Frequently Asked Questions.
Do you have some specific questions about our game-based assessments? Check out our FAQ below. Can’t find the answer you were looking for? Don’t hesitate to fire up our live chat.
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Game-based tests & Validation
A game-based assessment is a deliberately built-in game that captures hundreds of data points on a player’s behaviour. These data points will be leveraged to indicate a person’s behavioural characteristics or cognitive abilities.
Most common tests are traditional tests, meaning that a candidate is presented with a multiple choice question-answer format. For cognitive tests, the participant is usually asked to pick the correct answer. For personality tests, the participant is asked to pick the answer that suits them best (self-evaluation/self-report).
At Equalture we have chosen to steer away from traditional testing formats and provide candidates with a game-based test instead, the overcome the following issues that traditional tests suffer from:
- Practice Effect: Practicing cognitive tests improve testing outcomes, while it’s important to measure innate traits (source);
- Self-evaluation: People are not capable of accurately assessing themselves (source);
- Social desirability: Candidates pick the most desirable answer in a personality questionaire (source);
- Culture Bias: Social desirable behaviour is different for different cultures, and words can be interpreted differently (source).
Yes. Equalture’s game-based assessments follow the same process of scientific validation. On top of that, what a lot of companies don’t know is that well-known tests such as the DiSC or MBTI test have never been scientifically validated. On their website you will find a disclaimer which states that these tests should not be used in a selection process.
The tasks presented in traditional cognitive tests (figure series, pattern recognition, etc.) are very well-known tasks that can be practiced a lot online. Studies have shown that traditional cognitive test results are impacted by the Practice Effect: Practicing cognitive tests improve testing outcomes, while it’s important to measure innate traits (source).
Equalture’s game-based tests are unknown to candidates and cannot be intensively practiced in forehand. This ensures the fact that innate traits are being measured without any interference of the Practice Effect.
With traditional personality tests, the participant is presented with a set of multiple-choice questions. The participant is being asked to pick the answer they feel that applies most to them (self-report).
This format harms the reliable of the outcomes for the following reasons:
- Self-evaluation: People are not capable of accurately assessing themselves (source);
- Social desirability: Candidates pick the most desirable answer in a personality questionaire (source).
Equalture’s tests don’t rely on human judgment, but instead focus on objective measurements of a candidate’s behaviour throughout the game (moves, reaction time, responses, playing behaviour, etc.). As a result of that, it filters out the impact of self-report bias and social desirability. This can lead to scoring differently on the game-based tests.
Equalture’s game-based assessments follow the following development and validation stages:
- Stage 1. Trait scoping;
- Stage 2. Concept development;
- Stage 3. Usability testing;
- Stage 4. Pilot validation;
- Stage 5. Validation.
We developed our tests according to the COTAN Review System. The Dutch Institute of Psychologists (NIP) formed a committee for test matters in the Netherlands, COTAN, which outlines a review system for evaluating test quality. During the development of our tests, we have taken the COTAN Review System into account as a basis for our assessment development process.
We extensively validate our assessments, both in the process of developing the assessments and on an ongoing basis. We use existing (validated) assessments that measure the same construct as our games are measuring. During the validation process, a group of participants (norm group) is asked to complete both the existing assessment and the specific game. During the process, we look to enhance the reliability and Construct Validity. Reliability refers to a test’s ability to produce consistent results over time. Construct Validity determines if a test is measuring what it is supposed to measure.
All validation studies can be accessed upon request.
Cognitive assessments
The term cognitive ability/General Mental Ability (GMA) generally refers to the capacity to mentally process, comprehend, and manipulate information—in short, the ability to learn. For example, solving complex problems, reason analytically or adapting to changing circumstances. Cognitive abilities largely constitute what most people intuitively call intelligence.
Cognitive ability is important to test for two different reasons:
- Focus on learning/potential. We are in a constantly changing labour market. According to the World Economic Form, in 2025 85M jobs have disappeared that we still had in 2020. In contrast to that, 97M new jobs will arise. This means it will get impossible to screen candidates based on previous experiences, while learning ability will get more and more important.
- Predictive power. Cognitive ability has a correlation of 0.65-0.74 with job performance. This is 7x higher than education and 4.4x higher than work experience.
We cannot be too specific about this, as we don’t want candidates to read too much about our games. In general, we focus on complex problem solving, analytical intelligence, cognitive flexibility, and soon learning ability. These have proven to be the most crucial component of a person’s General Mental Ability (GMA).
Yes, cognitive ability/GMA has proven to be the most significant predictor of work performance, with a correlation of 0.65-0.74 (source).
In contrast to that, the predictive power of a CV is very low:
- The correlation between education and job performance is 0.10;
- The correlation between work experience and job performance is 0.16.
Behavioural assessments
The term behaviour generally refers to the way in which someone behavies in response to a particular situation, how they act or conduct themselves, and how they interact with others.
A person’s behaviour defines how they will interact in the workplace. Having these insights helps to understand which responsibilities/tasks fit someone, how a person can be coached, and how they will behave in a team setting.
We cannot be too specific about this, as we don’t want candidates to read too much about our games. In general, we focus on how people interact with others, their working style, and what kind of work environment they like.
Yes, behaviour has proven to be a significant predictor of work performance, with a correlation of 0.45 (source).
In contrast to that, the predictive power of a CV is very low:
- The correlation between education and job performance is 0.10;
- The correlation between work experience and job performance is 0.16.
Assessment scoring & Anti-cheating
Equalture presents assessment scores in a bucket system. Scores are divided in five different buckets, based on percentile score ranges.
Some assessments present scores in an exact score, meaning that a person can for example score 75% or 68%. From a statistical point of view, this difference is very small and won’t have a significant impact on how an individual performs. In our bucket system, people located from 60% to 80% are placed in bucket 4, so they all have the same chances to be selected.
When using matching scores, people located at 60 – 70% might be rejected by recruiters, even though they have similar cognitive abilities/ behaviour tendencies. As we want to prevent candidates from being rejected based on arbitrary boundaries, we have chosen to steer away from exact matching scores.
We continuously research any possible biases in our scoring. After completing the assessments, candidates can voluntarily share additional information about themselves (which will be anonymised) to conduct these researches on a large scale. Candidates can decide to share their demographics and neuromental disorders (ADHD, colour blindness, etc.).
A big difference between Equalture’s game-based assessments and traditional assessments is that we do not present our tests in a multiple-choice format. Instead, we focus on behaviour shown while completing the assessment. On top of that, our tests are not centered around knowledge. This means that, for example, you cannot google the right answer to a question.
The following anti-cheating measures have been implemented on top of this:
- Study prevention: Candidates cannot train for the assessments online. Also, they are not being told what is measured in a specific test.
- Multiple-attempt prevention: Candidates cannot complete our games multiple times. If a candidate previously completed our assessments for a job application at a different company, they will not be able to re-take the test for the next 365 days (after 365 days all results will be deleted). Also, when candidates are taking the test, they cannot refresh their browser to start the game again.
- Timed tests: Time is an element of each test, which is communicated to the candidates upfront.
Inclusion & Candidate Experience
Traditional assessments, such as personality questionnaires, are very text-heavy. We have limited the usage of text in our assessments to prevent disadvantages for individuals with dyslexia. We will also soon publish a more detailed report of the internal studies that have been conducted.
With the development of every new game, we compare our colour schemes to the most common types of colour blindness, to ensure that colourblind people can still distinguish the different colours. On top of that, patterns have been added to the games for which distinction between certain objects is necessary.
Many studies have researched the pros of cons of ADHD from a brain function perspective. These studies have shown that ADHD comes with some disadvantages, as well as some advantages.
Disadvantages (on average):
- Individuals with ADHD score lower on working memory;
- Individuals with ADHD score lower on cognitive flexibility.
Advantages (on average):
- Individuals with ADHD are more creative;
- Individuals with ADHD are more hyperfocused;
- Individuals with ADHD are more energised.
This indicates that individuals with ADHD will likely perform slightly differently on some assessments compared to individuals without ADHD. However, as companies are looking for cognitive diversity in their team, this can actually bring great advantages.
Equalture don’t work with standard profiles for specific roles. We promote cognitive diversity in teams. A team analysis is part of our product, which allows companies to get an overview of their teams’ current cognitive abilities and behaviours. This enables them to look for a new colleague who can compensate for certain gaps in the team, which stimulates (cognitive) diversity in hires.
Every candidate has the opportunity to rate their experience from 1 to 5 after completing the assessment. Our average Candidate Experience (CX) Rating is 4.49/5. Here you can access our CX Report for 2022.
The differences between ratings from different age ranges are relatively small. We have seen the following differences:
- On average, people below 35 or above 60 give the highest rating (4.6/5);
- On average, people between 51-60 give the lowest rating (4/5).
Candidates have the opportunity to (anonymously) share their neurological disorders (ADHD, Dyslexia, Colour blindness, Autism, OCD). On average, the rating from candidates with a neurological disorder and without a neurological disorder is similar. We have seen the following differences for specific neurological disorders:
- Candidates with colour blindness and OCD give a higher rating than average (4.6/5 and 4.7/5, respectively)
- Candidates with autism give a slightly lower rating than average (4.3/5).
Other/general questions
There are two main reasons why assessments are significantly more useful to rely upon in the hiring process:
Predictive power
Studies have shown that the predictive power of a CV is very low:
- The correlation between education and job performance is 0.10;
- The correlation between work experience and job performance is 0.16.
In contrast to that, insights companies can get from assessments have a significantly higher predictive power:
- The correlation between cognitive ability and job performance is 0.65-0.74;
- The correlation between behaviour and job performance is 0.45.
Objectivity
Human evaluations of candidates are influenced by our unconscious biases. Stereotyping Bias, Halo/Horns Effect, Confirmation Bias, and dozens of other biases will result in wrongly favoring one candidate over another. Assessments purely rely upon scientific insights, limiting the interference of biases.
Equalture’s game-based assessments can be completed in English, Spanish and Dutch.
We currently offer 4 different cognitive and behavioural games. Depending on how many games are selected for an assessment, it takes candidates on average 20-35 minutes to complete the assessment.
Equalture’s tests can be completed both on desktop and mobile. When being completed on desktop, we recommend using a mouse instead of a trackpad.
Yes. After submitting the assessment, candidates automatically receive their report via email.
No, we do not measure hard skills, as we want to focus on candidates’ potential instead of specific experiences.
Equalture offers an Interview Guide, including specific questions that can be asked to deep diver into certain assessment scores. A scorecard is also included the ensure an objective evaluation of the answers provided during the interview.
Most traditional assessments, such as a personality questionnaire, rely on self-reporting (self-evaluation). This means that the candidate is presented with a set of answers to a question, for which they need to pick the answer they feel suits them best. Studies have shown that there is a gap between self-evaluation and other-evaluation, meaning that individuals are oftentimes not capable to accurately evaluate themselves. This proves why it is very risky to rely on self-evaluation in high-stake situations (e.g. hiring).
Yes Equalture is ISO 27001:2013 certified. Being ISO 27001 certified assures you that your confidential candidate data is safe and secure with Equalture.
At Equalture, we uphold industry and international best practices as well as our own. Our high standards are reflected in this ISO 27001 certification and will only serve to enhance our continued compliance both internally and for our customers as we develop new features.
