Online tests improve graduate selection at Deloitte

Deloitte, the UKís fastest-growing major business advisory firm, has substantially enhanced the speed and efficiency of its graduate recruitment process by replacing a paper-based psychometric test with online verbal and numerical reasoning tests from assessment specialist PSL.

Deloitte is the largest recruiter of graduates in the UK private sector. It appoints around 1,200 graduates and undergraduates a year - from over 10,000 applicants - to work within its tax, audit, consulting and corporate finance businesses. In the past, eligible candidates
would complete a 90-minute test in a Deloitte office before being interviewed by a line manager.

By integrating online verbal and numerical reasoning tests into our graduate selection process, we have saved thousands of hours of interview time because now line managers only see candidates who have already passed the online assessments, said Sally Whitman, a Senior Manager in the Graduate Recruitment team at Deloitte.

We chose PSL because we could brand the tests with the Deloitte logo, to make them a seamless part of our application process, and we had confidence in the reliability of their test administration system.

The online reasoning tests take approximately 70 minutes to
complete. Deloitte is using them to sift applicants after an initial pre- selection stage.

Our research shows that the verbal and numerical reasoning tests provide evidence of ability and likely performance in the job and performance in professional Chartered Accountant qualifications, said Sally Whitman. Weíre conducting more research in this area but already weíve seen a high correlation between a candidateís score in the test and their score in professional exams. Online testing has also saved us money because weíre able to screen
candidates prior to inviting them in for an interview.

Deloitte believes that its ability to recruit talented graduates will be a key factor in sustaining its growth.

Our current and future success depends on attracting and retaining the most able people in our profession, said Sally Whitman. The market for talented graduates is very competitive, so we need to ensure our selection process is fast and efficient. PSLís online tests help us to concentrate on the candidates who have got what it takes
to be successful.

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