How to Assess Soft Skills in Candidates: The Proven, Research-Backed Method
How to assess soft skills with reliable, science-backed methods proven to improve hiring accuracy and efficiency.
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The £30,000 mistake hiding in your hiring process
The hidden cost of weak numeracy skills
You hire someone who interviews brilliantly, has strong qualifications, but three months later they're making calculation errors, struggling with data interpretation, or freezing when asked to analyse numbers. Sound familiar?
Each bad hire costs at least £30,000 (CIPD, 2023) - and that's just the direct costs. The real damage? Missed deadlines, frustrated teams, and your time spent on performance management instead of business growth.
Numerical reasoning isn't just "being good at maths." It's processing information, spotting patterns, and making sound decisions with data. These cognitive skills predict success across virtually every role in today's workplace.
That's why 78% of employers now use numerical assessments (CEB Global, 2024). But many are using ineffective tests or implementing them incorrectly, missing the real value.
Video summary: Chief psychologist Ben Schwencke explains how numerical reasoning assessments work and why they're essential for modern hiring.
CVs and interviews can't measure what matters
Why traditional methods fail to spot numerical weaknesses
CVs show qualifications, not ability. A business degree doesn't guarantee someone can interpret sales data or calculate ROI under pressure. CVs show what someone studied years ago, not their current capacity to handle numbers.
Interviews reveal confidence, not capability. Asking "Can you work with numbers?" gets a predictable "Yes." But can they spot errors in budget spreadsheets when deadlines are tight? Can they calculate percentage changes during client presentations? Interviews can't simulate real numerical pressure.
You wouldn't hire a driver based on theory knowledge alone. The same logic applies to numerical skills - they need to be measured, not just discussed.
The result? Candidates who sound impressive but crumble under numerical pressure. Meanwhile, those with strong analytical minds but weaker interview skills get overlooked.
Smart hiring teams use pre-employment maths tests early to solve this. But not all tests are worth using...
Not all maths tests predict performance
What effective pre-employment maths tests look like
The difference between a useful maths test and a waste of time comes down to design and validation. Here's what separates effective assessments from generic quizzes:
Essential features of effective maths tests:
✓ Workplace scenarios – Questions mirror real business situations: interpreting charts, calculating growth rates, analysing trends.
✓ Item banking – Each candidate gets unique questions, preventing cheating and question sharing.
✓ Scientific validation – Proven correlation with job performance across industries.
✓ Bias-free design – Extensive fairness testing ensures equal assessment across all groups.
✓ Adaptive difficulty – Questions adjust to candidate ability for more accurate assessment.
What Test Partnership's assessments measure: Processing numerical information in business contexts - data interpretation, percentage calculations, trend identification, and logical conclusions from charts and tables.
What they don't measure: Advanced mathematics or memorised formulas. You don't need to be a mathematician; you need to think clearly about numerical information.
Candidate experience: 20-25 adaptive questions completed in 18 minutes. Questions adjust to ability level for accurate insights without frustrating weaker or stronger candidates.
See sample questions and candidate reportsMaximum insight, minimum effort
How to use maths tests for maximum impact
Getting value from pre-employment maths tests requires strategic implementation:
- Screen early: Send tests immediately after application, before phone screens. Save hours on candidates who lack essential numerical skills.
- Set pass marks beforehand: Define minimum scores based on role requirements. For high-volume hiring, use higher thresholds to auto-shortlist top performers.
- Combine assessments: Pair with verbal reasoning and personality tests for complete candidate insights. Numerical ability alone doesn't predict success.
- Use consistent deadlines: Give all candidates the same completion window (3-5 days, avoiding weekends).
Pro tip: Combine numerical tests with verbal reasoning and personality assessments for the most predictive hiring battery.
The result: You only interview candidates who demonstrate the numerical foundation for success. Interview time focuses on cultural fit and motivation rather than hoping to uncover basic cognitive ability.
Beyond the obvious finance roles
Which roles need strong numerical reasoning
The obvious candidates: Finance, engineering, data analysis, and research roles clearly need strong maths skills.
The surprising reality: Numerical reasoning predicts success across almost every role because it measures core cognitive ability - how quickly someone processes information, identifies patterns, and makes logical decisions.
Examples you might not expect: Customer service managers analyse call metrics. Marketing coordinators interpret campaign ROI. Team leaders review productivity data. Even roles that seem "non-numerical" increasingly require data literacy.
The key insight: In today's data-driven workplace, can you afford to hire candidates who struggle with numbers? Even if the role doesn't seem maths-heavy today, it probably will tomorrow.
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Start screening smarter, not harder
Ready to start screening for numerical skills?
To recap: Numerical reasoning predicts job success across industries, but traditional hiring methods can't measure it reliably. Effective maths tests identify candidates with strong analytical thinking before you invest interview time, saving you from costly hiring mistakes.
If you're ready to add numerical screening to your hiring process, here's where to go:
- Explore our numerical reasoning assessments, including sample questions and detailed candidate reports that show exactly what you'll see.
- Want to discuss your specific requirements? Book a conversation with our team. Our business psychologists can recommend the right combination of assessments for your roles and volume.
Test Partnership's numerical assessments are trusted by over 1,000 organisations worldwide, with advanced item banking, scientifically proven validity, and seamless ATS integration. We're here to help you make better hiring decisions, not to sell you something you don't need.
