL. Should you not be able to find the information you are seeking, please do not hesitate to contact KSL Training or SHL Direct for further help and advice. SHL can be contacted by telephone on 020 8335 8000 (from within the UK or +44 20 8335 8000 from abroad).
Summary of Contents
About SHL OPQ32i Occupational Personality Questionnaire
The OPQ, Occupational Personality Questionnaire range provides an indication of the candidate's perception of their preferred behavioural style at work and likely performance against important job competencies. For the purposes of this section, the information provided here is specifically written for the OPQ32i, designed for managerial and professional roles. For any questions around the Sales Report, Customer Contact Styles or Work Styles version of the OPQ, please contact KSL Training or SHL directly.
Questionnaire measures: The OPQ32i, Occupational Personality Questionnaire is designed to measure a candidate's behaviour, preferences and attitudes in relation to different aspects of their working life. It is based on their own level of self-awareness, so the results should be explored with the candidate either at a selection interview or development coaching session.
Questionnaire benefits: Asking your interviewees to complete the questionnaire within a recruitment and selection context provides you with a greater insight into the their preferences and how that might affect their potential suitability for a particular role as well as the organisation's culture. In a development context, the OPQ enables you and the employee to identify potential strengths and areas for professional development.
Questionnaire format: As this is a questionnaire has no right or wrong answer, the candidate is not timed. However, to ensure the most accurate self assessment , candidates should be encouraged to work at a quick pace and not reflect too long on each question. Working in this way means that the candidate should take between 45 to 60 minutes to complete the questionnaire.
The questionnaire presents the candidate with 100 questions, each offering four statements of behaviour that they will need to determine which is most and least like them at work. These behaviour statements are repeated throughout the questionnaire to help the candidate establish their true strength of preferred behaviour when working with others, their thinking style and their feelings and emotions whilst at work.
The questionnaire also measures how consistently the candidate has responded to the statements presented.
About SHL On-line Ability Tests
SHL offer a wide range of paper based Ability/Aptitude tests. At present there are three tests available on-line. These are Verbal, Numerical and Inductive Reasoning. These tests seek to measure the candidate's ability to rationalise information presented to them and draw accurate conclusions. For this reason, the tests are timed, and they are written to address a wide range of capability within a particular population group such as supervisors, managers etc.
Verbal Critical Reasoning Test
The Verbal Critical Reasoning Test measures the candidate's ability to evaluate the logic of various kinds of argument. In the test, the candidate has to decide whether a statement made in connection with information given earlier, is true or untrue, or whether there is insufficient information to make a judgement. The test is timed, ranging from 17 - 19 minutes to complete, dependant upon the level of test. It is critical that the correct level of test is administered for each candidate.
The Verbal Critical Reasoning Test is suitable for any occupation where the following tasks are critical aspects of the job role:
- Analysis and interpretation of written and oral information
- Preparation of written documents
- Preparing and delivering presentations
This makes the test ideal in the recruitment of a wide range of functions including:
- Administration roles
- Distribution roles
- Human Resources roles
- Legal roles
- Marketing roles
- Professional Services roles
- Transportation roles
Numerical Critical Reasoning Test
The Numerical Critical Reasoning Test measures the candidate's ability to make correct decisions or inferences from the numerical data presented. Candidates are allowed to use a calculator in this particular test. The candidate will be allowed a specific amount of time to complete the test ranging from 17 - 25 minutes, dependant upon the level of the test undertaken.
The Numerical Critical Reasoning Test is suitable for any occupation where the following tasks are critical aspects of the job role:
- Analysis and interpretation of numerical data
- Budgets
- Costs
- Margins
- Trends
- Statistical analyses
This makes the test ideal in the recruitment of a wide range of functions including:
- IT roles
- Finance roles
- Production roles
- Professional Services roles
- Sales roles
Inductive Reasoning Test
The Inductive Reasoning Test measures a manager or graduate's ability to solve problems. They may also be referred to as diagrammatic style tests or abstract reasoning tests. The test measures the ability to work flexibly with unfamiliar information and find solutions. The candidate will be presented with 24 tasks to complete within 25 minutes.
The Inductive Reasoning Test is suitable for any occupation where the following tasks are critical aspects of the job role:
- Analysing data
- Developing solutions from first principles
- Making decisions and solving problems
- Logical thinking
- Developing objectives and strategies
This makes the test ideal in the recruitment of a wide range of functions including:
- Strategic roles
- IT roles
- New Product and Service Development roles
- Research & Development and Science roles
- Creative roles
Comparison Groups: Industry Sector
The candidate's test results are compared to one of the five comparison groups used, based on industry sector to establish how well the candidate is likely to understand or interpret numerical data and mathematical calculations (Numerical Critical Reasoning Test) as compared to the group and how well they are likely to understand and evaluate written reports and documents (Verbal Critical Reasoning Test).
The five comparison groups used are:
- Banking, Finance & Professional Services
- Retail, Hospitality & Leisure
- Engineering, Science & Technology
- Public Sector/Government
- General Population
Ability Test Level
Selecting the right level of test based on the job role the candidate is being screened for is crucial. SHL Verify Ability tests are grouped into the following four job role levels:
- Graduate / University: Suitable for graduates across a wide range of industries and are typically used for selection of candidates coming directly out of degree programmes.
- Managerial/Professional: Suitable for professional or technical jobs such as experienced managers, technical professionals, or other similar jobs.
- Supervisory: Appropriate for jobs such as junior managers, supervisors, management trainees, senior administrative staff, some professional / technical sales positions, or similar jobs.
- Operational: Appropriate for jobs such as customer service / call centre, sales, retail associates, personal assistants or other types of jobs requiring a moderate degree of critical reasoning ability.
Best use of the OPQ and Ability Tests within the selection process
To make best use of both the OPQ and the Ability Tests within the recruitment and selection process there are some key points worthy of consideration before embarking on their use:
Identify the job requirements: Identifying early on in the recruitment and selection process which skills, behaviours and attributes are critical to the job, will enable you to pinpoint the crucial information you wish to attain from the OPQ and/or Ability Tests. This will help you decide which type of OPQ report will provide you with the most relevant information. KSL Training or SHL can provide example reports. Any job analysis you can do before hand that helps you to identify the attributes of those employees who are or have recently been particularly successful in the role (subject to no major job or organisation changes) will help you to focus on the most crucial aspects of the candidate's responses within the OPQ report.
Plan the timing of the OPQ/Ability Tests: In the planning stage, it is helpful to consider which stage of the selection process would be the most effective to use the OPQ and/or Ability Tests. Many organisations use the Ability Tests to initially screen applicants where a large volume of applications are likely to be received for the job or where the employer wishes to raise the quality of candidates selected for interview.
The OPQ is then used just prior to the interview at the second stage of selection, allowing the interviewer to plan their questions in a focused manner, ensuring that the candidate's self assessment report is accurate, whilst managing the costs associated with these tools in the most effective way.
Confirm attributes and skills reported from the OPQ/Ability Tests: Within the selection process it is best practice to measure the key skills you are looking for at least on two occasions. Considering the selection methods you will therefore use carefully, will help you to achieve this. For example, if influencing skills are critical within the job role, the OPQ report will help you to identify how influential the candidate sees himself or herself. To confirm this, you may wish to use a competency based interview question to get the candidate to provide you with a real life example of when they have had to influence someone to achieve something important in their job or life. Alternatively, you could ask the candidate to role play a scenario where they have to influence you or a colleague acting as a customer/client.
Provide candidate feedback: Due to ethical reasons, candidates should be provided with feedback on the results of the test and/or questionnaire they have completed. This feedback can be provided in either a verbal or written format. SHL provide automated OPQ candidate reports for this purpose, and at KSL Training, we can provide either face-to-face or telephone feedback. Alternatively you can use a trained in-house practitioner to provide candidate feedback.
Supervising Candidates
The on-line SHL Verify Ability Testing sevice and OPQ can both be completed by a candidate without supervision. These Verify Tests, offered in Numerical and Verbal Critical Reasoning, can offer additional security by asking the candidate to complete a second, shorter version of the test with questions aimed at the candidate's first reported ability level. This will then enable SHL to confirm whether or not the second test results reflect the candidate's inital reported ability level. You will need to have a Level A trained administrator to operate the second stage of this Verify process.
If you decide, as part of your selection process to invite your candidates to take the tests and/or questionnaire under your supervision, the following tips may help:
Create the right environment: Provide a quiet, light room for the candidates and ensure no interruptions occur such as a telephone ringing. Ask all candidates to ensure their mobile phone is switched off and ask them to refrain from leaving the room until all candidates have completed the questionnaire/tests.
Explain why you are asking the candidate to complete the questionnaire/test: Provide an overview of how you will be using the information from the OPQ and/or Ability Tests within the selection or development process, and answer any questions that the candidate may have.
Provide sufficient resources: Provide a few pieces of paper and a pen to each candidate to make notes whilst they are completing the on-line questionnaire/test. For the Numerical Critical Reasoning Test, a calculator is allowed, so make these available to each candidate.
Allow candidate to practice before hand: In each ability test or personality questionnaire, the candidate will be provided with a few practice questions to become familiar with the process. Allow sufficient time to ensure each candidate understands the process and how he or she calculated the correct answer in an Ability Test before moving onto the main questions. To be consistent in your supervision of candidates and to manage your time effectively, you may allow the candidates two opportunities to practice the test questions. You can also suggest to the candidates that they complete the practice test questions available on SHL's website at: http://www.shldirect.com/ prior to attending the assessment.
Schedule a break between test: If you are going to ask your candidate to complete the OPQ and the two ability Tests you may wish to consider providing a structured break with refershments to enable the candidates to maintain a good level of concentration. At the very least, candidates should be offered a break between taking the OPQ and the tests.
Ensure the candidate has completed the questionnaire/test: At the end of answering the questions, ensure each candidate has pressed the completion and log out button. This signals the technology to summarise the candidate's responses into the report format.
Advise candidates when and how feedback will be available: At the end of the assessment, advise the candidates when and in what format feedback will be provided, i.e. face-to-face, telephone or written.
Be consistent with each candidate: Regardless of how many candidates you are asking to complete the OPQ and/or Ability Tests, be consistent with the time, environment, resources and support you provide to each one. The key is to ensure that each candidate has the same opportunity to do their best.
Provide specific support to candidates with disability: For those candidates who have a disability that may affect their ability to perform well or accurately, ascertain their requirements for additional support. We will then see how we can appropriately help them, for example, SHL provide free paper based tests to candidates with poor eyesight requiring larger sized fonts.
For technical support, please see our Candidate Help Page - Technical Support.
For any further support or advice, please contact KSL Training or SHL directly.
We wish you every success in implementing the effective use of the OPQ and/or Ability Tests within your recruitment and selection process or developmental provision to potential or current employees.
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