Many companies use assessments to help make hiring and promotion decisions. Most assessments measure one of the following attributes of the candidate:

• Specific job skills
• Their motivation and career goals
• Their personality and potential derailers (e.g. emotional intelligence)
• Their likely fit with the organization’s culture

One important area that is often not assessed is the candidate’s ability to use good judgment when making decisions based on complex or ambiguous information.

Historically this ability has been hard to measure. Traditional IQ tests tend to measure a candidate’s ability to identify a single correct answer to a standard question, and a major drawback with traditional IQ tests is that they do not take account of the candidate’s cultural and educational background.

A relatively new assessment tool called the Cognitive Processes Profile (CPP) can be very helpful in measuring these hard to pin down attributes. The CPP is a computer based simulation game that required the candidate so solve increasingly complex problems in a controlled environment. The neat thing about the CPP is that, because it is based on manipulating symbols on cards, it is not biased by cultural issues or educational considerations such as English language ability.

If your organization looking for a candidate with good judgment and sound thinking skills, then consider using one of the new wave of highly reliable computer based assessment tools such as the CPP to help you to identify the best candidate for the job.

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