Workplace Observation Assessment Matches Applicants’ Skills With Job Requirements

Jeremy Catoe describes ACT’s new Workplace Observation assessment in a word: tough.

“We are hearing from employers that it’s a hard test. Rather than memorizing a set of steps used in a workplace activity, examinees have to understand each step and why it matters, and be able to apply the steps accurately,” said Catoe, an ACT-authorized job profiler and proctor for the Midlands Workforce Development Board (MWDB) in Columbia, South Carolina.

A client at the Midlands Workforce Development Board office in Columbia, South Carolina, takes ACT’s new Workplace Observation assessment.

Catoe and his staff have administered more than 100 Workplace Observation assessments so far and expect interest to rise as more employers become familiar with the test. The MWDB is a WorkKeys^® Solutions Provider (WSP) serving three counties in the Columbia area. As WorkKeys licensees, WSPs provide WorkKeys assessments to employers and other third parties who pay for the tests.

Workplace Observation is the latest addition to ACT’s WorkKeys suite of workplace skills assessments. It measures workers’ skills in observing, following, understanding, and evaluating processes, demonstrations, and other on-the-job procedures. Examinees view a series of work-related activities via online video segments, animations, and still presentations. They must pay attention to the steps that are followed and then respond to questions based on the activities viewed.

The timed online assessment is given in a proctored environment. Examinees have 55 minutes to view 14 workplace scenarios and complete 35 questions. A variety of industries are represented in the assessment scenarios, including healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, construction, and transportation. The test is scored immediately and results are made available online to the administrator within minutes after examinees submit their onscreen responses.

Observation skills are often the most used, and the most overlooked, of all critical job skills. They play an important role in the success of workplace training and are critical to job performance and learning.

“Employers use this assessment in their hiring processes to find the right people for jobs requiring observation skills. It helps reduce their risk of making a bad hire and ensures that an applicant’s skills fit the requirements of a position,” said Martin Scaglione, president and chief operating officer of ACT’s Workforce Development Division.