Watch: the benefits of game-based assessments
Ben Schwencke talks through why forward-thinking employers are making the switch from traditional assessments.
If you're still using traditional psychometric tests, you're likely watching qualified candidates slip away. 60% of job seekers abandon applications they find too lengthy or complex, and traditional assessments are the biggest culprit.
Meanwhile, forward-thinking employers are discovering something remarkable:
78% of candidates believe gamification makes a company more desirable, and game-based assessments can predict job performance with 29% greater accuracy than traditional methods.
But here's the catch—not all game-based assessments are created equal. Most focus on personality traits and soft skills that don't actually predict job success. The real opportunity lies in cognitive ability testing, where gamification isn't just more engaging—it's scientifically superior.
Key takeaways
- Traditional assessments are failing: 60% of candidates abandon lengthy applications, and 67% apply via mobile devices that traditional tests don't support.
- Game-based assessments work better: 29% greater predictive accuracy plus 78% of candidates find them more appealing.
- Most providers focus on the wrong thing: Personality and soft skills don't predict job performance—cognitive ability does.
- Dynamic Assessments solve the real problem: Measure cognitive ability (the #1 predictor of job success) in 4–6 minutes with engaging, mobile-first formats.
- Built-in AI resistance: Complex interactive mechanics prevent ChatGPT cheating without hurting candidate experience.
The traditional assessment crisis
Let's be honest about what's happening in your hiring process right now. For every six applications candidates complete, they only get one interview request. But what if the problem isn't the quality of your candidates—it's that you're losing them before they even get started?
The completion rate disaster
Traditional assessments are designed for a world that no longer exists. They're text-heavy, require desktop computers, and can take 30+ minutes to complete. 60% of candidates abandon applications due to length and complexity, and traditional psychometric tests are often the breaking point.
The mobile reality
67% of candidates use mobile devices to apply for jobs, but traditional assessments perform terribly on mobile. You're essentially telling the majority of your candidates to find a computer or go elsewhere.
Think about it from a candidate's perspective: they've just spent 15 minutes filling out your application form, only to be hit with a 45-minute numerical reasoning test that looks like it was designed in 2005. 49% of candidates have declined job offers due to poor recruitment experiences—and that experience starts with your assessments.
The irony? You're using these assessments to find the best candidates, but you're driving them away before they can demonstrate their abilities.
What are game-based assessments?
Game-based assessments use interactive, animated formats to measure the same psychological constructs as traditional tests—but in a way that candidates actually enjoy. Instead of static text and images, you get dynamic tasks with real-time feedback, animations, and game-like mechanics.
Think of it this way: crosswords measure verbal reasoning, Sudoku tests numerical logic, and Tetris assesses spatial ability. Game-based assessments simply take these naturally engaging formats and apply rigorous psychometric science to create valid, reliable measures of cognitive ability.
| Aspect | Traditional Tests | Game-Based Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Completion Time | 15–30 minutes | 4–6 minutes |
| Mobile Friendly | Poor experience | Optimised for mobile |
| Candidate Drop-off | 60% abandon | High completion rates |
| AI Resistance | Vulnerable to ChatGPT | Built-in protection |
| Candidate Experience | Anxiety-provoking | Engaging & enjoyable |
Watch: why game-based assessments are becoming the gold standard
Ben Schwencke explains the science behind game-based cognitive ability testing and why it outperforms traditional methods.
The science behind the games
For cognitive ability testing, the research is compelling. Well-designed game-based assessments can actually be more valid than traditional tests because they can create more complex tasks that tap into general cognitive ability more effectively.
Game-based assessments utilise complex mechanics that make them powerful measures of general cognitive ability—the single biggest predictor of job performance.
However, there's a crucial distinction to make here. Most game-based assessments in the market focus on personality and soft skills—areas where the research is much less convincing. For cognitive ability, where the predictive validity is rock-solid, gamification represents a genuine breakthrough.
Four game-changing benefits
The benefits of well-designed game-based cognitive assessments extend far beyond just being "more fun." They address fundamental flaws in traditional testing that have been holding back your hiring process.
Higher completion rates
78% of candidates find gamified processes more desirable. No more losing talent to assessment drop-off.
Mobile accessibility
67% of candidates apply via mobile. Game-based tests work perfectly on any device.
29% better accuracy
Game-based assessments predict job performance with 29% greater accuracy than traditional tests.
AI-resistant
Complex mechanics prevent ChatGPT cheating whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience.
- Dramatically higher completion rates. When you reduce assessment anxiety and make the experience engaging, candidates actually finish what they start. 78% of candidates believe gamification makes a company more desirable, and the completion rates prove it. Compare this to traditional assessments where 60% of candidates abandon applications due to length and complexity—you're not just improving candidate experience, you're expanding your talent pool.
- Mobile-first accessibility. 67% of candidates apply for jobs using mobile devices, but traditional assessments force them to find a desktop computer. Game-based assessments are designed mobile-first, removing this unnecessary barrier. This isn't just about convenience—it's about fairness. You're ensuring that candidates from all backgrounds can participate, regardless of their access to expensive devices.
- Superior predictive validity. Game-based assessments can predict job performance with 29% greater accuracy than traditional assessments. This isn't just about engagement—it's about getting better results. The complex, multi-layered tasks possible in game-based formats can create higher "g-loading"—meaning they're better measures of the general cognitive ability that drives job performance.
- Natural AI resistance. With AI tools like ChatGPT making traditional test cheating easier, game-based assessments offer built-in protection. Complex, interactive mechanics can't be easily copied and pasted into a chatbot. Combined with shorter time limits and mobile-first design, they make AI-assisted cheating practically impossible without compromising the candidate experience.
The gamification trap
Before you rush to implement game-based assessments, there's a critical issue you need to understand. The vast majority of game-based assessments in the market today are focusing on the wrong things.
| Assessment Type | What It Measures | Predictive Validity | Market Reality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personality Games | Teamwork, leadership, communication | 🔴 Low (0.15–0.25) | 80% of providers |
| Cognitive Games | Problem-solving, reasoning, mental ability | 🟢 High (0.50–0.65) | 20% of providers |
The soft skills distraction
Most providers are gamifying personality assessments and soft skills evaluations. While these might be more engaging, they're not measuring what actually predicts job performance. Personality tests have low predictive validity, regardless of how you dress them up.
What really predicts success?
Cognitive ability is the #1 predictor of job performance. Most providers ignore this in favour of flashy personality games.
The research on game-based personality assessment is frankly disappointing. Attempts to measure traits like "teamwork" or "leadership potential" through games have consistently failed to produce reliable, valid results. You end up with assessments that look impressive but don't actually help you hire better.
The real opportunity in game-based assessment lies in cognitive ability testing—where gamification can actually improve both the candidate experience and the scientific validity of your measurements.
This is why you need to be extremely careful about which provider you choose. Many come from general tech backgrounds and lack the psychometric expertise to create truly effective assessments. They focus on flashy gameplay mechanics while ignoring the fundamental science of what makes people successful at work.
Dynamic Assessments: the solution
This is where Test Partnership's Dynamic Assessments come in. We've taken everything that works about game-based testing and applied it specifically to cognitive ability—the trait that actually predicts job performance.
| Feature | Traditional Tests | Typical Game-Based | Dynamic Assessments |
|---|---|---|---|
| What they measure | Cognitive ability | Personality / soft skills | Cognitive ability |
| Completion time | 15–30 minutes | 8–15 minutes | 4–6 minutes |
| Scientific validation | High (r=0.50–0.65) | Low (r=0.15–0.25) | Very High (r=0.84) |
| Mobile experience | Poor | Good | Excellent |
| AI resistance | Poor | Variable | Built-in |
Scientifically validated, genuinely engaging
Our Dynamic Assessments achieve correlation scores as high as 0.84 with established cognitive ability measures like the ICAR, proving they measure what actually matters—in just 4–6 minutes, with engaging, interactive formats that candidates prefer.
Key advantages
- 4–6 minute completion time vs 15–30 minutes for traditional tests
- Mobile-optimised for today's candidates
- AI-resistant format prevents cheating
- Higher g-loading than traditional tests
- Scientifically validated by business psychologists
What makes Dynamic Assessments different is that they're designed by business psychologists who understand both psychometric science and modern hiring challenges. We're not just adding animations to traditional tests—we're creating fundamentally better ways to measure cognitive ability.
The future of hiring isn't about choosing between candidate experience and scientific rigour—it's about finding solutions that deliver both. Dynamic Assessments represent that future: faster, fairer, and more predictive than anything that came before.
Conclusion and final thoughts
When it comes to cognitive ability assessment specifically, game-based assessments offer myriad advantages in the pre-employment testing space. They have the potential to be more engaging, valid, fair, and accessible, benefiting a wide range of stakeholders in the process. In many ways, game-based ability tests represent the natural progression of the ability testing market, and their market share is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years.
However, not all game-based assessments are valid, fair, or accessible, and employers must perform their due diligence when adopting any new pre-employment testing tool. In particular, asking for evidence of reliability, validity, and fairness should be the number one priority when engaging with a provider, ensuring that any selection tools you adopt are evidence-based. Many providers of game-based assessment come from general tech backgrounds and lack the required psychometric expertise to bring a true game-based assessment to market.
Nevertheless, we believe that game-based assessments represent the future of pre-employment testing, and when done well, they can outperform traditional assessments in many domains. Employers should work with providers who have the necessary expertise to create psychometrically robust tools—such providers are likely to significantly improve your selection processes in multiple ways, more than justifying the swap from traditional to game-based assessment in recruitment.
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Primary author
Ben Schwencke
Chief psychologist at Test Partnership. MSc in Organisational Psychology with over ten years experience in psychometric testing.