Leading accountancy firm enhances graduate recruitment process with new tests

PKF, a top-ten firm of accountants and business advisers, has made its graduate recruitment process faster and more efficient after changing its online verbal and numerical reasoning test provider to assessment specialist PSL.

The firm receives around 2,000 applications per year for its 50 available graduate places.

Weíve been using online verbal and numerical reasoning
psychometric tests since 2002, to help filter candidates at an early stage, said Nigel Hutchinson, Recruitment Manager at PKF.

After receiving an inefficient service from its existing test provider, the firm turned to PSL, attracted by the companyís Infinity Series of verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning tests, which are designed for online delivery.

With PSLís online solution, you donít need any software installed on your system, said Nigel Hutchinson. We can have test results back in 90 minutes. This is much quicker than the period of nearly three weeks that it was taking for us to get the results back from our previous test provider.

Following the online tests, PKF invites around 250 candidates for a first interview. Around 120 are invited back for a second interview, at which the candidates are asked to complete a paper-based version of either PSLís verbal or numerical reasoning test, as a confirmatory check. Job offers are then made.

Because of the competitive nature of our marketplace, we need to have some way of ranking graduate applicants, said Nigel Hutchinson. PSLís tests are a convenient tool for this. They are exceptionally easy to administer but not easy to pass. Weíve run a correlation study which shows that the higher the numerical reasoning score a candidate achieves, the greater the likelihood is that they will pass their accountancy exams.

PKF has also introduced PSLís Infinity General Ability verbal and numerical reasoning tests to enhance its process for recruiting A- level students for a two-year training programme which leads to an Association of Accounting Technicians qualification. These newly- launched online tests are specifically designed for assessing candidates who are educated up to and including A-level or equivalent standard.

PSL are thoroughly professional, said Nigel Hutchinson. Weíve had no downtime or unnecessary delay with any of the test administration. When youíre in a marketplace in which you are judged on the speed and efficiency of your recruitment process, this really helps.

For more information about PSL, please call 020-8585 2345 e-mail info@psl.com