An in-basket test or an in-basket exercise is a test used by companies or governments in hiring and promoting employees. During the test,
job applicants receive a number of mails, telephone calls, documents and
memos. They then have a limited period of time to set priorities, organize their working schedule accordingly and respond to mail and phone calls.
It also helps in acquainting employees about their job where a number of problems are kept in the "in basket "(usually kept on the desk of the employee). The worker has to look at the problems which could also be complaints from different employees and simultaneously deal with those problems. As the employee solves these problem, they transfer them to the "out-basket".
In-basket exercises are often part of
assessment center
An assessment centre is a process where candidates are examined to determine their suitability for specific types of employment, especially management or military command. The candidates' personality and aptitudes are determined by techniques in ...
s that are comprehensive multi-day assessments involving a variety of simulation exercises and tests, typically used to identify management talent.
The test was invented by
Norman O. Frederiksen
Norman “Fritz” Frederiksen (1909-1998) was an American research psychologist and leading proponent of performance assessment, an approach to educational and occupational testing that focused on the use of tasks similar to the ones individuals ...
and colleagues at
Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service (ETS), founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization. It is headquartered in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, but has a Princeton address.
ETS develops var ...
in the 1950s.
See also
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Recruitment
Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individual ...
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Job interview
A job interview is an interview consisting of a conversation between a job applicant and a representative of an employer which is conducted to assess whether the applicant should be hired. Interviews are one of the most popularly used devices for ...
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Case interview A case interview is a job interview in which the applicant is presented with a challenging business scenario that he/she must investigate and propose a solution to. Case interviews are designed to test the candidate's analytical skills and "soft" sk ...
References
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Recruitment
Aptitude