ELI-REY M.

BORRES
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS

12 TYPES OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS

1. Practical assessment
A practical assessment consists of practical activities that are meant to assess and observe the
practical skills and behavior of employees. It helps to ensure whether they’re qualified for the role and
capable of handling the duties connected to their chosen field of study. A person’s attention to detail
is also assessed in this type of assessment, giving you a better indication of how well they’ll perform
on the job and apply their knowledge and abilities in a real-world setting. This is especially helpful for
topics like event safety training, customer service, and more.

2. Diagnostic assessment
Diagnostic assessment is the most preferred type of assessment of learning to check a learner’s
current knowledge base. Most of the time, it involves a series of questions given at the start of a class
or training session to identify a learner’s strengths and weaknesses prior to learning.

3. Formative assessment 
Unlike the diagnostic test, formative assessment for learning is administered during a training or
learning session to capture a learner’s progress in real-time. It can take a variety of forms, sometimes
even the combination of formal and informal assessment procedures like practice quizzes, point
exercises, and even short essays. The primary goal of this type of educational assessment is to identify
how the employees are improving as they learn and, at the same time, spot any knowledge gaps,
misunderstandings, or proficiency levels that they have not achieved yet. This way, trainers and
instructors can immediately modify and adjust their teaching strategies to achieve a high impact
learning. 

4. Summative assessment
Summative assessment serves as a summary test provided at the end of a learning course or training
activity. This type of assessment helps trainers and instructors define how much a learner has grown
and improved over time and record their overall achievement. In contrast to the first two assessments,
formative and summative assessments are formal and highly evaluative. Plus, it usually involves clear
instructions, expectations, and grading rubrics. Frequently high stakes, both instructors and students
work extra harder to prepare for these assessments.

5. Skill assessment
Very simply, skill assessment helps measure a person’s ability to accomplish specific tasks. This is one
of the types of performance-based assessments that's usually administered by recruiting professionals
to identify whether or not a candidate meets the qualifications needed to work in a specific
occupation. These skills may be innate or acquired through prior work experience, school education,
or training. Skill assessment can also be used to evaluate a person’s soft skills and determine if he or
she can easily fit in and get along in the workplace. 

6. Gamified assessment 
Gamified or game-based assessment is a type of assessment strategies that uses various gamification
elements to evaluate and gather specific information from candidates or employees, like their opinion
on a certain topic or skill level. Basically, it transforms traditional tests into a game format, like
memory games, true or false, and jumble words, to make the formative assessment strategies more
fun and contemporary. Quick and engaging, there’s no surprise how gamified assessment is rapidly
gaining popularity from recruitment and L&D professionals across different industries.
7. Oral assessment
Oral assessment, as its name implies, is a popular formal assessment type that evaluates employees or
candidates orally. For this method, the instructors invite their team for a face-to-face session or virtual
meeting, question them directly, and assess them based on their verbal answers. Most of the time,
this assessment is done casually, with no specific structured list of questions. The answers can be
elaborative or straight to the point, all up to the employer or trainer’s requirements.

8. Ipsative assessment
Ipsative assessment is the practice of retaking an assessment and comparing the results from the
previous performance. This type of formative evaluation helps learners identify their mistakes and
areas where they still need to improve, motivating them to perform better on their next assessment.
The ipsative assessment builds on the idea that learning is a process, and there’s still room for
improvement for those who have achieved a lower mark on their first attempt. 

9. Norm-referenced assessment
Norm-referenced assessment, also called NRT tests, is a type of assessment that significantly
compares a learner’s knowledge and performance to another. The comparison class is called the
“norming group”, which typically consists of a small group of test-takers that share specific
characteristics, like age, education, job position, and more. This assessment ranks learners from
highest to lowest to accentuate differences among them and point out who is ahead or behind the
norm. This information can assist trainers and managers in determining which members of the team
require additional attention and guidance at work.

10. Criterion-referenced assessment

Criterion-referenced assessment is a type of assessment that measures a learner’s learning
progress or performance based on pre-determined and agreed-upon criteria and standards.
Unlike the NRT tests, this evaluation doesn’t compare an individual against their peers. A criterion-
referenced assessment directly measures up a person’s skills and abilities to the criterion, regardless
of how the other test takers perform on the assessment. This, in turn, will help trainers and managers
gather insights about an employee’s strengths and areas for improvement. 

11. Scenario-Based Assessment

Perhaps you want to see how an individual will perform in real-world situations? Needless to say,
scenario-based assessment is the way to go. This type of assessment involves a hypothetical scenario
where learners are expected to apply their theoretical knowledge. Using this method, assessors will be
able to see firsthand the level of expertise of their learners. Not only does it produce a more reliable
evaluation of your employees’ skills and knowledge, but this type of assessment also serves as an
effective way to help your team practice and develop their skills. Scenario-based assessments provide
a great opportunity to explore their role and function, without the pressure of being involved yet in a
real-world situation. 

12. Behavioral Assessment

Behavioral assessment, as its name suggests, is a psychological assessment that aims to assess a
person’s behavior. In a workplace setting, individuals are observed in a simulated work environment
and shown realistic role-related scenarios. From there, they’ll be asked to perform the best possible
actions, like solving an issue or handling a conflict. How they respond to each situation will show you
whether or not they’re fit for the role.