Roleplaying

Assessment exercises: evaluating skills with an eye on reality

For social skills such as giving presentations, coordinating group discussions and leading sales talks, a computer test is often not enough. To evaluate e.g. fluency and interaction with an audience, a role-play is indispensable. 
 
Role plays are also a way to test skills interactively via a real-life simulation. This is very valuable to assess how someone’s body language works, how well someone can listen, whether someone can ask the right questions or present a policy vision to an audience. After all, in many jobs it is not just about what someone says, but also how they do it. 
 
For motor skills such as eye-hand coordination, Cebir also offers a manual skills test that is not computer-based.

(5) tests available

The Cebir Manual Dexterity Test measures a person’s eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills and dexterity .

CMDT is not a computer test but a case consisting of Plexiglas boards with slots. Candidates have to insert boards of different thicknesses into the slots as quickly and correctly as possible.

This test is intended for executive jobs that require (refined) manual work, e.g. packers, production workers, mechanics,…

STREET gauges how a person communicates in a group meeting, with a specific focus on decision-making, a collaborative and principled attitude, and a planned attitude. Attention is paid to both verbal and non-verbal communication.

In STREET, we simulate a context of a local authority where road works will take place on a major shopping street. These roadworks will impact some stakeholder groups, such as traders and citizens. A preliminary draft of the plans has already been developed. During the group discussion, the candidates each represented a stakeholder group. They have a number of wishes from their constituencies and together they have to adapt the preliminary draft into a final plan.

In the STREET, we simulate a context of a city council where a new city hall is to be built. The candidates are spokespersons for a department and will defend their department’s interests after a preliminary round. Again, each ward has some demands and wishes that may conflict with those of the other group members and the group must reach a consensus.

The STREET is designed for jobs that require reaching consensus within a team through deliberation, such as in managerial or coordinating roles.

In the role-play SUPER, candidates have to analyse the business situation as a new interim manager of a supermarket and draw up an efficient policy plan.

Based on the given file knowledge, they go to work to present an analysis before the board of directors, or to have a conversation with a dissatisfied employee as a manager.

The SUPER is used in sectors where market-oriented thinking is important, in positions where one has to take managerial or commercial responsibility such as director, gerant, department manager, project manager and account manager.

PROFIT measures commercial skill and attitude in a concrete interaction with customers. The ability to understand and remember information about new products is also important in this assignment.

In the PROFIT, candidates are placed in the role of customer advisor at a bank that has launched a car finance product. The assignment consists of 2 parts. First, they take the computer test PROFIT, in which they have to look up information about the car financing and answer some knowledge questions. This is followed by a role-play with a potential customer to whom they try to sell insurance.

The PROFIT is used for jobs where one has regular contact with customers or holds an advisory position.

ORGAN measures managerial and social skills and charts how well a person can motivate and follow up employees, and how fluently they communicate in the process (verbal and non-verbal communication and level of assertiveness).

The assessment consists of 2 parts. First, candidates take the computer test ORGAN, in which they have to draw up the team’s work schedule in the role of the head of a company. This is followed by the interactive part where candidates have to have a difficult conversation with one of the employees.

The ORGAN is used for managerial positions or positions where negotiation skills are important.