Decision Making Skills Test

A decision-making skills test evaluates an individual's ability to make decisions. Candidates are assessed on their critical thinking and logical reasoning skills when making decisions, based on the information and resources available to them.

  • What is a decision-making skills test?

    The ability to make sound and logical decisions is required in many jobs, no matter the level of seniority. Making decisions requires several skills and competencies, including applying logical thinking, analysing situations, and problem-solving.

    The Picked decision-making skills test evaluates these competencies, and whether individuals can make rational decisions when faced with scenarios they will commonly encounter in the workplace.

    In the test, individuals are presented with a series of questions. In each scenario, they need to use their analytical and problem-solving skills to reach the best and most appropriate decision given the situation.

    The test also assesses candidates' ability to work under pressure, their time management skills, and how well they can work with others in a team.

    The results from the test can be used to provide a deeper insight into a candidate's proficiency in the core competencies required when making decisions.

    A high score on the test indicates that an individual can draw on both their logical thinking abilities and critical reasoning to make rational decisions when in the workplace.

Jump to a section on this page:

  1. What is a decision-making skills test?
  2. Why should you use a decision-making skills test for recruitment?
  3. How our test assesses decision making skills
  4. Decision Making Skills Test FAQs

About the Decision Making Skills Test

Decision-making skills are required in many roles and at any level. Those that can make reasoned decisions when faced with difficult situations are often more productive and efficient in their roles.

An individual's performance on the job can be significantly affected if they cannot make logical decisions, or struggle when faced with a problem that requires them to determine the best course of action.

Given how essential decision-making skills are for any employee, assessing this as part of the recruitment process is important. In addition to helping you shortlist the most appropriate candidates, it can also provide further insight into additional competencies and skills that individuals demonstrate when in a workplace environment or when faced with a complex challenge or difficult situation.

Try for free

  • Why should you use a decision-making skills test for recruitment?

    No matter what level of seniority or sector, most employees will need to make decisions as part of their job. Gathering, analysing and applying information to solve problems and make the most appropriate decision when under time pressure are abilities required by most jobs.

    For recruiters, it can be challenging to determine a candidate's ability to make decisions relevant to the types of situations they will face in the workplace.

    Candidates may state that they can make decisions and provide some detail on this in their application form or during the interview. However, determining their actual ability in practice is challenging from an application form review or interview alone.

    The Picked decision-making skills test overcomes this barrier by allowing you to assess candidates' decision-making skills as relevant to the types of scenarios that they will face when on the job.

    When used in the early stages of the recruitment process, the test provides a cost- and time-efficient way of shortlisting only those candidates that can problem-solve and use analytical thinking and logical reasoning skills to make informed decisions. Those that score highly on the test can be shortlisted; those that do not can be eliminated from the process.

More Soft Skills Tests

Sample Decision Making Skills Test question

You have been leading the creation of a new marketing campaign. There are a few more details to finalize but you're on track to be ready to launch next week as planned. However, you've just heard a rumor that a competitor might be launching a similar idea tomorrow. If they do, it will negate what your team has been working on for weeks. If you launch today, you'd beat out the competitor and no work would go to waste. However, as it's incomplete, you suspect the campaign would not deliver the ROI you were hoping for and might even reflect poorly on the company.

What would you do?

  • Call all of your contacts who might know what the competitor is up to and try to get more information about their plans.

  • Plan to launch next week, but start working on a contingency plan in case the competitor launches tomorrow.

  • Ignore what the competitor may or may not be doing. There's too much at stake to launch an incomplete campaign.

  • Meet with your team immediately to brainstorm ways to avoid any serious consequences but launch today.

Picked Sample Report

View a sample report

Results for the Decision Making Skills Test along with other assessments the candidate takes will be compiled to produce a candidate report. The report is automatically generated and available both online and as a downloadable pdf so they can be shared with other team members and employees alike.

Download sample report

How our test assesses decision making skills

In Picked's decision making test, candidates will need to answer a range of situational judgement questions that are designed to indicate how well a candidate can make effective decisions under pressure when faced with different situations, deadlines, and priorities based on a final test score, which can then be compared to the scores of other applicants.

The test presents a scenario for the candidates to review before selecting what they believe to be the most and least effective actions to take in response. The other response options are mostly generic mistakes or misconceptions, which makes the test challenging and helps measure a candidate's ability more accurately.

During the development process, the test was rigorously analysed to maximise reliability and validity in line with industry best practices. It was created and tested by psychometric experts, and designed to assess decision making skills in a sample of job applicants who have varying professional experience.

Each test is reviewed by a panel of individuals representing diverse backgrounds to check for any sensitivity, fairness, face validity and accessibility issues. This ensures each test-taker has a fair chance of demonstrating the true level of their decision making ability and feels the test is high quality.

Our decision making skills test is monitored to ensure it is up-to-date and optimised for performance.

Try for free

Validated

Predictor of job success

Picked provides evidence-based recommendations for tests to use for over 750 jobs. Our recommendation engine leverages data from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).

Start

Access real assessments

Instant access to our full testing suite.

  • safebox icon

    Fully accredited

    All our Decision Making Skills tests are written by accredited psychologists and fully validated.

  • geometry icon

    For all levels

    We offer Decision Making Skills tests for all levels so you can assess all roles within your organisation.

Automate

Energize selection process

Streamline hiring with our out-of-the-box tools.

  • patent icon

    Smart automations

    Automated actions such as alerts and reminders ensure a smooth candidate experience.

  • bulb icon

    Instant results

    Receive candidate results in real-time so you can make decisions in hours, not days.

Hire

Make better hires

Improve hiring with bias-free, data-driven decisions.

  • notebook icon

    Analytics dashboard

    Our full array of candidate performance metrics will provide actionable data on each of your candidates.

  • laptop icon

    Candidate comparison

    Simple, easy-to-use candidate comparison reports mean you don’t need to be a psychologist to interpret them.

“We used Picked as part of our Finance Graduate Scheme recruitment and it was just what we needed – really simple to send candidates the link to complete and clear to see how they all compared. And great value for money!”
Christina, HR Director, Cancer Research, UK
Christina, HR Director, Cancer Research, UK
Decision Making Skills Test expert

Written by a Decision Making Skills Test expert

Our team of assessment experts is made up of I/O psychologists and psychometricians who are dedicated to making all of our tests as reliable, valid and fair as possible. They strictly adhere to best practices in the industry and stay on top of the latest innovations to ensure job candidates’ unique profiles of characteristics, abilities and knowledge are being measured accurately while minimising bias. They leverage decades of research and advanced predictive analytics to build assessments that link to outcomes that matter, such as job performance, turnover, engagement, culture fit and more.

“Personality profiling allowed us to perform lookalike modelling of our most successful employees and use this as a blueprint for new hires.”
Nick, HR Operations, Airbus, Spain
Nick, HR Operations, Airbus, Spain

Decision Making Skills Test FAQs

Why are good decision-making skills important?

In any role, at any level, you will encounter challenging or complex situations as part of your day-to-day working life. By using your decision-making skills to reach the best outcome no matter the situation, you are likely to be more successful, effective, and productive in your role.

How can you improve your decision-making skills?

Effective decision-making calls for individuals to make logical and appropriate decisions based on the situation. It is important to develop your critical thinking skills and logical reasoning ability to improve your decision-making skills. Practicing the ability to keep calm when under pressure is also essential when improving your decision-making skills.

Can I try the test for free?

Yes. Simply sign up (no credit card is required) and we'll give you unlimited access for seven days. Create as many jobs and test as many candidates as you want; you won't be charged a penny.

What is the cost for Picked's decision making skills test?

Picked offers monthly or annual subscriptions for businesses of all sizes, so choose one that best fits your needs. You can also contact us to discuss the possibility of a custom plan suited to your specific needs. You can check out our subscription plans here.

“Focusing on data reduced the subjective decision making from our hiring process and allowed us to reduce bias and make better hiring decisions.”
Izzie, Head of HR, iZettle, Sweden
Izzie, Head of HR, iZettle, Sweden

Ready to try Picked?

Start building your dream team

Try for free