Caliper Assessment

Preparing for the Caliper Assessment involves understanding its structure and the types of questions it includes, as well as developing strategies for answering those questions effectively.

This pack includes tests in the following topics:

What is the Caliper Assessment?

Caliper is an assessment and hiring consultancy responsible for creating the Caliper Profile, an employment assessment that companies can use to streamline their hiring process. Unlike other employment assessments, the Caliper Profile does not exclusively cover pre-employment, but rather it can be used to evaluate employees throughout their employment, from candidacy to selection, improvement, development, and promotion.

The Caliper Profile assesses 280 behavioral traits, 56 competencies, and 28 personality traits to determine job compatibility and predict future success. The Caliper Profile can also be tailored using those traits to specific job fields and roles.

What Topics are Covered in the Caliper Profile?

With the wide range of traits assessed by the Caliper Profile, it may seem difficult to determine what exactly a candidate can expect to find on their test. There are, however, the three basic traits as outlined by Caliper itself: behavior, personality, and competency (aptitude). The Caliper Profile is not timed, and comprised of over 100 questions.

Personality Test

Personality tests are designed to evaluate a candidate or employee’s compatibility with the given job to ensure their success in the role. They must be able to handle the responsibilities and expectations of the job both as a potential employee -to increase their chances of being hired- or current employee -to facilitate the potential for promotion. Candidates may be assessed on:

• Interpersonal Skills: Candidates must demonstrate strong interpersonal skills between colleagues and upper management. They must show the potential to be a leader and possess strong persuasive and assertive skills, while also having the capability to work with their fellow employees as a team.
• Personal Organization: Candidates must demonstrate the ability to effectively evaluate their own skills. This means identifying strengths and weaknesses and working towards improvement, which tests both the limits and potential of a candidate to succeed in the role.
• Time Management: Candidates must be able to complete tasks quickly and effectively. They must demonstrate the ability to prioritize and multitask.

Questions on the personality portion of the Caliper Profile include ranking (strongly disagree to strongly agree with a statement) and choosing a statement that best describes you from a preset list.

Behavioral Test

The Caliper Profile’s assessment of behaviors looks specifically at how a candidate or employee acts and reacts in a workplace setting, and how they interact with workplace policies and procedures. This allows a company to predict how an employee might behave in potential difficult situations. Candidates may be assessed on the following:

• Communication: Employees must be able to communicate effectively in all aspects of the job (colleagues, management, clients, etc). This includes being direct and candid when conveying important information, clarifying tasks and expectations, and addressing issues as they come up.
• Problem-Solving: Candidates must be able to address and solve problems effectively, rationally, and calmly in order to achieve the best possible outcome.
• Decision-Making: Candidates must show the potential to embrace opportunities to make decisions with purpose, and do so based on concrete evidence and facts relating to the issue.

Questions related to behavior on the Caliper Profile include ranking (best to worst responses) and choosing a response that best describes the candidate.

Aptitude Test

The competency or aptitude portion of the Caliper Profile assesses an individual based on several cognitive functions. This section of the Caliper Profile expects questions to be answered with both logical and analytical skills; the purpose of testing a candidate’s aptitude is to evaluate these skills based on cognitive ability rather than personal traits. Candidates may be assessed on topics including:

• Abstract Reasoning: Candidates must demonstrate the ability to think outside the box as well as use rationale and logic to solve questions related to the job. Questions are usually based on images and evaluate critical thinking skills and problem-solving.
• Numerical Reasoning: Candidates must demonstrate a basic understanding of mathematics, including basic operations (multiplication, subtraction, addition, division), percentages, ratios, fractions, and conversions (unit and currency). Questions include identifying patterns in a sequence and calculations.
• Spatial Reasoning: Candidates must interact with and manipulate 2- and 3-D shapes according to directions and instructions. They must demonstrate the ability to solve problems based on critical-thinking skills. Questions include pattern identification, identifying missing shapes, mirror imaging, figure matching, and figure rotation.

How to Prepare for the Caliper Profile

Individuals asked to complete the Caliper Profile are encouraged to answer every question as tests with questions left blank will not be accepted. The test may be administered in-person or online, and this is up to the company asking for the test. The Caliper Profile is scored from 1-99: a score below 39 is considered a “fail” while a score above 60 is considered to be ideal. Again, the Caliper Profile is not timed, so candidates are encouraged not to rush through questions but to take their time.

It is important to prepare for the Caliper Profile, specifically for the aptitude portion. Candidates who use practice tests and study guides have a higher chance of doing well in this portion, as the ability to identify the sequences and patterns and perform calculations will grow easier with practice. This will also increase your confidence going into the Caliper Profile, and identify areas that need improvement. For the personality and behavior-based portions, it is important to prepare by doing research on the job you are applying for/already hold. That way you will know what an employer will be looking for from your answers, and which traits are prioritized for promotional purposes.

Studying and utilizing practice tests are the best way for you to prepare for the Caliper Profile, and this is where Prepare4Success can help.