Pre-Employment Evaluation & Testing Services in Tennessee

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What is a Pre-Employment Evaluation?

Pre-employment evaluation is used to determine a candidate’s psychological suitability for a job.¹ These tools provide insight into an individual’s behavior, personality traits, and skill profile. What matters is whether the individual can carry out the essential duties of the position with or without accommodations.

More information can be obtained from a psychological test for employment than by simply reviewing a résumé and conducting a 30-minute interview. These kinds of pre-employment psychological exams can also help you save time and money on the hiring process because:²

• You can swiftly reduce the number of candidates on your list. You can select the candidates you want to invite in for interviews by using pre-employment testing.
• You’ll be able to perform better in interviews. You can expedite the interview process by leveraging test findings to develop questions that concentrate on important issues and queries.
• It ensures that applicants possess the appropriate qualities, abilities, and behaviors. Pre-employment testing can assist in identifying candidates who fit the bill for a position after you’ve determined which characteristics are essential for success in a specific capacity.
• You can lessen the likelihood of bad hires, aiding in reducing turnover.

Many occupations use psych evaluations for employment when making hiring decisions. However, a psychological test for employment is frequently required of candidates for public safety positions. Some of the most common positions include police officers, emergency medical technicians, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Additionally, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) stipulates that a psychological test for employment must wait until after a conditional job offer has been issued (i.e., post-offer).

Types of Pre-Employment Evaluations & Assessments

The following are a few pre-employment tests and their corresponding descriptions:³

• Job Knowledge Tests: Employers administer job knowledge tests to gauge your familiarity with the position you’re applying for. For instance, a job knowledge test on the firm’s internal accounting procedures can be given if your prospective employer is hiring a managerial accountant. It can be determined if you can use the knowledge you gained from prior accounting roles by taking tests on specific work requirements. To increase your chances of passing the test, find out from the recruiting manager about the test’s subject matter and carefully read the questions.
• Integrity Tests: Integrity tests are among the most objective exams that companies can use to evaluate applicants’ dependability. Employers ask questions tailored to your level of morality and ethical guidance in the face of particular employment conditions. For example, “Is posting work samples on your website ethical?” To provide the employer an accurate picture of the kind of worker you’ll be if you’re hired for the position, answer these questions truthfully. Your honesty could demonstrate that you work well with coworkers.
• Cognitive Ability Tests: Cognitive ability tests ask about your ability to think clearly enough to perform the job. Employers can better estimate how well you’ll perform on the job based on your responses because they’ll have more knowledge about how you handle complexity. The General Aptitude Test (GAT), for example, demonstrates your capacity for problem-solving through logical, verbal, and numerical reasoning.
• Personality Tests: Employers can tell if you’re a cultural fit by conducting personality assessments, as well as if your personality increases production. A test’s findings may aid employers in determining your degree of involvement and whether they believe you have a long-term career interest in the company. Some common psychological evaluation for employment personality tests include:
  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Businesses frequently utilize this well-known tool for profiling employee personalities as part of the psychometric tests given to applicants before hiring.⁴ The test measures numerous characteristics, including extroversion against introversion, intuition versus sensing, thinking versus feeling, and judging versus perceiving.
  • Hogan Personality Inventory: This assessment looks at how you interact with people and when you perform at your best.⁵
  • Big Five: Similar to Myers-Briggs, this test assesses five “personality dimensions” employers seek in candidates: extroversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. The objective is to provide insight into a potential or present employee’s interactions with coworkers and stress management strategies.
  • Disc Behavior Inventory: This psychological assessment, sometimes known by the abbreviation DISC, divides candidates into four “styles” based on inquiries about their conduct at the workplace. It aids companies in learning more about a candidate’s propensities for dominance, influence, support, and control.
• Emotional Intelligence Tests: Tests for emotional intelligence evaluate your capacity to form bonds with others and understand emotions. High emotional intelligence demonstrates how you can resolve problems and calm teammates’ frustration or disappointment. Some employers might examine your emotional stability skill set using the Berke evaluation to see if it matches the position you are applying for. Your emotional intelligence exam can reveal a number of skills, including teamwork, empathy, and adaptability.
• Skills Assessments Tests: Tests of soft and hard skills provide an overview of your capabilities. To determine whom they might wish to hire, employers test for these abilities later in the hiring process. For instance, a company might give you a writing test to hire you as a public relations coordinator. This can evaluate how quickly you can type, whether you can produce newsworthy content in a set amount of time, and how effectively you proofread your work before submission.
• Physical Ability Tests: Tests of physical ability focus on your strength and endurance. They also demonstrate your ability to carry out jobs requiring physical labor, such as those of a police officer or firefighter. For employers, adding a physical competency test to the hiring process means they can locate qualified candidates while also lowering the risk of workplace accidents.

Insurance may be able to help cover the cost of mental health professional services. Find out if your insurance can help with the costs by calling your insurance provider or by contacting us below. One of our care coordinators can help you navigate your insurance coverage and get the care you need.

What to Expect From a Pre-Employment Evaluation

Before sending you a job offer, many firms will employ a psychological evaluation for employment. During the interview process, employers frequently do this to assist them in making a hiring choice.⁶

The employer must first decide whether tests are required, then choose or create a test that accurately assesses the required knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs), and then monitor the test’s use.⁷

Finding the KSAOs needed to do the work is the first step:

• Knowledge is data that every employee has to have (e.g., knowledge of accounting principles).
• Skills are learned behaviors required to do a task successfully (e.g., typing).
• Abilities are observable behaviors, such as those required to carry out the physical demands of their work (e.g., climbing stairs).
• Other traits include additional job needs (e.g., attitude, reliability).

As a prospective employee, you can take a few steps to prepare for a psychological test for employment:

• Do a background check on yourself.
• Report false or inaccurate information.
• Let your references know.
• Be truthful.
• Go through your social media.

Your psychological test for employment may consist of two parts: written and oral. You may begin by answering questions that can be completed from any location with internet access. The screening may specifically assess adaptation, judgment, cultural sensitivity, ethics, attitudes toward authority, and anything pertaining to the position you’re applying for.

After completing the online screening, a psychologist will conduct a more thorough one-on-one evaluation with you. This part of the psychological evaluation for employment will look at areas not covered by the questionnaire, such as intellectual functioning, problem-solving skills, work ethic, safety awareness, stress management, and potential for sabotage.

Only experienced psychologists with a doctorate in psychology or equivalent credentials can perform pre-employment psychological testing where the law permits.

The psychologist will question the subject during the test and may even give them a test. Following the session, the psychologist will do an evaluation, get to know and gauge the client, as well as develop self-reports. A psychological evaluation for employment can typically be completed in 15 to 120 minutes.

Usually, you’ll be invited to return a few weeks later to go through the findings and suggestions. You should receive a written record and any references the expert may suggest.

The report will either be sent to the referring professional or shared with the patient when the evaluation or testing is complete. The referring physician will subsequently be able to choose the appropriate treatments based on these findings. Each case will be different from the others.

The data from pre-employment psychological testing is validated using various validity metrics. For instance, when the performance and job description align with the evaluation’s criteria, it shows content. Another example of criterion-related validity is when a pre-employment test’s outcomes can be used to forecast employee performance. This necessitates statistical analysis and comparison of evaluation results to employee performance.⁸

Finally, pre-employment psychological testing can also show construct validity. This is assessed by contrasting the outcomes with another test assessing the same psychological construct, such as integrity or intelligence.

How Much Does a Pre-Employment Assessment Cost?

Assessment services are often billed by the hour or at a set rate. Without insurance, a typical consultation for a complete psychological test for employment will cost between $125 and $200 per hour.

More than one evaluation could be advised or perhaps necessary for reliable results, depending on the situation. The cost of a thorough assessment will often range from $1,500 to $3,500 over several sessions.⁹

Partial evaluations might cost anywhere from $600 to as much as $1,500. Less invasive psychological tests, such as those that rely on patient-completed questionnaires, are more affordable than those that need direct contact with a psychologist.

The price for psychological services in Tennessee will vary depending on the test’s length, the psychologist, and the location. Furthermore, additional expenses to consider include the following:

• Prescription drugs
• Follow-up visits
• Prescribed therapy

Some insurance plans provide mental health benefits that will pay for psychological testing or employment consulting services, but they often only cover a small portion of the expenses. In addition, for patients who pay in cash up front, some clinics may provide discounts, while others may offer financing options or payment plans.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Pre-Employment Evaluations

Candidate tests are advantageous for employers, candidates, and the entire business. Pre-employment psychological testing speeds up the hiring process, makes it more equitable, and increases the possibility that new hires will succeed in their positions.

Candidate testing has several key advantages, including:

• Enhancing the quality of hire
• Using standardized, verified measurements to reduce bias
• Casting a wider net to increase diversity
• Cutting down on hiring time
• Removing the availability and scheduling constraints
• Maintaining candidate interest
• Renewed retention

However, a psych evaluation for a job also has its drawbacks, including but not limited to the following:^10,11

• Potentially complex application procedure
• Reduced pool of candidates
• Test validity may be in question
• Test results don’t always reveal the whole story