What Is A Saville Assessment?
Saville Assessment is a Willis Towers Watson company that works with companies of all sizes to recruit, retain and develop talent. The company was founded by Professor Peter Saville, who also started up renowned test provider SHL.
Saville Assessments are psychometric tests used by employers who want to find out more about their candidates' individual strengths and skills in key areas. As well as standard numerical, verbal and problem-solving aptitude tests, there are also several Saville Assessments that focus on personality and workplace style.
There are a huge number of tech companies that use Saville Assessments to bolster their recruitment processes and ensure they're only hiring the best new talent.
Saville Aptitude Test Categories
Depending on the nature of the role you're applying for, you could be asked to take a wide variety of different Saville Assessments. The most important thing is to find out which test(s) you will be taking, so you can practice the right ones beforehand.
Verbal Aptitude Test
If you're going for an entry-level position you'll be asked to take a verbal comprehension test. If it's a graduate position or above, you're more likely to be assessed using a verbal analysis test.
In both cases, the test aims to measure your language comprehension, as well as your ability to interpret and analyse written information.
You'll be asked to read through a passage of text before answering questions on what you've just read (no prior knowledge of the subject matter is needed). The questions are multiple-choice, and you'll need to select either 'true', 'false', or 'cannot say' (if there isn't sufficient information for you to make a conclusion).
Both tests are less than 25 minutes in length, so it's really important you practice a few beforehand so you get to grips with the speed at which you need to work through the problems.
Numerical Aptitude Test
The numerical reasoning test focuses on your aptitude for mathematical principles and data interpretation.
You can expect a series of questions based on graphs, charts and tables. Again, the questions are multiple-choice and you'll have to quickly and accurately infer all of the information you can to select the right answer.
The test is only 16 minutes long, so finding a balance between speed and accuracy will be really important.
Mechanical Aptitude Test
Technical positions often require candidates to take a mechanical aptitude test.
The questions on this test are designed to probe a candidate's understanding of fundamental physical and mechanical properties. As well as showcasing your knowledge of forces, movement, and elements like pulleys and gears, you'll need to interpret illustrations, charts and diagrams.
This test is just 16 minutes long.
Diagrammatic Aptitude Test
Diagrammatic aptitude tests look at your ability to follow operational processes and procedures to reach the desired outcome.
The way this works is by asking you to look at diagrams with labelled inputs, processes and outputs. You'll then be asked to use the key to answer questions based on the information in front of you.
The diagrammatic aptitude test is complex. You'll have a little longer to complete it (around 24 minutes) but it's essential to practice this (and all aptitude tests!) before taking the real one.
Error Checking
Error checking tests are a great way for employers to see how strong candidates are at spotting errors and how good their attention to detail is.
In this short, six minute test, you'll need to look at two sets of transposed information to determine where the errors are.
Abstract Aptitude Test
In this test, you'll work through a series of patterns and sequences which have had information removed. Using innate logical reasoning skills, you'll need to decipher the rule that governs the patterns so you can identify the missing information.
Theabstract aptitude test is usually around 16 minutes long.
Spatial Aptitude Test
Shapes are at the heart of spatial aptitude tests, which requires candidates to apply spatial awareness knowledge to identify which shape in each set isn't a match.
The shapes will be presented in different layouts and angles to make the test more challenging, and you'll only have around eight minutes to complete the whole test.
Workplace English Test
A workplace English test can give your employer peace of mind that you have a solid
understanding of the English language.
Designed with the workplace in mind, the test (which is just over 16 minutes in length), requires you to answer incomplete sentences using multiple-choice responses.
Saville Wave Personality Questionnaire
Personality questionnaires look at how well your ethics, personality and character traits fit with the business you're applying for.
There are two Saville personality assessments: Wave Focus Styles and Wave Professional Styles.
Wave Focus Styles is more basic and only takes around 13 minutes to complete, whereas Wave Professional Styles is a much more in-depth look at your communication style, the ways you like to work and your problem solving skills, and lasts about 40 minutes.
Saville Situational Judgement Test
Situational judgement tests are similar to personality questionnaires in that they assess how likely a candidate is to be a good fit for the company. However, the situational judgement test is much more focused on hypothetical workplace challenges, and how you're likely to react to them.
You'll rate how strong you think a series of responses are to a challenge. This tests how good you are at making decisions, trusting your own judgment and assessing often quite complex challenges.
Assessment Centre
Saville assessments are used for screening candidates, but they're also often used at assessment centres to help employers make crucial hiring decisions.
The assessment centre is the final piece of the puzzle and is for the few candidates that make it to the end of the recruitment process.
Tips To Practice And Prepare For The Saville Assessments
Practice A Range Of Tests
Finding out which Saville Assessments you'll be required to take is really important as you can hone your revision and ensure you're spending valuable time on the right areas.
However, there are similarities between tests such as spatial and abstract tests, so it can be helpful to practice other tests too so you can broaden your knowledge and understanding of the concepts you're being tested on.
Focus On Questions You Find Difficult
This is the best way to get better.
After you've completed each test, work back through the questions and make a note of anything you found hard or got wrong.
It's only by going over the challenging parts that you'll start to make the kind of big improvements that can help you to get the job of your dreams.
Understand The Format
Saville Assessments are fast-paced and require you to work through complex questions quickly and accurately.
The best way to understand the format of the different assessments is just to practice each one as often as you can.
It'll really help your speed and confidence on the day if you know what to expect from the questions.
