The Role of Group Testing

Employers are increasingly using group exercises as part of their recruitment process, and they are often an integral part of a selection day or assessment centre. They are used to assess teamwork skills, interpersonal skills, verbal communication and analytical ability, and are used to see how you operate and perform in a group setting with your peers. Employers want to know such things as: are you a natural leader, a regular team player or a rebel? Do you tend to be the protagonist, the ice-breaker or the ideas generator in a group? They are also looking for skills and qualities such as:

• An approachable manner.
• Tact and sensitivity towards others.
• Being receptive to other ideas.
• The ability to think laterally and produce new ideas.
• Being able to understand and absorb information easily.
• Clarity of thought and expression
• The ability to assert opinions persuasively and positively in a group setting.
• Being supportive and co-operative towards others.
• Being able to identify key points and draw conclusions.
• The ability to encourage and facilitate participation from all members.
• Good time management.

Broadly speaking, group exercises fall into two categories:

1. Practical Tasks

In this exercise, you will be asked to carry out some sort of practical activity, such as designing and constructing a particular object within certain time and material constraints or solving a physical problem. For example, you may be required to build a bridge using only paper and rubber bands or asked to move a golf ball from one table to another using a paper clip and pipe cleaner. The task may be arranged to ensure that different members of the group have specialised roles.

This style of task aims to place all candidates on a level playing field by reducing the advantages of prior job knowledge and experience. The assessors will be looking for how well you communicate and co-operate within the group rather than whether you complete the task or not.

2. Group Discussions

This is the most common type of group exercise, where you will be asked by the selectors to discuss one or more topics on current affairs or an issue relevant to the employer, or to solve a problem. The discussion is usually observed by one or two assessors sitting in the same room, who take notes and make evaluations against a checklist of criteria. The topics often have no simple answer; you and the other applicants must reach a consensus on the course of action. Subjects may include:

• A business or an economics subject related to the company's present challenges or future prospects.
• An item of news.
• Problem solving scenarios. For example, ranking a number of items in a given list in order of importance for a walk across a desert.

As in the group practical tasks, the discussion may be arranged to ensure that different members of the group have specialised roles. For example, applicants may be assigned to play specific positio...

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