Self-Assessments and counselling tests
GIVING ORIENTATION IN THE CHOICE OF STUDY PROGRAMME
It is not always the apparently best students who successfully complete their studies. This is because, in addition to the final exam grade as an indicator of the abilities of the applicants, there are other factors that determine the success of their studies:
- the motivation
- the interest in the field of study and contents of the course
- the specific skills required for the study programme
A deficiency in any of these factors can quickly lead to a drop-out. Online-Self-Assessments (OSA) can provide prospective students with guidance before choosing their degree programme.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF SELF-ASSESSMENTS TO THE PREVENTION OF DROP-OUTS
The idea behind the use of online-self-assessments (OSA) is to promote self-selection: people who complete a self-assessment receive information about their chosen field of study or the specific degree programme, the requirements and ideally about their own strengths and weaknesses. On the basis of this information, they should then be able to see for themselves whether the relevant degree programme or field of study suits them and their abilities: The higher the fit between the person and the degree programme, the lower the likelihood of dropping out of a degree programme.
VALID RESULTS AS A BASIS FOR DECISION-MAKING
Therefore, the reliability and validity for the academic success of the feedback from the self-assessment is of decisive importance. With our experience in the development of assessments for selecting students, we develop self-assessments that are just as tailor-made for your degree programme or field of study. Our self-assessments contain tasks that predict your later academic and professional success, and give applicants a realistic idea of the requirements of the studies.
A good self-assessment not only helps you to find the most suitable applicants for your university or organisation, but also helps you to advertise yourself.
If you are interested, please feel free to contact us!
PROFESSIONAL HELP WITH THE DECISION
Counselling tests – such as those we have developed above all for the Federal Employment Agency – go one step further than self-assessments. The results of the counselling tests form the basis for counselling interviews in which the person seeking guidance is assigned an expert to help him/her evaluate the results and make a decision.
SAMPLE PROJECTS
Learn more about the projects by clicking on the link:
Field of study-related guidance tests (SFBT) for the Federal Employment Agency
Based on our SFBT from the 1970s and the experience gained since then in the ITB, we have developed counselling tests for a total of seven fields of study, which the Federal Employment Agency makes available in its counselling centres to students seeking advice (usually prospective high school graduates):
- Computer Science/Mathematics
- Engineering
- Natural Sciences
- Philological studies
- Law
- Social Sciences
- Economics
The tests are used there as a supplement to explorations and interest tests).
We developed the test concepts and coordinated them with the psychological service of the Federal Employment Agency. For the most recently developed test (social sciences), for which there is no prototype from past studies, we also conducted a detailed requirements analysis with subject representatives.
Then we developed the test items and empirically tested them (at schools).
After revising and compiling the final test versions, we conducted an empirical norming (also at schools). This norm data, compiled in the test manual, enables the Federal Employment Agency study advisors to classify individual test results.
SELF-ASSESSMENT TEST FOR THE MASTER'S PROGRAMME IN APPLIED INFORMATION AND DATA SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LUCERNE
The self-assessment of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts can and should be processed by all applicants for the Master’s programme in Applied Information and Data Science as part of their application. The test can be taken online from home throughout the year and the result will be taken into account in a subsequent interview.
The Self-Assessment takes about one hour and consists of four different groups of exercises:
- Planning and organising projects
- Formalising interrelationships
- Understanding abstract rule systems
- Analysing charts
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TÜBINGEN
For prospective students, the University of Tübingen has developed online-self-assessments for various degree programmes in cooperation with us. Since 2012, self-assessments have been added again and again for new degree programmes. In addition to a general scholastic aptitude test, we have developed subject-specific scholastic ability modules for a total of six fields of study (linguistics, social sciences, cultural sciences, economics, natural sciences and mathematics/computer science).
