Puzzles, games and exercise tests
Puzzles, games, and exercises used as assessment methods that test a candidate’s problem-solving abilities, strategic thinking, and relevant skills in an engaging way.
These activities can range from logic puzzles and brain teasers to collaborative group exercises and role-playing games.
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Benefits and considerations of using puzzles, games and exercises
Benefits
- Engagement: These methods can make the assessment process more engaging and enjoyable for candidates, potentially reducing anxiety and encouraging a relaxed demonstration of skills.
- Shows practical skills: These activities show how a candidate thinks on their feet, solves problems, and interacts with others in scenarios.
- Innovative skill assessment: They allow recruiters to assess a wider range of skills, including flexibility in thinking, creativity, and teamwork.
Considerations and solutions
- Accessibility concerns: Not all candidates may be familiar or comfortable with game-based assessments, which could serve as a disadvantage.
- Solution: Provide clear instructions and allow practice time for candidates to familiarise themself with the games. Ensure that these assessments are part of a broader set of evaluation tools to maintain fairness.
- Potential bias: Games may inadvertently favour candidates with specific types of intelligence or problem-solving styles.
- Solution: Use a diverse array of games and exercises to assess various skills and ensure a holistic view of each candidate’s abilities.
What puzzles, exercises and games tests are suited for
- Attributes showcased: These tests evaluate problem-solving skills, creativity, and the ability to work collaboratively under pressure. They also reveal how candidates think critically and adapt to challenges.
- Roles and industries: Particularly effective for roles like software developers, marketers, project managers, and designers. Commonly used in industries such as technology, marketing, consulting, and creative fields, where teamwork, strategic thinking, and innovation are essential.
Example: A tech company hiring for a software developer position might use a hackathon-style exercise where candidates collaborate to solve coding challenges. This setup allows the company to observe candidates’ coding skills, teamwork, and ability to innovate under time constraints.
Conducting and designing neuro-inclusive assessments
Puzzles, exercises, and games can be effective assessment tools that can evaluate a candidate’s problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration skills. To ensure these assessments are neuro-inclusive, careful planning in their design, implementation, and feedback processes is crucial. Inclusive assessments not only create equitable opportunities for neurodivergent candidates but also support a better evaluation of skills.
Designing the assessment
Ensure that the tasks align with job requirements, accommodate varied cognitive styles, and reduce potential stressors.
Key strategies for design
- Clear instructions: Use plain language free of jargon, and provide instructions in multiple formats (written, visual, and verbal). Break tasks into steps to support understanding and reduce anxiety.
- Flexibility: Allow candidates to choose where, when and how they complete tasks, whether through written, verbal, or practical demonstrations. This accommodates different cognitive and communication styles, while allowing candidates to conduct the assessment in the conditions that support them to do their best.
- Align tasks with the role: Ensure tasks closely mimic real-world job responsibilities. Avoid abstract or overly theoretical challenges that do not reflect the job’s actual requirements.
- Progressive complexity: Begin with simpler tasks to build confidence and gradually increase complexity.
- Diversity in question style: Combine multiple-choice, open-ended, and practical tasks to assess a range of skills, maintaining engagement while catering to diverse strengths.
- Timing flexibility: Minimise strict timers and allow candidates ample time to complete tasks at their own pace to reduce stress.
Pre-assessment preparation
Providing detailed, accessible preparation materials helps candidates feel more confident and prepared for the assessment.
Neuro-inclusive strategies
- Neurodivergent awareness training: Ensure all assessors understand common neurodivergent characteristics and how these may present in the assessment context.
- Provide details: Share clear details about the format, duration, and expectations in advance. Include visual aids, such as task examples or mock exercises. Depending on the location and format, this may include:
- The schedule, including start and end times
- Access details (location, parking, public transport, signing-in procedures)
- Venue details, including sensory information and breakout spaces
- Names, roles, and photographs of the assessors (as relevant)
- Dress code recommendations
- A list of necessary documents to bring
- Contact details of a dedicated support person from the organising to answer any questions or queries.
- Support familiarisation: Offer candidates the chance to practice similar tasks beforehand to reduce anxiety around unfamiliar formats.
- Support person and aids: Communicate to candidates that they can bring a support person, sensory tools, or other aids to support them to do their best.
Setting up the assessment environment
The assessment environment can significantly affect a candidate’s performance, especially for individuals who may have sensory needs.
Neuro-inclusive strategies
- Workplace visit: Where applicable, offer candidates an opportunity to tour the workplace prior to the assessment. This visit can help candidates familiarise themselves with the setting, reducing anxiety and allowing them to identify accommodations they may need.
- Sensory-friendly settings:
- Minimise loud, continuous noise (e.g., humming from coffee machines or projectors).
- Avoid sudden loud noises, like doors slamming.
- Ensure consistent, non-flickering lighting.
- Avoid strong smells from perfumes, kitchens, or nearby restrooms.
- Provide simple décor and communicate any potential sensory stimuli in advance.
- Provide a range of sensory items that the candidate can use during the assessment.
- Provide a range of alternative seating options for candidates and encourage them to move furniture around to where it makes them feel comfortable.
- Accessible technology: Ensure digital tools are optimised for accessibility, offering features like adjustable font sizes, screen readers, and simple navigation.
- Break spaces: Provide a quiet area for candidates to rest before or during the assessment. Share this information in advance to reduce anxiety.
Conducting the assessment
An inclusive approach during the assessment ensures all candidates can perform to the best of their abilities.
Neuro-inclusive strategies
- Time to get comfortable: Allow candidates time to get comfortable in the setting and address any potential distractions or causes of anxiety.
- Flexibility: Be open to diverse problem-solving methods and avoid penalising unconventional but effective approaches.
- Minimise time pressures: Offer untimed or flexible timeframes to allow candidates to work without unnecessary stress.
- Be clear: Provide supportive immediate feedback or clarification if candidates appear uncertain about the task requirements. Be vigilant and considerate of the candidates’ feelings and provide support.
Post-assessment feedback
Clear and constructive feedback not only helps candidates understand their performance but also enhances their experience of the recruitment process.
Neuro-inclusive strategies
- Transparent outcomes: Provide explicit timelines for results and clear instructions for next steps.
- Detailed feedback: Share specific observations about where candidates excelled and areas for improvement. Avoid generic responses that fail to provide actionable insights. Invite unsuccessful candidates to request a meeting to discuss further.
Example of a neuro-inclusive puzzle-based assessment
Scenario: A marketing candidate is tasked with developing a creative campaign. They disclose a preference for a quiet space.
Actions taken:
- When the assessment is scheduled is negotiated with the candidate.
- The assessment room is quiet, with natural lighting and minimal sensory triggers.
- The candidate receives the task details and format in advance, with examples of successful campaigns for reference.
- They are allowed to complete the task over two days, with the flexibility to submit their work digitally.
Outcome: These accommodations enable the candidate to focus on showcasing their creativity and strategic thinking, offering a more accurate evaluation of their suitability for the role.
Continuous improvement in assessment design
To maintain inclusivity, organisations should regularly review and refine their assessment methods.
Strategies for improvement:
- Feedback loop: Collect input from candidates through surveys or focus groups to identify areas for improvement.
- Validation by neurodivergent reviewers: Engage neurodivergent individuals to evaluate the accessibility and fairness of assessments.
- Regular updates: Ensure tasks remain relevant to job roles and free of biases by conducting periodic reviews and accessibility audits.
Neuro-inclusive skills assessments utilising puzzles, exercises, and games can create a fair and inclusive recruitment process, supporting all candidates to perform at their best. By designing assessments that are aligned with job requirements, are flexibility, and foster a supportive environment, employers can unlock diverse talents while promoting equity in the workplace. These practices not only enhance candidate experience but also contribute to a more innovative workforce.
