What is a Clevry (Criterion) test?
Clevry is a psychometric test publisher, producing a range of assessments to evaluate soft skills for the workplace. These tests are administered to assess prospective employees, as part of a multi-stage hiring process.
The tests are supported by over thirty years of scientific research and used by recruitment departments worldwide.
Criterion became Clevry in 2021, via the merger of Criterion, Psycruit, Studentwork and Sharper.
Psycruit is an all-in-one digital testing platform. Established in 2001, it made Criterion one of the first publishers to provide online assessments. In 2004, Criterion acquired Nordic firms Studentwork and Sharper, which focused upon encouraging recognition of the value of soft skills in the workplace.
The rebrand of the four components of Criterion’s work has enabled the company to create a united brand, providing services to improve the recruitment industry and ensure recognition of the importance of soft skills.
Clevry’s psychometric assessments are taken by job candidates across a range of industries, including sales, customer service, finance, administration, marketing, IT and engineering. Clevry provides tests for graduates, entry-level positions, mid-career professionals, managerial roles and senior positions.
Companies that use Clevry assessments in their recruitment process include EY, BDO, the Asian Development Bank, Elysium Healthcare, Novartis, Charity Works, Royal Mail, the Ministry of Justice, the Metropolitan Police, Asda, Innocent, M&S and Yeo Valley.
The different types of Clevry (Criterion) assessments and how they work
Clevry has an extensive catalogue of psychometric assessments including ability tests (such as abstract, numerical, verbal and mechanical reasoning and error checking tests), situational judgment assessments and personality questionnaires.
Together these tests assess your cognitive ability, mental agility, behavioural approach and soft skills, providing an indication of your suitability for a job role.
Clevry has industry-based and role-specific personality and situational judgement tests available. Numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning tests are available at different levels (essential, enhanced and expert). This means the Clevry tests you experience will differ according to each application process.
Clevry enables employers to create their own assessment campaign to best fit the needs of their recruitment process, so expect the tests you encounter to be tailored to the industry and company you are applying to work within.
The tests are most commonly administered through an online testing portal branded for your prospective employer, hosted by the Clevry platform. The process will be integrated, with all tests scheduled through the same interface.
The aim is to create a seamless journey through the assessment process, making it as simple as possible.
Clevry (Criterion) ability tests
Clevry ability tests are offered in three different streams:
Utopia (High-level) – Aimed at graduates, professionals and managers, the Utopia series features abstract, numerical and verbal reasoning tests.
B2C (Mid-level) – Used for recruiting customer-facing and administrative roles, the BC2 stream features error checking, verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning tests.
Mechanical – This series is aimed at recruitment within production, manufacturing and engineering, and contains verbal, numerical and mechanical ability tests.
Note that pen and paper versions of Clevry (Criterion) tests are still available, and that the length and time allocations for these assessments may differ slightly from the online tests detailed below.
Clevry (Criterion) abstract reasoning test
The online Clevry abstract reasoning assessment evaluates your deductive ability and skill at absorbing new ideas and concepts.
It presents a series of shapes and patterns, for which you will need to select the next figure in the sequence. The 16 questions you are required to answer are multiple choice, and you will be given 45 minutes to do so.
This Clevry test may also be referred to as an inductive or diagrammatic reasoning test.
Clevry (Criterion) error checking test
The error checking test, found within the B2C package for customer-facing and admin roles, requires candidates to review two pieces of reference material and check for any inaccuracies or mistakes.
The written material will likely be in list form and contain stock details. The questions posed will have a multiple-choice format with five options.
The test aims to assess your attention to detail and ability to focus under pressure, as you will be required to identify any errors quickly and accurately.
The online test has a total of 16 questions, which must be answered in 10 minutes.
Clevry (Criterion) numerical reasoning test
In the online Clevry numerical reasoning test, your ability to interpret and handle numerical data will be assessed. You will be presented with data in tables, graphs and charts and expected to carry out calculations involving basic arithmetic, ratios, fractions and percentages.
The use of a calculator is permitted. You will have 16 questions to answer in an 18-minute period.
Clevry (Criterion) verbal reasoning test
The Clevry verbal reasoning test assesses your competency in understanding, interpreting and analysing written information.
You will be presented with paragraphs of text and asked to answer a series of questions by indicating if the statement given is true, false, or if you cannot say from the information provided. There will be 16 questions to answer in total.
The online test has a time limit of nine minutes, so you will need to answer the questions quickly and accurately to achieve a high score.
Clevry (Criterion) mechanical reasoning test
For the Clevry online mechanical reasoning test, you will have 12 minutes to answer 20 questions. These questions will present you with diagrams depicting objects and processes and test your ability to apply mechanical and physical laws – such as those of force and energy.
The diagrams are likely to focus upon levers, pulleys, gears and hydraulics. The test will be multiple-choice.
Clevry (Criterion) personality questionnaire
The Clevry personality questionnaire aims to explore your character and behavioural traits in order to understand your personality profile and attitude. For example, how you approach your work, tackle challenges, react under pressure and motivate yourself.
You will be presented with statements relating to workplace behaviour and asked to indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree. The questionnaire is not timed but should be answered intuitively and honestly.
The Core Personality Questionnaire contains 21 scales (the terminology used for questions), while the Enhanced version includes 30 scales to provide deeper insight.
As Clevry offers a wide range of sector-specific questionnaires, the likelihood is that your test will be tailored to your industry and role, so be aware of the distinctive traits needed to excel in your sector.
The Workforce Personality Questionnaire is targeted at blue collar, manufacturing and production roles.
Clevry also allows employers to select the scales within the test, to reflect company competencies and values – so keep your research on the organisation in mind. Scales can be selected across the following topics: Interpersonal Style, Thinking Style, Emotional Style, Motivational Values and Culture Fit.
The results of your personality test will be compared to those of a norm group to understand where your personality leanings fall in relation to the average candidate.
Clevry (Criterion) situational judgement test
The situational judgement test published by Clevry also aims to gain insight into your behaviour and how you will perform and react to challenges in the role. You will be presented with a series of fictional workplace scenarios and asked to indicate the most appropriate response from a selection of options.
It is likely the situational judgement test you encounter will be tailored to your industry, company and job role, so expect pertinent questions.
The test will assess you across five key areas: Thinking, Achieving, Collaboration & Teamwork, Influencing and Commercial Awareness.
