Ability Assessments
Scientifically grounded measures of cognitive ability — the strongest single predictor of job performance across roles and industries.
Ability assessments reveal how a person thinks, reasons and solves problems — giving employers a clearer, more reliable picture of who is best placed to succeed in a specific role.
A Strong Predictor of Job Performance
Decades of research show that cognitive ability is a strong predictor of job performance — across role levels, industries and tasks — and remains a valuable input alongside personality, values and other measures.
Selection Validity
Cognitive ability consistently predicts on-the-job performance — giving selection decisions a defensible, evidence-based foundation.
Speed of Learning
Ability predicts how quickly new hires pick up the role — critical in fast-paced, complex or training-intensive environments.
Problem-Solving Under Pressure
Measures how well a person reasons through novel situations — essential for roles that rarely follow a script.
Role-Appropriate Screening
Batteries pitched at different educational levels make screening accurate whether the role is operational, specialist or graduate.
Objective Comparison
Standardised scoring gives a fair, comparable view of candidates — complementing the subjectivity of interview-based judgement.
Defensible Decisions
Scientifically validated measures, applied within the SA ethical and legal framework, make selection decisions easier to defend.
Matched to Role & Educational Level
Ability testing is only useful when the measure matches the person and the role. We help our clients choose batteries pitched at the right educational level and suited to the cognitive demands of the job — from entry-level positions through to senior leadership.
Our range includes broad reasoning batteries, shorter adaptive measures and Podium's AI-enhanced cognitive assessments — each with distinct strengths for different purposes and contexts.
When administered ethically and interpreted in context, ability assessments provide robust, defensible evidence for selection, development and succession decisions.
Where Ability Testing Earns Its Place
Selection & Recruitment
Screen for cognitive fit across role levels
Graduate Programmes
Identify candidates with the reasoning to ramp quickly
Promotions
Assess cognitive readiness for more complex roles
High-Potential ID
Surface future leaders earlier in the pipeline
Succession Planning
Build defensible, evidence-based talent pipelines
Career Guidance
Match people to roles that fit their cognitive strengths
Six Assessments Across Every Level
From graduate-level critical reasoning to rapid-fire adaptive cognitive measures — each assessment is purpose-built for a specific decision context.
Psytech International
GRT2
General Reasoning Test Battery
A brief yet comprehensive measure of cognitive ability assessing verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning — suitable for a wide range of occupational contexts and recommended for Grade 9 and upwards.
GRT1
Graduate Reasoning Test Battery
A graduate-level cognitive ability battery pitched for higher-level roles — assessing reasoning across verbal, numerical and abstract domains for selection and development.
CRTB2
Critical Reasoning Test Battery
A critical reasoning battery for managerial and professional-level assessment — measuring the ability to evaluate information and draw sound conclusions in a business context.
ART & ARTi
Abstract Reasoning Test
A non-verbal measure of fluid intelligence using a matrix-completion format — ideal for graduate and managerial selection, cross-cultural contexts and roles requiring strategic thinking. The ARTi item-banked version supports unsupervised remote administration.
Adapt-g
General Cognitive Ability
A short, adaptive measure of general cognitive ability — efficient screening across a broad range of roles, with strong predictive validity for a fraction of the testing time.
Podium
GCAT
General Cognitive Ability Test
A rapid-fire, randomised cognitive ability measure designed for the agile modern workplace — reducing the risk of cheating and suitable across all industries and ability levels.
Acumen
Cognitive Acuity Assessment
A modern cognitive acuity assessment combining psychometric rigour with an engaging candidate experience — built for fast, defensible selection decisions.
Need Help Choosing the Right Ability Test?
Ability testing works best when the measure fits the role, the person and the purpose. We'll help you pick the right battery for the decision in front of you.