If you’ve ever employed a new employee, you know how unpredictable success may be. If you get it right, everyone will be happy. If you get it wrong, you could end up in a lot of trouble.

A bad hire might cost up to 5 times the pay of the employee. That’s not even taking into account the other issues, such as low team morale or poor job performance resulting in strained client relationships.

It’s obvious that making the appropriate hire is critical. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for getting it right every time, there is one tool in your personnel management toolbox that is more successful than other forecasters and will help you hit the target more often than not: cognitive ability testing.

What are the benefits of using cognitive ability tests during the recruiting process?

Here are six reasons why you should include cognitive capacity in your pre-employment testing when evaluating a candidate’s abilities:

1. They have a high degree of accuracy in predicting employment success.
2. The tests are only a few minutes long.
3. Assessments aid in the identification of exceptional students.
4. Measurement of cognitive ability is critical for agile businesses.
5. Your business will be future-proofed with cognitive assessments.
6. Tests of cognitive capacity provide a significant competitive edge.

1. Assessments of cognitive capacity are strongly predictive of job performance.
   They’re actually one of the most thoroughly investigated examinations in the social sciences. According to researchers, cognitive capacity accounts for 42 percent of work success on average! That kind of forecasting power, in the proper hands, will make striking talent Blackjack a regular occurrence in both recruiting and promotion decisions.
2. Many cognitive ability tests are only a few minutes long.
   Klein assessments, for example, has developed the Cognitive Assessment battery yields more information about a candidate’s mental abilities and chances of success than a 1-hour interview.
3. Cognitive ability evaluations assist you in identifying exceptional students.
   Rapid knowledge acquisition is, in fact, at the heart of the link between cognitive aptitude and job performance. Researchers revealed that cognitive capacity predicts training success. People with higher cognitive scores outperform others after formal learning is completed because they can swiftly integrate all of the incoming information and knowledge. In other words, they pick up new skills quickly and figure things out quickly, resulting in significant performance boosts.
4. Measuring cognitive ability is critical for agile businesses.
   Rapid knowledge acquisition is, in fact, at the heart of the link between cognitive aptitude and job performance. Schmidt’s research revealed that cognitive capacity predicts training success. People with higher cognitive scores outperform others after formal learning is completed because they can swiftly integrate all of the incoming information and knowledge. In other words, they pick up new skills quickly and figure things out quickly, resulting in significant performance boosts.
5. Cognitive tests can help your company plan for the future.
   This is because data on cognitive ability is important to consider while growing your organization’s bench strength. Building from within is a terrific way for really successful firms to grow. However, in order to achieve this properly, they must focus on hiring for more than just today’s needs—they must hire for the future. Again, cognitive capacity is a valuable ally in achieving organizational success. Your organization will be in terrific talent shape for the challenges of the future if you analyze whether new personnel have the general mental ability and critical thinking skills to succeed beyond their current roles.
6. Cognitive ability assessments give you a leg up on the competition.
   Cognitive abilities can be used to establish a learning structure. Simply put, your entire workforce’s combined learning ability may be a true competitive advantage—and it should be a component of your strategic talent management philosophy. Cognitive ability testing employs quick-to-complete techniques that are highly predictive. You may save your managers time by ensuring that they are interviewing individuals who have the best chance of succeeding, as well as reducing the likelihood of making poor hiring selections.

You can employ cognitive ability assessments to ensure that talent can learn quickly, adapt to change, and thrive at problem-solving in today’s rapidly changing world. They can also be utilized to build bench strength for future workforce planning—and, in the end, to help you construct an organization where continuous learning is at the core of your competitive advantage for years to come if used strategically.