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Best of the Web: Testing Recruits, Net-Style

 

www.reviewnet.net
What it's good for: Rigorous IT testing. After trying his luck on a test, one CEO joked, "I am lucky that we have talented engineers here .... I guess I am not one of them."
Don't waste your time if: You're looking for nontechnical tests. ReviewNet focuses solely on technology-skills testing.
What our CEOs had to say: The panelists were somewhat critical of the site's navigation but liked the tests. "With improvements in the navigational elements, this would be a good place to start screening a large number of applicants," one reviewer said.
What you ought to know: The site also allows the potential employer to monitor an applicant's test in progress and interject questions while the test is under way. For example, if a test administrator wanted to get at a test taker's thought process, he or she could ask on the spot, "How did you come up with that answer?"

www.webvaluate.com
What it's good for: The high-quality content of its tests. "They had well-thought-out tests that could be helpful in measuring an employee's skills," one reviewer said.
Don't waste your time if: You want to quickly check out the site, take a demo, and get pricing information right up front. The site requires visitors to call a salesperson to obtain prices and set up a demo test.
What our CEOs had to say: Opinion was a bit mixed. While one reviewer found the site was "good for the initial screening of candidates in clerical and certain technical fields," another observed that the text was "uninformative."
What you ought to know: Presenting Solutions, the company behind Webvaluate, opened the site for business only recently. The company has offered skills-testing software since 1992 and maintains a second site, www.presol.com, for purposes other than testing. On the second site the company promotes its off-line testing software, which is called Pre-valuate. One CEO found the multiple names confusing, saying that it was hard to tell which tests were available where.

The bottom line
A top scorer was ReviewNet, because of what our panelists saw as its high degree of reliability in assessing a test taker's skills. It was the only site that the judges unanimously said they would be likely to recommend to others, although not all of them were entirely happy with its design and accessibility. Brainbench drew kudos for its content and, to a lesser extent, for ease of use. Webvaluate ranked high in reliability, and one judge gave it exceptionally high marks for content. The panelists appeared to be frustrated with AssessNet, which several of the CEOs considered hard to navigate. And there was a consensus that Prove It had yet to fully live up to the challenge of its name.

Kate O'Sullivan is a researcher at Inc.

The savvy entrepreneur's guide to online test sites

Comments
Would our CEOs go back? Would our CEOs recommend using the site? What is the site good for? CEOs' quick take
www.assessnet.com Maybe. Probably not. "Good graphics, professional-looking site." "Did not give an actual feel for a real-world situation."
www.brainbench.com Probably. Probably. "Very informative and full of content." "Easy to register and take a test."
www.proveit.com Maybe. Maybe. "A good site for managing and administering tests." "Probably targeted to businesses with pressing manpower needs."
www.reviewnet.net Yes. Yes. "Underlying testing structure was very strong." "Lots of potential but needs some cosmetic work."
www.webvaluate.com Maybe. Probably. "Tests were thorough and useful." "Well-thought-out tests."
Grades
Ease of navigation Selection Ease of use Reliability Average grade
www.assessnet.com C B- C+ B B-
www.brainbench.com B+ A- B+ B B+
www.proveit.com B B A- B B
www.reviewnet.net B- B B+ A+ B+
www.webvaluate.com B- B+ A A- B+

Our Panelists

Rick Davis, CEO, Ants.com
Brian R. Geisel, CEO, Alogent
Mark K. Holland, CEO, Ascend HR Solutions
Adam Honig, president, Akibia Inc.
Wayne Jared, partner, Inspired Design
Paul Kraaijvanger, president, Verza Inc.
Deborah Pine, principal, PreVision Marketing
Alan Rudy, CEO, Express-Med Inc.
Bill Sherwood, president, Progressive Software Solutions
Kris Tufto, CEO, Jasc Software Inc.

Please e-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.

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