Hiring managers are starting to care more and more about a candidate’s cognitive aptitude…
But what exactly is cognitive aptitude, and why are companies getting so interested in it?
Cognitive aptitude refers to a person’s ability to process information, learn quickly, and apply new information to solve problems. Cognitive aptitude is actually a bunch of different intellectual skills swirled together. These mental faculties include perception, attention, memory, visual and spatial processing, and a slew of other brain functions like mental flexibility, problem-solving, and decision making.
All in all, this brainpower is what guides the choices we make in life, big or small. From choosing between two different types of cereal (comparing their ingredients, nutritional information, cost, taste, etc.) to deciding what type of job we want to have (determining if we’d enjoy it, potential salary, if we’d have to move, what kind of career mobility and stability exists, etc.), we depend on our cognitive ability.
These skills really shine when we’re presented with new or difficult tasks. They help us cobble together unique solutions on the fly and make well-informed decisions. Cognitive aptitude can also be thought of like a muscle – something we can grow, flex, and improve with training over time. Playing an instrument, diving into a great book, getting plenty of sleep, and hanging out with friends can all improve cognitive functioning.
Interestingly, physical activity can also be a great way to pump up your brainpower. Exercise can increase levels of hormones and neurotrophins (proteins that promote the growth of neurons), that have been shown to improve memory, strengthen neural connections, and improve information processing speed. Our cognitive ability directly impacts what we do, how we do it, and our ability to adapt to changes in our lives.
Okay, so we now understand what cognitive aptitude is and what we can do to improve it…
But why do companies care about cognitive aptitude so much these days?
A big part of its importance stems from research that has shown time and time again that cognitive aptitude is the single best predictor of job performance, short of actually doing the job. In fact, cognitive aptitude is twice as good at predicting job performance than interviews, three times as good as job experience, and four times as good as education level. Hiring managers aim for successful hires above anything else, so it makes perfect sense why they would gravitate towards the factors that are most likely to predict that success.
This research has been pivotal in helping hiring managers understand that many of the most common hiring tactics, like interviews and resumes, are poor predictors of job performance. Think about it from the perspective of a company hiring a new employee. Most companies have a hire-horror story: the candidate had a stellar resume, rocked the interview, and seemed like they were going to be an incredible asset to the team, but once they started working, everything fell apart. The hiring manager is left with what can best be described as “hire remorse.”
After being burned, it makes sense why employers often turn to more data-driven factors to help them make a more educated decision, which also explains why more and more employers are using cognitive aptitude tests to review job seekers. These tests measure the key components that make up cognitive aptitude: problem solving, information application, learning ability, and critical thinking. Scoring well on these tests signals to your prospective employers that you’re a fast learner who will earn their keep in no time.
While these tests can seem intimidating, you as a job seeker can use them to your advantage! Refine your cognitive skills with brain games and mental exercises that you enjoy, whether it’s playing a card game like Concentration, going for a jog, working through math puzzles like Sudoku, or using a brain games app like JobFlare! If you hone your skills and keep them sharp, you can become the dream candidate that any employer will want to join their team!
Appreciate all the effort that you have put into writing this. Very interesting info!
amazing
Thank you for the wonderful article
Cognitive Aptitude seems to be a great asset in a hiring prospective employee. This should have been derived in the 18th or 19th Century.
Good explanation for any candidate
Interesting information but, I’m wondering how does this test take into account nervous test takers?
Hello Sandra!
Test anxiety can be difficult to manage (especially when there’s a job opportunity on the line!), but cognitive measurements with JobFlare are completely stress-free. JobFlare uses games – not tests – to measure your cognitive abilities, and you can play the games as often as you like to improve your scores.
Hi, this article was quite helpful and very informative. thank you.
For an old timer having to start again, and given this day and age there’s going to be more and more, this article is a God Send.
What would be good is if there’s some examples though. At my age, my imagination is not what it’s used to be.
Intelligence is not fixed. I have a low ability score 73 but passed all the game levels which by your description I am in %1. There lots of pitfalls in the designing of the game. Same questions comes up repeatedly. So if you play a number of times you are likely to pass all levels. I had fun though.
Hello Muri!
73 is absolutely not a low ability score – it’s a percentile ranking that shows that you performed better in the games than 73% of other JobFlare players. It is not an issue that the same question repeats – the questions are randomly pulled from our question bank on the server. And to pass all game levels and have 5 stars still puts you in the top 1% of players for Achievement score (the one represented by stars that denotes your progress through the app and is a combined measurement of aptitude and tenacity). For most people, it does not matter how many times they play, due to the passing threshold, you have to have a certain aptitude to earn 5 stars.
And I absolutely agree with you that intelligence is not fixed – people grow and change over time, and then there’s the concept of fluid intelligence versus crystallized intelligence. All fascinating stuff! However, JobFlare scores are not a measure of intelligence (like IQ), but aptitude, which is a form of applied intelligence that, while not static, is not very dynamic over time after a certain age. Aptitude is unlikely to deviate much over the course of a few years after reaching adulthood. For our purposes of helping you stand out when trying to find a job (and getting hired in the near-term), JobFlare’s measure of aptitude is still a valuable datapoint that you can share with employers.
If there are any other questions I can answer for you, please reach out to support@jobflare.com and I would be happy to discuss further.
Hi,
is JopFlare APP available in Egypt store or US store only
i couldn’t fine it at all to downlod
Hello Mohamed,
Unfortunately, JobFlare is not available in the Egyptian App Store at this time. It’s only available in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Please reach out to Support@jobflare.com for more help!
Best,
The JobFlare Team
Thank you, for this wonderful information. I am blessed and challenged.
Besides intelligence quotient, emotional quotient, survival quotient and many other domains, having a well-rounded person who listens deep, empathy for others, the ability to work well and collaborate, and able to be creative and innovative will be just as important, if not, more important.
We absolutely agree, Roland! Cognitive ability is just one piece of the overall picture companies should use when making a hiring decision. The thing that separates emotional intelligence from cognitive ability is that there’s currently more predictive research behind it, so it’s easier to create ways to accurately measure it than, say, someone’s empathy. But you’re correct that emotional intelligence, creativity, and collaboration are paramount – there’s just no reliable way to measure things and apply predictive analytics… yet. We’ll see what the future holds!
It’s very interest and they give us chance to taste our brain
Thanks a lot really for this amazing information
It’s very interest and they give us chance to taste our brain
wow! Being a new graduate and seeking for a job opportunity. This article has helped me understand what an employer wishes from an employee. Great information.